From 2026-2027
The Stitch-In Was So Much Fun and 46 More Hats for the Haven
Well yesterday, a bunch of very creative knitters, crocheters, and sewers gathered in the rePlay Arts classroom to do what they do for the Upper Valley Haven.
We noshed cookies, drank cider, traded knitting and crocheting tips, taught one another new techniques, and just reveled in being together.
I pick up donated hats from rePlay once a week but I always check the supply whenever I am in the neighborhood, and this week, I came home with 46 more adult/kid hats and 5 baby hats, 5 scarves, and 2 pairs of gloves.
So far, the grand total for this year’s effort (and we’ve only just begun) is 104 hats that will fit adults and older children. Now that I’ve photographed them all (see below), they will make their way to the Haven tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone involved. And even if yarn and thread are not your thing, please enjoy this gallery of beautiful and warm hats.
~ Sonja Hakala
A Stitch-In for Hats for the Haven
What: A gathering of folks who knit, crochet and sew at rePlay Arts in White River Junction
Why: To make warm hats that will be distributed through the Upper Valley Haven to folks in need.
When: Sunday, November 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 .m. at rePlay Arts in White River Junction located behind the Craft Studies center (across Route 14 from the Hartford Town Hall).
What to bring: Your yarn, fleece, tools, talent, and a spirit of creative community.
We will have cookies and drinks on hand to share. ALL are welcome. If you have hats to drop off, please do. We would love to see them. If you just want to stop by to say hello, come on in.
If you are making hats at home, they can be dropped off at rePlay Art during their open hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 11—6 and Saturdays from 11—5.
And there is a HUGE supply of yarn and fleece available at rePlay that would be perfect for your stash. Financial donations to rePlay for materials are always appreciated.
More Hats for the Haven–Year 2
For the second year, RePlay Arts in White River Junction is joining with the Upper Valley’s yarn and thread communities to make hats to distribute to folks in need at the Upper Valley Haven.
These are your basic need-to-knows:
• Grab your wash-and-dryable hat-making supplies or find some new ones to love at rePlay Arts at 87 Maple Street in White River Junction (behind Craft Studies).
• Have fun making gorgeous head-coverings for folks who can really use them.
• Starting November 3, drop off your creations at rePlay Arts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 11 to 6 or Saturdays from 11 to 5.
• Make plans to join in community hat-making at rePlay Arts on Sunday, November 8 from 11 to 3 if you can.
Here’s the story behind this great community project:
Years ago, when I was a reporter for our local newspaper, I was assigned to write a story about the Upper Valley Haven. This local shelter, education center, and community food shelf had recently moved to a new location so my job was to celebrate their new digs.
Toward the end of my interview with a staff member, I asked what they could use that never got donated. Her reply was immediate: “Hats.”
It seems that kids in school were not allowed to go out at recess in winter if they did not have hats to wear. Believe me, in Vermont, that makes sense.
Now I knit and crochet so I started making and donating hats to the Haven every year. Then last year when the SNAP benefits that help feed children and their families were cut, I looked for a way to expand my little hat project because the need was even greater. And I found it in a joyful collaboration with the two women who own and operate another great nonprofit in our valley, Melanie and Jamie of rePlay Arts.
The idea behind this magical place is simple: They accept donations of gently used art and craft supplies, manufacturing leftovers, and other no longer needed materials that can be reused for artmaking. These donations are redistributed to the community through arts experiences, education programs, and sales of low- or no-cost art supplies in the rePlay shop in White River Junction, Vermont.
In addition to such things as beads, fancy paper, glitter, markers, and watercolor paints, there’s a steady stream of yarn, fleece, needles, hooks, patterns, and sewing supplies coming in the rePlay Arts doors. So together, we connected this colorful treasure trove with local knitters, crocheters, and sewers who made and donated 152 warm hats for folks in need through the Haven last winter.
So of course we are doing it again this year.
Starting on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 and continuing through April 1, 2027, bring your handmade fleece and yarn creations to rePlay Arts during their NEW open hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 to 6 and on Saturday from 11 to 5.
There’s LOTS of very cool yarn and fleece in the store for you to use in your projects. Or you are entirely welcome to use your own stash.
Just bear in mind, no matter what you use, the hats need to be wash-and-dryable.
You can knit, crochet or sew anywhere your heart desires, including at rePlay Arts on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2026 FROM 11 a.m to 3 p.m. when we will create hats in community for the Haven. Our very first STITCH-IN!!.
We have a great display of yarn, fleece, hat kits, and sample patterns right as you come in the rePlay Arts store. And there’s more in the yarn cave!
Donated hats will all get a turn to be displayed in the funky telephone booth right as you walk in the rePlay doors. (Yeah, kind of Tardis-style.)
So—to wrap it all up:
• Grab your wash-and-dryable hat-making supplies or find some new ones to love at rePlay Arts at 87 Maple Street in White River Junction (behind Craft Studies).
• Have fun making gorgeous head-coverings for folks who can really use them.
• Starting November 3 through April 1, 2027, drop off your creations at rePlay on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 11 to 6 or Saturdays from 11 to 5.
• Make plans to join in community hat-making at rePlay Arts on Sunday, November 8 from 11 to 3 if you can. More details to come.
Thank you!!!
From 2025-2026
Years ago, when I was a reporter for our local newspaper, I was assigned to write a story about the Upper Valley Haven. This local shelter, education center, and community food shelf had recently moved to a new location so my job was to celebrate their new digs.
Toward the end of my final interview with a staff member, I asked what they could use that never got donated. Her reply was immediate: “Hats.”
It seems that kids in school were not allowed to go out at recess in winter if they did not have hats to wear. Believe me, in Vermont, that makes sense.
Now I knit and crochet so I started making and donating hats to the Haven every year. Eventually, I created my own crochet pattern and I share it here on my website every November (see below).
Only this year, there’s a difference. With the threat of cold and hunger hanging over the heads of way too many people in 2025, I looked for a way to expand my efforts. And I found it with the two women who own and operate one of the newest nonprofits in our valley, Melanie Adsit and Jamie Rosenfield of rePlay Arts.
Melanie tells me that there are stores like rePlay Arts in other locales but there wasn’t one here. The idea behind this magical place is simple: They collect gently used art and craft supplies, manufacturing leftovers, and other no longer needed materials that can be reused for artmaking. These donations are redistributed to the community through arts experiences, education programs, and sales of low- or no-cost art supplies.
Among other supplies, there’s a steady stream of yarn, needles, hooks, and patterns coming in the rePlay Arts door. So we’re connecting this colorful treasure trove with local knitters and crocheters who can, in turn, make warm hats for folks who use the Haven or other local caring institution providing food and shelter for folks in need.
Recycle. Create. Repurpose.
Win win win.
Completed hats can be donated through rePlay Arts any time they are open, starting in December. There’s LOTS of very cool yarn there to use in your projects. Or you are entirely welcome to use your own stash.
Just bear in mind, no matter what you use, the hats need to be wash-and-dryable.
You can knit or crochet anywhere your yarny heart desires, including at rePlay Arts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 to 6 and Saturdays 11 to 5. I’ll be there from time to time so if you see me, please say hello.
Now without further ado, here’s my newly revised Haven Hat pattern for all you crocheters out there. If you are a knitter and have a pattern you’d like to share, please send it along. And if you have pictures of your creations, I am happy to share here.
Here’s the Haven Hat Pattern for you to download:
