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?
Continue reading "Fantastic Blankets for Teenage Boys" »
There's no doubt: you have to be careful with wool yarn. Some people are horribly allergic to wool. For others, their skin is so sensitive that even a touch of wool leaves them itchy and miserable all day long. Imagine receiving a cozy blanket only to discover you can't bear to have it touch your skin! The last thing any of us charitable knitters want is to create that kind of disappointment.
So does that mean you should avoid wool yarn entirely? Well, not necessarily. Obviously, you can go as wild as you want when knitting for yourself. At times, you can even use wool yarn for charity -- you just have to exercise a little caution.
Continue reading "Wool Yarn: Does it Make the Charity Cut?" »
Let's face it: in a world where a skein of actual wool yarn can cost up to twenty bucks, discount yarns are a gift from above. Some people view them with suspicion; others say avoid them because you'll never match the dye lot. Well, I say that's nonsense! Discount yarns are perfect for most knitting projects, charitable or otherwise. If you don't want that handmade sweater to cost more than the rest of your wardrobe combined, you might want to reconsider your stance on the discount bin!
Continue reading "Discover the Wonder of Projects Made from Discount Yarns!" »
Discount knitting yarn is not necessarily 'cheap quality', it just means being able to buy it at a discounted price. I've bought lots of discount knitting yarn that also happens to be 100% pure virgin wool, mohair or silk!
Continue reading "On a Budget? Discount Knitting Yarn is Perfect" »
Cotton yarn is a vegetable fiber which consists of 'unicellular' hairs that are attached to the cotton plant seed. Its normal color ranges from a light to a dark cream, and its chemical composition is almost pure cellulose. Garments that have been machine-knit with cotton yarn are strong, comfortable and cool to wear - making cotton yarn an ideal choice for summer.
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Cheap yarn really IS 'a dime a dozen' when you're doing charity knitting - there's just no need to spend a lot of money on good quality yarn, when cheap yarn is available. After all, most of the recipients of the knitted products you'll donate don't care for cashmere - they just want to be WARM or DRY. So what IS cheap yarn, and where can you find it?
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Bits and ends of yarn are not throw-away objects when you knit for charity - you'd be amazed at how many things you can create with leftover yarn! From now on, when you finish a knitting project, even as little as a yard of yarn can be put to good use - save it all, together, until you have the equivalent of a skein.
Continue reading "How to Use Up Your Leftover Yarn" »
Wool yarn is not used as often as acrylic yarn on charity knitting projects for a couple of reasons. For one thing, wool yarn is generally more expensive to buy. It is also harder and more expensive to care for, so it's not necessarily a good choice for charity knitting for low-income folks or for street-related projects.
Continue reading "Wool Yarn: A basic charity alternative" »
Sock yarn is much more versatile than just for knitting socks. Those of us who regularly knit for charity are finding it to be a terrific choice for lots of different kinds of charity knitting - you'd be surprised! The newer sock yarns are especially useful for other projects, for several reasons:
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Novelty yarn is all the rage right now - the amazing array of textures and colors of novelty yarn makes it extremely popular for all kinds of charity knitting projects!
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Knitting yarns come in every imaginable size, shape, texture and color. There are the man-made knitting yarns (including the acrylics), and the natural knitting yarns - wool, alpaca, llama and silks, for example. And then, of course, there are all kinds of 'blends' of any of these knitting yarns!
Continue reading "Four Unusual Knitting Yarns - and What They're Good For" »
Knitting yarn has a personality, you know - in fact, it even takes on a life of its own sometimes. Ask any experienced knitter about the kinds of trouble knitting yarn can get into, without any help from us knitters! Here are some examples, and what you can do to prevent them:
Continue reading "Don't Make These 3 Mistakes With Your Knitting Yarn" »
Discount yarn bargains are pretty important for most people who knit for charity, because many of us couldn't afford the hobby, otherwise. I know that there's no way I could knit the amount of things that I do if it wasn't for being able to find discount yarn bargains.
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Baby yarn is a vital part of any charity knitter's 'toolkit' - in fact, you could do nothing BUT knit with baby yarn if you wanted.
Continue reading "Can I Use Baby Yarn for Charity Projects?" »
Knitting yarns come in many different types, styles - and even thicknesses, and each of them has different qualities. It's good to know about various kinds of yarns if you're interested in knitting for charity.
Continue reading "A Full Range of Yarns - for Everybody and Their Budget" »
Yarn stores are, and have been, huge supporters of community knitting and charity knitting projects. If you are a volunteer for charity knitting projects, and you have local yarn stores, you might want to approach them for their sponsorship or support.
Continue reading "Yarn Stores: Potential Charity Project Sponsors" »
Acrylic yarns are 'man-made' -- in other words, they are not 'natural fibers, like wool or silk or cotton. Because they are manufactured for durability, acrylic yarns are ideal for lots of different charity projects. Another plus is that acrylic yarns are washable and dryable!
Many knitters, after they get some experience, prefer to switch from acrylic yarns to the natural fibers, which often leaves them with a stash of acrylic yarns that might be wasted.
Continue reading "Acrylic Yarns Are Perfect for Charity Knitting" »
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