Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Knit for Kids: 100th Sweater Completed!

My knitting friends and I celebrated with a 100 sweater cake

Back in 2006 I first heard about Knit for Kids, a charity outreach project that sends hand knit sweaters to children all over the world. Once I started knitting these easy little sweaters, I decided that I wanted to complete a hundred of them. This project is something that I do it because it is so much fun picturing kids receiving a gift from someone they don't even know--someone who wishes all the best for each and every one of them. It's surprising how many spare moments there are for knitting a few rows--perhaps while riding in the car, waiting for an appointment, or watching a baseball game--and I've learned to take along my knitting basket wherever I go.

I finally met my goal a couple of weeks ago and guess what? I had some leftover yarn, so I just kept on knitting more sweaters, because knitting is what my hands have become used to doing. Now I find myself working on sweater #102, and I still have lots of ideas for patterns and colors; probably enough ideas for the next hundred sweaters. 

Here is the latest batch: Numbers 91-100. 






 

7 comments:

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

Clair, what a cheerful, happy looking bunch of little sweaters! Do you always make the same size, or does the vary? How are they distributed? This sounds like such a great program. It warms my heart!!

the7msn said...

I love that you've taken similar pictures of all your creations. I think a poster is in order that includes them all. What a gorgeous and colorful work of art that would be.

clairz said...

Deb, I send them to Knit for Kids, World Vision, 210 Overlook Drive, Sewickley, PA 15143. I've been making a run of size 6 sweaters lately, because it's easy to remember the numbers: Cast on 138 stitches, do ten rows of ribbing, continue with knitting all stitches for twelve and a half inches, divide and put half of the stitches on a stitch holder, add 36 stitches to each end and continue in garter stitch for six and a half inches, bind off, do the same with the stitches on the stitch holder. Sew up underarms and neck seam. Done!

Once the sweaters are received in Pennsylvania, they are repackaged and sent off to needy kids in the U.S. and around the world. It really is a great program--over a half a million sweaters have been distributed since it began in 1996.

Click on the "Knit for Kids" tab up under the header photo for all kinds of information and for more photos. Linda, I love the idea of a poster. I'm kicking myself, though, for having sent off #17-23 without taking photos first, so I am missing those.

becky said...

Clair~ you're awesome!!!! I imagine 100 kids running around in their new sweaters! :) love them! hears to the next 100!
ps~ could you send up a piece of that chocolate cake?
:)

JC said...

You are one fabulous lady !!!

Joyful said...

Wonderful work! I want to knit sweaters and send them to Kenya ut haven't been able to do this project yet.

Jean (aka Auntie Bucksnort) said...

Hooray!!!!!