Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Get Some Great Free Patterns for Charity Knitting

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helping hands ebookKnit Picks has released a great little ebook for charity knitting (and crochet) that includes six projects for each craft that are perfect to make and donate to the charity of your choice. The Helping Hands ebook is a free PDF download and includes the following knitting patterns:

  • Calming baby knit hat
  • Comfort knit pet blanket
  • Kitty-corner knit square
  • Rainbow knit blankie
  • PICC armband (to cover the line coming out of the arm)
  • Benefaction knit hat

I think my favorite is the rainbow blankie, a pretty chevron pattern sure to bring comfort to whoever needs it.

The patterns are considered appropriate for intermediate knitters and all are designed by Stacey Winklepleck.

Do you knit for charity? I’d love to hear what you make and where you give it.

Did you know, specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next. Or how about our VIP Knitting Group with Free knitting pattern access including vintage and Etsy designer patterns for less than $1 a month.

[Photo via Knit Picks.]
Check out our New DIY Crafty Creative T-shirts featuring Knitting and Yarn Designs.

Comments

  2. I knit black wool caps for the troops in the Middle East, and send them to The Ships Project:

    http://www.theshipsproject.com/Home.htm

    She’s been sending knit items and cool-ties to sailors and ground troops since 2001, and is about 500 items away from reaching a total of 600,000 items sent!

  5. I make hats for Syrian refugees and blankets for the Humane Society and squares for Knit a Square for South African orphans. Thank you for the patterns!

  6. I knit jumpers for oil-soaked penguins; blankets & knee robes to raise funds for a hospice; and a variety of nests for orphaned / injured wildlife rescue centres.

  7. I knit hats for a couple of the local hospitals. Mostly newborn size, and small child size. When I finish up the ones on my needles, I’ll be bringing in the bag of 100 next week. That’ll bring the total up to 400. Surprisingly, I still have yarn left, lol.

  8. All of these wonderful people doing wonderful things has inspired this knitter to do the same! Pay it forward…?? warms my heart….Deanna Porter…

  9. I knit hats for newborn, for my local hospital. Also, hats, mittens and socks for RSVP in my area.

  12. Me, my sister and mom 81 btw she got Alzheimer’s but still knit. We knit for old age home so they can sell in their shop we support 11 old people who don’t have the funds. Knit blankets beanies baby clothes.I also knit for 5 schools scarfs, beanies and gloves.

  13. I knit for children in The Gambia.mostly up to 6 months old. Sometimes up to 1 year. I often knit premature items forfor the very tiny babies

  14. Try holysews.org. they make burial wraps,knit hats, for still horns and babies that are too small for burial clothes. I knit hats 3″. So rewarding. God bless the little ones????

  15. 30 of us charity knit every Monday. Our local YMCA is kind enough to set up tables in their lovely atrium. All yarn is donated. We donated over 1,100 items in 2016. Items stay in our community. We donate to three wonderful “charities- our local NEAR food shelf, a very large church, and the Y. We knit baby items for the church who provide needy baby showers, hats scarves mittens and earwarmers headbands. The Y distrib to school nurses.we laugh, we bond, we help each other and have formed lasting friendships. We have croheters too and teach anyone who wants to learn. We range from 10 to 90 years old. There is a special place in heaven for charity knitters and cricketers.

  16. I knit for Hats For The Homeless in Minneapolis. Hats4thehomeless.blogspot.com/ I use the pattern Classic World War II Watch Cap.

Have you read?

Book Review: Knitted Safari Friends – 20 Adorable Animals to Make

If you have a weakness for knitted animals wearing tiny clothes, Knitted Safari Friends by Sarah Keen is going to be very difficult to resist.

This colourful collection includes 20 safari and savannah animals to knit, including a lion, tiger, elephant, flamingo, hippo, crocodile, rhinoceros, zebra and giraffe.

And yes, many of them have their own little outfits.

The lion in purple overalls is probably enough to sell me on the whole book.

Cute Animals With Plenty of Personality

What I like about this collection is that the animals are clearly designed as characters rather than realistic wildlife models.

They are bright, friendly and a little quirky, which makes them particularly appealing as handmade gifts for children or animal-loving adults.

Looking at the sample pages, the hippo and flamingo patterns have a cheerful illustrated layout, with the finished animals shown in little safari scenes alongside the practical pattern information.

There is also plenty of variety in the shapes, which means you aren’t simply knitting the same basic body 20 times and changing the ears.

If knitted animals with interchangeable clothes are already your thing, have a look at our Knitted Wild Animal Friends book review. That collection includes elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras and other animals with an entire wardrobe of tiny knitted clothing.

Is Knitted Safari Friends Beginner Friendly?

The publisher describes the patterns as easy to follow, and the book includes a techniques section, abbreviations and knitting conversions to help you through the projects.

I would still put this more in the confident beginner to intermediate category rather than recommending it as someone’s very first knitting project.

Toy knitting usually involves shaping, joining pieces, stuffing and finishing neatly, and that finishing stage can sometimes take almost as long as the knitting itself.

Ask anyone who has ever had a finished knitted animal sitting in pieces on the craft table for three weeks waiting for its legs to be sewn on.

For knitters who are still learning the basics of toy making, our Knitted Amigurumi Animal Friends review is another useful option, with smaller animals and simple clothing pieces.

A Great Gift Knitting Book

These would make lovely handmade gifts for children, particularly if you matched the animal to their favourite safari creature.

You could also knit several of them together as a nursery display or create your own little safari collection.

The clothes and accessories add another level of fun, too. Once you’ve knitted an elephant, there is something wonderfully satisfying about then deciding what that elephant ought to wear.

Apparently this is where my crafting priorities are now.

My Take

I think Knitted Safari Friends is one of those books that you buy intending to make one project and then immediately start planning an entire knitted zoo.

The bright colours, cute facial expressions and tiny outfits give the animals loads of personality, while the variety of creatures should keep the knitting interesting.

Sarah Keen has been designing knitted toys for years, and that experience shows in the way these animals have been turned into characters rather than simply miniature versions of real wildlife.

If you enjoy toy knitting, handmade gifts or anything involving animals in overalls, this one is definitely worth a look.

Knitted Safari Friends: 20 Adorable Animals to Make is written by Sarah Keen and published by GMC Publications. It was released on April 21, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.