Knitting for Charity: Easy, Fun and Gratifying

There are literally thousands of free knitting patterns on the web, but all too often, they tend to be cut from the same mold. In other words, they're boring! So what's the creative-minded knitter to do?

Why, branch out, of course. There are more interesting free knitting patterns out there. You just have to be willing to find them. Or, if scouring the web doesn't pique your interest, you could start here with our pre-screened knitting patterns for the fun and creative knitter.

Posted by Kyla at 12:17 PM | Permalink

For the longest time, I avoided every cardigan knitting pattern. The very word cardigan triggered a lot of negative images: the huge, bulky sweaters my grandmother used to wear, or those awful holiday-themed sweaters you see on kindergarten teachers. I figured I might be getting old, but I'm not THAT old!

Suddenly one day I realized, though, that I actually have quite a few cardigans in my wardrobe. I just call them 'sweaters' instead. And they're fantastic: fitted, slim, pretty pieces perfect for both keeping warm and layering.

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 11:56 AM | Permalink

No matter how much you love charity knitting, it's possible to get overwhelmed. It happens to me all the time. I wind up with a hundred different charities I want to help, a thousand knitting patterns I want to try, and three angry family members who want to eat supper.

Does any of that sound familiar? When I first discovered knitting for charity, it consumed my life. There were so many charities, so many amazing people dedicating their times and talents to helping others, so many in need... how could I possibly spend my time on anything but charity knitting?

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 11:44 AM | Permalink

With fall and winter on their way, it might seem strange to talk about flower knitting patterns. But actually, this is the time of year I most want to embellish my work. Summer knitting patterns are lacy, beautiful works of art that stand up all by themselves. Come cooler months, though, I find myself knitting a lot of scarves, hats, and gloves -- and after a while, they all start to look the same.

A knit flower pattern can change all that. Flower knitting patterns are very easy, very fast, and very fun. You can do them in different colors and different styles, and they dress up any piece of work perfectly. Better yet, you can make them into brooches with pins, and then you can change them around. Instead of a plain gray hat, or even a gray hat with a pink flower, you can have a new flower for every day of the week.

These are incredibly easy knitting patterns. If you can knit a scarf or a hat, you can knit one of these.

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 11:38 AM | Permalink

I'm always looking for instructions on how to knit something out of the ordinary. When you knit as much as I do, you get bored with afghans and sweaters, and you start to experiment. In the past I've knit nightcaps (no one wanted to wear them), bath towels (distinct failure), and underwear (shouldn't have used real wool). Needless to say, none of these were resounding successes.

Posted by Kyla at 10:00 AM | Permalink