Amanda Lindsey taught herself to crochet by watching a YouTube video and for several years, she has found the hobby relaxing and rewarding. Recently, she decided she wanted to do even more with the handiwork. Again, she sought out the Internet and found her answer.

 

Lindsey and her friend Megan Snider have initiated a new chapter of “Chase the Chill” and their plan is to crochet enough scarves to keep the community warm.

 

“We just want to tie them around lamp posts or other places around town, along with a little note on them saying they are free to anyone who needs them,” Snider said.

 

The local women have been friends since elementary school and now both have small children themselves. In their spare time, they are crocheting away – completing as many scarves as time allows.

 

“We’re planning our first drop-off for Feb. 11 near the Clarksburg Mission,” Snider said. “And depending on how much response we get, we’d like to do other locations too.”

 

The "Chase the Chill" team will place scarves in various places around town, then that evening, pick up any that were not claimed. 

 

The women are inviting others to get on board with their cause.  Crocheted or knitted scarves – or hats, glove, mittens or other cozy outerwear accessories – are welcome.

 

“Any size, color or pattern is fine,” Snider said. “It doesn’t have to be anything specific.”

 

It was Lindsey who taught Snider to crochet and when she stumbled upon “Chase the Chill,” Snider was the first person she reached out to. Started by a woman named Susan Huxley in Easton, Pa., the concept appealed to her.

 

“I’ve seen all sorts of different charities that involve crocheting items and I’ve gone back and forth for a long time about what I wanted to do,” Lindsey said. “I’m a stay-at-home mom with a little spare time and I happened to come across a little article on Facebook.”

 

According to the original “Chase the Chill” Facebook page, the Easton, Pa. effort was founded in 2008 and involves an “annual graffiti/yarn bombing event that distributes scarves in public places so that those in need – regardless of income and without any qualifiers – can help themselves.”

 

Its mission statement is “Celebrating the art and beauty of knitting and crocheting, building community, generating positive interest in a location and sharing with others.”

 

The concept fit in nicely with Lindsey’s personal life and community.

 

“My mother-in-law works with the Clarksburg Housing Authority which recently has done a lot of work trying to house the homeless people in the area,” Lindsey said. “I hadn’t been able to help with that, but I thought this was something I would be able to do and not necessarily help just homeless people, but help chase the chill for pretty much whoever wants and needs the scarves.”

Lindsey and Snider know they could crochet items for profit, but they both say this is so much more exciting.

 

“The cool part to me is trying to make a difference in our community and how it has spread. It started out in Easton, Pa. and now there are four or five groups on Facebook, not counting the one I just started,” Lindsey said. “It is spreading and other people want to get on board and to me, that’s awesome.”

 

Snider immediately got on board after Lindsey told her about ‘Chase the Chill."

 

“It’s a way to give back – to pay it forward,” she said. “It’s a way to help people stay warm and to show kindness. There aren’t any guidelines as to who takes the scarves. They are there for anyone who needs or wants them.”

 

Those wanting to get involved in the Bridgeport/Clarksburg area – or anywhere in the state - can contact the women through the “Chase the Chill WV” Facebook page. Rushing Wind Church in Spelter has been designated as a drop-off point for donated scarves and other handcrafted items. 

 

Send a message through the "Chase the Chill - WV" Facebook page for directions/more information.