25 November, 2011

Too Many Toques

About a month ago, I posted that my school's fundraiser (a bake sale) to buy hat and mitten sets for struggling families was in jeopardy (due to the health and wellness policy—no bake sales). Remember? Our bake sale brought in $400 annually, and since we couldn't hold a bake sale, we had to come up with an alternative. So I began knitting hats. I told the ladies at my knitting group about it, acquired charity yarn, and even acquired one already-knit hat.

Then we held our alternative fundraiser: junior high staff vs. intermediate school staff scooter basketball. We charged $3.00 for admission.

And we made over $800. $800!

In the meantime, I made two hats that are now going to be given to another charity, since we made enough to buy enough hat and mitten sets for the families on our list. I also dug out two hats that I made this past year that I know I'm not going to wear, so I might as well give them to someone who will use them.


This is Rib-A-Roni. I knit this hat in a single afternoon, so I highly recommend the pattern for charity hats.


This hat is my favorite of all four. The pattern just came out a couple of weeks ago. It's the Beluga and Firefly Hat, the latest design by Susan B. Anderson for Spud & Chloë yarns. I would like to own one of these myself.


I knit this hat about a year ago. I rather like this pattern, too. It's the Prepared for Vancouver? beanie. Marina Hayes designed it right before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. When I started knitting it, the pattern was still free; it now costs $4.00, so perhaps not ideal for a charity hat.

Finally, remember this?


Yeah, it's the hat formerly known as the Beret of Badly Misbehaving Yarn. Just not my color. The pattern—One Day Beret by Kirsten Kapur—is perfect for that skein of variegated yarn that is making you want to barf because it pools like mad. The beret is knit from the center out, so it's easily sized down for kids.

I'll probably hold onto these hats until I can knit some matching mitts/mittens for them. But now there's no rush, since I know the families in our community will be warm this winter.

Have you been knitting for charity recently? If so, what patterns are your favorites?

1 comment:

Andi said...

I love all the hats, but the Spud and Cloe one is my favorite as well. I haven't knitted for charity as of late, I really need to get on that. I have given yarn for charity, but isn't not the same. I need to get on it, thank you for the reminder!