NIMBLE FINGERS—Universal Love founder Manzar Amini, left; Eva Wiechmann, owner of Eva’s Needlepoint; and volunteer knitter Susan Blitz knit hats for Childrens Hospital patients. For the past several months, a group of 15 women have gathered at Eva’s Needlework in Thousand Oaks with a special mission in mind. They’ve used their needleworking skills to knit more than 100 soft, warm hats for the seriously ill patients of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

The project was the brainchild of Susan Blitz of Westlake Village, a longtime customer of the sewing shop. Upon learning about the efforts of a local nonprofit organization, Universal Love Foundation, to collect toys for Childrens Hospital, she wanted to add even more comfort and cheer by providing hats as well.

She took her idea to Eva Wiechmann, owner of Eva’s Needlework, who donated the yarn to make the hats. Wiechmann’s customers jumped in with busy hands to help.

Each hat took between two and four hours to knit, depending on the pattern and style. The result, many hours later, was 130 caps to warm the heads of children, from preemies to teens, in need.

On Dec. 16 Universal Love founder Manzar Amini and a group of volunteers took the hats, along with more than 700 toys donated by the community, to Childrens Hospital. The toy collection is an annual communitywide event sponsored by Universal Love Foundation.

Eva’s Needlework has been in business in the Conejo Valley for 22 years.

Wiechmann began knitting when she was 4 years old. She has written four books on the topic of knitting and needlework.