By Alan on Dec 13 in Blog | Comments Off

Charity Knitting and Crocheting Ideas and Tips.

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com

If you are a person who loves to knit or crochet for others, there are many places that need items you can make. If you are wondering where to donate items, or how, I recommend you visit your local hospitals as a starting point.  Ask to talk to the Volunteer Coordinator or even to someone from the Newborn Intensive Care Unit if you like to make baby items.

You can go to Nursing Homes and ask what items they can use for the clients there.  Usually they need lapghans, slippers with non-skid soles and shawls.

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Homeless shelters usually love handmade hats, scarves and mittens or gloves, especially for men, but family shelters can use all sizes.  I used to make 36” afghans and quilts for the children too, so they could have something warm and personal that they could take with them.

Police and Firemen are another place to inquire, as they sometimes need teddy bears, and blankets for children who are ‘rescued’.  We don’t think about places like that for donations, but often the children are removed from homes in a hurry and they don’t get to take anything comforting with them.

I have been knitting and crocheting for humanitarian causes for over 40 years now, and have learned a few things along the way that I would like to share with you.  Perhaps these will help you avoid making the same mistakes I have.

DO’S and DON’TS for charity crafting!

1. When you call around and find a place to donate your handmade items, be sure to check and see if they plan to sell the items or give them directly to patients or clients. I personally want my handmade items to be given to actual people who need them, and not sold, but that is totally an individual decision.

2.  Depending on the project guidelines given by individual charities, most recommend that you use only soft, acrylic or other machine washable yarns.

3  There are some charities, domestic and foreign that prefer 100% pure wool items as they tend to be warmer and relatively waterproof compared to manmade yarns and materials. It’s always best to check with the charity to which you wish to donate.

4. For sewn items, be sure to pre-wash before stitching to remove all sizing and avoid shrinkage.

5. Velcro is not recommended for use on most items.  For babies it can tear that tender new skin and the noise is a bother especially to premature babies.

6. Finish all threads and yarn ends securely. Work those under the yarn or material so they are not hanging out.

7. Using double yarn is a secure way to tie quilts.

8. Use yarn or safety pins to secure all paired items together, such as mittens or socks.

9. Please ensure that all snaps and accessories are not metallic. In ICU’s the metal heats up and can burn skin, and some babies are allergic to the nickel in those snaps. You can now buy plastic snaps, nice gentle ones.

10. Do not use glue, glitter or paint, to place decorations or to decorate on handmade items.  All décor should be soft and stitched on securely.  Paint and glitter are poisonous to babies.

11. Most hospitals ask that yellows not be used as the predominant color in handmade items for premature babies. The yellow coloring can make even a mild case of jaundice look much worse. This is alarming to the parents, and can be a problem for the babies as nurses are more likely to check more often with a needle stick, to see if the baby is getting worse. Most preemies have some measure of jaundice, and as a mom of 3 premature baby boys and 2 full term girls who all had jaundice, Bev can attest to the fact that clothing made from all yellow can be alarming!  Accents in yellow are just fine though.

12. Burial gowns – check with your hospitals or charity, but most like the gowns to be open all the way down the back.  Premature babies have extremely delicate skin and the easier the item is to place on the baby, the better. Do not use elastic in burial items, as the babies have extremely sensitive skin that can be damaged as the staff put an outfit on the baby. Lace around the neck is not a good idea either. Also, blue is not a good dominant color for burial items.

13. When you make any item, be sure to cut, tie, and weave loose yarn ends back into the handmade item.  Cut your yarn tails at least 2” – 4” long and weave those in the inside or back of the garment where they will not be seen, and will not pull out when washed.

14. When making dolls, bears, or other stuffed toys, do not use buttons for eyes.  I prefer to use yarn to stitch simple eyes onto my animals. It gives them a lot of character too!

15. If you sew, be certain that all pins and needles have been removed from your items.

16. Some places do not want us to include pompoms on the hats we make for children, as they are afraid that the children could choke on the threads that may be pulled out. The pompoms also tend to fall apart in the washing process, so make them tight!  Most of the places Bev has donated to, and personally checked with, do like the pompoms, so you will need to call ahead and check with your choice of charity.

17. Many places do not wash donated items, so please do that with a gentle baby detergent, even if the items are for adults. Do NOT use fabric softeners.  Many people are allergic to them.

18. When shipping your items please line the box with plastic or seal the items inside a plastic bag to prevent moisture from seeping into the items.

19. Of course, always check with your particular charity to see if they have specific guidelines for making items.

20. When measuring Granny Squares for places who ask for them, be sure to measure across the top or down the sides, and not corner to corner.

21. NEWBORN and PREEMIE hats – most hospitals interviewed prefer knitted hats. The crocheted ones are lovely, but do not possess the stretch needed for comfort for these little ones. Preferred hats are made in all garter stitch (knit every row), or either knit 1, purl 1, or knit 2, purl 2, all through the hat.

Here is a hat pattern that is loved by many hospitals, and voted as one of their favorites because of the stretch.

Bev’s Baby Ribs Hat
Copyright Beverly A. Qualheim 2006, 2011 – All Rights Reserved

Size 3 needles/ Size 10 UK needles  (Seamless DP version below)
1 oz acrylic blend sport weight or baby yarn  (4 ply UK yarn)

Cast on 52 sts for 3-4 lb preemie (68 sts for 4-6 lbs; 72 sts for 7-9 lbs full term newborn)
Knit 2, purl 2 to end of row
Do this for 40 rows  (44, 48 rows) 

Decrease:
Row 1: (knit 2, knit 2 together) repeat across row.
Row 2: Purl next row
Row 3: (knit 1, knit 2 together) repeat across row.
Row 4: Purl next row
Repeat decrease rows 3 and 4 until 11 sts remain.
End – Cut yarn leaving a 14″ tail.
Carefully remove stitches from needle.  Run needle and yarn through remaining sts on needle.  Pull to draw shut. Sew side seam shut.

 

 

You can find many more free patterns for babies on Bev’s website:

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com

22. Blankets can be crocheted, but hospitals prefer that holes be at a minimum as babies tend to get little fingers and toes stuck in the holes.

23. To soften “Red Heart’ and other acrylic yarns, simply knit or crochet item and then soak them in a bowl or sink with a squirt of inexpensive shampoo mixed in warm water.  The shampoo will soften the fibers if left to soak for a couple of hours.  Simply rinse well with warm water, and dry. Also, when making items for preemies it’s better to use soft baby yarn for ‘stretch’.

24. If you smoke be sure to either craft at a non-smoker’s home, or at very least wash and dry the items you make, at a non-smokers home.  They should be line dried to eliminate the odors, not placed in a dryer.  Even if you do not smell smoke on the items you make, the chemicals ARE there and the odor is obvious to those who do not smoke.  Package the items in a smoke-free environment also. Hospitals, and many other donation destinies, do not want items that smell of cigarette smoke.  Premature babies can die from the chemicals in smoky items!  Hospital interviews, have stated that if they receive a box of handmade items, and just ONE item in that box smells of cigarette smoke, the NICU will toss the entire box in the garbage to protect their tiny patients. After all that hard work you do not want your items thrown away.

RULE 25! Bev’s one last ‘rule’. “When you make items for those in need, please make them as if you were making the items for your own family or good enough to sell. Please, make them lovely and something someone would be proud to wear. From time to time, I receive handmade items that are badly made. Old, mottled scraps of yarn are used, ends are hanging out and not finished off properly, sometimes the items are filthy, or smell of cigarette smoke. Some of the hats are tall and skinny and could not be stretched to fit a toilet paper tube let alone a head. Occasionally, the stitches are so huge they are sloppy and will not keep people warm due to the holes.”

Please don’t forget that some of the people who receive the items we make have not previously owned anything of their own, or it has been a long time since they have, let alone something lovely. They deserve our very best efforts.  They deserve love in every beautiful stitch, and our prayers as we send them off to their final human destination.  Please take care to make your charity items lovely works of art to not only warm the bodies of our Father’s dear children, but to give them a gift they will only have because of you.

By Bev Qualheim
For The Family

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