A Whole Bunch of Charity Knitting News

I like to save up knitting related news for roundups every now and then, and I’ve collected a whole bunch of charity knitting news — which seems to be the main reason knitters are in the news, which is wonderful — so I wanted to present a bunch of it to you all at once.

Offenders is Queensland have been knitting and crocheting blankets as a way to meet the community service requirement of their sentences. The blankets are going to the charity Lifeline to be distributed to people who need extra warmth. The participating offenders were allowed to choose crafting as a community service because of special needs, medical issues or childcare responsibilities that might have prevented them from serving in a more traditional way.

Super volunteer Patricia Brian has been awarded a British Empire Medal in recognition of her efforts to help others, including through knitting. She knits for women in domestic violence shelters and started a group knitting for premature babies at a local hospital, among many other good acts she’s been involved in since she retired 17 years ago.

Students at a private Catholic School in Palm Desert, Calif., have been stitching up squares to help kids in Africa with HIV and AIDS. They’re contributing to the Knit-A-Square project, and have made more than 200 squares so far. One student said knitting was better than playing video games, while another said she was taking her knitting to summer camp. I love to hear about the next generation of knitters!

A stitcher in Scotland has been knitting miniature bagpipers and drummers, selling them to pipers from around the world and donating the proceeds to a local hospice. With the European Pipe Band Championships taking place nearby, she’s been really busy stitching up her creations. A drum or pipe major goes for £25, a piper or a drummer is £15 and a spectator £10. She says it takes about a week to make one and that the stuffing is harder than the knitting. So cute!

I can’t resist a good knit knocker story, and I actually have two: one about knitters in Washington who make the knit prostheses for women recovering from mastectomy. Some wear the knit breasts temporarily while waiting for surgery, while others use them permanently because they are lighter and more comfortable than silicon models. And in the UK, the Knitted Knockers group was awarded the People’s Choice Epic Award for making more than 2,000 knit and crocheted knockers, distributed to more than 800 women. The award comes from Voluntary Arts, a group that promotes and supports creative volunteerism.

Adding a bit of knitting to your fall decor is a lot of fun, whether it’s knit pumpkins or a bunch of adorable knit ghosts like these.

Knit ghosts can be super simple like this free ghost knitting pattern from Trixie Zynch on Ravelry. Using about 50 yards of worsted weight yarn, they’re worked from the bottom up and are super cute as a pair.

This fuzzy little ghost from Forest Knitting Toys is holding a pumpkin and wearing a witch hat, though of course the accessories are optional, as is the fuzzy yarn. The main yarn is chunky and the ghost measures about 10 cm/4 inches tall. It’s worked in the round.

Another fuzzy ghost in more of a Pacman style is this ghost plushie form South Stitch Girls. It’s worked in the round with bulky yarn and includes a sweet little bow you can make in whatever color you like.

The ghost doll from Edith Grace Designs has little arms and a curl at the top of its head. The body is worked flat using DK weight yarn and you could also work it in glow in the dark yarn for extra fun. The body and head are worked in one piece with the arms knit separately.

The Grim Grinning Ghosts from Susan Claudino are super cute and you can knit them in any yarn and gauge you like to make ghosts of different sizes. These are worked in the round with the body done in one piece and the arms are knit separately. The ghosts shown were knit in sock yarn, DK and worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Make a ghost with funny striped legs with this ghost shelf sitter design from Claire Fairall Designs. It’s worked in three colors of DK weight yarn, and the letters spelling out boo are made with strips of garter stitch sewn into shape.

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