Charity Crafting For Critters: The Snuggles Project

Using your crafty skills to bring joy and comfort to others is one of the most satisfying feelings. Our furry friends can appreciate our handiwork as well. And they will never judge us for misshapen stitches or uneven gauge. If you’re a brand new knitter or crocheter why not consider practicing your skills on simple items that benefit a furry critter? Below is a list of organizations and patterns to get you inspired and pointed in the right direction.

The Snuggles Project

The Snuggles Project is part of the Hugs Society (previously Hugs for Homeless Animals), a worldwide program calling crafters to make “snuggles” to donate to local animal shelters. Over a million Snuggles have been donated since the project began in 1996.

A Snuggle is essentially a small critter-sized comfort blanket. The guidelines for making one are loose, since they are more about the textural feel and comfort provided to the animal. As was mentioned above, these fur babies aren’t judging your skill level or color choice here. If you would like some inspiration there are sections on the site for knit, crochet, and sewn Snuggle patterns.

Yarn for your snuggle should be something that is easy to care for (i.e. machine washable). If you want to choose a stitch and go instead of following a specific pattern, you can use the following sizes as a guideline:

14″ x 14″ for cats and small animals
24″ x 24″ for cats and small to medium dogs
36″ x 36″ for medium to large dogs

Once you’ve made a Snuggle or a few, you can find information on donating them on the Snuggles Project page. If you don’t see your local shelter listed as a participant of the Project you can suggest they register with the Hugs Society.

Free Snuggle-Worthy Downloads from Lion Brand

The Royal Pet Afghan pattern is available in both a crochet and knit version. Work it up using two balls of Homespun yarn.

This stripy crocheted mat is felted for durability. It is perfect for medium to larger dog breeds!