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'Hat Lady' Knits For Kids, Troops

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By CHERYL BENTLEY, The Suncoast News

Published: November 19, 2007

WHO: Ann Mazzitelli of Port Richey

CLAIM TO FAME: After reading about Topmost, a coal-mining town in eastern Kentucky, she knitted 50 hats for children who had few warm clothes for the winter.

"They call me the hat lady," she says with a laugh.

After reading that donations were needed for soldiers in Iraq, she made headbands to cushion their helmets and face masks to protect them from the cold. She also has knitted lap robes and afghans for patients in veterans hospitals.

Friends and family get in on the knitting bonanza, too. "I give everything away," says Mazzitelli, who knits on average five hours a day.

Knitting is her brand of giving; for her it's better than sending checks to organizations requesting money, as she used to do. Responding to such solicitations left Mazzitelli open to more until she was inundated with sad stories. That was too much for her big heart to handle.

Now she limits financial contributions to her two favorite causes: the Salvation Army and Disabled American Veterans.

HOW SHE STARTED: Mazzitelli, 72, took up knitting as a 19-year-old clerk-typist at a state unemployment office in Detroit. Women there taught her the basic knitting stitch and later some intermediate ones.

Knitting has changed over the years, she says. Expert knitters used to have shops where they could offer help.

"Something that you couldn't understand you would go to someone there. They would show you and the light bulb would come on."

Now knitters go to yarn shops, where the owners aren't necessarily experts with the needles but will research answers to questions, she explains.

KNITTING RESURGENCE: The craft fell into a decline during the 1980s and '90s, says Mazzitelli. "A few years back, no one cared about knitting," she said.

But there has been a 51 percent increase since 1994 in women who knit or crochet, according to a 2004 study for the Craft Yarn Council of America. The highest tally was for women ages 25 to 34: 6.5 million, a 20 percent increase.
Mazzitelli guesses one factor in the revival is the expanded variety of yarns. The former basics of acrylic and wool have been supplemented by bamboo, silk, llama wool and twisted ribbon.

Also, knitters have a wider choice of items to craft. When she began knitting, the basics were pullovers and cardigans. Now, knitters are creating elegant shawls, ruffles and even underwear.

Such a challenging repertoire is appropriate for younger knitters, says Mazzitelli.

"I don't want to get into heavy-duty challenges, like where to use different patterns. I stick to a basic three or four patterns. That's enough for me."

SHARING AN INTEREST: Mazzitelli belongs to the Y-Knot Knitters and Crocheters Club, which meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays at the YMCA, 6130 U.S. 19 just south of Main Street in New Port Richey.

For information, call Mazzitelli at (727) 861-0172.

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