Many knitters and crocheters enjoy making projects for charity. Don't wait to get invloved with charity knitting! Whether you prefer making hats for infants or shawls for hospice, we have pattern suggestions as well as some national organizations who accept donations. National Charities All of these groups are national groups who accept crochet and knit donated items. Make sure you look on the charity's site to make sure your item matches their guidelines before you send it in. Groups may have restrictions or guidelines on size, color, etc. on the items they can take. If you'd like to make sure your donation helps your local community, good places to ask are local hospitals, cancer care centers, hospices, programs that work with the homeless, and programs that help children get school supplies. Don't forget personal connections who may be in need — someone you know from a book club, a religious group or your child's school. Binky Patrol Provides handmade blankets to children with chronic & terminal illnesses and those who are in foster care or experiencing trauma. Make: Handmade blankets Care Wear Resources for volunteers to make items for local neonatal intensive care units. Make: Preemie and full-term hats and booties, small blankets Christmas at Sea Provides handknit items to mariners working on boats away from their families. Make: Patterns provided by the group for items such as hats, scarves, and socks Crochet for Cancer Provides crochet hats and other items to cancer centers across the US. Make: Crochet hats, scarves, blankets, and prayer shawls in soft yarn Feel Better Friends Handmade dolls custom made to match a child with an illness or disability, complete with wigs, leg braces, glasses, etc. Make: Doll matching a child in need (contact organization to get started) Halos of Hope Provides knit and crochet hats to cancer centers across the US. Make: Knit or crochet hats in soft yarn Hat Box Foundation Provides knit and crochet hats in individual "hat boxes" to cancer treatment centers. Make: Knit or crochet hats in soft yarn Prayer Shawl Ministry Resources for making and distributing prayer shawls. Make: Knit or crocheted prayer shawl Project Linus Provides handmade security blankets to children who are "seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need". Make: Handmade blankets Red Scarf Project Provides knit and crocheted red scarves in a care package to college students who have aged out of the foster care system. Make: Red (any shade) knit or crocheted scarves 60" long x 5-8" wide (items accepted Sept 1-Dec 15 annually) Warm Up America Provides patchwork blankets, hats, scarves, and other needed items to schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, etc. Make: knit or crochet rectangle(s), 7"x9", to be assembled into blankets; hats & scarves Suggested Yarns Plain, basic yarns such as Red Heart Super Saver, Bernat Super Value, Red Heart Classic, Caron Jumbo, and Red Heart With Love are usually best. They are easy to wash, and can easily be made into all of the types of suggested patterns. Before you choose your yarn, think about how the item will be used. Hats for cancer patients or babies should be made of softer material, such as Red Heart Soft, Red Heart Soft Baby Steps, Caron Simply Soft or Bernat Softee Baby, while you might want to make hats for a children's program or a homeless shelter out of something longer-wearing like Red Heart Super Saver or Caron One Pound. Suggested Patterns Free crochet and knit lookbooks full of patterns for hats, scarves, shawls, blankets, and more. Let's Make A Difference 13 heart warming projects for any charity. Stitch It Forward 28 Projects to make and donate. Hats for Charity Share the love! 15 designs to knit and crochet.
