Kay Cooper ... or should we address you as they do in Hollywood as “Katherine Cooper the Knitting Grandma.” Most of you have heard of the time and devotion Kay puts into teeny – tiny baby hats for Munson Hospital.

At Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, newborns receive knit hats to keep their little heads warm. But where do these hats come from? From a hand full of volunteers like Kathryn.

About 10 years ago she heard there was a need. As a life long sewer and knitter she jumped in. “Now the nurses donate yarn. Any of my friends or my daughters’ friends, anybody that has started a project and quit or had more than they needed. Everybody gives me their yarn,” explains Kathryn Cooper. “And that’s why I keep fooling around with different combinations, colors and so forth. You change needles, that changes the size of the hat, and your different weight yarns will bring in different sizes. So they all work sooner than later.”

Her trade mark is the tassel on top. She can make a hat a day with no interruptions. Because of security, she’s never seen a newborn wearing one of her hats. But the nurses station always loves a new shipment. “They are always pleased to see them come. The nurses at the station. They love to lay them out.”

Kathryn has no plans of stopping and there are babies yet to be born who will appreciate that. Now she has a good reserve. She said she always uses the same pattern but each is a little different.