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Knitting group helps 'warm the line' for voters in cold weather states

The project has collected more than 3,000 items for voters in northern states.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth knitting group is part of a nationwide project to help people vote.

Julie Fairley owns JuJu Knits in Fort Worth and led the local effort to help Warm The Line, an initiative providing homemade mittens, scarves and hats to people in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire.

“All places where people will need to stay warm as they wait outside to vote,” Fairly said. “I thought it was a wonderful initiative because it’s bipartisan and the whole point of it is to encourage people to vote.”

RELATED: GOP slowly gaining as early vote total surpasses 2016

Over six weeks, Fairley says they collected 149 items, the most for any drive she’s done, and they recently arrived at their partner store in Wisconsin where they’ll be handed out to lines of voters.

She says in total, the effort has collected more than 3,000 hand-knit clothing items. Fairley says a fast knitter can knock out a hat in an evening. She says one member of her community even put her kids to work on loos to help turn out more warm clothing.

“We really just put the word out on social media. That’s all that we did,” Fairley said. “My dad is a retired lieutenant colonel and I never take for granted the freedoms that we have to be able to do things like vote.”

RELATED: Eyes turn to Texas as early voting surge surpasses 2016 election

Across the country, there are still more people shipping contributions towards the project, free of any political party or campaign slogans.

“It makes me really, really proud,” Fairley said. “We love our community. We love the support. We’re so grateful to be here.”

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