Loose Ends Helps Finish Unfinished Projects

I’ve been meaning to write about Loose Ends for a while, but they’re getting more attention thanks to a recent story from NPR.

Loose Ends is a group of volunteers that helps to finish projects left behind by people who have died or that the crafter is unable to complete because of age or illness. It was founded by friends and knitters Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic, who both spent some time in 2022 finishing projects for friends who’d lost their mothers. Looking online for a service that did such work, they didn’t find one, so they started it.

In about 10 months the group has completed more than 600 knitting, crochet, quilting, sewing and other projects.

As you can imagine, knowing how generous crafters can be, there are a lot more people who have volunteered to help with projects than there has been need for helpers at this stage. The founders have been overwhelmed by the response and, as they are still doing all the matchmaking themselves, they’ve formed a board and applied for tax-exempt status in the hope they can raise money to hire staff.

According to the Loose Ends website, they accept most kinds of craft work as long as the project had been started and cannot be completed by the original maker because of illness, disability or death. Exceptions include items that are moldy or have moth holes, or a strong smell of moth balls. (Items that smell of cigarette smoke can be paired with a crafter who doesn’t mind the smell.) They also do not accept long-arm or large hand-quilting projects, though they can do piecing, binding and finishing of small projects like baby blankets or wall hangings.

You can apply to become a finisher on their website and let them know your geographic location, what crafts you do, your skill level and the kinds of projects you like to work on. They do their best to match people who live relatively close together and to give finishers projects that match their skills and interests.

I just love this so much and the idea of all those projects getting finished makes me so happy!

[Photo: Loose Ends]

Next Pattern:

I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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