Skip to main content

Big holiday donation: Where our knits go

 

 



Hi all! Several volunteers from our group worked hard to sort and distribute our accumulated hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters, and bears from the year. Read through to the end to get our total counts of our knitted donations!

This year our donations went to Sister Carmen, Clinica, and EFAA. If you'd like to know more about these organizations or offer them additional support, I have linked to each of them below. 

First, from Giselle, who went to Sister Carmen:  

I wanted to let you know that I took all of our knitting to Sister Carmen this afternoon. Between 1:00 and 5:00 everything was taken by participants with many, many thanks. Kids enjoyed choosing a hat and I helped a few homeless men choose a warm hat and a bulky ribbed cowl.

Towards the end of the afternoon a woman came in with her two sons. They were both wearing dinosaur costumes/pajamas and were thrilled to be getting groceries. I had two green hats left that went with their outfits and they were overjoyed to have them. This family came from Ukraine three months ago and the boys have been in school for two months, learning English quickly. Can you imagine leaving your dad and fleeing a war zone to come here?

Don’t think for a minute that our knitting doesn’t have a positive impact! People loved that things were handmade and commended our group for our efforts.

Next, from Twyla, who went to Clinica, along with Linda, Laura, Lori, and Isabel:  

Yesterday afternoon, Linda, Laura, Lori, Isabel and I took kits and hats and books to Clinica. We spent a couple of hours handing them out to excited children and their happy parents! 

Our very first person was a grandmother who made a beeline to us! She said her granddaughter had gotten a bear last year and lost it. She wanted to replace it because her granddaughter had cried and not been able to sleep for two nights when it disappeared. Of course, we found a new kit (with a smiling bear) to give her. She also took a second kit for her grandson. She was so grateful that we were there when she came in for an appointment. 

Another touching story - a young couple expecting their first baby girl took a kit with a tiny sweater, hat and booties. I had been concerned that particular sweater I'd made was too small. But no, the perfect family found us and the smiles were wonderful to see when we showed them the tiny baby sized things (hat and booties by Linda).  

The adult hats were a popular item too... especially the adult ribbed pattern because they fit so well.
Over half were gone quickly and Susan Wortman will take the rest to the other clinics to hand out. She said every year we've done this, there have never been any left. That was heartwarming to hear!

Finally, from Roylene, who went to EFAA (Emergency Family Assistance Association): 

The EFAA person was overwhelmed with what I brought.  A big shout out to Linda.  The bears were such a big hit.  She said she had people who didn’t get one last year and were asking if there would be any this year.  And thanks to Linda they can. 

She said they helped 400 families last year.  The kits and books were going to the kids currently in or just moved out of EFAA housing. 

Thanks to everyone.

And also from Roylene, our final counts for what we distributed:

Hats: 317
Mittens: 49
Scarves/cowls: 100
Bears: 143
Sweaters/vests: 86
 
Total items: 695!
 
And finally, from me (Amy):
 
Thank you to everyone who contributed your time and skill to serve our community. As knitters, (and crocheters!), we have the ability to warm bodies and hearts. Having something made by hand means a lot to someone who is struggling - it makes a personal connection and helps them remember that they are valued and cared for. I'm proud to be part of this community of givers and receivers. 

Remember that we have one more meeting this year: Wednesday, December 14 from 3:00 - 4:30 at the Meadows branch of the Boulder Public Library. I will hopefully get it together to send a reminder and any project info in a few days. Have a peaceful and yarn-filled holiday!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January meeting and announcing 24 in '24 challenge

 Hi knitters! Our next meeting is this Wednesday, January 10 from 3:00 to 4:30 at the Meadows branch of the Boulder Public Library. In January we will be knitting the hat pictured here. The pattern is below (click on it to enlarge), and you will need 50 g or 1.5 oz worsted weight yarn and US 8 (5 mm) 16 inch circulars and DPNs.  I'd also like to announce a fun challenge for the year: 24 in '24!  A while back, we worked on a project to make blankets for the local police to distribute to comfort people (especially children) involved in difficult and traumatic situations. A great group of people kept this going, and the Lafayette police are still receiving blankets to distribute. They said they can always use more blankets, so let's make that happen. The challenge is this: knit 24 squares in 2024. Each month, I'll share two stitch patterns, ranging from very simple and to more challenging. The patterns are just to keep you interested. You can knit them all, knit just th...
Post a Comment
Read more

March meeting

  Our next meeting will be Wednesday, March 13, from 3:00 to 4:30 at the Meadows branch of the Boulder Public Library.  The pattern for March is this striped and textured hat (pattern below, click to enlarge). You will need about 100 yards each of two colors of machine washable worsted weight yarn and a US 7 or 8 (4.5 or 5 mm) 16 inch circular needle and DPNs.  An update/correction on blanket squares: you don't have to seam them yourself, though you certainly can if you want to. Just bring finished squares, strips, or blankets to any meeting, and we'll make sure they all end up becoming blankets!  Roylene dropped off 60 hats at EFAA this month. There's plenty of cold weather left this season, so the hats will come in handy for families in need.  One more thing - Maggie and Judy from Shuttles will have some yarn for sale at the March meeting, and they will take cash or checks. No pressure, just if you're interested.  And here's the March hat pattern:
Post a Comment
Read more

August: Cowlapalooza

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, August 6 from 3:00 to 4:30 at the Meadows branch of the Boulder Public Library.  For August, we have SIX free cowl patterns that you can knit. Pick one or two, or knit them all! They are:  1. Oats by Tin Can Knits 2. Just Try It by Susan Ashcroft 3. Convertible Biking Cowl by Cris Dvic (can be knitted in a solid color, no image) 4. Cable and Seed (Giselle adapted my hat pattern from a few months ago to a cowl) 5. Simple Yet Effective by Tin Can Knits 6. Mistake Rib Cowl by Purl Soho You can go to the links above or pick up a printed copy at the August meeting. All of the patterns use worsted weight yarn, and you should generally be fine with US 7 or 8 (4.5-5 mm) 16 inch circular needles. If you don't have enough of one color, you could colorblock or stripe and use up some leftovers. In addition, we received a large yarn donation from Sister Carmen, so come and stock up for future Community Knitting projects! Hope to see you there....
Post a Comment
Read more