Six reasons to knit or crochet for charity

We have been thinking about knitting and crocheting for others recently and one great way to do this is to make something for charity.

There are several good reasons to take on a charity project:

1.  Doing something practical – knitters and crocheters have skills that can be used for a good cause which can be more satisfying that dropping some coins in a box. And what you make could be loved by someone who really needs it.
2.  Standing in the street shaking a collecting tin can be difficult for some of us. So another option is making something for the charity to sell to raise money. Plus there are two beneficiaries – the charity and whoever buys your lovely knitted object.
3. Charity projects are often small or you can contribute to something bigger like a blanket or bunting. These small items are fantastic stashbusting projects.
4. You can team up with friends, a knitting group or even online contacts to do a charity knitting project and have a lot of fun doing it.
5. So many of us are addicted  to knitting but from time to time we have to recognise there is an upper limit to the amount of knitwear you can fit in your wardrobe and that friends and family can wear. So charity knitting gives us another outlet.
6. There is a special sense of value. The  object you  create may be loved by someone who will really value a warm garment or a comforting blanket. Or they may benefit from a  charity that has raised money through our stitches.

Here are a few recent charity projects we’ve spotted.

The Big Knit for Age UK raises money for a range of projects for older people by asking people to create little woolly hats for Innocent smoothie bottles. For every bottle with a hat sold, 25p goes to the charity. This is a great project for knitters of all abilities – even a novice can make a simple mini beanie.

If you are more inclined towards making a full-sized hat or other warming items, charities such as The Mission to Seafarers or St Mungo’s accept useful pieces like like hats, gloves or scarves. If you have a found a pattern for these that you enjoyed why not create an extra version for charity. St Mungo’s also run an annual woolly hat day fundraising event.

If the idea of knitting or crocheting a whole blanket for charity seems a bit daunting, Blankets for the Homeless has the answer. It accepts knitted or crocheted squares, as well as complete blankets, through local hubs which then organise people to sew them up to make a blanket. Then, they go back to "Blanket Central" where they are edged and distributed to the homeless.

If you would rather craft for charity in a group, why not organise a Knitter Natter event to raise money for Arthritis Research UK. You could organise a knitting tea party where people donate to join in and make items to raffle or sell to raise more money while you are at it. Find out more here.
 

If you have a charity knitting project you'd like to recommend, let us know on our Facebook page.