Patterns, projects and techniques
Visitors to Parkside Medical Centre in New Zealand can add a few rows to a baby blanket while they wait for their appointments.
The waiting knitters have completed one baby blanket — it took about a month — and started … Read More ... “A Brilliant Idea for Any Place with a Waiting Room”
Lion Brand Yarn has teamed up with STOMP Out Bullying (a national nonprofit aimed at changing the culture for kids to reduce bullying, cyberbulling and other forms of abuse) on a project that knitters and crocheters can support, called #HatNotHate… Read More ... “Help Stomp Out Bullying with Blue Hats”
Warm Up America is known for providing blankets and other warm goods to people across the United States, but it supports other initiatives as well, and this year it’s helping bring awareness — and hats! — to the issue of … Read More ... “Warm Up America Seeks Tiny Hats for Africa”
Knitters in Australia and beyond are being called upon to create knit poppies that will be used to decorate the Australian War Memorial to mark the centenary of the ending of World War I next November.
The group 5,000 Poppies… Read More ... “Knitters Making Poppies for War Anniversary”
Looking for an easy charity knitting project with a big impact? The Oklahoma Department of Health is trying to raise awareness of the so-called period of purple crying that is common among newborns.
Purple hats are distributed to newborns to … Read More ... “Click Your Needles for Oklahoma Babies”
I received word recently about an interesting project that I thought some of you might be interested in.
Knitting Our National Parks, a project at Indie Untangled, is bringing together indie dyers to create colorways inspired by photos of … Read More ... “Yarn Line Celebrates the National Parks”
Talk of a wall being built between the United States and Mexico was a big part of the presidential election and is still a hot topic. But what if a wall, something designed to keep people out, could be transformed … Read More ... “Welcome Blankets Project Seeks to Reimagine Border Wall”
I know we all love a heartwarming story about knitting, right? This one comes to us via the Medford Mail Tribune (that’s in Oregon) and profiles Trinidad Flores, a homeless man who spends his time loom knitting hats to … Read More ... “Homeless Man Knits Hats for Others”
It’s common to feel a need to change things, to do something to fill the time, when your spouse dies. Bob Rutherford, an 88-year-old in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, started knitting socks, not by hand, but with his own low-cost sock knitting … Read More ... “Socks By Bob Puts Socks on Thousands of Homeless People’s Feet”
The UK Hand Knitting Association is looking for some knitters who want to hone their sock-knitting skills, or just knit some cute little socks, that will be used as bunting to decorate care homes and other places during the … Read More ... “UK Knitters: Join the Christmas Sock Appeal”
There was a lot of great knitting-related news happening while I was too busy to share it, but just in case you didn’t see the story of Morrie Boogaart before, I wanted to make sure you did.
Boogaart is 91 … Read More ... “Man in Hospice Has Made More than 8,000 Hats for the Homeless”
Warm Up America is a fabulous charitable organization that encourages people to knit or crochet and assemble blankets or other items that can be donated locally or given to the national organization to be distributed where they are needed.
But … Read More ... “Warm Up America Wants You to Stitch Your State”
There are a couple of projects in the news this week that allow knitters to help animals in need. The first is the Royal Voluntary Service’s Big Knit, which raises money to support services for the elderly. The charity … Read More ... “KnitBits: Knitting for the Birds, New Knitty and Stylish Shibori”
It’s hard for parents when their kids get past the cuddling and talking to us stage, so one mom of a tween boy took the matter into her own hands and knit a suit that looks like her son.
She … Read More ... “KnitBits: Mum Knits Her Son, Jessica Jones Knits, Charities for Knitters and More”
Congratulations to MaryAnn.
One of my knitting-related resolutions is to knit more for charity this year. In particular I’m interested in knitting for preemies, since my daughter was one, but in general I just want to be more generous … Read More ... “Giveaway: A Charity Guide for Knitters”