It’s a familiar conundrum for avid knitters:  what if you have too many scarves, and no one you know needs or wants one?  What if your teenage kids are “too cool” to wear your hand-knit wares, and your own drawers are bursting at the seams?  Relax, no need to put down the knitting needles!  In fact, there is a burgeoning world of charity knitting to explore. The pleasure of charity knitting is that you treat yourself to a favored hobby, while doing something good for someone in need.

Free knitting patterns for charity projects are plentiful; just decide which cause you support. A popular charity past time is knitting blankets for young children in the third-world.  There are few things to keep in mind if you choose to participate in making blankets or blanket pieces for charity. 

First, you don’t even have to be a knitter to participate!  Get some felting supplies and some wool sweaters from the thrift shop; then, simply cut them into squares to felt.  Also keep your eye out for friends and family who are donating, and ask if they can give you their wool sweaters. A great advantage to felting sweaters is that it is so quick and easy; faster than knitting!

If felting sweaters doesn’t suit you, there are options for knitting of course.  Some charities accept full blankets, and others accept squares that are later knitted together. They usually have size requirements to ensure that the finished blankets are adequate to the recipients’ needs.  It’s a good idea to use wool or heavy wool blends for charity knitting, unless otherwise specified.  Those receiving blankets often live out of doors, and are often near open flame.  Acrylic and other synthetic yarns have the potential to melt in these circumstances. An added bonus is that wool is resistant to moisture and anti-bacterial in nature.  It is the best choice for charity knitting.

Of course, there are other charity knitting options.  Making blankets and squares is only the beginning of the possibilities for charity knitting. Other items you can knit for charity include hats, sweaters, vests, and other various garments. The most important aspect of charity knitting is to choose a cause for which you have passion and a project for which you have enthusiasm. If you integrate these two things, you will finish project after project, bringing joy to people less fortunate.

Be Sociable, Share!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!