Lately, it is easy to succumb to all of the fear in the headlines: bankruptcies, layoffs, closures….very scary. But, what if you were small….only six years old (or eight, or ten) and your parents could not afford a place for you to live? What if you had to sleep in your car or van every night? How can we even imagine how scary THAT would be? It has been said throughout the ages: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. It is also a well known truth that by helping others in need, we help ourselves as well. At the very least, we stop focusing on just ourselves and put our energies toward something positive. To this end, So Much Yarn is asking for your help and particpation in our new Charity Knitting Project to benefit First Place School. This is a wonderful K through 6th school specifically for homeless children, located right here in the Central District of Seattle. Though they may have no home to go to at night, this school provides not only a safe place for them during the day, it provides them with an education (real teachers, real classes, real subjects) that will help them possibly change their own futures. The school has it’s hands full, because aside from maintaining a functioning building with enough teachers, they often have to do their best to provide for essential needs of the kids.

This is where we knitters can help! First Place School has room for 54 kids and they are desperately needing hats, mittens, scarves, and small blankets to keep the students warm when the colder months arrive. So Much Yarn is happy to announce our Charity Knitting Circle, every 2nd Thursday of the month, from 10:30-12:30, beginning July 9th. We will provide tea and snacks and any yarns that have been donated, as well as basic patterns for the necessary projects. You will receive a 10% discount on any supplies you purchase for charity projects. I’m even bringing in some of my own “stash” from home and invite you to do the same. Here is my goal: 54 kids = 54 hats, mittens and scarves by October. Eeek….I know that may sound like a lot, but there are over 4,000 of you on our mailing list. If even only a fraction of us each made one item….just think. I hear a lot of you saying you need to try to knit from your stash because of your own budget constraints, so these small projects are great ways to do that. We even scheduled a Basic Mitten Class for those of you who feel daunted by the thumb gusset! Now, I realize that many of you will not be able to come on those Thursdays, but you are welcome to come by at other times for patterns or donated yarn to help us achieve the goal of keeping these kids warm. You can drop off finished items at any time as well. So, let’s get knitting!