Knitters provide bear hugs for children

Dressed-up toys will go to young ones in accidents

Evan Richman/Globe StaffLina Laycock (left) and Eleanor Gullette looked at a teddy bear as State Police Sergeant Daniel Griffin packed other bears up. (Evan Richman/Globe Staff)

STONEHAM - They sat in rows, dressed in fuzzy sweaters, jackets with colorful buttons, striped scarves, and tiny hats with their ears sticking out.

The teddy bears, and the more than 100 handmade outfits made for them by the Baa Baa Black Sheep Knitting Guild, will soon be used by Massachusetts State Police to comfort frightened children at car accident scenes.

Some of the bears, differently sized but equally plushy, will be kept inside cruisers statewide while others will be given out at Logan Airport to scared children who have been separated from their parents.

Middle schooler Emma Valentine of Bedford and her mother, Ruth Ann, 47, are members of the guild and worked on four bears together. Emma knit their clothing, including a fluffy, light blue jacket, in the car on the way to school and after she finished her homework. Her mother sewed.

"I'd be really, really stressed out in one of those situations," the 11-year-old said of the children involved in accidents, as she pointed out her bears, her blond ponytail swinging behind her. "A little kid would be even more stressed out so it'd be good for them to have something to hold."

The guild began in the early '90s in Reading before moving to Lynnfield, and then to Stoneham. Its mostly middle-aged and elderly members, about 30 of them, meet monthly at the Senior Center to work their needles, share their latest projects, pick up tips, and socialize with other knitters.

Usually, the guild holds a traditional Yankee gift swap, purchasing or knitting items for each other for the holiday season. This year, Cathy Greene, board member in charge of programs, decided it would be a better use of money and time to do an extra charity project. Last year, they knitted mittens and hats for residents of the public housing developments in Lawrence.

Greene thought of the teddy bear idea in the summer after she saw a similar program at a knitting guild in New Hampshire. The Baa Baa Black Sheep, members of the Knitting Guild of America, purchased the bears in bulk online over the summer for $300, using money from their small budget, made up of members' yearly dues. Each member took as many bears as he or she wanted to make outfits for in September, and had until now to finish their creations.

"It's a fantastic idea," said Sergeant Daniel Griffin of the State Police traffic programs section, who attended the guild's meeting Thursday night to pick up the donation. "You can never go wrong with something like this in a cruiser."

Griffin said the holidays and winter weather cause a higher number of car accidents involving children, so the timing on the gifts "couldn't have been better."

"We could go through all of these bears in two or three weeks," he said, looking over the rows of bears. "Then we'll just have to keep doing it," Greene cheerfully replied.

Anyone looking to donate teddy bears to the program can drop them off at their local State Police barracks. Griffin said he plans to spread the bears out across the state, especially on major roadways where police are more likely to come in contact with children. He said State Police do not have any specific guidelines for how officers should deal with children during accidents.

"They can sense their parents are upset and so they get nervous and anxious while mommy or daddy gets everything straightened out," he said. "It'll be good to give them something to hug."

A grandmother of 14 and guild member for more than a decade, Millie Sullivan took on seven bears and spent a week working on an elaborate soft pink ice skating outfit, complete with a matching headband.

"Everybody loves teddy bears. You don't grow up, you always love them," she said.

Lina Laycock, 93, a tiny woman with small, thin hands, is an avid knitter of eight decades. She knit outfits for six bears, including accessories like a string of pearls around one elegantly dressed bear's neck.

"I added the pearls because you've got to keep it sexy, you know," the great-grandmother joked. "I thought it was a marvelous idea."