As the crisp air starts to settle in, you might be thinking about sweaters. Lansing resident Mae Bolt, a knitting aficionado, has been looping yarn into cozy creations longer than most of us have been around and she is this week’s Good Neighbor.
Mae proudly says, “I’ve been knitting all my life practically.”
Mae isn’t just spinning yarn — she’s been turning it into beautiful creations since she was a child. Now, in her 90’s, she’s become a living legend in the world of knitting.
“Well, I'm 93 and I've been knitting since I was seven, so that I don't know I'm not good at math either. You'll have to figure that one out.”
We did the math and found out Mae’s been knitting for a phenomenal 86 years. That’s a lot of yarn and an awful lot of patience.
“I'm not much of a card player and I like watching TV, so I and I can knit while I watch TV. I can even knit and sometimes I fall asleep, and that works too. I guess when you've been doing it this long, you can do most anything.”
Mae started keeping track of her knitting creations in 1988, and so far, she’s knitted over 800 sweaters. And that’s just the sweaters—Mae’s also got a whole collection of hats and gloves to her name.
A few years ago, Mae’s good friend and neighbor, Elsie Claggett, had an idea: why not donate some of her beautiful children’s sweaters to the Pilgrim Congregation Church’s Small Children’s Clothes Closet? The Closet, a cornerstone of Christian Services of Lansing, helps hundreds of local families every year.
“The families that come to the clothes closet are so appreciative," says Elsie. "Some of them cry when they pick up the clothing. We depend on donations of clothing gently used and new clothing, or money to help the closet. This past year, we gave out over $49,000 worth of clothing and merchandise and it’s all for infants.”
Mae embraced the idea with open arms, donating 101 sweaters to the closet last year alone. And she’s not slowing down—she’s determined to knit even more this year.
“I know I'm doing something that I enjoy, but it's also something that somebody is getting a benefit from that they probably wouldn't have if, maybe, if I didn't do it. I have so much yarn, I have to live to be at least 140 before I can use up all my yarn. That's my goal, yes, to use up all my yarn."
Mae adds, "My hands don't get tired but it's the only thing in my body that doesn't.
So, here’s to Mae Bolt, our Good Neighbor of the week—knitting up warmth and spreading kindness, one stitch at a time.
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