Hats off to Les Allen, Yukon's 95-year-old tuque-knitter extraordinaire

Les Allen has been busy as a Christmas elf lately.

"I keep knitting away, to keep the arthritis away," the 95-year-old craftsmansays.

His Whitehorse apartment has baskets of colourful yarns, hooks and four different sizes of loom. He's a man on a mission to make hats for anyone who needs them.

He uses a small plastic loom. He threads and hooks pieces of yarn into a funnel shape, then closes the funnel and adds a pom-pom to make aclassic winter tuque.

It takes Allenabout a day to finish a hat. He figures he's probably made almost 400 since picking up the hobby nearly two years ago.

"It feels goodif Isee somebody wearing them and getting some use out of them. It helps me to make them, and it helps the people to keep warm," he said.

"Now I can look out the window, whenI see the homeless wearing a tuque," he addedwith a laugh.

'It cheers Dad up'

Allen's daughter Patricia says her father's hobby caught the family by surprise. But she's not surprised the former artistic painter has found a new way to be creative.

"Ithink it's really amazing. It cheers Dad up," she said.

Allen's wife of sixdecades, 82-year-old Pansy Allen,says the knitting has helped with her husband's sore hands, and she's happy he's giving back to the community.

Some daysthe two talk over a cup of teawhile she works on beading and sewing mukluks and Allen works the loom in his favourite easy chair.

"I feel good about it, because sometimes you see somebody on the street and they'll have warm clothes, so it's kind of nice. And I know my husband is proud to do it," she said.

Donationsto Outreach Van

Allen's latest batch of 39 handmadetuques was delivered this week to CBC Yukon's annual winter clothing drive.

CBC Yukon is collecting hats, tuques, gloves, mitts and socks for the Whitehorse Outreach Van, which helps homeless and vulnerable peoplethrough nightly patrols in Whitehorse. Last year, Yukoners donated more than 200 pairs of socks.

Items can be dropped off at the Whitehorse CBC station on Third Avenue until Dec.16.