Inspired by Bernie, a good cause

Photos of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in his winter jacket and hand-knit mittens inspired countless memes on the internet — and one Port Washington knitter.

Amy Miller recently knit a pair of the brown and cream colored mittens that resemble the pair Sanders wore to President Joe Biden’s inauguration, then auctioned them off and gave the proceeds to the Ozaukee County Home Delivered Meals program.

“The Bernie Sanders mittens made such a splash on social media,” Miller said. “When something gets popular, the knitters and crocheters figure out how to make it.”

Miller, who described herself as “a prolific knitter and crocheter and fiber artist,” said she dove into her stash of yarn and quickly knit the Sanders-style mittens in a few days.

“I knit everywhere,” she said.

She posted pictures of the mittens on her Facebook page, where they earned rave reviews from friends and family.

“People started oohing and aahing,” Miller said.

So she decided to auction them off on Facebook. The bidding, Miller said, was “spirited.”

“Within seconds of my putting it up, there was the first bid,” she said.

Bidding was sporadic at times, with family members fighting for the mittens, sometimes bidding just a penny more than one another.

In the end, a friend of a family member who lives in Pennsylvania won the auction with a $100 bid.

Miller, who donates many of the items she makes to charity, said some people suggested she give the $100 to a Vermont Meals on Wheels to honor Sanders, who had sweatshirts made up with his inaugural meme and donated proceeds from their sale to the program.

“I said, ‘No, we have a Meals on Wheels program and people in need here,’” Miller said.

So she donated the $100 to the Ozaukee County Home Delivered Meals program.

The donation will feed 20 people, Aging Services Manager Kari Dombrowski said.

This isn’t the first time Miller has used her needlework skills to benefit others. She said she recently donated a number of hats and mittens to Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge and warm weather wear to Family Promise of Ozaukee County — both organizations that work to help the homeless.

Miller has been knitting since she was 5 years old. 

“The day (astronaut) John Glenn went into space, my mom taught me to knit,” Miller said. “She needed to keep me quiet and busy.

“The rest is history.”

Miller isn’t resting on her laurels, though. She is working to knit several other pairs of Sanders-style mittens, albeit in different colors, and is consulting with Dombrowski on the best way to raise more money for the home-delivered meals program.

“I’m always looking for opportunities to give back and help out,” Miller said. “Everybody can make a difference.”