Hippiemommy

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  • Growing my craft

    I love making New Year’s resolutions. This year, I felt really stuck, though. I just couldn’t figure out how to put my hopes for the year into words.

    Last year, I focused on quantity — I wanted to get 12 different groups of 12 things done. The year before that, I also focused on quantity — knitting up at least 50 items. This year I wanted something more meaningful, not just a numeric goal.

    Over the past few weeks, I finally figured out what exactly it is that I want to work on: I want to get back to being more of a do-er. In the crises mode of the past two years, through my mom’s diagnosis with leukemia, her treatment, our big move to a new state, and my mom’s death, I feel like I’ve been treading water in terms of the things I am able to do for my household. I was able to maintain the skills that I already knew, and continue to do those things for my family, but I haven’t been able to grow my skill set. This year, I decided that I really want to learn new things and continue to find ways to be more of a producer rather than more of a consumer.

    I’ve found so many fun projects to work on this year that are growing my skills, and I am loving it. I’ve started working on reverse applique and hand-sewing my own clothes. I bought my supplies through Alabama Chanin, and I have found the process so relaxing and fun. Here is one of the shirts that I’ve been working on. Once I finish backstitching around the stencils, I’ll cut out the top layer on the inside, to reveal the cream material underneath. I can’t wait to model it!

    IMG_1867

    I was also inspired by French Kids Eat Everything to really dress up my table and have a nice tablecloth. I looked on etsy, and found so many beautiful ones, but decided to give it a try myself. I’m currently working on hand-stitching a border around the oilcloth that I bought, and I am loving it.

    IMG_1866

    Also, I was inspired by the doll blanket that I made my daughter for Christmas to try to make a king-sized version. I know, it is crazy, but it is the perfect project when I just need some mindless crochet.

    The doll version
    The doll version
    The "grown-up" version
    The “grown-up” version

    So, are you working on anything new? I love inspiration!

  • The Post-Church Christian

    The Post-Church Christian is a book written by father and son, both of whom have served as pastors in Evangelical churches. It addresses many of the reasons why the younger generation is leaving the church, and how the older generation views their choices. It is written in a conversational style, with the son going first, presenting the view of “millennials”, and then the father going next, presenting the “boomer” view. In the final section, they combine their points to discuss the future of the church.

    As neither a millennial (I miss the cutoff by a mere 18 months) nor a baby boomer (by, uh, about 15 years), I thought this might be an interesting book to read. I figured that I could hopefully see the value in the points made by each side.

    In the first section, showing the millennial viewpoint, Carson Nyquist covers many of the big reasons why his generation is turned off by the church. If you browse through my previous posts, you’ll probably find them all listed, LOL. His first issue is the church’s lack of authenticity in sharing sins. Quoting Jon Acuff, he says,

    Have you ever been in a small group with people that confess safe sins? Someone will say, “I need to be honest with everyone tonight. I need to have full disclosure and submit myself in honesty… So you brace yourself for this crazy moment of authenticity and the person takes a deep breath and says… “I haven’t been reading my Bible enough.”

    Yes, we’ve all seen it. When my husband and I first started attending The Refuge, we talked about how awesome and also incredibly uncomfortable it was that everyone there was really, truly open with the kinds of sins that you never heard mentioned elsewhere. Even the pastors! It was mind-blowing.

    The book goes on to mention Jon Acuff’s idea of “giving the gift of going second”, meaning that if you honestly share your struggles, the ugly ones that no one normally mentions at church, it is much easier for the next person to be honest. I saw this at the Refuge, and it rocked my world. I will never look at faith communities the same, and I now have a much higher standard.

    Throughout the rest of his section, Carson addresses other frustrations with Evangelical culture, including the lack of integration of faith life and everyday life, pop culture/copycat Christianity, the fact that Jesus wasn’t a white Republican, and the church’s stance on homosexuality. I found myself nodding along to many of his frustrations.

    The second section, written by Paul Nyquist, covers the “boomer” response to the millennials. One of his main arguments is that the millennials need to forgive the boomers and have grace on them, both because we are all part of an eternal family and called to forgive. I found his argument really compelling. He also discusses how the younger generation will make mistakes itself and soon be passing the torch on to their children and be looking for forgiveness themselves. He apologizes for the mistakes made, and tries to explain the boomers viewpoints and why they’ve chosen to run the church in the way that they have.

    The final section brings both voices together, with a vision for what the future could bring for the church. Paul asks again for reconciliation and forgiveness, Carson reminds millennial readers that they will also make many mistakes in trying to follow God as best as they can, and that grace is needed for all of us. They both do a good job of wrapping up their points throughout the book and bringing it together in a cohesive way.

    All-in-all, I enjoyed this book. It is a quick read, and although I’ve either said or heard many of the general ideas covered in here, the authors took fresh approaches to many of them and kept my attention throughout. I really like the format of the book and felt like it gave me a better understanding of both the generation in front of and the generation behind me. I love the conversation that they’ve started, and I hope that it continues.

  • The End of Sex

    I love reading books for review, and I was instantly intrigued when I saw the title of Donna Freitas’ new book, The End of Sex: How Hookup Culture is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy. Now that I’ve finished this book, I feel like I have many new ideas about how I want our family to approach the topic of sex.

    Donna Freitas uses The End of Sex to describe the findings of her research on hookup culture on college campuses. Hookup culture is defined by the absence of relationships and emotions in sexual encounters, with a hefty dose of alcohol added in for good measure. 😉 Freitas uses the students’ own words to explain how college students are expected to hookup, and the huge pressures within the culture for students to have no feelings for the person with whom they are hooking up. The students explain how dating no longer happens on campuses. In the majority of cases, students either didn’t know anyone who has ever been on a date or they only used the term to describe “serial hookups”, where you hookup with the same person, but still don’t spend time with them when you aren’t intoxicated or having a sexual encounter.

    She polled students in a variety of settings — public and private secular colleges, private Catholic colleges, and private evangelical Christian colleges. The results of her study were fascinating. With the exception of private evangelical Christian colleges, the hookup culture was virtually identical on college campuses. Freitas found that private evangelical colleges have an alternate scene – a purity scene – which was filled with its own quirks. Having attended a private evangelical college, I didn’t need any further explanation. 😉 She does, however, suggest additional resources for people who want to read more about the culture of purity.

    One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book is that Freitas looks at many different angles of the subject, including ways that different students have attempted to “opt out” of the hookup culture, and programs that have worked (and failed) at college campuses across the country. One of her biggest points is that students realize that they want to have GOOD, meaningful sex, but often don’t know how to get it in the midst of hookup culture. Young men are encouraged to act out macho roles, pretending that they only care about getting a lot of random sex. Young women are encouraged to play out fantasy roles, inspired by pornography, at theme parties every weekend, and feel extreme pressures to neither appear “needy” nor to want more than semi-anonymous sex.

    I feel like I am walking away from this book with a much stronger understanding of the sexual attitudes that I want to teach my kids. Freitas’ research shows that students who feel empowered to make a stand to wait for meaningful, good sex are much more likely to avoid the depression and emptiness that many describe as part of hookup culture. She encourages the reader to not only reconsider religious, conservative abstinence-only programs (which do not influence a majority of college students), but to equally scrutinize the far-left curriculum which focuses primarily on avoiding STIs, pregnancy and rape as opposed to being selective about sex. She feels that there is a need for education that shows students that there is a middle ground, and that it is important for both sides to adjust the rhetoric for the sake of the students.

    I really enjoyed this book, and I’d recommend it to any parent. It has not been many years since I was in college, but I know that the culture has shifted a lot in a short time. This book adds much to the conversation about young adults and sex, and it is well worth the read.

    As I mentioned, I received an electronic copy of this book to review for NetGalley. I was not otherwise compensated, and I was under no obligation to give a good review.

  • No Easy Choice

    I am not sure what led me to request a copy of No Easy Choice to review. Maybe I chose it because it deals with birth, which is a topic that I always love.. after all, I am a midwifery student, birth doula, and mom of 4. Maybe I chose it because the author is a Christian, and I was curious to hear her take on ethical and moral issues. Maybe it was that I was drawn to the idea of a book that asks the difficult questions about when life begins.. Whatever the reason, I must say that I was really blown away by the quality of this book.

    Ellen Painter Dollar uses this book to share her story of living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) — a dominant genetic bone disorder that causes bones to break, often without warning — and the impact that OI had on her decision to become both a wife and mother. She passes OI on to her first daughter, and then grapples with the decision of whether or not to use reproductive technology, including preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to attempt to ensure that she will carry a child who does not have this trait.

    Besides being beautifully written, Dollar does a superb job of explaining the views on both sides of the debates. She goes far deeper than just the question of whether or not life begins at conception, and explains why focusing on that one issue can lead you to overlook dozens of equally important questions.

    The way that the reader is taken on the journey is beautifully crafted, and I can honestly say that I will never consider the ethical choices surrounding reproductive technology and even the pro-life and pro-choice movements the same again. I recommend this book very highly.

    I received an electronic copy of this book to review for NetGalley. I was not otherwise compensated, and I was under no obligation to give a good review.

  • French Kids Eat Everything

    After reading several heated threads about this book, I decided that I needed to read it ASAP. I have to say that I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, and it has given me new insight into cultural beliefs about food that are decidedly American (but I thought were universal.)

    As the longer title suggests, this book is about a family who moved to France, revolutionized the way their family ate, cured their picky eaters, stopped snacking, and then ultimately moved back to North America and realized that it was much harder to maintain when you’re outside of the French culture.

    First, let me say that this is not the same author who wrote French Women Don’t Get Fat. That’s a whole different lady, making a whole different point.

    This author, Karen Le Billon, married a Frenchman and decided that it’d be fun to go live in France for a year. At first, it was hard for her to adjust to the way of life in France. She was one of the few people at the supermarket. The locals shopped at their local fresh market that was held downtown. At the market downtown, you tell the vendor which day/meal you plan on eating a particular food, and they pick the perfect item for that timing. It is a slow process, and very personalized.

    As she adjusted to the ways of shopping, she also learned that the French approach food education with their children completely differently. They encourage the kids to view new foods as exciting, rather than scary, and expect for kids to need to try foods many times to develop a taste for it. They don’t snack, as that makes the child less hungry for real food at the meals. They also view mealtimes as a special occasion (with most people still going home for hot lunches, their biggest meal), and eating on the go is a big no-no.

    The author also learns first-hand that school lunches are a whole different beast in France. There is only one option, the kids sit at tables with tablecloths and real silverware. The meal is a traditional 4-course meal, with a cheese course and everything, and there is NO personalizing the meal. The idea is that if you are given good food, you should eat it. They view the idea of giving kids a choice in what they eat as stunting — leading to having an adult population who is still picky like toddlers.

    One thing that I didn’t expect, but really appreciated, is that the author is coming from a background of what she considers attachment parenting (although it is bordering on permissive), and she has no desire to adopt the parts of French culture that are far from AP, including the appalling low breastfeeding rate in France. I didn’t feel like she took an overly rosy view of French culture, but I did like how she took the things that worked and found ways to use them in her life, both in France and when they returned to North America.

    I think this book is well worth the read. It has yummy recipes in the back, including a killer mousse au chocolat that we made. Her descriptions of how food is approached in France were really eye-opening for me, and have changed the way we approach mealtimes. Definitely check it out if you get the chance. 🙂

  • National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia

    Well, not every book can be a winner.

    My kids LOOOOOVE animal encyclopedias. They read them like novels. We were at Barnes and Noble a few days ago when my kids found the National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia and begged us to buy it. We ended up surprising them with it later. Tonight I asked my son how it is, and he said, “It is nice, but a lot of the pictures are wrong.”

    We sat down, and he showed me a picture of a Ground Squirrel that was labeled as a Prairie Dog. I agreed with him that it was a Ground Squirrel, but a fairly innocent mistake. Next he showed me a picture of a King Vulture that said it was an Andean Condor. There was definitely no mistaking that one. Next he showed me this page:

    Red Ant?
    Red Ant?

    Erm, yeah… That’s pretty bad.

    He went back to reading, and just a second later noticed that the Sea Nettle was labeled as an Urchin, and the Urchin as a Sea Nettle. I’m sure he’ll find more mistakes as he continues to read it.

    What a bummer. I expected them to have better editors at National Geographic. 🙁 If your kids want an animal encyclopedia, I definitely recommend on passing on this one.

  • Making your own elderberry syrup

    It is that time of year again. Flu season is upon us. Boo!

    We’ve been fortunate to avoid illness so far this year, and I think that our homemade elderberry syrup has been a huge help. Over this past week, I’ve had several friends say that they want to make elderberry syrup, but they aren’t sure where to start. I thought I’d share how I make mine, plus some tips that I’ve learned along the way. 🙂

    Elderberry syrup is such a great way to support your immune system. You can use it to prevent or help fight off colds and flus. Nutritionally, it packs a punch, containing vitamins A, B, and C, plus lots of antioxidants, potassium, beta carotene, calcium and phosphorus. You might’ve seen the study going around that shows how well elderberry reduces flu symptoms. Recent studies have also shown that elderberry supplementation can cut the duration of flu symptoms by half.

    The process of making elderberry syrup is very easy. You are going to make a decoction out of the elderberries, strain, add honey, and you’re done!

    Now, for the details:

    First, you will obviously need elderberries. If you are fortunate enough to have an elderberry shrub/tree nearby, then you can use fresh ones. If you don’t have fresh elderberries, I am a huge fan of Mountain Rose Herbs. Their products are high-quality and fresh, which is so important. You don’t need much to make a batch, and Mountain Rose Herbs allows you to order small amounts — starting at just 4oz.

    Once you have your elderberries, you’ll want to make a decoction. A decoction is much like a strong tea that you then simmer to reduce the total amount of liquid. To make the elderberry decoction, combine 1 cup of fresh or 1/2 cup of dried elderberries with 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring this to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and then simmer for 30 minutes. At this point, your decoction is done! Woohoo!

    Next, smash the berries and strain the mixture. Don’t forget to compost the leftover berry mush. 🙂

    Finally, allow the liquid to cool and add 1 cup of honey (raw and local, if possible). Bottle it up in a glass jar, and you’re done!

    Your elderberry syrup will last 2-3 months in the fridge. Take 1 tablespoon daily to help keep illness away (or 1 tsp for kids.) If you are already sick, you can take 1 teaspoon every 2-3 hours. (And don’t forget that babies can’t have honey until they’re a year old.)

    When I make my initial decoction, I like to add a stick of cinnamon (which is strained out when I strain the berry mush.) You could also add whole cloves or fresh, organic ginger. My kids love the taste of the cinnamon with the berries. As always, don’t feed honey to young children.

    Happy remedy-making!

    Homemade Elderberry Syrup

    1/2 cup dried or 1 cup fresh elderberries
    3 cups water
    1 cup honey (raw and local, if possible)
    Optional: cinnamon stick, cloves, or ginger

    Bring the elderberries, water, and optional spices to a gentle boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, until liquid is reduced by about half. Smash the berries and strain the liquid into a glass jar. Once the liquid cools, add the honey and store refrigerated for 2-3 months.

  • A month into our new school year and loving it

    Don’t you love the start of a new school year?

    The kids and I started school about a month ago. We finished our last school year early, which worked out well since my mom was so sick. With everything that has happened, I thought it’d be nice to get back to a predictable routine earlier than the “regular” school year. The kids do well with it, and I’ve found that it is always nice to have a little extra time built in to our school year, just in case a big life event happens. I really pray that this year will be mellow, though. I think we’re overdue.

    As most of you know, we’ve used Ambleside Online for most of our homeschooling adventure. I really love Ambleside, and it has been so great for us. This year I decided that I really wanted to just order a curriculum and not have to put things together. That sounds kind of lazy when I type it out, but life has just been so complicated and I wanted everything to come in a nice, neat package. I’ve also been wanting to cover American history, because we’ve done a lot of ancients and world history in the past few years.

    I decided to order Sonlight Core D (5-day with the Advanced Readers). I actually bought a used, full set, rather than buying new, although I bought my 4-year-old’s core directly from Sonlight — more on that later. Anyways, the woman that I bought the Core D from even packaged it in the original Sonlight box, and the books were in amazing condition. Hooray for a good ebay score!

    The great news is that the kids and I have been absolutely loving everything about the curriculum. As I speak, they are both lying on a couch, reading ahead in their independent readers because they like them so much. (For those who are interested, they are reading Pocahontas and the Strangers and A Lion to Guard Us.) This curriculum has been a really good fit so far, and it has been fantastic to be able to just open the instructor’s guide and go. Last night my oldest asked if we could double-up on the assignments, because he’s enjoying them so much. That’s a nice thing to hear. 🙂

    Other than that, we’re just plugging along. For those who don’t know, we use Singapore Math for both big kids, and have from the beginning. I went ahead and ordered some of the Life of Fred books for them as well, because they read the samples and thought they were hilarious. We’ve also used Handwriting Without Tears from the beginning, and we’re continuing on with that. I must admit that I’m really pleased with the way that the kids’ handwriting has developed, and I think my son’s cursive is probably better than mine, LOL.

    For Science, my daughter is doing Sonlight Science D and my son is doing Science E. The picture at the top of this post is my son doing one of the experiments from Science E, where he made his own wires and created circuits. Again, I was able to score the Science E on ebay, although I bought the Science D new. The books that come with both science cores are great. We were surprised by how much we loved the first book in Science E — Diary of an Early American Boy. It was fascinating. I learned so many things while reading it!

    My 4yo is right on the cusp of the Kindergarten cutoff here. Our district has a fairly late cutoff. Last year it was December 1st. This year it is November 1st. She has an October birthday, so she’d be a Kindergartener here if she went to school in our district, but she might not make the cutoff date if we sent her to a charter school or a school in another district.

    Taking all of that into consideration, we decided to let her start working through My Father’s World K, which my now-8yo loved so much when she was 4 that she asked if she could do it again with her little sister, LOL. The phonics part is good, but their literature is kind of “meh”, so we are also doing Sonlight P4/5 with her for everything else.

    My older kids have really enjoyed all of the fairy tales, fables and world stories in the P4/5 books, so that’s been fun. My 8yo has read a few of the anthologies in there 2 or 3 times on her own in the past few weeks. My 4yo and 2yo think the stories are the funniest things ever. They’ve been retelling them and laughing hysterically every time. Awesome. That’s one sign of a good day of Kindergarten.

    We’re using Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books once again, because it has been a wonderful method for teaching reading to all of my kids. My 4yo is so proud of the books that she is reading, and my 2yo has even gotten in on the action and read a few of them. So cute. Check out my review of this book from back in 2007, if you’re interested.

    Well, that’s the “brief” description of what we’re doing this year. I guess I should also mention that anyone who wants to order through Sonlight can get a $5 discount on your first order if you use this referral code – AH20357105. Even if you don’t use their curriculum, they have really cool summer reading packages that make great gifts. My kids have read several of the recommended books and they’ve all been winners so far. 🙂

    I’d love to hear what everyone else is doing for this year. Please feel free to email or comment or post a link to any blog posts that you have about your homeschooling year. I love getting inspiration from other home schoolers. <3

  • Craft Activism

    One thing that I love is when a book inspires me to do something that I wouldn’t attempt otherwise. Craft Activism by Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker managed to do just that. 🙂

    I belong to a few websites that offer copies of books for bloggers to review. We aren’t obliged to post about the books, but I love to share when I find a good one. When I saw Craft Activism listed on one of these sites, I was really excited. I’ve heard great things about this book, and the topic is one that is dear to my heart.

    Craft Activism is a celebration of people who are passionate about DIY, creating and making a statement. Some of the ideas are ones that get a fair amount of press (yarn bombing, quilting to raise awareness, etc.), whereas others are ideas that I’ve never heard of apart from this book. One such crafter is Ruth Marshall, who hand knits some amazing, intricate “pelts” of big cats and other animals. She is trying to raise awareness about poaching and other issues that are threatening wild animals. For each crafter who is profiled, there is also a pattern so you can join in on their movement. For Ruth Marshall, there is a scarf pattern that looks like an ocelot. The pattern for the color work is breathtaking. I can’t wait to try it!

    Some of the other projects in the book include a sassy sweater with pro-cycling (as opposed to anti-cycling) color work, a small quilt with a message for peace, a pattern for sewing an adorable, modern housedress, a crochet granny square greenbag, and so much more. The project pages are widely varied, and I think anyone could find something to try. I love that they encompass so many crafts, and not just one or two.

    I was inspired by the section on embroidery to pick my needle back up. I haven’t embroidered (apart from the small amount done on knit toys) since I was a child. Reading the section on embroidery with attitude made me really miss it. I had so much fun tracing the pattern onto the tea towel and firing up my needle. I’ve since remembered how relaxing embroidery is. How could I’ve forgotten?! Watching me embroider inspired my 8-year-old daughter to pick up her needles too, so now we’re sharing the craft together. She has decided to work on a fairy design. If you’d like to try the pattern that I’m working on from the book, there is a copy of it here. It is a tea towel that says “Hot Stuff” and has a volcano. It is so cute.

    The start of my "Hot Stuff' embroidery

    There are so many projects in this book that I can’t wait to try. I love that it has helped me think of new ways to express myself through crafting. It has really encouraged me that I am not alone in my desire to share my passions by creating. It is such a beautiful portrait of the many faces of crafting and how we are all so different and yet so alike. I hope you check it out and enjoy it too!

  • Charity Knitting – 5 Ways You Can Help

    First, I want to apologize for my absence on here. We’ve had a tough couple of weeks, with my mom in the ICU due to complications from her leukemia / bone marrow transplant. She is still in the hospital, but things are more stable than they were before. Cancer is such a horrible disease, and we’ve really been reminded of that over the past few weeks.

    We flew to be near my mom, and I really wanted to knit and create while we were there. I didn’t want to make just anything, though. I wanted to work on projects that could give back somehow. I think that tough times remind me of how much suffering there is in the world, and it gives me a kick in the pants to start helping some more.

    Luckily, I’ve had the privilege of knitting for several great charities over the past few years, so I knew what kind of items I could make. I’d love to share some of them, and hopefully get more knitters involved. 🙂 When I first started looking for charity knitting a few years ago, I was overwhelmed at the choices. I wanted to find reputable charities that were truly getting the items to those in need. I’ve found several great organizations that do just that. A lot of these projects use scrap amounts of yarn and a minimal amount of time. If your kids know how to knit, these projects are simple enough that they can get involved.

    1. Mother Bear Project

    What it is: The Mother Bear Project is a group that provides a simple gift of hope and love through a hand-knit or crocheted bear to children affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations. Each bear is signed with the name of the person who made the bear. The coordinators at the Mother Bear Project take pictures of the children receiving their bears and email/post them. As always, the pictures from the latest distribution are so beautiful. They have stories on their webpage from some of the children who have received the bears, if you’re in the mood for a good cry. 😉

    How you can get involved: All of the bears for the Mother Bear Project use the same WWII-era pattern. It is SIMPLE, which has been great for me. I need mindless knitting right now! The whole bear is basically made as a tube (knit flat or in the round, you decide), and then you split for the legs and pick up for the arms. The clothes are knit as part of the bear. I can finish a bear in a few hours of work, and they only require about 35 yards of 3 colors of yarn. If you have 50 yards of each, you can easily embellish as you wish. The bears do not need to be “realistically” colored (duh, they are wearing clothes, y’know…) so any yarn in your stash can be used!

    The flat version of the Mother Bear pattern is available in the beautiful book, Knit for Peace, and it is also archived on the DIY Network’s site. If you have the $5 to spare, I really encourage you to order the pattern directly from Mother Bear. They will send you the pattern in the mail as well as a brochure explaining the program and a tag to attach to the first bear with your name on it. When you mail in your first bear (or set of bears) they will send you more tags. If you mail in more bears than you have tags, they’ll write tags for you.

    For each bear that you send in, they ask for $3 to cover the “bear fare” (the costs to fly and get the bears into their new country.) When you pay for the pattern, your first bear’s “bear fare” is included in the cost, so there is no need to send in $3.

    For more information, the Mother Bear Ravelry group is excellent. They host monthly challenges that include drawings for yarn and other knitty prizes 🙂

    2. Wool-Aid

    What it is: Wool Aid is a community of knitters that creates warm clothing for children in the coldest climates that have the least access to resources. All items knit for Wool-Aid need to be made of natural fibers of at least a worsted weight. The thicker the better.

    How you can get involved: The Wool-Aid Ravelry group is a wealth of information. They keep an updated list of all of the current campaigns. Their blog also has details on where knit items are currently being sent and what is most needed. If you want to get involved, join the ravelry group or read on their website for which items are currently needed and their guidelines, and then mail them to their headquarters. I recently participated in a campaign for children impacted by the earthquake in Tibet, and I was so happy to be able to create some warmth to children who really need it.

    3. Mittens for Akkol

    What it is: Mittens for Akkol is a group that knits for an orphanage in Akkol, Kazakhstan. Akkol is very cold, with snow starting in August and lasting through April. Temperatures reach 40 below 0 and the orphanage is not well-heated. The organization was started by two parents who went to adopt two children and then realized that they wanted to help all of the children there in any way that they could. Each year the very active yahoo group makes up a database for all of the “graduating” children in the orphanage (those who have to leave because of their age) and helps to make a warm wardrobe for them, including thin and thick socks, sweaters and scarves. Each grad asks for certain colors, and knitters sign up based on what they would like to make. The group has a hard deadline for when the items will be delivered. They are flown out there in luggage and hand-delivered. It is beautiful to watch as everyone works to complete the projects for those children. The group also works on items for the “baby house” and other projects each year.

    How you can help: Join the yahoo group and/or ravelry group, and see what is currently needed. There are always new campaigns cycling through, so it is easy to get involved.

    4. Bundles of Joy

    What it is: Bundles of Joy is a group that supports babies in the Pine Ridge Hospital OB Ward (which is part of the Pine Ridge Reservation.) Poverty is extensive on the reservation, and many of the babies have no clothes or other items waiting for them when they go home.

    How you can help: Join the ravelry group and see what current campaigns are running. Bundles of Joy accepts non-knitted items as well, so feel free to check out their ravelry group and see what items are needed the most right now.

    5. Your local hospital/homeless shelter

    This one doesn’t need much of a description, but I really encourage you to see what is available in your hometown. When my mom was in treatment in Colorado, she was so blessed by the hand knit items that were donated to the hospital (and made by us.) A soft, fuzzy hat can bring more comfort to a cancer patient than you could ever imagine. Most hospitals have programs. Ravelry allows you to search by location, and you can easily see what kinds of opportunities are available in your hometown. If nothing is available, try calling your local hospitals as well as domestic violence, homeless and pet shelters. Needs are different depending on the population that is served, so you can easily find charities that would love items made out of yarn that might otherwise seem undesirable. For example, most cancer wards prefer that you use acrylic, whereas charities like Wool Aid or Mittens for Akkol are happy to take items that are not machine washable, since the population that they help doesn’t have washing machines.

    If you knit for a great charity that isn’t mentioned here, please feel free to leave a note in the comments or email me. I’d love to hear about them and share the word!

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