Knitting for Peace

Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time by Betty Christiansen. This is a book that really called out to me. I can barely resist a charity project! Knitting for Peace contains some wonderful stories of giving and many stories that will tear at your heart. Whether you knit caps for babies or chemo patients, sweaters and socks for children in orphanages, or shawls and blankets for children and adults in your community,

you too can give something of yourself to others and help make the world a better place.

I have participated in many projects of this kind. There were quilts for Project Linus one year. Then there were charity challenges with one of my online groups. That really got the ball rolling.

We did:
Warm Up America afghans for a women's shelter,
hats for chemo patients,
mittens, hats and scarves for an orphanage,
baby hats, booties etc for a maternity center,
and scarves for the Red Scarf Project.

I have also made socks and sweater vests for Children in Common,
baby caps for Caps to the Capital,
a quilt for Birthright that I helped our homeschool students make in sewing class,
prayer shawls for friends and loved ones through our church's Shawl Ministry,
and mittens to warm the hands of the children of our international college students.

I loved reading about war time knitting and the beginnings of the Red Cross. We knitters always have the desire to "do" something don't we?

There are some great pattens in Knitting for Peace from the very easy afghan square or blanket to more challenging sweaters, mittens and socks. My current knitting project is from this book but it is a Christmas gift this time. I will have to wait to post pictures later so the recipient doesn't find out about it. It is a great pattern that I had not found elsewhere so stay tuned and I will let you know what I made.

So, I hope that gives you some ideas to start with. Won't you join me and do some Knitting for Peace in 2007?

Denise