Every color of the rainbow is visible on the skeins of yarn at the Celtic Knot Yarn Shop in Ellicott City. On June 28, though, pink was the color of the day.

Women, all knitters and crocheters, came by the shop to pick up pink boxes, kits filled with 200 yards of pink yarn and patterns to knit or crochet scarves for other women facing a very difficult surgery.

The scarves will be added to recovery gift bags, which are given to women the day of their breast cancer surgery at Howard County General Hospital.

Margaret Lagera, friend of Celtic Knot Yarn Shop owner Carole Ferguson, picked up two kits, one for herself and one for a friend. A seasoned knitter, Lagera said she most likely would not use the patterns in the kit.

"They are more of a guideline," Lagera said. "I'll do something different, because I can."

Ferguson donates enough yarn for 100 scarves, and last Saturday held a reception at her shop to kick off the second annual Think Pink 100 Scarves in a Hundred Days project.

Lindsay Henricks, Celtic Knot office manager, dyed skeins of yarn to be turned into scarves in two-toned pink, naming the color boobalicious.

"I like to do something creative and to give back," Henricks said.

Each scarf is tagged with the name of the woman who made it. In this way, the recipient of the crafted item knows it was hand made especially for her, Henricks said.

Jean Miskimon stopped by to pick up a kit for herself and her sister after seeing the announcement of the project on the shop's Web site. Miskimon said she likes the process of knitting, which she finds a calming and portable hobby she can do anywhere. Like other knitters, Miskimon has had family members diagnosed with cancer.

"All knitters do charity knitting," Miskimon said. "It nice to know our work is going to be appreciated."

Part of support network The recovery gift bags are filled with useful and needed gifts from community members, as well as local and national businesses, said Wanda Brodsky, co-coordinator of the gift bag program. The program is part of a support network for breast cancer patients at Howard County General called Survivors Offering Support.

Tina Beerman, clinical program manager for The Center for Breast Care at Howard County General, of which Survivors Offering Support is a part, said the scarves are a wonderful addition to the bags.

"That women make the effort to get the kit, make the scarf and deliver it back to go into the gift bag. I'm in awe of the way this community reaches out in support," Beerman said.

The addition of scarves to the recovery gift bags came about when Brodsky, herself a breast cancer survivor, was given bags of pink yarn.

"At first I didn't know what to do with them," she said.

After considering some options, Brodsky decided to contact a yarn shop and found the Celtic Knot online. Ferguson, who lost both her mother and mother-in-law to breast cancer, was happy to offer the materials and expertise needed to turn the yarn into scarves. From there the initiative evolved, said Ferguson, who donates all the materials for the kits.

"I worry about my daughter's gene pool. I hope she won't have to have these kinds of fundraisers when she's my age," Ferguson said.

Last year there were more women who wanted to contribute than there were kits to go around, said Ferguson.

"It's a community that wants to keep giving."

Anyone who knits or crochets can get a kit for a $3 donation. At the end of the promotion, Ferguson donates the proceeds and 100 scarves for inclusion in the gift bags. The sole requirement is that the scarves be delivered back to the store by October 1, about 100 days after the kick off reception and the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Each year, more than 125 women undergo breast cancer surgery at Howard County General, Brodsky said. The all-volunteer network SOS program matches breast cancer survivors with newly diagnosed women. The volunteers are mentors and buddies who help others through the ordeal of treatment and recovery, said Brodsky.

"It's kind of like having a shadow," Brodsky said. "We help guide patients through their recovery journey."

Think Pink kits, with all the materials to knit or crochet a scarf for the recovery gift bags, are available at the Celtic Knot Yarn Shop, 8480 Baltimore National Pike, Suite 426, in Ellicott City. Call 410-203-0133 for more information.

For more information about the Survivors Offering Support network, contact the coordinator at The Center for Breast Care Howard County General Hospital at 410-884-4574 or e-mail doneill@hcgh.org.

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