My Name is Sharon and I have a Yarn Addiction

One of my co-workers, who is a crafter, is cleaning house. She asked me if I would be interested in some
wool. I don’t use wool, yet, but I said I was sure I could find a home for it between my various crafting
groups. I expected a grocery bag or two of yarn.

Come in to work, and my chair was covered with two sweater bags full of yarn! I was shocked to say the
very least! And looking at it, it appears it is all acrylic, which is perfect for the various charity projects
that I am working on. I hauled it home on the bus and set it aside to sort it out somehow.

Then, I ended up at Walmart to get litter for the cats, and my cart seemed to drift over to the craft area.
Seeing as I have been reading on Ravelry that some Walmarts are getting rid of their yarn, I thought I
would see if there were any good deals. I ended up getting 4 balls of yarn at half off (2 of them are eco-
yarn from Red Heart that I was curious about; the other 2 I liked the colour). I also ended up with 3 bags
of mill ends – but these have 4 to 5 balls in them for 7 bucks, so that’s still less than 2 bucks a ball, which
is still cheaper than buying them separate. I do plan to use these in combination with the donated yarn
for my charity crafting. 

But as you can see, I have a problem. At least it isn’t anything dangerous or illegal, but it is still a
problem. Now I must get crocheting!

PS - Did I mention the yarn I got half price last week? Yah, I have a problem.

Looking for: Yarn!

I am looking for yarn to use for Charity projects.  It can be gaudy, it can be half a ball, and it can be whatever you can and are willing to donate.  Acrylic is lovely and wonderful!

I am currently working on blankets to donate to the animal shelters.  I know SCAT accepts donations and I will likely look into the SPCA as well.  I have made 2 blankets so far and would like to make a whole lot more.  For those yarns that I have less of, I am hoping to make cat toys that the shelters can also sell.  

And when the yarn gets to be too little for that, there is a lady in my craft guild who donates the itty bitty bits to a church who uses them to make dolls for packing dental supplies for a third world countries.  So many places will benefit!  Last time, I had a grocery bag worth of little scraps just from my own projects, and I already have a quarter of a grocery bag!

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.

Help Canadians Stay Warm with Knitting

http://www.knittingforcharity.org/knitting_charities_keep_canadians_warm.html

A charity to donate squares or full blankets to help Canadians stay warm.  Goodness knows those who live in Saskatchewan can use it!

Of course, there are lots of charities at home that would appreciate the donations if you don't want to send them away.

The hospitals take little bonnets and shoes for babies (my gf got a set for her little guy, so small and cute!).  These go home with the babies as the hospitals are not able to wash them due to them being yarn, and they are a cute momento.

Do you knit/crochet and donate your finished products somewhere?  Please share!