Crochet Charity Projects

If you guys have been following us for any amount of time, you know that I share my crochet projects when I complete them. Last year at the beginning of January, I shared a Super Thick Stash Busting Afghan that I had been working on.

Well, what you don't know is that immediately after I finished that project, I started on a year-long project for a charity donation. My goal was to make as many afghans as I could make in one year. And at the end of this year, I would donate them to a charity who provides blankets and afghans to foster children from The Harris Sisters' hometown of Roxboro, NC. I had no idea how many I would end up making - but I ended up making 8 crochet afghans to donate!

I made them in a variety of colors that would appeal to both boys and girls. And I also made them in various sizes so that they would be appropriate for any age from babies all the way up to big kids. If I had stuck with the baby sized blankets, I probably could have churned out a few more, but I felt like the big kids needed a few to choose from too. So you will see two gigantic ones in the group!

For these afghans, I chose simple patterns that I was already familiar with so that I could make them quickly. But, if you're interested in crocheting for charity, you might want to take the opportunity to expand your skill set and learn some new stitches or patterns. That's part of the fun!

Here are some close up photos of the individual afghans so that you can see how they turned out. This one is a toddler/little kid sized corner to corner afghan with 5 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun Mixed Berries. Perfect for any little girl who is a fan of princesses, or unicorns, or fairies, or fairy princess unicorns!

This one is a toddler/little kid sized granny square afghan in Lion Brand Homespun Candy Apple, Fawn, Fiesta, Olive, and Colonial.

This one is a baby sized afghan that is four different squares joined together. Three of the squares are traditional granny squares and the fourth square is a granny stripe. I used Lion Brand Homespun Golden and Lion Brand Homespun Black and Red Heart Baby Clouds in the colorway Cloud on this blanket. Since we are in North Carolina, this one is perfect for the baby who has parents who are Appalachian State or Wake Forest fans!

This is a baby sized corner to corner afghan. The majority of the afghan is two strands held together: Bernat Baby Sport Pink Rose and Bernat Super Value White. The two stripes are Red Heart Baby Steps Binky Prints, which is a variegated yarn baby yarn (although they look a little green in this photo).

This is a BIG kid super thick stash busting afghan. I didn't keep track of how many skeins of yarn are in this one, but I held together three skeins of blue yarn at a time and used a size S hook to make it. It created a pretty variegated affect.

This is a toddler/little kid sized corner to corner afghan that I made holding two strands together throughout: Bernat Baby Sport Pink Rose and Bernat Super Value White.

This is the other BIG kid sized afghan. For this one, I held together a red, white, and blue strand together and used an S sized hook to create a patriotic afghan.

This one is a toddler/little kid sized granny square afghan using Lion Brand Homespun in Candy Apple, Fawn, and Edwardian.

So this was my BIG crochet project for the year. And I know some of you might be thinking "How on earth did she do all of that?" (in addition to the king-sized Captain America Afghan that she finished in September???)

Well, the short answer is a little bit at a time! And, you know what? It doesn't really matter to me how much I am donating, either! I am sure that whatever I am able to donate will be appreciated by the group and ultimately the receivers - even it if was only one!

And if afghans seem like too big of a project for you to tackle, or if hats or baby booties or scarves are more up your alley, then you can seek out charities that accept those kinds of donations! Here's where you can find places to donate your work.

Crochet for Local Charities

This is the perfect time of year to decide to get involved and crochet for a charity that is local to you! You can talk to people at hospitals, cancer centers, nursing homes, children's homes, women's shelters, homeless shelters, churches, or animal shelters to see if they might be interested in crochet donations and what types of items they would accept.

Other Charities That Accept Crochet Donations

If you don't have a local charity that accepts crochet donations, these are 10 organizations that accept donations of crochet projects:

1. Project Linus accepts blankets for children in need. You donate your projects to a local chapter.
2. Binky Patrol gives handmade blankets to children with chronic and terminal illnesses and those who are in foster care or are experiencing trauma.
3. Crochet for Cancer accepts chemo caps for cancer patients.
4. Warm Up America distributes crocheted afghans, caps, and other items.
5. Operation Gratitude sends care packages to troops overseas and will include handmade items that are donated.
6. Soldiers' Angels sends afghans to active duty military, VA hospitals, and military families who are expecting new babies.
7. Snuggles Project provides scared or difficult animals a handmade blanket to help them calm down and increase their chances of adoption.
8. The Red Scarf Project provides red scarves to foster children who are headed to college.
9. Hat Box Foundation gives handmade crochet hats to to people with cancer and others in need.
10. The Pink Slipper Project gives crochet slippers (any color) to women and children living in shelters for victims of domestic violence.

Find Other Charities That Accept Crochet Donations

Here are a few online resources to find charities that are seeking crochet donations:

• CGOA This is a huge alphabetical listing of charity organizations across the United States that accept crochet donations.
• The Crochet Crowd This is an interactive map showing charities that accept crochet donations near you.

Whether you're looking to do some stash-busting, or looking to expand your crochet skills, or just looking to make a difference by donating your time and your talents, I hope this has inspired you to put your talents to use!

Now you know what you can make and where you can donate it, so you're all set to crochet some projects to donate in the new year! Maybe get together with some friends and plan a crochet charity project party. Sounds like a great way to ring in the new year if you ask me.

Happy Crocheting!

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