We’ve been knitting a certain toque for a few years now. At nearly every convention we attend it been a popular seller. In fact, it’s been one of our largest fundraisers over the past 3 years. Now that Edmonton Expo is over and Calgary Expo is still many months away, we’d like to take a quick break from yea auld pattern and participate in other knitting projects with a big community impact.
For the month of October, we’re asking the members of the Alberta Browncoats Society knitting group – and anyone else in the community who wants to participate – to join in our upcoming projects.
Bissell Centre
The Bissell Centre works in the community to empower people to move from poverty to prosperity. We enable people to meet their own basic daily needs, participate in community, have sustainable livelihoods, feel hope for the future and make plans for a prosperous life. Winter is coming. Let’s try to make it a little warmer for their clients and member of the community. We’ll be making/collecting the following hand knit items:
- Children’s hats, mittens and scarves
- Adult hats, mittens and scarves
- Baby blankets
- Single-bed sized blankets
Note: The Bissell Centre distributes children’s items and blankets directly to clients through their programs. Adult sized items are provided to inner-city schools for distribution to parents in need.
Valour Place Poppy Project (#knitmonton)
#knitmonton is looking for poppies for a yarn art installation at Valour Place in Edmonton. Valour Place is a temporary home-away-from-home for Canadian Forces members, families of the Fallen, Veterans and RCMP, along with their families, when medical treatment is required in Edmonton. Please visit their website for complete details. Suggested poppy patterns are available here and here. Poppies may be knit or crochet in any size. Requirements are the poppies be created in washable yarns and contain 4 red petals with black centres.
Drop Off Details:
We will be collecting poppies for the Valour Place Poppy Project and knit items for the Bissell Centre at The Carrot Community Arts Coffee House (9351-118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB) on the following dates:
- Wednesday, October 9 from 6:30 – 9pm
- Wednesday, October 23 from 6:30 – 9pm
- Saturday, October 26 from 11:30am – 2pm
If you don’t have a pattern handy, a number of great patterns can be found for free online. You can visit Ravelry, Canadian Living’s free knitting patterns and the Free Vintage Knitting website for some great ideas.
Can’t, or don’t want to knit, but still want to help? We’re always looking for donations of yarn (or funds to buy yarn). Contact us to discuss the details of your donation.
Sheilagh
I’m the non-sci-fan but lover of sci-fi fans who knits. In the past week I’ve made 7 poppies of cotton blend. I’ll be at the Carrot on Wed. (perhaps the EasyFord woman named Shirley will come with her daughter – I gave her the poppy pattern today). My question is – I’m going on a bus trip with a low-energy Parkinsonian friend for 12 days – Oct. 15 to 25. It occurs to me that I could knit quite a few petals on the bus (I can’t read on the bus but I’ve got the pattern down pat) and put them together in the hotel room while he’s resting – but we come home late on the 25th. If I brought poppies to the Carrot before 2:00 on the 26th, would they still be accepted? If so, I’ll hunt down some more red yarn.
Marg
Have fun on the trip!
Oh, oh. It’s the 26th in the evening we come back from the bus trip – a Sat. Does that make any poppy making on the bus too little too late?
The Carrot is closed Sunday and Monday but you should be OK to drop off poppies at Valour Place between 8:30am – 4pm up to Tues, Oct 29th.