Have you ever tried to give instructions on how to knit? It's harder than it looks -- especially if you're dealing with children. At the same time, though, knitting can be a fun way to engage people of all ages in a creative, fulfilling activity. You can volunteer your time almost anywhere: retirement homes, elementary schools, children's hospitals, homeless shelters -- anywhere someone might want to learn something new.

Like so many other groups of charitable knitters, From the Heart of Texas started out with a group of friends having coffee. These women met to crochet, knit, and sew for charity, enjoying one another's company and their shared mission.

However, before long a corner of Houston wasn't enough for these ambitious ladies, and they moved their organization online. Now From the Heart of Texas reaches charities across the world and has dozens of members in their online group.

Jimmie Lu boasts that Afghans for Amigos can find a home for anything you might make -- and challenges you to try that boast! She and her husband, both ordained ministers, practice short term mission trips where they travel to various places to lend help and support. Their most common destinations? Mexico and Native American reservations in South Dakota.

Have you ever tried to create your own knitting patterns? If you're experienced at inastarsia or Fair Isle knitting then you've probably considered it at some point. All you need to create your own brilliant patterns? Some graph paper, a pencil, your yarn and needles, and a spark of creativity -- and let's face it, we knitters have that in spades!

Whether you call it inastarsia, Fair Isle, or a pain in your neck, sooner or later every knitter has to deal with two color knitting. Beginners often find instructions for working with more than one color yarn complicated and confusing. Sure, we all understand how to make a big stripe (you break the yarn, you attach the yarn, presto chango, you're finished!).

But what about small, intricate patterns or small stripes -- things you don't want to constantly break yarn to create? Fortunately, two color knitting is much easier than you think.

The American Brittany Rescue focuses on a rarely mentioned area of animal need: abandoned purebreds! Unfortunately, many people continue to breed dogs irresponsibly. That can result in purebred dogs (in this case, the specific breed of Brittanys) who wind up in shelters, lost on the streets, or simply tossed aside.

Although many people would prefer that no one breed dogs at all until they'd emptied every shelter, it's not the Brittanys' faults they're here, and the American Brittany Rescue refuses to let their plight go unheeded.

When you think of bunny knits, you probably think of, well, knitting bunnies -- in other words, toys for small children. And while that's a worthwhile goal, that's not what we're talking about here! I've written about several charities that accept knitted blankets for dogs and cats -- mostly shelters and SPCA locations. But do you know that hundreds of rabbits are abused, mistreated, and abandoned every single year?

Over on Loop Knits, contributors Craig and Laura make an interesting point about blankets for teenage boys: there aren't any!

According to Craig, Janet Geissler, head of the Philadelphia chapter of The Linus Project, says that her biggest need is blankets for teenage boys. Why should that be?

Women all over the world are struggling to control their pocketbooks as they discover a fantastic excuse to shop online: supporting charities! A growing number of worldwide charities maintain online stores, online auctions, or affiliate programs, which means that anytime you purchase something, you're actually making a donation to charity. Now you can feel extra-good about yourself while you wait for that brand new purse to show up in the mail.

If you love to knit socks for charity, you're bound to want free sock knitting patterns to inspire you. Look no further! There are so many fun AND free sock knitting patterns on the web that you'll find yourself dying to get started. Here are the very best free patterns for socks!

If you love knitting for charity, you might wonder how to find the most requested knitting items. Well, look no further: here is a list of the top seven items charities find themselves needing from knitters!

We all know about instructional knitting handbooks, but what about knitting in fiction? Lately, dozens of books have appeared that not only involve but feature everyone's favorite hobby! In fact, Kate Jacobs' The Friday Night Knitting Club is all set to become a Hollywood movie starring Julia Roberts.

Hopefully that will spur the imagination of all the knitters out there and drive them to check out some of the great knitting in fiction on their local bookshelves. Here are a few to start you out!

Have you ever wondered about the celebrity knitting craze? What's that? You haven't heard of it? Well, we're not the only one clacking needles for charity! Hollywood film stars have joined the team. After all, they need something to do while they sit around between set changes. Why not knit?

If you get bored easily, it's time you checked out some of the fun free knitting projects on the web! You'll be amazed at what people come up with when it comes to yarn, needles, and thread. From toys to crazy afghans, there's sure to be something fun to hold your attention among these free projects.

If you visit the Companion Animal Network site, you won't find a lot of information about knitting. That's because this charity's primary focus doesn't have anything to do with crafts! Instead, they focus on collecting abandoned and homeless dogs and puppies, giving them the medical treatment they need, and providing a foster home while they search for a family who wants to welcome a furry bundle of love.