Woodbury Elementary students with their uniquely handmade hats. Photos: Tricia Thissen
Arvilla Lang says each gift she makes is unique, making every child feel special.
Kindergarten students at Woodbury Elementary won’t have to worry about a winter hat each year thanks to the generosity of a previous longtime Woodbury resident.
For nearly eight years, Arvilla Lang has crocheted hats for students in her daughter’s, Tricia Thissen, kindergarten classroom. The gesture became so popular, it eventually expanded to all four kindergarten classes, outfitting more than 80 youngsters every year.
“It keeps me busy,” Lang says. “I started making the hats, everyone liked them, so I kept doing it.” Thissen says that’s an understatement. “The kids absolutely love them,” she says. “They’re so excited when they receive their hats.”
When Lang’s husband passed away, she began crocheting hats on a regular basis to keep her mind and hands busy. Now, she says she can probably crochet them with her eyes closed. Each hat takes about one and a half hours, and Lang says she makes them throughout the year to maintain her inventory.
For the past eight years, Arvilla Lang has crocheted hats for her daughter’s, Tricia Thissen, Woodbury Elementary classroom.
Unique Look
With so many hats to make year-after-year, thinking they all have a similar look wouldn’t be an outrageous assumption. Lang and Thissen say that isn’t the case. Each hat is unique with some containing flowers, buttons, tassels or stripes. “I like them all to have a different look,” Lang says.
Thissen says the hats are distributed each December, and students sometimes have the option to trade, but they never do. She says it’s funny and almost ironic that the hat each child receives almost always matches his or her winter coat. “It seems to always work out that way,” she says with a laugh.
Lang visits the school when students receive their hats, and she says she’s filled with joy to see their faces. “That is the most rewarding part,” she says, adding she’s been referred to as the “Hat Grandma.”
Around Town
As the tradition continues through the years, the number of children around Woodbury who have one of Lang’s hats keeps growing. Once, Thissen and Lang were out for dinner and saw a child wearing one of her hats. “They get excited to see [my mom],” Thissen says.
And while the students and teachers are grateful—parents are, too. Thissen says she regularly gets comments on how much Lang’s gesture is appreciated. “It’s pretty great what she does,” Thissen says. “We get a lot of compliments from the parents on how special the effort is. They really cherish it.”
Lang takes her crocheting talent beyond kindergarten heads, too. She’s made blankets and hats for newborn babies in the hospital. The cost of materials for these projects is lessened by many people giving Lang unused and unwanted yarn. Some donations, she says, come in large quantities with a lot of different color options. “People know they can give me yarn they don’t want to use,” Lang says. “I rarely need to buy yarn. It’s wonderful.”
The women laughed at different hat-related memories, and Thissen told her mother how proud she is of her. “I love the joy on the kid’s faces, and I love that she has something she’s so good at,” Thissen says. Talking to her mother, she adds, “You’re touching people’s lives. I am so proud of you.”
Lang, touched by her daughter’s words, says she’s 81 and plans to keep making hats as long as she’s able to.
