Millions of people knit and crochet, but a select group do it without getting paid a dime.

Nina Nakayama has been knitting for 40 years. About five years ago she told her family she was going to fill her days knitting for others.

"If I wasn't doing this I might get in trouble doing something else. I said, 'This way I am not in any trouble,'" said Nakayama.

Nakayama knits hundreds OF baby booties, hats, sweaters and blankets. In 2009 she made 675 hats for boys and 600 for girls. Her home is filled with boxes full of baby clothes she has made by hand. All of the items Nakayama makes are given to the Boulder Community Hospital. It is part of the facility's 54-year-old auxiliary program.

“She has donated more than 11,000 hours knitting booties for our babies,” said Pat Dimond, Director of Volunteers at the hospital.

Every new parent at Boulder Community Hospital is given something made by one of the knitters, like Nakayama. Karen West works with new parents at the hospital and said: “They love it. They love it. It is something extra, something special, hand-made, and they just love it."

And Nakayama loves providing the baby items. She is already on track to knit hundreds more baby blankets, booties and hats this year.