DEL.ICIO.USYarn dolls sent to Iraq and Afghanistan for distribution by soldiers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/17/08
The dolls are tiny enough to fit in a soldier's pocket, yet big enough for a child to cuddle.
And any Knit-Wit can make them.
 Andy Sharp/AJC | ||
| At the West Cobb Senior Center, Janice Slocum appears to be enjoying her time with the 'Knit-Wits' doll-making group. | ||
 Andy Sharp/AJC | ||
| Dolores Peluso, 75, of Acworth, part of the Knit-Wit group in Cobb County, creates Izzy dolls that soldiers can hand out to Iraqi or Afghan children. | ||
 Andy Sharp/AJC | ||
| The Knit-Wits are a group of seniors who meet here reguarly to knit 'Izzy' dolls. The totable little dolls are sent to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who can in turn give them to children in those war-torn countries in hopes of making their days brighter. | ||
|
That's the nickname for 11 women who meet Mondays at the West Cobb Senior Center. They promote international relations one stitch at a time.
Their latest project: knitting yarn dolls to send to Iraq and Afghanistan for distribution by soldiers. So far, they've shipped out more than 150.
"We're in our second childhood," said Millie Himle, 74, of Marietta. "If the kids enjoy these things as much as we do..."
The Izzy dolls are named after Mark Isfeld, a Canadian peacekeeper in Croatia in the '90s.
After he sent his mother a photo of a broken doll in some rubble, she began crocheting yarn dolls for him to hand out to kids. Isfeld was killed while clearing land mines in June 1994, days before he was due to come home.
Carol Isfeld kept making the dolls, and knitting clubs took up their needles in support.
Himle met her first Izzy in October at a Canadian crafts store while visiting her daughter. She got the pattern and brought it south — with some modifications.
"The original pattern would give you a plain one," Himle said. "BOR-ing! So, we all add our own things. This one has a hat."
She also makes sure each doll has a little ribbon hand-printed with USA and a heart. "We stick them on their fannies," Himle said, "so the kids know they're coming from the U.S. of A."
Dolores Peluso, 75, of Acworth is on an Izzy-making mission. She can complete one in a two-hour Knit-Wit gathering.
"I gotta make at least one a day," she said. "It's like the one-a-day pill."
Izzys are easy, too.
"I can do these here because you don't have to think," said Janice Slocum, 71, of Kennesaw. "We just talk."
Mary Lou Warden, 75, of Powder Springs, the newest Knit-Wit, heard about the group through the senior center newsletter.
She recalled thinking, "I'm not sure I want to sit around with a bunch of old ladies and knit."
The feisty group won her over.
"There may be snow on the mountain, but there's still fire in the furnace," said Ginger Hopp, 68, of Marietta.
"Y'all are my therapy for the week," Hopp added. "I left cleaning my basement to come here."
Himle said folks don't have to join the Knit-Wits to make Izzys. She'll happily share the pattern and help arrange shipment.
She sends most of the dolls with packages from the Mount Bethel United Methodist Church in east Cobb, noting that Izzys are even better than plastic foam for packing. She also has given about 30 to a woman she knows with sons in Iraq.
"I'm hoping to get one of her sons to take a picture of one of these with a kid," Himle said. "It's just now finding its own legs."
The Knit-Wits have also started making Teddies for Tragedies, which will be sent to Doctors Without Borders for children in hospitals, and blankets for children at a Macon hospital. Marjorie Tomlinson, 74, of Kennesaw, makes blankets with a Georgia Bulldogs theme.
As the women work, the pile of Izzys in the middle of the table grows. They joke that one doll is overweight and ought to go to an exercise class.
Some Knit-Wits use only pastel colors on the girl dolls.
"Whatever floats your boat," Peluso said. "They all have the same DNA."
They do try to mix up the colors of the faces.
"You don't want a child in Iraq to think everyone in America has a blue face," said Ann Reeves, 71, of Powder Springs.
What if someone makes a mistake, like dropping a stitch?
"Then, you're going to go to Marjorie," said Hopp. "She fixes it."
After the session, some of the women put away their knitting needles and stick around for the next activity: woodcarving.
"That's when," Himle said, "we bring out the knives."
Services »
