Charity Knitting Advocate

Hey Everyone!

It has taken me years, and having several jobs in unrelated fields (and one is a semi similar but different field) to finally put a name to what I am passionate about doing. For the past several years, I have had this ever growing passion for charity knitting, and sharing my experiences with others through this blog, other blogs I have kept in the past, my facebook page for this blog, and through ravelry. I have finally put a label to what I was working toward. That job title is Charity Knitting Advocate.  I love sharing the projects I have completed, especially the ones for children in need. Over the years, I had thought something along the lines of “why can’t I knit sweaters for kids in need for a living?” then that has become more of “why can’t I help lay a path for people who want to help children need, but don’t know how, or where to start, or where to go once they start, for a living”. The career is not based the final total of sweaters that I knit, but rather the process about what goes into it, the kids that are benefiting from it, and why people like myself choose to get involved. It is also a resource for those who want to get involved so they have aren’t struggling with how to go about it, or where to send their final projects. I want to help bring the resources that are out there, to knitters and crocheter’s who want to get involved but wouldn’t otherwise know how to go about it.

I love spending time on sites such as ravelry, finding new to me charity groups that have a program set up to collect hand knit items such as baby blankets, baby hats, sweaters, etc for children and babies in need, and many of them benefit babies and children right here in my own country, which is something else that is important to me.

If you have been following me for any length of time, you will know that I like trying different types and brands of 4 ply, 100% acrylic, worsted weight yarns for the sweaters that I make, as well as different types of 3 and 4 ply 100% acrylic yarn for hats and baby blankets for babies and children in need. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my experiences and what I liked or didn’t like about different yarns with you, my readers.

I got the question of why do I use and push 100% acrylic yarn for these projects. Cost of the yarn is just one of the several factors. The durability of the yarn, the ease of care, variety of colors, where the items are being sent, and so on and so forth.

Not only is 100% acrylic yarn cost effective (where I live I can purchase enough yarn to make a size 10 sweater for $10 or less). The 100% acrylic is machine washable and dryable like any other regular garment. The ease of care is important when sending items to third world, and developing countries as well ad the high poverty density areas of the industrialized world. The blankets and baby hats are to be machine washable and dryable especially if they will be going to a hospital for babies, especially babies who are sick, as the hospital will have to wash them before given to the baby so that and outside germs and pathogens are eliminated. You don’t really have to worry about bugs getting to the garment and damaging it if it isn’t “stored properly”. There are a ton of color options.

While I love working with Wool and other natural fibers that take a bit extra care for my own personal use, I push and advocate 100% acrylic for charity projects for children for all the reasons I listed above and more.

I am currently working on more projects for kids in need, and interspersing personal projects in, so that I can have fresh new content for you all in my blog posts, and help get myself out there, and see where it will go.