Sunflower Knitters provides warmth and comfort to those in need. Here’s how they help
Quick hands, creative minds and a passion to help are all part of what it means to be part of the Sunflower Knitters. The knitting guild draws its members from across the county and beyond.
Although it has only had a nonprofit status for two years, charitable projects have long been part of the group members’ purpose. Last year, their endeavors benefited three organizations.
“Our membership is really invested in our charity knitting,” said Marlene Feder, president of Sunflower Knitters. “For a lot of people, it’s part of the reason that they’re part of the guild. Whenever we reach out to the membership and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this charity project going on,’ the membership responds really well.”
To help in Johnson County, members knitted a mixture of hats, scarves, mittens and blankets — 320 in total — for Sunflower House, a local organization that serves victims of child abuse. On the national level, members knitted 15 pairs of prosthetic breasts for mastectomy patients through Knitted Knockers.
“They’re soft. They’re washable. They are very much appreciated by breast cancer patients,” Feder said.
Expanding their reach internationally, the knitters also made 14 toys for the Mother Bear Project, which provides comfort for children in Africa whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS.
“As far as Sunflower House goes, we all know someone who’s been in that kind of situation, and I just wanted to do something for kids. Then the same thing when it comes to the Knitted Knockers. The majority of us are women in the group, and we all know someone who has suffered from breast cancer,” said Karen Ecton, vice president of the group.
Although most of its 175 paid members are women over 50, the group welcomes everyone who has an interest in knitting. They meet twice a month, once in the morning and once in the evening, to accommodate different schedules.
At each evening meeting they have a lively chat on some aspect of knitting, such as why they use a particular type of knitting needle.
“When we have our group discussion, it’s really interesting to understand the vast array of differences among the people who are there. It’s always fun, and it’s a great way to bring people together,” Feder said.
Sometimes, there’s even a special activity. In October, the group dyed their own yarn in the kitchen of the First Baptist Church of Overland Park, which usually hosts the evening meetings. That yarn later became more than 65 hats that the church then distributed.
“That was a hoot. It was absolute chaos, but it was a lot of fun,” Feder said.
For Overland Park resident Susan Tannewitz-Karnes, it’s the community that’s key.
“If you come in with a problem, and you start talking to people, they will absolutely help you out,” Tannewitz-Karnes said.
She said there are enough informal meet-up groups that you can go knit and socialize with people any day of the week.
The creative process is a draw for Elisa Auckly of Overland Park. She’s a software developer, and Sunflower Knitters gives her the opportunity to “do something real” with her hands in her off time.
During each meeting, there’s time for anyone to show off things they’ve made or share a work in progress.
“The energy of the group is just awesome, and to see the enthusiasm — everything from a brand new knitter who says during show and share, ‘I’m working on my first project,’ and how everybody’s so excited about it, to an insanely experienced knitter who comes in with this colorwork project that causes everyone to gasp, and everything in-between,” Feder said.
That energy extends to a special event each year, alternating between a knitting retreat and the Knitting in the Heartland Convention. This April, the group will hold the retreat in Lawrence, focusing on the use of technology in knitting, using websites like Ravelry and knitCompanion.
For more information about the Sunflower Knitters, go to sunflowerknitters.org.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.