Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knit Village Banned from Kids’ Hospitals as Health Hazard

by

knit village devonThis is a sad knitting story that thankfully has a happy ending. A Women’s Institute group in Devon spent a year knitting a sweet little village — complete with buildings, people, gardens and farm animals — that they hoped would be used by a children’s hospital or hospice to bring a little joy to kids in their care.

But all the places they approached to donate the 6 foot by 4 foot creation said they wouldn’t take it because the woolen items couldn’t be sterilized. Which is a real concern around sick kids, but nonetheless a big disappointment for the knitters.

But as I said, this one has a good ending, because they did find a home for their handiwork at a South African orphanage, where it is sure to bring smiles to many kids’ faces.

[Photo via the Daily Mail.]

Comments

  1. It’s a thoughtful idea, but definitely a health hazard. Think of all the kids, some kids don’t wash their hands, all the germs that could linger on the items.

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.