ARMA, Kan. — It’s not such a big thing, really -- just a lap-sized crocheted afghan. Something to ward off the chill. But woven through each brightly colored pattern is a message: “Someone is thinking of you.” It’s a simple act of kindness that touches the recipient and the giver, as well.

Since September, a group of women has gathered regularly at the City Library in Arma to crochet “lapghans” for area nursing home residents. So far they’ve made more than 35 and expect to complete upwards of 50 before the lapghans are distributed in before Christmas. The project was organized by Jo Ann Todd, who said the group wants the afghans to go to a particular group of residents.

“We are targeting people who have no family,” Todd said. “No one comes to see them; the ones who have basically been forgotten.”

Todd’s call on Facebook brought together women who have been crocheting for decades with novices eager to learn. The oldest is a “proud” 83 and the youngest, a Lutheran pastor’s wife, is just 30 with a 5-month-old baby by her side.

Rita Totman, from Mulberry, said she’s been crocheting since she got married 50 years ago. A recent widow, Totman said she gets “a little moody sometimes,” but the other girls lift her spirits. The others say Rita sets the bar high with some of the best and most intricate work.

Collette Sweezy, on the other hand, jokes that she’s probably more skilled at operating heavy equipment than crochet hooks, but she’s eager to learn. Sweezy said she’s been focused on helping raise “cattle, hogs and grandkids.” She does have an artistic side, however. One of her creations, a brightly colored tote made from a seed bag, is filled with her crochet supplies. Sweezy sells the bags in the farm market her family operates on their farm in Gross.

Sweezy’s neighbor, Connie Prudhome, is new in every way. A native of south Louisiana, Prudhome came to the Gross neighborhood after her husband retired.

“My husband had bought property here,” Prudhome explained. “After he retired, he wanted to move up here.”

The move was a big step and it meant leaving friends and family, but, Prudhome said, the community has been very welcoming.

“I’ve met some wonderful friends,” Prudhome said. “Everyone here has been so nice.”

Eva Goff, a retired teacher from Girard, came to the crochet group with the aid of a granddaughter.

“I read about the group on Facebook,” Goff said. “I’ve crocheted since I was 14. I told my granddaughter I’d like to do this and she signed me up.”

As the women crochet, the room fills with conversation. The more experienced answer questions and offer tips to the learners. Little by little, the lapghans take shape. At the same time, friendships grow and blossom.

Susan Robinson, of Girard, thinks projects like this can inspire others.

“I think it can have a trickle-down effect,” Robinson said. “People hear about it and it may make them think of something else they could do.”

The main thing, Todd said, is that “when someone receives one of these (lapghans) is that they know someone is thinking about them.”

The friendships? Well, that’s just a happy byproduct.