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Yvonne Richaudeau Skidmore Has Knitted Over 1,300 Blankets For Babies
For 22 years, Yvonne Richaudeau Skidmore has been involved in charity work. Since one of her passions is knitting, she decided to contribute by making baby blankets. So far, she has managed to create over 1,300 blankets, and she does not plan on stopping.
A Navy wife, Yvonne was interested in doing something to help the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society Bethesda, in their charity efforts. Without fail, for the duration of her volunteering, she has donated 5 blankets monthly.
The director of local NMCRS, Gillian Connon, says that the 86-year-old is the most active and prolific contributor, as far as blanket making is concerned.
Yvonne learned how to knit during her childhood spent in Cannes, France. She started traveling all over the world, and everywhere, she brought her needles with her.
Her voluntary work started after she married her second husband, a Navy officer. After she visited a local hospital, she learned that she could help by knitting blankets for the babies there. Even after the death of her husband, she still kept up with the promise she made that day.
Currently, she says that knitting is a great companion for her. Yvonne is used to knitting until 11 pm at night and she doesn’t mind it at all. Actually, she founds knitting something much better to do than other things.
“I like to keep busy – at my age I cannot sit and watch TV all day long,” the Navy widow says about her passion for knitting.
Her grandkids are also beneficiaries of her knitting prowess. When there is no one in need of a blanket, Yvonne meets new people at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, whom she asked if they would like one. This way, she never runs out of projects to make.
Yvonne is my great-aunt, and she has an amazing life story. She’s now 92 and still knits those blankets every day. She just made one where she knit, Baby, on the front, and she was so proud of herself. She spent a sleepless night making that blanket, but it’s her passion, and that keeps her busy. This summer she tried to teach my seven-year-old twins how to knit. I wish we lived closer to her. Thanks for profiling her, I just found this article!