Knitting and Crochet for Charity
Knitting and crocheting for people in need all over the world.
Discover why knitting and crocheting for charities across the globe can be beneficial. Make sure to read this week's blog article for a list of charities.
Knitting has always meant many things to many people - a way to do it yourself, an artistic expression, a way to keep one's hands busy, a way to make unique gifts for people. First and foremost however, it's always been about warmth and love. There's a natural urge inside knitters and crocheters to create for others so they can comfort them. It's not surprising then, that a huge surge of knitting and crocheting for charity has sprung up. Granted, this is not an entirely new thing; during the great world wars the Red Cross campaigned for the women at home to make socks for their men overseas. Much like that today, people are not only knitting for people currently serving in the Middle East and other war torn areas, but also knitting for charitable organizations around the world.
Although it's a rare thing for the knitter or crocheter not to have anybody to knit or crochet for, there's always the need to make for somebody, and there might be nothing more satisfying than creating for somebody in desperate need of a new hat or mittens because they're homeless, or a new blanket for an orphaned child, or clothing for people over in war torn countries. Knitting and crocheting (and equally the knitters and crocheters themselves) is an act without prejudice or bias, and there is something within the knitter or crocheter that longs to warm others in hard times. Even if the artisan brings her own bias to the craft, ultimately only good can come of it. You can't knit a bomb or a gun, but you can knit some socks for a soldier who hasn't seen his family in a year and let him know that somebody cares about him, even a total stranger. You can knit a hat for an Afghani child who's lost her entire family, and show her that somebody does care about her welfare.
The point of this article isn't get get all hippied out, but to remind you even if you can't change the world, offering a token of comfort to somebody you've never met to remind them there are good things in the world cannot be a bad thing, regardless of who you are and your personal beliefs. If you're going to be knitting or crocheting anyway, why not put something for a charity next on your "to do" list? It can be as small as a toque, or as large as an afghan. It can be for animals or people. There's a charity out there for everybody, you alone are not going to start a revolution, but if enough people do it, it just might.
© Kelly Gilliam, text and images. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
