Carol Gursslin of Hilton has a goal this summer: To amass one hundred pairs of new hand or machine knitted socks – plus hats and scarves – to donate to the Mountain States Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America (MSCPVA).
“It’s cold where they live, they need them,” Carol says of the vets who live in the states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
Carol is the current president of the Circular Sock Knitting Machine Society (CSKMS) which will hold its annual conference – “Socks in the Rockies” – August 1, 2015, in Denver, Colorado. The knitted socks for veterans are part of the “Head Over Heels for Vets” charitable project which CSKMS began in 2013. Many CSKMS members use antique circular sock knitting machines which Carol explains came into prominence one hundred years ago and were used in the home, “…. to make socks for overseas troops during World War I,” she explains.
Soldiers fighting in the war were suffering from trench foot and desperately needed new, dry socks. “The socks were sent by the Red Cross overseas,” Carol says.
Making and donating socks (as well as hats and scarves) to veterans seemed a perfect project for the circular sock knitting group, Carol observes, and is a way for members to honor those who have served in the armed forces.
Last year, the annual conference was held in nearby Geneseo and 95 hats, scarves and socks were made and donated to veterans at Canandaigua Veterans’ Hospital.
On a recent rainy Saturday morning, Carol met a group of local knitters at Amelia’s Fabric and Yarn Shoppe in Hilton to talk about the project and to make items to be donated.
She is appreciative of the support provided by Nancy Vorndran, owner of Amelia’s. “I can’t say enough about her and her generosity,” Carol says.
Carol explains that when she travels to Denver, Al Jones, a retired Army reservist there, will accept the sock/hat/scarf donations on behalf of the MSCPVA during a luncheon at the conference.
She says that Jones was an instructor with Iraqi police forces when his unit was hit with an IED that killed some and left Al with near fatal spinal injuries.
The MSCPVA, “strives to make the lives of veterans affected by spinal cord injury and dysfunction as close as possible to the lives of those not impacted by these life-changing events. Our programs support members through advocacy, public education and recreational events,” the group’s mission statement says.
Jones will then distribute the donations to veterans in need. Donated items are wrapped in three-inch wide bands and marked with size, gender and washing instructions. Carol says acrylic yarn is recommended for the socks for ease of care.
To find out more about the program contact Carol at cgurssli@rochester.rr.com or go to: www.ravelry.com/events/head-over-heels-for-vets or www.cskms.org.
