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Destatsh for a Good Cause: Knitting for Charity

January 28, 2014 by Sarah White

stash bustingIf you have yarn that you like but there’s just too much of it for you to knit it all for yourself and those friends and family members who who be grateful (because, let’s face it, not everyone in our lives deserves our knitting), the next option would be to knit things with an eye toward donating them to charity.

There are all sorts of charitable organizations out there that accept handknits, though the requirements and items accepted vary widely. You can find places to donate blankets for animals in shelters, sweaters and hats for homeless people of all ages, chemo caps and hats for preemies, even burial gowns for infants who didn’t make it out of the hospital. And that’s just the beginning.

I like to urge people who are interested in knitting for charity to look locally first. Is there a local homeless shelter that would accept knit hats or socks? A prayer shawl ministry you can support? Or even an affiliate of a larger group like Project Linus or Warm Up America.

If that’s not something that appeals to you, check out the Lion Brand Charity Finder, my list of charity knitting sites at About, or just do a web search for knitting charities maybe with some qualifiers about what you’d like to knit or for whom (as in, children’s hat charity knitting, for instance).

Most of all, check with the charity or group you intend to knit for and make sure you’re clear on what their needs are in terms of item type, sizes and fiber content of yarn before you get started. We want to knit things that will actually be useful, right?

If you have a favorite knitting charity that you’ve worked with in the past, I’d love to hear about it!

Looking for more Chemo supplies, Check out these Chemo friendly low irritant body products Gentle on the skin

This chemo cap is knitted in the round  and has a roller brim, This chemo cap is knitted in the round and is ridged with a small rim. We have some other patterns for knitted chemo caps too, check them out here.

One Ball Knitted Chemo Cap beanie

Rolled brim Chemo Cap

Visit our charity crafts page for listings of groups in your area who collect and donate these knitted items to charity.

Next Pattern:

  • A Knitting Marathon for a Good Cause
  • Knit a Wrap for a Good Cause
  • Flying Fox Shawl Knitting for a Cause
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Comments

  1. karen says

    January 28, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    I have been working on using up my stash. Two blankets, several hats.

    Now I am working on hats for newborns, and hats, blankets and gloves for the homeless.

  2. Rose S. says

    January 29, 2014 at 10:17 am

    I knit up a stash of scarves and hats, put them in my car, and when I meet a squad car that is not in an emergency situation, I visit with the officers and give them the bags of hats and scarves for them to give to needy people when they come across them. The need has been REALLY great this year.

  3. Joann Drye says

    January 29, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    Look on the internet for a chapter in your state. We always need knitted, or chrocheted hats for babies (not preemies but going home from the hospital size) and blankets , blankets , blankets, booties… I am in Eastern Oklahoma, but there are Chapters all over.

    http://www.newbornsinneed.org/grok
    Joann Drye President
    joanndrye1946@sbcglobal.net

  4. Sand Ritchie says

    January 29, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    Myself and some of my roller derby team are crocheting granny squares to make blankets/knitting socks to give to a local homeless charity

  5. Lesley W says

    March 14, 2014 at 2:01 am

    I have done squares for Warm Up Canada. One of my dear friend, he along with his family goes to Honduras to set up schools and homes. I donate some of my teddy bears to them to pass along to the children.

Have you read?

Felted Bag Knitting Patterns

I feel like felting is a knitting genre that deserves a resurgence. My first knitting book (which came out in 2008, eek!) was all about felting, but I don’t feel like there are a lot of felting knitting projects out there these days. I really like the technique as an easy way to make a thicker, more durable knit fabric, and it’s actually perfect for knitting bags.

The ZZ Bag from yamagara recently caught my eye and got me thinking about felted bags, and maybe remaking one of the bags that was in that book. This one has a fun zigzag pattern and is worked in worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

A lot of the other knit and felted bag patterns I could find were older, but that doesn’t make them bad patterns. I’ve always loved the booga bag from Black Sheep Bags (the pattern is on their website but the photo is broken so you can also check it out on Ravelry). This is a fun one because you can use all your leftovers or a self-striping yarn (the original was made with Noro) to give it a colorful look that’s super easy to knit. 

An envelope purse is another easy shape to knit, and this version from Lavender Hill Knits on Etsy comes in different sizes for younger girls and teens or adults. The small version is worked with one strand of worsted weight yarn, while the larger uses two held together.

The Japanese knot bag is a classic, and a felted version is a lot of fun. You can find this pattern from Cindy Pilon on Ravelry and knit one for yourself using bulky yarn. I also love her bag The Curve, which is also on Ravelry and has a fun rounded shape and contrasting handles.

And there’s also the amazing stained glass bag from Knitting Dream, which also uses a Noro yarn, but you could use wool scraps on the different fans to give it a unique look. There are two size options to choose from and it’s not as tricky as it looks.

 

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