Angelina Koyiades did not know how to knit when she moved into the Hillsborough County Nursing home in 2006, so it’s a surprise to her that she’s about to donate her 1,000th hat to a local charity.

Her hobby was ballroom dancing, and she and her late husband, Euripides, often went dancing at the Carousel in Manchester.

Raising a daughter, and helping with two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren kept her busy enough, and there was always something to embroider if she needed hand work.

The Purley Girls Knitting Club at The Hill invited Koyiades to join them when she moved in. “That’s when I learned to knit!” said Koyiades.

Barbara Broullette and Earleen Dobens were generous with their time, and pretty soon Koyiades was creating some warm knit hats. One hat turned into a dozen, and that dozen turned into 100. Then it just kept rolling from there.

Koyiades gives credit to the women at The Hill for helping her finance her project. Karen Wilcott from the activities department and Samantha Champagne both help with the yarn.

“Samantha will make an afghan in all different colors and give me the leftovers,” said Koyiades.

And her daughter, Zoe, buys bags and bags of yarn.

The hats are picked up by Electra Joaquin and Kelly O’Brien Hebert from the Anagennesis Ladies Society at the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, where Koyiades is a parishioner.

They are delivered every month to New Horizons in Manchester and the English as a second language program at Wilson and Beech Street schools.

Koyiades was also voted the July 2008 Hill Resident of the Month and has won four blue ribbons from the Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair, for her “Nice design and choice of colors.”