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94-Year-Old Woman Crochets Thousands of Hats for Those in Need

By Emma Taggart on December 19, 2019

This woman brings a bag of hats to the shelter every year, which she knits from January to December from r/pics

It’s never too late to learn a new craft, and 94-year-old Rose Valdez proves it. She took up crocheting when she was 90, and from there, she taught herself how to make woolen hats. And the nonagenarian doesn’t just dabble in the art of hat making—she crochets thousands of cozy beanies for her local community in Pueblo, Colorado.

Valdez suffers from carpal tunnel, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, which causes her to have some issues with her vision. Though this doesn’t stop the determined crafter, she does prefer to crochet when it’s sunny outside, so that the natural light can help her see the crochet holes better.

“I don’t do nothing else, so I might as well do something for somebody,” says Valdez. “I make one a day or two. If I go steady, I make two in one day.” Shirley Homer, one of Rose’s daughters says, “I bet we’ve done an easy 2,000.”

The kind crafter donates her hats to various charity organizations, schools, and hospitals. Recently, Valdez delivered over 100 wooly hats to the Pueblo Cooperative Care Center, who were more than grateful for her kindness. “Thank you, Rose Valdez for the beautiful hats you crocheted,” the organization wrote on Facebook. “You are truly a blessing to our community.”