Crochet by Day

Project Linus

2010-10-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

Again, I'm going to feature a charity that most knitters/crocheters are familiar with--Project Linus.

Project Linus' Mission:
Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission which is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers."

Together we have distributed over three million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

Why I like this charity:
Although doing smaller blankets and lapghans may take a bit more time than doing premie caps and other small items, these small blankets can be created from leftover yarn scraps. I'm currently working on a blanket for my local chapter of PL, and all I'm using is leftover skeins of yarn. I also like the local aspect of this charity--what you make will be going to a child in your area.

Websites:
http://www.projectlinus.org/
http://sites.google.com/site/stlprojectlinus/ (Project Linus St. Louis, my local chapter)

Caps For Good

2010-10-05T17:12:00.001-05:00

I decided that the first charity I wanted to spotlight was Caps for Good, which is a charity organization that some of you may be fairly familiar with. Caps for Good is a project that is sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council/Warm up America, and Good Goes.

Caps for Good's Mission:
"Baby caps are a simple and effective tool that keep babies warn and ultimately contribute to reducing newborn deaths in the developing world." (http://www.goodgoes.org/caps)

Why I like this charity:
Creating caps for newborn and premature babies takes minutes (in my case, around 15-20 to complete a cap) and a very small amount of yarn. (Have you been wondering what to do with all the extra bits of yarn you have laying around after finishing that afghan or scarf?) They don't really have a requirement for the type of yarn that you use, as long as it is sport weight or worsted weight, and it needs to be something that is easy care (such as acrylic, cotton, or other blended fiber yarns). I am mostly using Lily's Sugar 'N Cream Cotton and Caron Simply Soft, just because I have so much of it and no plans for any of it!

Ways to apply this charity idea locally:
Contact your local hospital(s) and ask if their NICU accepts donations of knitted or crocheted premie caps. Most hospitals welcome these gifts with open arms!

Websites:
http://www.goodgoes.org
http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/warmup.html
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/caps-for-good
http://facebook.com/GoodGoes

New Direction

2010-10-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

I recently read back through my blog posts and only one word came to mind--BORING! I thought to myself, how many people actually want to sit and read this? (Judging by the number of people who actually follow my blog, it's three, plus myself, I have four total readers. Not so hot). This revelation followed closely after the missions conference that my church held. I spent several days listening to people share their stories about how they are helping others, and it only strengthened my desire for crochet related charity work.

My new plan for this blog is to highlight quick and easy crochet charity projects each week that anyone with an extra skein of yarn could easily participate in. Some of these projects will be ones that I personally participate in or plan to participate in, and others will be ones that I find and am just interested in promoting. I'm hoping that some of these different charities will either inspire you to participate, or inspire you to do a little more research on the crochet charity opportunities that exist year-round. It's easy to help others, and I'm convinced that receiving a warm, homemade item provides much more than just physical warmth to an individual in need.