DENVER — For over a decade, Cherie Eickstaedt has been turning yarn into warmth — and kindness — for thousands of Denver Public Schools students.
At 94 years old, Eickstaedt, who friends and students call “Miss Cherie” or “the hat lady,” is still knitting hundreds of colorful winter hats each year despite health challenges, including beating cancer twice and suffering a stroke in December 2025.
“I gotta have something to do,” she said. “I don't know how to be idle.”
She learned how to knit from her younger sister nearly 20 years ago while recovering from surgery. What began as a simple hobby quickly became a mission to help local children.
“If there's a child out there that needs help, I want to help,” she said.
Eickstaedt donates every hat to Denver schools, with Ellis Elementary among the recipients. At her peak, she turned out about 700 hats each year — two to three hats a day — even knitting at night.
“And 24 hours too,” she said. “If I can't sleep at night, I'm knitting.”
Her operation, which she jokingly calls “my production,” has slowed since her stroke. She now makes one to two hats per day but still contributes hundreds annually.
“Even if I’m in the hospital, I can make a hat,” she said.
Ellis Elementary teacher Jovhana Lopez said the hats arrive in vibrant colors and quickly become treasured items for students.
“They're all different colors. They're super vibrant colors. Some of them, it's like, 'I want the pink one. I want the green one,'” Lopez said. “They get their hat, and they rock their hat for the rest of the year. They just get so excited. I mean, they're just so happy.”
Hat distribution day feels like a celebration, Lopez said.
“When that day comes ... it's almost like a unity project, because everybody leaves with their little hat, and it's just, it's really just nice to see,” she said.
Lopez said the connection these hats create goes beyond warmth.
“They feel that there's somebody out there that is showing them kindness, and I think that that goes way further than anything else,” she said.
Students routinely send thank-you notes, drawings or photos to Eickstaedt.
“They always call me Miss Cherie” Eickstaedt said. “I'm the hat lady.”
For her, each hat is both a practical gift and a message to every child.
“I told the teachers, they're never to be used for punishment,” she said. “Everybody gets a hat. I don't care how bad they are that day, they get a hat.”
When Eickstaedt sees students wearing her hats in the schoolyard, she said the joy is indescribable.
“You can't imagine what a thrill that is — all these little kids running around in my hat,” she said.
Even as production slows, she’s not stopping.
“I’ll catch up. No problem. I’ll catch up,” she said. “If I have to stay awake all night, I'll do it.”
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