On Giving

Have you heard of the organization Afghans for Afghans? From their website:

Afghans for Afghans is a humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends

hand-knit and crocheted blankets and sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to the beleaguered

people of Afghanistan. This grassroots effort is inspired by Red Cross volunteers who made afghans,

socks, slippers, and other items for soldiers and refugees during World Wars I and II and other times

of crisis and need. Read about the Red Cross knitting tradition.

It began after the war started 10 years ago and is still going strong. Currently, they are collecting hats, mittens, and socks for children age 5 and up to adults. And amazingly, Cephalopod Yarns is putting together a box of handknit items to send over. If you send CY a new handknit item, they will give you a gift certificate equivalent to one skein of Bugga yarn ($32!) and for each item included in your package you will have your name entered into a drawing to win a $200 gift certificate! I think this is an incredibly generous collection effort that I encourage you all to support, if you can. The catch is that they need to receive your items by June 30th. I know that isn't a lot of time, I just found out about this, too, but you can definitely whip out a pair of child-sized worsted-weight socks or a couple of bulky hats in a few days and send them along. Please read the guidelines here about what they can accept. Most notably, the items need to be knit in natural fibers, preferably wool, and cannot have any depictions of animals or people on them, nor can they be camo-colored. 

Soon-to-be-worldly hats!

I will be sending my Gone Fishin' socks along with the 1.2 hats shown in the photo above. I whipped the blue one out in 2 days and hope to have the multi-colored one finished by tomorrow. They are knit with Malabrigo Chunky on size 10 needles, so they go quickly. The stitch pattern is based on my Ribby Holiday Socks because it is quick, easy, and breaks up the monotony of plain stockinette. I might write up the pattern after I finish knitting the second hat (priorities!) if there is interest, but it is pretty basic.

Even though it's not entirely selfless (hello, free Bugga!) it still feels really good to knit something for others who could really, really use it. It's the perfect gift knitting: you get to use up some of your stash for a good purpose while knitting quick and gratifying objects that the recipient is likely to love because they don't have many possessions to begin with  and can always use the extra warmth. Knitters: changing the world, one hat at a time.

Mail your items here, with a note including your email address so they can send you your gift certificate:

Cephalopod Yarns

1547 Ridgely St, Suite B

Baltimore, MD 21230

And I'd love to hear what you're knitting/donating, if you decide to do so!