Week 8: Beanies for Craft Hope

Sending some love.

This week I got back in the Craft Hope groove.  If you haven't spent anytime getting to know this wonderful organization, now's the time.  Every few month they pick a new charity, and a new craft to support people who need some extra love.

• Dresses for orphans in Brazil and Mexico
• Sock Monkeys for Preschool Burn Victims 
• Wash cloths to help clean oil off of the sea animals affected by the Gulf oil spill
• And many more.

Each of their projects helps a group in need, and includes tutorials on possible ways to make the craft.  It is so inspiring to see how many people get involved to send a little handmade love to someone across the globe.  I just love these ladies.

This month's project supports The Littlest Warriors, children fighting cancer. The donation is handmade beanies for their cold little heads, and/or handmade totes to bring their toys and books to and from chemo in.

Unfortunately my sewing machine didn't make the cut when I was narrowing down what could come with me to Turkey, so all of my projects are yarn based these days.  So totes were out. But I love beanies! If you're interested in getting involved too, you still have almost a month before the deadline, and using the pattern I included below, it only takes me a few hours to make a super cute beanie. 

The owl beanie is the same pattern I used to make Baby Ellis's beanie in week 2.  The pattern can be found here, at Daisy Cottage Designs.

Alan actually made this fabulous camel beanie.  I'm hoping to get him to release the pattern, which he designed himself, here someday.

He even added a crescent moon and star, like the Turkish flag.  :)

The cupcake beanie will be the next pattern I write (next week maybe?).

So Sweet.

And finally, the penguin and bunny were both made using my top down beanie pattern as a base.  You can download the Excel Spreadsheet to help you figure out how many stitches to use for whoever you're making your beanies for. 

 This pattern is really only for a base beanie with ear-flaps.  All the extra facial features and such are added once the beanie is finished.  I'm also working on patterns for these individual features.  Coming soon. 

If you want to see step by step instructions for the bunny beanie, and the top down beanie pattern, click here:  Bunny Beanie Pattern.  

And think about making an extra one for some one fighting a terrible fight with cancer.