DAILY NEWS photos by Christine Weber
Claire Lais of Worland is pictured above in her ‘knitting chair’ knitting another sweater for Knit for Kids, a project of Worland Vision that to date has received over a half-million sweaters from knitters across the county. Claire has made 75 sweaters from yarn she has collected “here and there,” and is preparing to mail another box of sweaters in colors of bright orange to pastel pink.

Local knitter helps to warm the body and souls of needy children

By Christine Weber
Lifestyles Editor
WORLAND — You might say that Claire Lais of Worland was born with a needle in her hand. The soon-to-be 93-year-old has been sewing, crocheting and knitting her entire life.
She sewed all the clothes for her son Mike and late husband Paul. Claire also made school clothes for her daughter Pat Wiseman.
“Mom still wears suits she knitted in the ‘70s,” said daughter Pat.
Her quilting group affectionately refers to Claire as ‘Claire Bear.’
Claire’s latest project is knitting sweaters for children.
“I first read about the need for children’s sweaters in the magazine Guideposts,” Claire said. “I found the basic pattern and started knitting.”
Knit for Kids began in 1996 through Guideposts as a way to send hand-knit or crocheted sweaters to children in need.
In order to help even more children, Guideposts magazine turned the program over to long-time partner World Vision in 2009. To date over half a million children world-wide and as close to home as Appalachia, New Orleans and the Bronx have received something new for the first time in their lives. As children grow out of their sweaters, they have become cherished hand-me-downs to other children.
Claire herself has knitted 75 sweaters for the program. The sweaters were mailed to World Vision’s global distribution center in Pennsylvania.
“Mom has been doing compassionate ministry work for 15 years producing things for people who have a need,” said Pat.
Claire is the designated ‘quilt tier’ for her church quilting group, a group that has to date made 1,000 quilts for children in need right in Washakie County.
She keeps her mind active by playing computer games each and every day. Pinochle is her game; and if you play against her, you might as well set your mind to losing...she beats her own kids all the time.
Son Mike teasingly says, “Mom cheats at Pinochle and that’s why she always wins.”
Said Claire, “I just hope if someone else reads this story, they might be compelled to start knitting sweaters for children.”
The basic knitting pattern and more information about the compassionate program can be downloaded from the Web site knitforkids.org.