As we head into the cold weather months here on the Palouse, my thoughts turn to warm, wooly apparel. And I’m not alone. The warm-hearted individuals in Good Yarns, a group of fiber enthusiasts who meet weekly at Neill Public Library, lovingly produce cozy items for friends and family, besides for themselves. Devotees of the fiber arts need recipients for their creations. As we cover ourselves and our loved ones with knitwear we start to think beyond our immediate circle. Many of us knit or crochet for charities, including making hats for the newborns at Pullman Regional Hospital. When we reach further beyond our immediate scene, we find more need for our handiwork.
Did you know that four million babies in developing countries die each year during the first month of life? I didn’t. But according to Save the Children, 60 percent of these deaths could be prevented with some basics such as antibiotics, tetanus immunizations, breastfeeding education, and keeping the babies warm. The knitters at Good Yarns are doing something to help with the last need. As part of Save the Children’s Knit One Save One project, we are knitting and crocheting caps and hats for newborns which will be sent to places like Bangladesh, Malawi, and Vietnam. Save the Children is working in more than 50 countries around the world including the United States.
Two years ago the Good Yarns group joined more than 22,000 Americans in making 280,000 caps for newborns that were sent throughout the world. Each of us making a few caps doesn’t appear to be much but when combined with many other knitters’ work it does start to sound like it would make a difference. Back on the Palouse there’s a need for knitted items, too. Along with the Save the Children project we’re knitting vegetable-themed hats for Backyard Harvest, a local group that will sell the hats in support of local food banks. In addition, some of us are handknitting for a Knitting for Peace exhibit in Moscow with the knitted items going to the Northwest Children’s Home.
A quick search on the Internet turns up many opportunities for sharing our wooly talents besides our local needs and Save the Children. Afghans for Afghans, Chemocaps, Hats for the Homeless, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Socks for Soldiers, and Warm Up America are just a few of the charities that collect hand-made apparel. Several years ago when I decided to learn to knit I was influenced to try it by reading The Joy of Knitting: Texture, Color, Design, and the Global Knitting Circle by Lisa K. Myers. A more recent book added to the collection at Neill Public Library is Knitting for Good: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change Stitch by Stitch by Betsy Greer. Knitting for those in need satisfies a desire I (along with many others) have to be helpful.
As I give the thermostat a nudge, make myself a hot drink, and settle down with some yarn and needles, I’ll be thinking of some baby far away who might benefit from a warm cap. Newborns, especially premature infants, are at risk for hypothermia and caps really do matter.
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