BYU's 'knitting lady' is a 'purl' of a fan
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
It's not hard to pick Muriel Thole out of the crowd at BYU sports events. After all, she's known by most Cougar fans as the "knitting lady."
A knitter since childhood, Sister Thole - a Cardiff, Wales, native - knits nearly everywhere she goes, including BYU football and basketball games.She knits for family, friends, needy students and ball players. CBS television interviewed her in 1989 when it filmed the BYU-Air Force game. After a CBS employee admired what she was making, Sister Thole sent the completed item to her.
"I don't have a single thing myself that I have knitted, but it is what I like to share," she said.
Sister Thole recently retired from BYU. A two-day "temporary" job in 1954 mushroomed into a full-time career for her that lasted 36 years. Her work has taken her through four university presidents and several different jobs.
"I have absolutely loved my work at BYU, whether I was head cashier, supervisor of general accounts receivable or a collector, most of the people have been wonderful," she said.
But her passion for knitting remains her claim to fame.
She donates knitting to the Fireman's Fund and charity organizations. She dresses dolls for Deseret Industries and annually makes doll clothes for local holiday dress-a-doll projects.
She began knitting in England during World War II when clothing was rationed but knitting yarn was not.
"I badly needed a pair of gloves and I had no clothing coupons," she explained. "So I found yarn and knitted them."
Since then her efforts have expanded to include sweaters, scarves, novelties, children's mittens and hats.
