July 3, 2010 by KATIE MORELL For Sun-Times Media

More than 70 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are patrolling with comfort, thanks to the efforts of one woman: Carol Rosene.

Earlier this year, the St. Charles resident became aware that helmet liners worn by servicemen and women are made of nylon and very uncomfortable, but that the government accepts wool liners made by citizens to replace the nylon pieces.

Carol Rosene, 72, of St. Charles, is passionate about helping servicemen and women in Afghanistan and Iraq, so she knits helmet liners for them to use in battle. She is the daughter of a World War II veteran, so she says she can relate to the families of those overseas.

read the full article …

July 3, 2010 by KATIE MORELL For Sun-Times Media

Sandie Sensor came by and dropped off 83 hand-knits liners and gators that she and a group that she has organized have made.  We will be forwarding these on and making sure that they get to our troops wherever they are serving.  If you would like to read a little more about Sandie and the Glen Ellyn group check out this recent press article.

You are now well on the way to hitting the 500 mark for these hand-knits which we know are treasured by the recipients.  We’ll continue to collect and send, so feel free to come by and drop your finished items, or just come sit and knit one here.

I was moved some weeks ago when one of our elderly customers came in to drop one off and while we were chatting she said, “You know why I knit these?”,  I said “Tell me”, “Because it make two people warm” was her response.  I felt a lump in my throat.

If you’d like to get involved, you could contact Sandie and her Wooly Knitters.  They meet every Wednesday at the Caribou Coffee on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn to honor our soldiers and foster a sisterhood of knitters. Send her a message here if you have questions or would like more information.

And this is our article that marked the start of our involvement.

A Typical Helmet Liner

Put Tuesday December 29th on your calendar – we (along with lots of other LYSs) are designating that as National Helmet Liner Day. As you may know, some 30,000 service men and women will be deploying to Afghanistan and they need hand-made helmet liners because the ones they are issued with are not close fitting and warm enough.

Our goal is to get 100 liners knit or crocheted by the end of January, and I know we can do it.  We will be here with patterns, yarn at a discount, and hopefully some donated yarn that will work, and lots of encouragement.

I know many of you have made these in the past, so if you have any good tips or advice let us know. We have a wonderful new pattern that seems to be just right, and is available in knitted and crochet versions. They must be made out of 100% wool, worsted weight (Cascade 220, Patons, etc) and need to be in black, brown, tan, olive, dark gray or brown/tan variegated. For the knit version, you will need to have size 8 16″ Circulars and DP’S and size 6 16″ Circulars for the ribbing.

If you can’t come in please make a few and send them to us, and we will send you a little thank you surprise!  Here’s a copy of the helmet liner knitting pattern and the helmet liner crochet pattern.  You can send your completed helmet liners to the address on the pattern, and we’ll make sure that they get delivered.

The spirit of knitting has never been stronger than it is right now, and there is nothing more worthwhile than letting our service men and women know they are cared for, so let’s get it done.