Lion Brand Yarn TRON

Donating Your Extra Yarn

Home/CommunityDonating Your Extra Yarn

Donating Your Extra Yarn

- Zontee
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Yarn BallsA few weeks ago, I was talking to my mom’s best friend, Shirley. Like many avid knitters and crocheters, she’s been collecting yarn for years, buying a few balls here and there, saving them for the day she can put them to good use. But lately, Shirley told me, she’s just feeling overwhelmed by the boxes of yarn she’s got in her closet, and she really wants to get rid of some of them that are no longer her style. But of course, she said, she feels like it would be a waste to throw her skeins and balls and hanks away.

“Donate them!” I told her.

There are so many organizations that knit & crochet for charity, make prayer and healing shawls for people in their local organizations, teach children and young adults to knit and crochet–and they can all benefit from the yarn that you no longer want.

On YarnCraft, our radio-style podcast, my co-host Liz & I have discussed this topic a few times and we suggest contacting your local schools to see if the arts programs and/or after school programs can put your yarn to good use. Local organizations or church groups who do craft drives are another good place to start.

Finally, we suggest checking the Lion Brand Charity Connection for organizations making things with yarn–we at Lion Brand hear from charity organizations all the time, and especially in this economy, your yarn can be a great boon to charities all over the world.

Click here to search the Charity Connection database.

How have you used yarn to give to others? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Share this post

29 Comments

  • Most of your local nursing homes will take/use yarn donations. That’s who I normally donate to.

  • When I cleaned out my closet a few years ago, there were the boxes of yarn that I would never use.

    We have a retirement home locally that has a large weaving/knitting/crocheting group that makes things for sale at their fall festival.

    I gave it to them. Along with my quilting supplies I no longer use.

  • I gave a shopping bag full of yarn to a Summer school teacher at a youth center on the west side of town. She’s got a class of 9 young folks knitting a scarf for family members, hoping to be done in time for Christmas gifts.

  • Hi, it’s Sherrie(aka coolcrochet60097). I just donated to raise money for a Susan GK walk in MN. in the form of crocheted items.I made a cloche, a novelty NFL hat, 2 necklaces, a boob stress ball & my Mom added a chemo cap & a scarf for local hospital donation. It only cost 5$ to ship and a day or two of stitching. Our school district also accepts scrap balls for our Art Dept(best art teacher ever!)and local park districts or schools might take yarn for bird nest/habitats.
    If you think your scraps are too small, make mismatched stuff from them-you won’t belive how fast they disappear!

  • I donate my stash of yarn, extra needles and duplicate patterns to the nursing home where my grandfather was. i plan on also including an
    assisted living home in my next declutter project.

  • I accept scrap yarn for the charity I run called Purls from the Heart. We use the scrap yarn to make Circles of Hope, Warm Up America Squares and various types of afghans. If you are looking for someplace to send your scrap yarn, let me know and I will send you my address.

  • I’m always delighted to receive yarn. I crochet for a variety of charities. Any yarn is welcome, even partial skeins.

  • I used to be a chain smoker.  For the last twenty years I refer to myself as a “chain crocheter”.  I make lap robes, hats, scarves for the nursing homes.  I also take small amounts of yarn and make preemie blankets for the hospitals.  One of our hospital has an angel garden for babies who are still born of die soon after being born.  I love making small, white soft yarn for these babies.  Always with a pretty edging and a ribbon laced through to depict boy or girl.  I use small scraps of yarn and make baby tube socks for the preemies, too.   
    However, my friends attend to many garage sales and I have an over abundance of yarn and am searching for a place that I can share with.   Right now I am two thirds of the way done on an afghan for a dear nephew that has just found out he has rectal colon cancer.   He is starting radiation, and chemo next week and surgery later if the treatments do not eliminate all of it.  He is a big guy and this is a big afghan.  52″ x 70″.  
    I also make baby blankets for the Pregnancy Care Center in our town.  They always give the girls a complete layette when they leave and I think a special blanket is a positive thing for the mother and child.  Made with love and prayers   Shirley.

  • […] Donating Your Extra Yarn […]

  • I posted my extra yarn on my local freecycle list and found a person who liked to do charity knitting for local organizations but couldn’t afford to purchase even small amounts of yarn. She was so happy to be able to continue to knit for local charities and I was happy knowing someone was using the yarn instead of sitting in bins in my sewing room.

  • Our knitting group made teddy bears for the Mother Bear Project.  The bears get sent to children in orphanages in Africa.  We included all the extra yarn with our bears so other groups can make bears too.

  • I took my old yarn…matched colors together then made a quick scarf using the J crochet hook.  I chained 150 stitches, yarned over with a double crochet in the 3rd chain from the hook.  Then double crochet to the end, chained 3, turned and double crochet in the 3rd chain for 9 rows.   I  donated tjhese scarfs to the Homeless Shelter.  Jane Cole, High Point, N.C.

  • Thanks for the suggestion of donating yarn to schools for art or after school program projects – to take it one step further, consider volunteering to teach knitting classes at your local school.  I have found children as young as third grade learn so quickly and stick with it – not only that, the time you spend with children is definitely a gift to yourself.

  • free coupons for walmart online…

    […]Donating Your Extra Yarn | Lion Brand Notebook[…]…

  • Free Coloring Pages|Free Coloring Pages in pdf format.|Free coloring book pages…

    […]Donating Your Extra Yarn | Lion Brand Notebook[…]…

  • I am unemployed and wanting to crochet shawls for the hospice helping my Dad. I have some yarn left over from other projects to start but would love to find a source to continue after my supply has run out.

  • I am always accepting yarn. I crochet and knit hats for nicu babies and cancer patients. My name is Kristy Thevenot and truly any donations are greatly appreciated.
    1365 hwy 64 nw
    Ramsey, Indiana 47166
    502-314-2688

  • How do I find companies, or individuals, who donate overstock to my charity group? We collect donated yarn for knitting patches that are sewn into beautiful patchwork blankets. We give the blankets to organizations who distribute them to the needy. Thanks for your suggestions.

  • I make yarn items for the Crisis Preganancy Center in my town. Most babies go home in t shirt and diaper. If you want to send me any yarn here is my email address and I will send the address to send it to. I wish I could pay shipping but I am retired and can’t afford it. joannemariedevine@gmail.com

  • […] any yarn that didn’t get a yes to at least one of those questions and de-stash it. You can donate it to charity, send it to an artist who needs yarn, sell it online or host a swap party to exchange it […]

  • “Loopy Ladies” is our group at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Schaumburg, IL. We crochet and knit sweaters, hats and blankets that are used in the layettes we assemble for Lutheran World Relief. These layettes are distributed by LWR to all countries around the world wherever the need is the greatest. Please consider Lord of Life if you have yarn donations. Our website is: http://www.lord-of-life.org. Or contact our church office at 847-895-8877. Thank you!! If you would like to join us in our meeting times, it is the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, at 119 West Wise Road, Schaumburg, IL 60193. “We take care of God’s most precious gifts…babies born into the world with nothing.” Thank you!

  • Hello, My name is Heather Hessler and I am wondering if anyone has any extra yarn to spare. I am making winter wear for the less fortunate men, women and children in my area. There is no crochet for charity here, so it’s just me. One woman crocheting day and night to make these items for these people. I do buy yarn when I can, but on a fixed income, it’s very hard. If anyone does have any to spare, please contact me. thehesslers@att.net.

  • yarns for cold weather climates. Moved to warmer climate and would be happy to donate.

  • We run a nonprofit that makes hats, scarves, blankets, and other warm weather items for the needy in our area. This year we were about to donate over 3500 items to the local schools, food banks, homeless shelters and other nonprofits in our area. We are in need of acrylic yarn since wool is great but not easy to take care of. Any suggestions on how to get donated yarn would be helpful. We are in the Lewiston Idaho and Clarkston Washington area.

    Thanks for any help you can give me!

    Susan

  • Hello, Susan. A friend has a boatload of beautiful yarns that she is wanting to donate to a worthy cause. Please email me with your organizations address. Thanks, Janice Zakis janbozee@aol.com

    • Leave A Comment

    You must be <a href="https://blog.lionbrand.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.lionbrand.com%2Fdonating-your-extra-yar%2F">logged in</a> to post a comment.