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Homeless Man Knits Hats for Others

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Homeless man loom knits hats for others in need.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 give to other homeless people and for babies.

He’s knit more than 1,000 hats, and he gives them away to people he meets on the street, as well as to a local WIC office and a hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

He says he’s been homeless for about three years, and he started knitting to help combat his depression. Local business owners support him and give him donations, and many know him only as “the hat man.”

“When you give a person something productive to do, it changes the mindset. When you change the mindset, other things start to change, too,” he told the paper, saying that he might like to start his own nonprofit to teach homeless people to knit for charity.

What a lovely story, proof of the power of knitting and the fact that anyone can help other people with the work of their hands.

[Photo by Jamie Lusch of the Mail Tribune.]

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Comments

  2. This really warms my heart. I have done the same thing in my area, Modesto, Ca.(Really Ceres, but no one knows where that is.). I have a lot of yarn , I would love to give to THE HAT MAN,as soon as I get the extra money to send to him. Of course I would have to have an address. We are planning a move to Arkansas. It would be wonderful if I didn’t have to move it. Please let me know, Thank You.Mary

Have you read?

Summer T-Shirt Knitting Patterns

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.