Cat Buehler spends her days knitting hats and she then hangs them on a clothesline in her front yard for anyone who needs one to take for free.
Cathy Buehler is the woman behind Cat’s Hat's Heaven in Manchester.
“At first, I was just doing them for family and friends, then I started making them for homeless people,” Buehler said.
In 2015, Cat started knitting hats during the winter season. Then about four years ago, she decided to place those hats outside of her house so anyone could grab them for free.
“Sometimes in a day, they are gone. Sometimes a couple days, it depends when people swing by,” Cat said.
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Her mission is to keep people warm and offer a moment of kindness.
“Love seeing the joy I give to people. I can’t do much anymore so doing this helps me a lot, makes my day quicker for one,” Cat said.
Cat suffers from chronic pain and said knitting is a form of therapy. Her hats have been donated to homeless shelters, premature babies and at schools, including her own grandson’s classroom.
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“They all wrote me thank you letters, all the third graders, one kid wrote 'if you didn’t make me a hat, I wouldn't have one this year.' It’s like 'aw,'" Cat said.
Cat can’t do all the heavy lifting by herself; her son Dean Buehler is by her side.
“He puts them in bags for me, he is the one who puts the clothesline up,” Cat said.
Dean has also started a fundraiser to help her with materials and always makes sure she is stocked up on yarn.
“It definitely helps keep her busy all the time, but it is amazing that she does it and that it has reached out to these many people in the community,” Dean said.
The hats will be outside of Cat’s house on Hathaway Lane through the end of February.
“It brings a smile to her face, which brings a smile to my face,” Dean said.
Cat estimates that over the last 10 years, she has made over 2,000 hats and she is nowhere near stopping.
