Knitters Can Give Twice

This is the season when so many knitters I know are looking for beautiful, meaningful gifts to knit for the the holidays. They are also looking for things that are relatively quick to knit. In my experience, people who knit gifts for others are, in general, the kind of people who feel holiday gifts should reflect more than just a material belonging; the fact that the gift is hand made, made with love and caring, is important to these knitters. And, I figure, most of the people who read my blog are knitters like these, or people who know knitters like these. (I strongly believe that people who read my blog are, well, saints. Thank you for reading my blog!)

Therefore, I'd like to take a moment to shamelessly plug three companies that make knitting kits that give from the moment you buy them, and which give you the opportunity to knit scarves/hats/blankets/pins and give them as a holiday gift, as well. (Or, celebrate your sainthood and keep the item for yourself! Or just give the gift of a kit to your favorite knitter!) I know WAY too many women -- customers, friends, coworkers, family -- who have suffered from breast cancer or gynecologic cancers. The sale of kits like these listed below help fund research that we all hope will eventually prevent or cure these terrible killers. Think about it; how many women do you know who have cancer? who have died of cancer? who have survived cancer? I sell most of the following products at Unique One, and you can certainly buy them from me, but I urge everyone to please consider buying one of these kits -- or a similar type of kit, as I am sure there are more out there than just these three companies are providing -- from your local yarn store. Most yarn shop owners probably have such kits, and if they don't have them, ask for them; if your local yarn shop doesn't carry these kits (or something similar) it may be that they just don't know about them. Here's the list:

1. Knitwhits Large Beaded Felted Alpaca Flower Pin (For Beginner Knitters)
From the Knitwits web site:

"Our flower knitting kits have been enormously popular and have been given rave reviews, including being named "best of the bunch" according to Family Circle Easy Knitting Magazine.

"We want to give something back.

"The May flower kit was designed to raise funds for the support and education for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Ten percent of the sale of each May Flower Kit (both at wholesale and retail) will be donated to Breast Cancer.org to assist them with their good work and help them continue to make a difference.

"We wanted to make something special for this good cause, so to differentiate this kit, we've added a selection of hand-picked, beautiful high quality glass beads to the kit, which coordinate with the soft pink and green of the yarn."

These gorgeous felted flower kits retail for about $20.

2. Ribbon Knits presents The Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Scarf Kits

From the Ribbon Knits web site:

"Knit these fun, super-easy pink scarves for yourself or a friend. They symbolize the famous pink breast cancer ribbon and can be worn with anything from denim to diamonds. (They make a great gift for a breast cancer survivor!)

"A portion of the proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research. We are currently giving to the Susan Henke Miller Breast Cancer Research Fund at the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City."

These beautiful scarf kits, all available only in a variety of shades of pink, include soft novelty yarns from a variety of good yarn companies; they retail for about $35 or $40 dollars, with the exception of the outstanding cashmere scarf with a breast cancer symbol knit in lace [pictured], which retails for about $75.

3. Knit for Her Cure kits. I love their motto: "Great Things Happen When Women Take Matters into Their Own Hands." These kits are available for making hats, scarves and blankets or lap robes. As Knit for Her Cure is sponsored by Muench Yarns, all the kits feature wonderful Muench yarns in them. At Unique One, I have some blanket kits, that run about $150, and some hat kits, which cost $30 to $40. As of today, I am nearly out of all of them. Their website doesn't have much on it, but the "Scrapbook" section was moving. Here is a quote from one of the letters on that page:

""Last Friday, my sister presented me with a scarf she knitted using a Knit For Her Cure set. I had just completed a treatment for ovarian cancer, one of several rounds, and was feeling very low. The gift touched my heart — not only because it was a gift from my sister, but also because it showed that 'someone out there' cared enough to make a difference in the battle against gynecologic cancer. Thank you for sharing your resources and adding a voice of concern for today's women who fight this disease. With enough concern, my daughter and granddaughter will not have to endure the feelings of hopelessness and sadness brought on by this cancer...."

Both Knitwhits kits and Ribbon Knits kits are available to purchase online, but I urge you to support your local yarn shop first! Thanks for listening.

Comments

[Salar]

You can also give knitted hats to cancer patients at any time of year. Effusion centers usually accept & distribute them.

Some knitting groups sponsor wards of hospital patients. You can make all sorts of cheery things then ~ baby blankets, toys, hats scarves, afghans...

[Beth Collins]

Salar! Hey, nice to see you here. Thanks for the suggestions -- excellent!

Beth