Local knitting groups crafting warm welcomes for immigrants, refugees

There are a lot of opinions when it comes to the debate on immigration. Some people are protesting, and others are tweeting. Now another form of expression is gaining popularity. It’s knitting.

A group of friends recently gathered at Elissa's Creative Warehouse in Needham to knit "Welcome Blankets."

"You make blankets for immigrants and refugees. They go to the new people who come here," said shop owner Elissa Lazdowsky.%

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Welcome Blanket was created by the same woman who made the pussyhat a fashion statement.  After seeing images of children behind chain-link fences and covered only with foil blankets, she calculated how much yarn it would take to make enough blankets to cover 2,000 miles, the length of the southern border.

The answer to that math problem is 3,200 blankets.

Although that goal has been met, knitters like Lesley Litman of Arlington are still going strong.

"In some ways, this is a great cuddle, cuddling people from afar with love and caring," said Litman. "When we make the blankets together, it gives us strength as well."

Each blanket comes with a personal note from the maker, detailing their immigration history, as well as advice for living in the United States and how to care for the blanket.%

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In Needham, one blanket was made by a Holocaust survivor and another by a Latvian woman.

Some of the blankets are now touring the country and are currently featured in an exhibit at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton.

Chief curator Beth McLaughlin believes homemade projects can belong in a museum.

"Art really provides a neutral space for people to reflect on difficult social issues and I hope that people will perhaps look at social issues in a different way, and really be open to other people’s perspectives."%

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Lazdowsky doesn’t know where the many blankets from her shop will end up, but she’s confident they'll help someone.

"You wrap yourself in a blanket and it feels good.  You know someone’s hands went it. There’s love in every stitch."

The Fuller Craft Museum exhibit will go through February 17.

Cox Media Group