By Julie Polwarth

They gather on Monday nights, sometimes as many as 12 or as few as three.

They jockey for places around the large dinning room table. All are welcome. There is only one rule-- the newcomer gets to sit next to Sharon.

They laugh and talk, sometimes they pray, oh yes, and they knit. Sharon Larson started this group several years ago in her dining room.

It started as a craft group, one of several fellowship groups at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church in Burien. But when the others saw all the beautiful gifts Sharon was turning out with her knitting needles they all asked her to teach them how.

Always there is the ritual of admiring each other's projects. They pass around new yarn and patterns. If anyone has a question they trade places to sit by Sharon.

Tonight, Sharon shows off her latest project-- a pair of soft pink fingerless gloves. She says she will sell this pair for $25 and has orders for nine more. What will she do with the money?

"I'm knitting a spring," Sharon proudly announces.

All of the money Sharon earns from selling her knit ware is going toward the gift of a spring for a small village in Uganda. She learned about the project from Dr. Carl Erling, a retired doctor who is a member of Lake Burien church. Dr. Erling has been to Uganda several times with Medical Teams International.

The villagers provide some of the labor and have to buy into the idea of the project, because taking care of it becomes their job.

There were originally about 75 springs identified in northern Uganda where water bubbles up out of the ground. The people and animals share water and dirt together.

Sharon hopes to earn about $2,000 through her knitting to sponsor a spring. The improvements to each spring allow clean water to hundreds of people and allow girls to go to school rather than hauling water all day.