7 Ways to Use Knitting to Give Back to Your Community

There are so many special things about the knitting community, but the one that stands out is our tremendous capacity to give. We convert our hearts, our souls, our labor into our magnificent creations. We create warmth. We create comfort. We create style. We do this with our own hands. We then selflessly share our creations and ourselves with those in need. We pour our love, our frustrations, our trauma into our textiles and then we selflessly give them to help others. As a community, this has become our defining act.  

7 Ways to Use Knitting to Give Back to Your Community

If you are new to knitting or simply looking to become more involved in charitable work, there are endless opportunities within the knitting community. Here is a list of our favorite seven.

Start a Knitting Club

It is human nature to gravitate to communities when we most need them. Start a knitting club to join lives centered around knitting. Get to know your neighbors, help to heal each other, make friends, share joy and tears, and CREATE! Not sure how to start? Advertise in a community newspaper or in Facebook marketplace. Meet at the local library, at your home (if you feel comfortable) or even a coffee shop. 

Incorporate Charitable Giving Into Your Knitting Club

If you experience the joy of being part of a knitting club, consider creating at least a few projects each year to benefit charitable organizations in your community. If you struggle to find charities within your community, ask your local hospital if you can knit baby caps for newborns or socks for patients in hospice care. 

Become a Volunteer Knitter for a National Program

There several national organizations that not only welcome knitters, but actually NEED volunteer knitters to fulfill their missions.

• Care2Knit. This non-profit organization is grassroots and relies on knitters and crocheters across the United States to create scarves, hats, and other accessories for those in shelters, nursing homes, and hospice care.
• Hats 4 The Homeless. A New York based organization, they hand out knitted garments at St. Francis Xavier’s Soup Kitchen the weekend before Christmas.
• Chemo Caps. They offer free chemo hat patterns and rely on knitters to make caps to allow cancer patients feel more comfortable.
• Pink Slipper Project. They also offer free patterns to encourage knitters to create special slippers to warm the toes of women and children living in shelters.
• The Snuggles Project. Small animals need comfort, too! Free patterns are available online for knitters to make small animal blankets for sheltered animals worldwide.

Donate a Textile Good to a Charity Auction

Most communities host at least a few annual fundraising charities and are always looking for eye catching, high dollar goods to auction off to raise money. Hand knitted weighted blankets and children’s sweaters always yield top dollar at fundraising auctions. 

Teach Knitting

So many valuable lessons are shared through knitting. Give the gift of knitting by donating your time to teach others this time honored craft. Contact a local Boys and Girls Club or other children’s organization to ensure that an appreciation of knitting is shared with younger generations. Reach out to community centers and offer to host a class. Knitting offers endless opportunities to connect with others through mutual appreciation of the craft.

Open an Online Store and Donate a Portion of the Proceeds

Do you want to earn money with your knitting but also be charitable? Opening an online store to sell your knitted textiles is a great way to earn extra income. Add a charitable component to your new knitting business by donating a portion of each sale to the charity of your choosing. 

Identify a Need and Fill It

If you notice a need in your community, maybe your calling is to fill it. Pass out blankets in homeless camps, ask people in need how you help, support women and marginalized communities. You have this skill for a reason and it feels good to share it with the world in meaningful ways. Looking for some inspiration? Check out how this woman created a quilting business that now employs her entire family and has made her town famous.

You are blessed with a beautiful skill. Now is the time to share it for good.