Caps for Kids Warms Both Heads and Hearts
An inspired solution to a simple problem, Caps For Kids is the ideal charity for knitters with leftover yarn and lots of compassion.
We've all bought an extra ball of yarn for insurance, only to find out it didn't fit into our knitting needs. Most yarn shops won't take them back, either, since they're odd lots.
But Caps for Kids, a California-based knitting charity, has found a way to turn those odd lot liabilities into a force for good. Working through yarn shops all over the country, it encourages knitters to transform their surplus yarn into hand-knitted caps for underprivileged kiddos
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH AN ODD BALL?
Caps for Kids is the brainchild of Bonnie Lawless, who once owned yarn shops in Fremont and Concord, California. In 1984, she was pondering what to do with those unused balls of yarn that every knitter collects, when it occurred to her that a ball of yarn was just enough to make a cap for a needy child.
Along with co-founder Nancy La Framboise, she created Caps for Kids and marketed the concept locally as a way to use up that unmatched yarn. In those pre-Internet days, they did their marketing mostly with printed flyers.
Her customers immediately responded, filling her stores with donated handmade caps. After a mention in a knitter's magazine, her simple idea idea hit the big-time, and needleworkers started sending her caps from all over the country.
A MILLION CAPS AND COUNTING
It wasn't long before Caps for Kids went national as a non-profit organization. Unlike most knitting charities, there are no local chapters; individual yarn stores collect the caps, under the auspices of the Craft Yarn Council of America's Warm Up America! Foundation. Today 280 stores nationwide collect caps.
So far, Caps for Kids has collected more than 1,000,000 caps for needy kids. They hand them out them through non-profit agencies like the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots, as well as women's shelters, child advocacy centers, food shelters, and other programs. Today, there are Caps for Kid knitters in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, and New Zealand.
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
If you've got an extra ball of yarn lying around, why not make it into a Caps For Kids cap? To learn more, stop by their official website.
Caps for Kids can use any knitted or crocheted cap you can make, from infant sizes on up. You can make your caps from any pattern, though the CYCA offers two free patterns on its website: a crocheted preemie cap, and a charming swirled ski cap for older kids.
There are no limitations on the type of yarn you use to make your caps, but ideally they should be easily washable (these are kids we're talking about here).
Please note that this Caps For Kids isn't the same Caps For Kids that collects caps for children undergoing cancer treatment. They're both worthy causes, though!