February 2, 2011, WXIA: "No pain, no gain" is often reverberated as a mantra for learning a new skill. Barbara Finney has achieved "hero" status for making the best of her devastating loss in Cartersville, GA. Imagine losing your fingers and continuing to knit and crochet. Finney, at age 25, spent six months in the hospital where doctors said she wouldn't live. But survive, she did and retaught herself the art of knitting and crochet minus the necessary digits every handcrafter uses to create.
For eight years now, after a blood condition caused her to lose her fingers, Barbara has used her remaining stumps to crochet and knit for charity — countless hats and blankets for Omega Healthcare, a home hospice company.
"Compassion goes into every stitch. 'I think if I'm making a toboggan that somebody's little bald head is going to be warm,' Barbara said. 'I think of people in wheelchairs that are maybe keeping their legs warm.' "
"I thought you can either meet the challenge, or you can sit around and feel sorry for yourself," she said.
"I feel like I'm maybe making a difference in somebody's day," she said.
Find a quick and easy infant hat pattern w/ mailing info.
Knit and crochet for our troops in Afghanistan.
Knit and crochet for HIV/AIDS children.
There are many groups who knit and crochet for charity, hospitals and the homeless in the Providence area. The list for Rhode Island charities provided by Ocean State Knitters group on Ravelry and Lion Brand is here.
Contact Knits for Needs, who does so much good work organizing charitable knitting and crochet for needy organizations everywhere, like Women in Need, assisting homeless women and children on the streets of New York.
Sharon Watterson — Subscribe to these knitting and crochet articles. Click subscribe at the top of the page and get free patterns right in your email box. Watterson also writes about Newport Home and Living, Sailing, and Landmark Travel. Visit here for more free knit and crochet patterns. You'll find her blogging at knit_n_scribble.
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Comments
Fantastic article and amazing woman...thanks for sharing.
What an inspiration, I am starting to crochet for charity, and it makes me so happy to give warm colors to people. Great report.
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