Crafting for Charity

When it comes to crafting, sometimes there are things you make that you just have no use for, or you choose to make them due to odds and ends you have.  These are great to donate to a charity near you. 

Every Christmas, different departments at my work make donations to a variety of charities.  One of the departments adopts a family, where they collect food and gifts for a family that is in need.  I asked them last year if they would be interested in some scarves, as I have many single balls of yarn, and they are not good for many projects as one ball cannot go very far.  They said they would love them, so I created half a dozen or so crocheted scarves for them to give away. 

I have continued this year as I still have much yarn that has no real good use other than a scrap blanket or for making scarves.  With the way the temperatures get up here, everyone could use a nice scarf to keep their ears warm.  I may branch out and try to make a hat or two as well, if I can find a pattern that does not look too difficult, but it feels great to get rid of this yarn, and to give something that can be truly appreciated.  I must say, it is amazing the appreciation I get just from my co-workers for these scarves that only take an hour or two to whip up.

Of course, if you want to craft for charity, there are a lot of great places that you can craft and donate to.  Many of them are right in your backyard and you may not even be aware of it.  Hospitals appreciate donations of little hats and booties for babies (my girl friend got a set of these when her baby was born, which she was able to take home) or you can Google for charities around home and contact them to see if they need any items donated.

Crocheting a Blanket

Before finding out my girl friend was pregnant, I had decided to start knitting a baby blanket, knowing it would take me a while to finish it, and this way I knew I would have it done before baby arrived. Unfortunately, this first blanket did not turn out in a way that made me happy, but it only took me three months to do it.

I embarked on a second quest to create a different pattern, but it was taking me way too long to do it. I had already been working on it a month and had only completed about 4 inches. Time was ticking away, so I needed to find something else.


In searching Ravelry, I found this great blanket that was a single crochet, but with a larger needle. With a modification of using a smaller needle, I made this blanket over the course of a week. It ended up heavier than I would have liked, so I ended up making a fourth blanket, and gave my friend both once her baby was born. This fourth blanket turned out perfectly, as it was lighter due to only using 3 strands instead of 2, and because I used a larger needle than the other. My friend assured me she would use both, and she was thrilled with the gift.

My newest project

This is my newest project.  I haven't decided if it will be a gift or if I will donate it, due to weight.  The pattern called for a much larger hook, which I did not have, and I still used the three strands that it called for.  It is a pretty solid blanket, but for a July baby, it may be too heavy.  Granted, it can still be used in the winter.

It is currently 22 inches by 28 inches, and I would like to get it to 36 inches.  It is in crochet