Ruth Klein's story is very much the heartwarming yarn, and every stitch of it happens to be true.
It is the type of story best told backward, so we will start at the end. That would be at the pediatrics unit of St. Tammany Parish Hospital – and, more recently, the year-old St. Tammany Health System Surgery Center – where more than 2,500 children have had their hospital stay brightened by one of Ruth’s colorful crocheted and knitted creations over the past 10 years or so.
Here, there be dragons. There be kittens. There are also racoons and tigers and foxes, alongside all manner of fantastical creatures that defy taxonomic classification. Each is stitched by hand, one loop at a time.
“Everybody loves the octopus because they can run their fingers through it, so it’s good for the little ones,” she said from the sofa of her Mandeville home, where she was putting the finishing touches on a particularly huggable penguin.
Ruth has been knitting and crocheting since she was 5, but her plush-making journey began in earnest about 10 years ago at the request of Lizzy, one of her four grandchildren.
“She was making a project for earning a silver star for Girl Scouts, and the project they were doing was making animals for the surgery center at St. Tammany,” Ruth said. “They were also asking if they couldn’t interest someone else to do it, and of course she hit me up because I’m the one who taught her. I said, ‘Sure!’”
That “sure” turned into a calling. Depending on the pattern and materials, a single animal can take her anywhere from a few hours to a full week to complete. “The time depends on what size hook or needle I use,” she said.
When hitting her stride, she can crank out a plush a day, crafted while she’s watching TV or just enjoying some quiet time. Every couple of months, she lets the Surgery Center folks know she’s got a new batch to share with their patients.
The yarn she uses often comes from the community itself. Nurses and others who hear about her work keep an eye out when cleaning out attics or craft closets. “When they come across yarn, they send it my way,” she said.
As it turns out, service has long been woven into Ruth’s life. Born in Switzerland, she came to the United States with her family in 1955. She raised four children, then returned to school in her late 20s to become a biology and math teacher. Later, she served as principal of an alternative high school in New York.
“I really treasured working with those boys and girls,” she said, adding that they can excel just like anyone else, “with a little understanding.”
Ruth eventually made her way to St. Tammany Parish after one of her daughters decided to move south. “She wanted to go where it was warm; it was just too cold,” she said.
Wanting to be close to her grandchildren, Ruth followed. Then came Lizzie’s request and, from there, the animals kept coming.
The staff at the Surgery Center describe her as “an angel.” Ruth humbly shrugs off that sort of talk.
“I’m really a very content person,” she said. “But I see that there’s all kinds of hardships all around, and so I just like to help out where I can.”
Visit StTammany.health/Volunteer to learn how you can become a St. Tammany Health System volunteer.