Kalmia Mom

Category: Kalmia Knits

  • Knitting for Charity – what to make and where to donate

    Overview

    Knitting for charity is beneficial and rewarding. There are several organizations that accept hand-knitted items including teddy bears for kids affected by HIV/AIDS to prosthetics for cancer patients to cozies for animals and much more. See the links below for a list of some ideas for knitting for charity. Click on each title to go to the website of each organization. Review details and requirements for what and how to donate.

    I have made several hats for babies for my local hospital. The hospital required a certain yarn weight for the hats. I also made prayer shawls and lap blankets for a church organization and people that have lost a family member, usually a spouse. Some other items I knitted have also been donated. Check local organizations in your area that collect hand knit and crocheted items. Be sure to check with the organization for any requirements.

    Prayer Shawls, items for medical needs, military and animals

    • Prayer shawl ministry – knitting shawls and lap blankets while praying over every stitch for the recipient.
    • Alice’s Embrace – Prayer shawls and lap blankets for Alzheimer’s patients.
    • Care to Knit – Hats, scarves and other knit or crochet items to hospitals, shelters, nursing homes and hospices.
    • Knots of Love – chemo caps for chemotherapy patients and blankets for NICU patients.
    • Knitted knockers – knitted prosthetics for women who have had a mastectomy due to cancer.
    • Project Linus – handmade blankets for children 0-18 with severe illness, traumatized or otherwise in need.
    • Binky Patrol – handmade blankets for children who need to be comforted.
    • The Mother Bear Project – hand knit or crocheted teddy bears for children affected by HIV/AIDS
    • Knit Your Bit – scarves for certain veterans organizations across the country.
    • Operation Gratitude – knit hats and scarves for care packages sent to troops.
    • Soldiers’ Angels – supplies blankets and other winter items for homeless veterans across the country through VA hospitals.
    • Hats for Sailors – knit and crochet hats for sailors in the US Navy.
    • Warmth for Warriors – hats for active duty, retired veterans, wounded, injured or ill members of all United States or state branches of military.
    • The Snuggles Project – blankets and other cozy knits to comfort animals in shelters.
    • Comfort for Critters – blankets to comfort animals in shelters.

    “O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!” (Psalms 61:1-4, NLT)

  • 3S Shawl (Super wide, Super Simple) by Amy A. Meade

    Click here for the 3S Shawl pattern by Amy A. Meade.

    Overview of 3S shawl

    The 3S shawl is lovely and looks more difficult to make than it actually is.  It is best to be made in a natural fiber so it can be blocked well and the detail can be seen more precisely when it is opened up from blocking.  This shawl looks great in a fingering weight (#1) yarn, made with a size US2 or US3 knitting needle.  The pattern includes three bind-off options- regular, picot and crochet cast-off.  Personally, I like the picot bind-off, as it gives a more intricate look than the regular option. This pattern is great for working on increasing with KFB (Knit in the front and back of the next stitch), YO (Yarn overs) and the Picot bind off. This pattern is available for free at Ravelry: 3S Shawl pattern by Amy Meade.

    The shawl above

    The above two pictures are of the same 3S shawl. However, the lighting was different in each picture. The one on the left was while it was being blocked. While the picture on the right was the completed project, on the windowsill. Different lighting can make a difference in how the yarn appears. The truer colors are in the picture on the left, the object being blocked. The yarn used above is Big Twist brand Vista, in colorway sage brush. It is a blend of cotton, acrylic and polyamide. I liked the feel of this yarn as I used it. It was soft, and moved easily through the tension in my hands.

    3S shawl stages

    The pictures below show the 3S shawl pattern as a work in progress and being blocked. This shawl was created in Hand Dyed Superfine Merino Wool Natural Yarn by K+C, in washed indigo. This yarn is 100% wool. Because it is a natural fiber, it makes it easier for me to block. Therefore, it has a more finished look. For several years I wanted to knit something and enter it into my state’s Farm Show. This is the year and this project is what I am sending in.

    “LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O LORD, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.” (Psalms 130:3 & 4, NLT)