Since 2008, Fremont’s Giving Hands knitting group has donated thousands of mittens, scarves, hats and facecloths to those in need. (Photo: David Lazar)

Their conversation a spirited weave of sewing patterns, family life and even international politics, the ladies of Fremont’s Giving Hands knitting group like to joke they accomplish more than the intricate scarves, mittens, winter caps and washcloths that each Wednesday blanket their table at the Fremont Public Library.

“We solve a lot of the world’s problems here!” quips co-founder Theresa Rowell. “But mostly, we laugh a lot.” They also make a lot of days brighter. Since May 2008, this gathering of a dozen or so retirees, part-time workers and stay-at-home moms has been setting up shop weekly, armed with needles, yarn, and a limitless supply of goodwill. Over that time, Giving Hands has donated thousands of pieces of homespun handiwork to those in need – from brightly-colored caps and washcloths for chemotherapy patients at Exeter Hospital, to helmet liners for soldiers overseas, and limb, wrist and thigh covers for amputees in area hospitals.

“Everyone has something within them,” co-founder Nancy LeCain says. “Someone may be a deacon at their church. Someone may be vacuuming floors or teaching Sunday school. We knit. There’s very much a joy that comes through giving.” Launched by Rowell, LeCain, and fellow Fremont neighbor Meredith Patrick, Giving Hands began as a sort of home-based ministry – a way of using their fellowship and love of crocheting and knitting to help make a difference in the community. Word wove its way into the community, however, and soon other local knitters were voicing a desire to contribute. So the ladies of Giving Hands settled on a sun-drenched table at the Freemont library, where each Wednesday morning, the “quiet” rule is discreetly eased for a couple of hours. A typical session will find locals and those from as far away as Londonderry, Kingston, and Bedford weaving scarves, mittens and hats for grateful families through Portsmouth’s Operation Blessing charity, caps for infants through Newton’s Neighbors Helping Newborns program, or hats for sailors through Portsmouth’s Seafarer’s Friend – each piece lovingly wrapped and sealed with a Giving Hands label and card. Some, meanwhile, prefer to do their needlework from home and drop off bagfuls of finished goods each Wednesday.

“Bad things happen,” says Patrick, a retired medical office manager and former owner of a Plaistow knitting shop. “We just want people to know that they’re not alone; that there are people out in the community who love and want to help them. It’s a little thing. But there’s nothing like a warm hat in winter.”