Reader's Digest New Zealand - August/September 2025

“ALL I COULD DO WHEN I MET ANNA WAS GIVE HER A BIG HUG.” FROM HOUSTON LANDING (JULY 24, 2024). REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION. Loose Ends, she would learn, is an organization that matches peo- ple who have unfinished work from loved ones, who have either passed or become incapacitated, with craft- ers in their area who can finish quilt- ing, knitting and other projects, all at no charge. Founded about two years ago, the nonprofit boasts almost 30,000 volunteer “finishers” who have taken over about 3,500 projects since its launch. Blumberg contacted Loose Ends, and they linked her up with a nearby finisher, Anna Minmier, to take over Goldstein’s work. Now in her evenings—and below the frame of her camera during work teleconferences—Minmier’s fingers dance a waltz she has memorized so perfectly in the 20 years since she took up knitting as a precocious 9-year-old. Her efforts, Blumberg says, are an act of altruism that she can never repay. “All I could do when I met Anna was give her a big hug,” Blumberg says, tearing up. “It’s unbelievable how spe- cial this project is. I would have spent a fortune to get this done.” Minmier spent months finishing the sweaters, and says she’s happy to have a part in what she sees as a beautiful story that binds generations. The project reminds her of her own family: Her grandmother was a knitter as well, until her arthritis made it hard to complete those delicate waltz-like movements. She stumbled upon the Loose Ends project when a knitter she follows on Instagram mentioned she had signed up to be a finisher. “Honestly, it feels a little selfish,” Minmier says, laughing. “I get to do my hobby, and I didn’t have to pay for any of the supplies.” It’s also an opportunity for her to work with patterns she never would have picked for herself, stretching her skill set and keeping her mind as sharp as her needles. With every flick of her needles, the project pushes closer to completion. Minmier will miss it, though she’s looking forward to that moment when Blumberg can hold and hug the mem- ories that her mom, who passed away in September of last year, started to knit into existence. That, says Loose Ends co-founder Jennifer Simonic, is the beauty and the value in the organization. “It’s not just being nice,” Simonic says. “It’s making sure people have these tangible objects that you can hug when you’re missing a person. That’s a big deal.” reader ’ s digest World of Good 14 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2025 | READERSDIGEST.CO.NZ