Lion Brand Notebook

News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn

Image frame
140

Every Stitch Makes a Difference. Join Us For a Special Virtual Event

July 16th, 2009 by Zontee

Pin It

For Lion Brand, charity is a part of what we do and we know it is part of your lives as well. Instead of the regular knit and crochet-alongs, this summer, we have decided to try something different — we want to encourage you in joining us in giving back to others in a charity knit & crochet-along.

In the next five weeks, join us as you:

  1. Pick a charity and gather materials
  2. Set your goals
  3. Share your progress with yarncrafters around the world
  4. Send off your finished contributions

Please comment on this post and make a promise to make something for charity by the end of this summer. When you name the charity, please tell us why they have touched you. If you need help finding a local/national/ international organization, click here to use our Charity Connection.

Join us next Thursday, and every Thursday for the next few weeks, for new ideas, stories shared, and more.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 11:02 am and is filed under Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting, Knit-Along, Knitting, Lion Brand Yarn Studio, Lion Staff, Tips & How To . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
«
»

← Older Comments
  • myrna meyer

    I started crocheting for Project Linus several years ago, but only able to do 2 or three. Friends found out and contributed yarn. Never enough though for afghans,and some baby yarn, so I started preemie caps with baby yarn and regular sized caps for whoever needs them. St. Mary’s NICU in Racine, Wi to my south, and St. Joseph’s NICU in Milwaukee to my north aprreciate the caps. Am now looking into some of your charities. Have done over 200 preemie caps this year so far. We can all do something for someone somewhere.

  • http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1xt3o/projectlinusphiladelphiacountychapter/ Janet

    Hi I run the Philadelphia Chapter of Project Linus. We provide new handmade blankets to sick and traumatized children. I plan on making a blanket over the few next weeks and hopefully I will receive blankets that others have made, to be distributed to children in need of a big hug in the Philadelphia area.

  • Aislinn

    Last year, I picked up a book called “Knitting for Peace” to inspire myself to make things to donate. It’s a beautiful book with lots of patterns and narratives from people who both operate and benefit from the charities featured. For this charity knitalong, I’m going to make several pairs of socks for Children in Common, which distributes winter clothing to children in Eastern European and Russian orphanages.

    Thank you for always having a charity feature in your regular newsletter. It’s so heartwarming and motivational to hear about all the people in the world who are using their unique skills and talents to make it a better, more loving place.

  • Cheryl

    We just started a prayer shawl ministry at our church. We have given away five shawls so far, and have at least 25 people in need on our list. We are a small group, but it is my personal vow to make no less than three prayer shawls a month. We are also considering chemo caps and baby blankets for the local hospital. Basically, wherever the good Lord tells us our talents are needed.

  • Phyllis Apkarian

    I didn’t have to look far for a group that needed my talents. My church, Taftville Congregational Church, in Taftville Connecticut started up a group of knitters and crocheters “Luv ‘N’ Stitchers”, dedicated to three distinct areas: preemie hats for the local area Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of L & M Hospital, chemo caps for adults being treated at the Echo Clinic at Backus Hospital,Norwich CT, and prayer shawls for the wider community. The need is always greater than our supply, but cancer is so limited that it can never defeat love, faith and caring.

  • Sandra

    When I saw a baby afghan pattern I loved, but did not have a baby to make it for, I thought of the Family Drop-In at our Community Centre. It started with just a handful of moms and tots getting together for coffee and play once a week, and has grown into a huge learning and support resource since then. The blanket was raffled off, and I got a chance to make one of the cute baby projects I love–so not only the meditative projects are good picks for charity–there are uses for the complicated ones too.

  • Marlene

    I started to crochet as a hobbie and find it very relaxing after a full day of treating patients. Being a physician is a calling, and I feel that I have been called to use this as a ministry as well. What a joy, when I gave my first afghan to a patient who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was so delited to see your Charity Knit and Crochet-A-Long and am excited to participate. I have shared this with my mother-Norma, who just started to crochet as well, and she is eager to join in. We have selected the AHRC charity as it reaches out to young and old with developmental disabilties. I have pledged to do 2 hooded baby afghans and my mother is donating a prayer shawl and has just finished an afghan. Thank you.

  • birgit1040

    myna meyer
    If you are looking for a charity check out Crafty Angels. We are always looking for new Angels. We are local,country and worldwide. Check us out.
    http://www.crafty-angels.blogspot.com/
    We would love to have you.
    Have a great day
    Birgit!

  • Susan Miller

    What a wonderful idea, and how wonderful to read all of the ways so many people are already crocheting and knitting for charity!

    I just began myself after an article appeared in our local paper about a new charity called Baby Blessings for preemie babies in our area. Since reading it, I crocheted 5 blankets and hats that I already donated, and have two more finished and two in progress. I searched for free patterns on-line and found many, all of which can be used for charity. From those, I learned how to change my own favorite baby blanket patterns to fit the sizes required for preemies.

    Yesterday I bought a ton of yarn at a sale at JoAnn’s fabric store, and have more than enough to make 2-3 blankets and hats per week for probably the next year.

    I retired two years ago, but take care of our 11 month old grandson, so I stick to the easier patterns that I can pick up and put down without worrying about where I am in the pattern. I find it so relaxing to crochet or knit (but the crocheting is easier right now), and have been so happy to have this to do! When I first retired, I started delivering Meals on Wheels, but had to give it up last year to take care of our infant grandson.

    I have read the posts with interest about the prayer shawls for cancer patients, and plan to look into that. My husband is currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, and I think I’ll ask him tomorrow if he can find out if they have a need for these here. His radiation treatments are given on one side of the building and the chemo on the other, and I’ll bet he can ask there. I just did a search and found some patterns on Lion Brand web site, along with note cards to include and I just find that so touching!

    Thanks to everyone for all you do! You are all making this world a much better place!

    Susan

  • ellen in indy

    i’ve been working for several months on items for warmwoolies.org — two sweaters and five pairs of ginormous socks are done; a third sweater needs only its second sleeve, and i’m on the sixth pair of socks out of a planned seven.

    because the kids warm woolies help live in such terribly cold climates, including some u.s. areas, the sweaters have to be made of bulky yarn or two strands of worsted — all at least 80% wool (or alpaca or llama). (socks for little kids also are knit of double-stranded worsted wool because they have only plastic sandals for shoes.)

    i use mostly lion’s fisherman wool in natural brown, adding accents of bright-colored wool yarn — turquoise for one sweater yoke, hot pink stranded with a pinky-lavender for another. the socks also get a brighter stripe — no two pairs alike.

    part of the reason is price, of course. but the other reason is the yarn’s durability and warmth, and the fact that the natural colors won’t fade and the natural brown won’t show dirt so badly.

    for those of you with extra acrylic, warm woolies ALWAYS needs baby blankets — and accepts acrylic ones gladly. the warmer and thicker the better. check their web site — http://www.warmwoolies.org — for more info.

  • Teresa

    I have decided to participant in two charity projects. The first is Project Linus of Central Indiana and the other is Kindred spirits shawl ministry. I chose these two because my 15 year old daughter was in Riley hospital ICU 1 1/2 year ago and her grandmother gave her a blanket and called it her healing blanket. She never let the nursing staff take it off her bed. She is doing great now and still sleep with the blanket on her bed but it is now under her pillow so the healing will continue to flow from the crown of her head to the rest of her body.

    the blanket brought comfort and hope to her and I would like to help someone else receive the same.

  • KJ Herzog

    I keep a ‘warm’ basket. I use left over yarns to make caps, mittens, scarves and socks all year long. Knitting during my 30 minute train commute and while watching tv at nights means literally hundreds of items can be completed every year. I fact I have met people on my train who have been inspired by what I am doing and they have taken on similar endeavors.

    As for charities, I read the news and send the items where needed. (Always check that they are wanted first) Last year devastating blizzards in the Dakotas meant many items were sent to the Sioux Reservations. You can pick a church, a school, or an organization such as Friends of Wounded Knee. My other choice is battered women’s shelters. I figure many of these women and children leave situations with just the clothes on their backs and need so many items. Though I do not have their addresses due to security concerns, most churches do and can deliver the items.

    I try to pick rural areas in the snow belt as warm items are needed, and in general there are not as many services available.

    The other hint – pick or develop patterns that can be easily adjusted. For example, I have created a simple sock pattern that can be used from infants to grown men. I simply adjust needle size, yarn weight and number of stitches. This makes it possible to create more items more quickly.

    The beauty of all this is that it helps others, but it also helps me – emptying spare yarn drawers, meeting people, and simply enjoying the craft of knitting.

  • Sheila

    I have a group here at work that knit or crochet during our lunch hour. We call ourselves the Knotty Knitters. We make scarves, hats, shawls, warm-up America blankets, baby blankets etc. to give to the Women and Children shelter. If we have left over items we give them to Aunt Ella’s Pathway. She takes a lot of items in and check on charities in need and send them what they need. Neat Lady! I am excited that you are doing this. I just finished a hat and I think I will do up a sweater to go with it. It is for a 9 month old baby. This will go for a Christmas gift for the shelter.

  • Charlene

    This is such a great idea! I have been crocheting a and knitting since I was in elementary school. With the help of my assistant leaders we taught our girl scout troop to crochet some years ago. We crocheted squares and assembled a huge afghan, just about the time the afghan was finished a family in our area lost everything in a fire so we donated the afghan to them. We also made quilts for our local hospital pediatrics ward. This has grown into a yearly community event. Although my scouts are now adults graduating from college, I hope they will continue service to others.
    I don’t know which charity I will donate to, or what I will make but I will decide in the next few days.
    My mind is also formulating a project for my school to become involved with involving knitting or crocheting..

  • SUSY

    I’m already crocheting and knitting for charity, I make about 20 different size hats, that go to MD Cancer hospital, I knit dishcloths that is used for preemie blanket, because I love the patterns you can make, I try to crochet at least 1 lap afgan that goes to altzheimer patients, I do what I can, but my personal goal is 100 cap for the cancer patients by the end of the month of august I have done 20 so far, still have a long way to go. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE

  • Ellie Russ

    I head up a group at Clays Park Resort in Canal Fulton, Ohio. We are busy crocheting afghans for the “Soldiers Angels” program for the veterans.

    Last year we made and donated 54. We are trying hard to exceed that goal this year.

  • Gloria Coppersmith

    For those yarnworkers searching for a worthy charity, might I suggest looking into donating to Native Americans through the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota? The Friends of the Pine Ridge Reservation has an excellent website with detailed information on items needed, addresses for mailing, etc. The plight of these poverty-stricken Americans needs our attention. Ladies, please help!

  • Carol MacDuffee Hanson

    I belong to a yarn club that meets monthly to knit &/or crochet for charity. We have made items for our local homeless shelter, animal shelters, Warm-Up America, Caps to the Capital, and preemie units of hospitals in our area. I retired recently, & was inspired to do more by Lion Brand’s virtual charity event. My sister, Melody MacDuffee helped to start Soul of Somanya, a co-op in Ghana, Africa to help local beadmakers become self-supporting. I can’t go to Africa at the moment, but decided to pick an African charity. I am knitting & crocheting squares for the Soweto Comfort Club. As mentioned in another post, these are 8″ squares that one mails to South Africa. The ladies of the Comfort Club sew them together to make blankets for children in refugee camps, hospitals & orphanages. This is an advantage for me since I LOVE to knit & crochet, but HATE to sew! I am purchasing at least one skein of Lion Wool each time I buy yarn, to make these squares. The organization prefers wool for the children who are around open fires in the camps, because wool is self-extinguishing. They will accept synthetics also for those children who are in care. When I think “Africa”, I think “hot” but in parts of Africa, especially the south, it gets extremely cold. I feel good thinking my squares will go into blankets to keep little ones warm. I vary the stitch patterns to try new ones & to keep from getting bored. It is a great way to use up leftover yarn as well.

  • Liz

    I am knitting a baby blanket for EChO- Evergreen Christian Outreach in Evergreen, CO. I will donate it to their silent auction this fall. The benefit is called Sweet Dreams. Hopefully someone will want to buy it and support this worthwhile organization. liz

  • Brandy and Victoria

    The afghan We are making this charity is coming along ok, due to the “ripper”, we had to start it over. My 2 year old loves to rip my knitting off the needles. Anyway,we chose this charity because so many people out there have to deal with losses by themselves and it is nice to know that someone in our area has started a project like this, especialy due to their own personal experience and the willingness to change the outcome for others. THANK YOU CONNIE!

    Brandy and Victoria

  • BettyTuffner

    Each year our Council of Catholic Women fills a cedar chest or decons bench to raffle off. The chest is displayed not only at church and church gatherings, but at the local bookstore and at a couple of craft fairs around the area. We do the drawing at the Saturday Mass before Christmas. Tickets are sold to folks as far away as Washington and California. The money we raised in the past has been earmarked for a new kitchen which is now a reality. The chest is painted by one of us with a different theme each year. The rest of us get to fill it with just about every craft item you can imagine. We have even put the dry ingredients for muffins and soup in it. This year I’m putting a shawl in. The community really looks forward to this chest raffle each year.

  • Charlene

    I presented the charity project, “Knit-A-Square” to the law firm where I work to see if we could start a SquareCircle. They agreed and we recruited several staff members. So far we’ve sent approximately 900 squares to the Soweto Comfort Club to be made into blankets for children orphaned due to AIDS/HIV. It was really nice seeing the creativity of the beginner & seasoned knitters/crocheters.

  • http://www.knit-a-square.com Jacqueline Sousa

    i have been knitting for the aids/HIV orphans in South Africa through a charity called knit-a-square (KAS). they have a wonderful website that is easy to surf through explaining everything from the children’s plight to mailing instructions. i have never felt so strongly about something as this charity. it really makes a difference and the communication back to the contributors and memebers makes you feel very much an active part of the organization. With special challenges issued monthly, i feel i cannot knit fast enough! I love this charity and what it is accomplishing around the world and to be a part of it is fulfilling.
    smiles to you
    :)
    js

  • Lynne Emery

    I joined Knit-a-Square several weeks ago (KAS). It’s a great charity with so many warm wonderful people involved. It is unusual for me not to weep when I read the monthly ezine that the charity puts out–sometimes tears of joy and sometimes tear of pure sadness. I am so excited to be part of a group of people from all over the globe who do not question the need to provide comfort to hiv/aids affected children in South Africa. They just do the work! Because one 8×8 crocheted or knitted square is just as important as 100, it’s easy to be contributing to this group no matter how busy you are. This past week I sent a batch of squares and a few small knitted hats and plan to send more again this weekend. And I am blessed.

  • Debbie Posmontier

    I am knitting for knit-a-square.com which I learned about from Lion Brand Yarn Company’s special charity feature last February. I have recruited 55 third and fourth grade girls at the school where I am a tutor. They have joined my Square Circle and have learned to knit by making 8×8 inch squares. We have sent 130 or so squares to Soweto, South Africa where the ladies in the Soweto Comfort Club are sewing the squares into blankets for AIDS orphans and other children in need.The girls have asked that we start the Square Circle again this year and I am looking forward to more lunchtime knitting circles. I even put some needles and yarn in the faculty room and the teachers knit on a shared square during their lunch breaks! Thanks, Lion Brand, for introducing us to this wonderful organization!

  • Sammantha

    As part of raising money for the 2008 San Diego Race for the Cure, I offered to donate afghans in the donor’s name to our local Breast Health Center, specifically for women going through chemotherapy for breast cancer in return for a minimum $125 donation (the cost of a mammogram). As a 12 year breast cancer survivor, I’ve been actively involved in giving back to to the breast health/cancer community because I was blessed with survival of this dreaded disease. I donated 16 afghans last year and decided to continue because it just felt right! I’ve donated nearly 50 afghans, scarves, hats, shawls and wraps so far this year and will continue to do so as long as my hands hold out!

  • sarah

    I crochet and knit teddy bears for children in Africa with HIV/AIDS. I send them to the Mother Bear Project. Their website has all the information, and they’ll get you a pattern to use. http://www.motherbearproject.org

  • birgit1040

    Hey everyone! My first box has been posted at the crafty angel site. Still have most of the scarfs which will go out soon.[14 or so] Just not enough to fill the box yet. If you want to take a peek, I’m Birgit Yacoub in Champaign.
    http://www.crafty-angels.blogspot.com/
    Have a great day everyone!!!
    Birgit

  • marge jonaway

    i am despetly looking for instrutions and requirements for us army wool scarves please

    Zontee says: Hi Marge, check out CitizenSAM.org for different initiatives to support the troops and their requirements.

  • Johanna

    I just read all of your comments and I must say I am proud to be part of the Lion Brand family, what wonderful people. I didn’t know about the charity but I will start crocheting for charity tonight. I wil do hats and scarves. Thank you for the inspriation.

  • Susan

    A very inspiring post. We have three knitters in our family and would like to knit for a Native American charity…does anyone know of one? Blessings to all – Susan in Maine

    Zontee says: Hi Susan, as it says in the post, you can use our Charity Connection to locate charities even by key word. When I type in “Native American”, these are the results I get.

  • Pingback: crochet for charity | CROCHET

  • Kristy

    I’m looking for people to crochet and or knit baby Christening outfits for me. I will pay by piece and if you wanted you can use the money for charity. My name is Kristy please contact me by email if anyone is interested. Thank you and God Bless.

    Zontee says: Hi Kristy, you may want to post this sort of request on Ravelry.com or Crochetville.org and other yarn community websites, where it’s more likely to be seen by people who may be interested.

    • http://www.facebook.com/wall.flower.92 Wall Flower

      do you provide the patterns and materials? I have a few patterns of my own. What kind of turn around are you looking for? Please email me at wall.flower68@yahoo.com

  • Jessieleone

    How do you join? J

  • Pingback: Watches

  • Pingback: car donation fl

  • Pingback: money games

  • Pingback: sms lån 3000

← Older Comments