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SUN CITY — When Rose Sodergren of Sun City laid her eyes on piles and piles of camouflage-colored yarn, she knew exactly what her mission was — to weave scarves for soldiers.

Since September, Sodergren, a member of the Oakmont Artistic Weavers Club, has woven more than 100 scarves for troops serving in Iraq.

"It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done," she said. "I knew as soon as I saw the yarn what it was meant for."

Sodergren works in the craft and fabric department of Wal-Mart. When a large shipment of the camouflage-colored yarn came in, she approached her managers, told them about her scarves-for-soldiers idea and requested a discount price for the yarn.

"They didn't give me the discount — they gave me all the yarn," she said.

The donation amounted to several hundred dollars worth of yarn. And when she used up all of the yarn, she turned to another Wal-Mart which donated $100 worth of the yarn. Her next step was finding the soldiers.

She learned of a Web site, www.anysoldier.com, that lists the names of soldiers, their duties and how to ship them care packages. Sodergren's first batch of scarf recipients was a unit of 42 helicopter pilots.

Each scarf is not only handwoven, but also includes a handwritten, personal note to the soldier. To Sodergren's surprise, e-mails began to roll in from soldiers, thanking her for the gift and for her support. Many included photos of the uniformed soldiers wearing her scarves.

"It melts my heart. These people are out there trying to stay alive, I wouldn't think they have time to write some lady in Sun City," she said. "It's such a bonus and a joy to hear from them."

One soldier wrote: "When we are in the aircraft manning the guns, we are unable to close the windows, so at higher altitudes, it gets quite cold. Our flight helmet protects our heads from the wind, but often our neck is left unprotected. We couldn't have asked for a better solution."

Helicopter gun pilot Kristina Stradley received a scarf on her birthday.

"Today was my birthday, and it made me feel great receiving it," she wrote. "It makes me feel good to know there are still people back in the U.S. that still love and care for our well being."

Sodergren's scarves have earned an official seal of approval.

"It fits perfectly and blends really well with our uniform," one high-ranking soldier wrote. "I'm authorizing my soldiers to wear it with their uniform this winter here in Baghdad."

At its October meeting, the Oakmont Artistic Weavers voted to make Scarves for Soldiers its club project. Members designated one loom in the club room to be used solely for weaving scarves. Another loom is dedicated to the club's other project, weaving blankets for homeless babies and children.