Archive for November, 2007

30 November, 2007 | No comments

Sharing the warmth

This is the time of year when we tend to think of others’ needs, but fortunately there are plenty of opportunities throughout the year to donate our time and our knitting and crocheting skills to good causes. We recently received an appeal to help Food & Friends, a Washington charity whose volunteers deliver meals to clients with life-challenging illnesses. Its clients live as far north as Frederick, Md., and as far south as Fredericksburg, Va. Michelle Strange, one of the founders of Knitters and Crocheters Care, would like to donate 1,350 warm knitted items to Food & Friends clients for Valentine’s Day. Michelle says, “You can make hats, lap afghans, mittens, gloves or wrist warmers—it’s all up to you. Please make items in adult sizes and unisex colors and styles. Attach a note with fiber cotton and washing instructions.” Items can be dropped off at Food & Friends or mailed to them at Scarf Project, Food & Friends, 219 Riggs Road, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20011. You should include a SASE or return address in the package. The deadline is Feb. 6. More information is available at http://knitters-and-crocheters-care.blgspot.com.

At the shop, we’re still looking for a charity to adopt. Your suggestions are welcome. Meanwhile, we are pleased to have had the opportunity to donate yarn to the Prince George’s County Child Resource Center and yarn and needles to the Gemstone-Ellicott Service Committee at the University of Maryland. The latter group made blankets for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Holy Cross Hospital. Volunteers knitted squares at a two-day group event that were later sewn together to make the blankets. Student Sarah Peitzmeier wrote us, “It was definitely a success beyond expectation, as we had about 80 to 90 people show up over the course of two days. We also got a lot of response from people who said they couldn’t come to the event but would use their own yarn to make a square, and even someone who said they would make small quilts! Thank you so much for your contribution to the event. We definitely couldn’t have done it without you. We had acquired some other yarn and needles through other donors but on the first day so many people showed up that we had to sand down chopsticks and use them as needles. We used every skein of yarn we had, tangled or otherwise, and sadly, even had to turn some people away for a little (though some came back later) because we just didn’t have the supplies for everyone. On the second day we had a ‘knit all knite’ event and the knitting continued until the last three knitters finally retired at five in the morning!”