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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sweaters Donated to the Abused
By Ashley Bergen
Mountain View Telegraph
Small, neatly folded, colorful sweaters sit on a small table beside Nancy Wilson's bed.
At a glance, visitors to her Edgewood home may think the tiny, striped jumpers are for her grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren, but they'd be wrong. The sweaters are for children who have been affected by domestic violence in Torrance County.
Wilson, who is in her 80s, collects donated yarn and gives the sweaters she knits to the Torrance County Project Office's domestic violence program.
"I just imagine women who've been beaten and then run away, but have to do so quickly. They forget a sweater, or their children's sweater," she says.
When asked why she does it she replies, "because I can."
She's been knitting for as long as she can remember and suspects she learned from her mother. Wilson grew up in Connecticut and moved to New Mexico in 1982 with her husband, Kent, who worked for Los Alamos National Laboratory as a mechanical engineer. Nancy also worked for the lab in financial management before retiring in 1994 and now knits to keep herself busy. While Kent is out tinkering in the garage or walking their Great Pyrenees, Nancy is sitting in her recliner, quietly knitting for a cause she believes in.
Ellen Burgess, the project office's programs manager, described Wilson as a "fast, productive, creative knitter."
Two weeks ago, the project office had an outreach event in Mountainair where it gave away two big bags of sweaters, probably 40 or more, Burgess said.
"Prior to that we gave away 30 or so at the back-to-school event in Estancia," Burgess said.
Wilson was honored.
"It makes me so happy to hear that," Wilson said. "It makes me want to keep doing it. Knowing I'm doing it for someone else."
Wilson has been knitting sweaters for members of the community for about four years, according to Roxie Encinias, domestic violence service coordinator for the project office.
"She is so wonderful," Encinias said. "She's been a godsend to us, and we're very blessed to have her in the community."
Wilson estimates she knits about 75 sweaters a year, but lately can only knit sweaters for children because she is running out of yarn.
Anyone wishing to donate yarn can contact Wilson at her home at 286-1250. She asks that the yarn be four-ply, machine-washable.
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