What happens to knit samples?

I am a knitting designer, but I have never submitted any patterns to a website or magazine that requires review and testers. I was wondering what happens with test knit samples, and where they end up. I know that many magazines/websites require you to send in a test piece, but what happens at the end?

KnitPicks saves all of the samples and donates them to charity. This December post (and picture of last year's donation) warms my heart on a cold winter day.

Yarn Alive

I read a great article today about knitting bringing comfort to elderly Japanese tsunami victims. The yarn they use has been donated from all over the wold. These women are knitting for comfort, and for practicality (such as creating blankets.) Please note: This availability of this article will be determined on your subscriber status to the Wall Street Journal.

"SHICHIGAHAMA, Japan—Every Tuesday in this tsunami-ravaged fishing village, the "Yarn Alive" knitting club meets—an accidental support group for a handful of the thousands of elderly Japanese still homeless after disaster swept away their lives nearly a year ago."

Visit the Yarn Alive blog for information on how you can help.

Knit Penguin Sweaters

There is a cute picture going around of penguins wearing sweaters, but they weren't dressed up just to be cute. There was an initiative in New Zealand to make sweaters for penguins affected by an oil spill. The organisation now has enough sweaters, but I still wanted to mention the cause.

Thank you, Jessica, for sharing this link with me!

The Knitting Connection

"The Knitting Connection's mission is to support children and families with crafted items utilizing the artistic talents of volunteer knitters, crocheters, and quilters. We connect people from the community to support each other during their time of need. This link, from one end of the spectrum to the other, forms a bond of support, understanding, and love."

I think that if you are in Massachusetts, you can get donated yarn to knit projects for the charity. They collect knit projects to distribute to different people in need in November of every year. There is an annual party so directors of shelters can thank the knitters in person.

Thank you Alan, for sharing this with me! (He met someone on the MBTA on her way to the Knitting Connection and she explained the cause to him.)

Knitting for Charity

Knitting for Charity is a great project for any knitter. You can use this as an opportunity to go through and clean out your yarn stash, and you can make something handmade for someone in need. Over the years I have knit headbands, hats and afghans for charity. I am in the process of looking for a new charity to support, since I have moved away from Boston. (Although there is a new Boston Charity I discovered that I will feature here in a few days.)

What kinds of Charity do you knit for? Do you have any recommendations for the Chicago area?

Knit Your Bit

Given the title of a charity collecting knit items for veterans (Knit your bit) , I would assume that the 1917 video "Knit Your Bit" was some kind of propaganda commercial to get people knitting for the troops.

Over my time here at KPOTD I have shared some vintage photographs of all types of people knitting for war efforts. While it is sad that there are still wars almost 100 years after this video was made, it is nice that hand knit garments are still appreciated.

WW2 Knitting - Then and Now

During World War II, there were initiatives titled "Knit Your Bit" to create socks for soldiers. Now, the WW2 Museum website has a lot of free knitting patterns and has been running "Knit Your Bit" for 6 years to help keep our veterans warm with hand kit items. Read more to find out how you can contribute.

Longest Scarf Knit by a Team

Liz Rundle headed up a team supping the Children's Hospice in Wales to complete a scarf that measured 33.74 miles. Imagine how large a giant would have to be to wear the longest scarf knit by a team!

Knitting and Wine

An acquaintance of my friend Jamie works for a New York based knitting charity named the Purl Foundation. Although it appears as though they have not done anything official for a while (the last blog post is from 2009), this last event they mentioned caught my attention. A "Knit+Wine" night at a bar.

I think that this sounds like such a cute and fun social knitting even, and the fact that it would be promoting a charity makes it even better. This type even is something that we should all hold in the back of our brains as an idea for a fun knitting event.

When Art Meets Science: The Hyberbolic Crochet Coral Reef

Before the launch of KPOTD, a reader at ChemKnits commented on my Humuhumunukunukuapua'a Knitting Pattern asking me if I had submitted this stuffed knit fish to Hawaii's Hyperbolic Coral Reef Project. This is the type of project that would be up my alley... if it were knit. The artists involved with the hyperbolic coral reef project have crocheted aspects of a coral reef, from coral to fish to other creatures that you would find there. It is really a beautiful work of art, and raises awareness for preservation of our coral reefs.

Pine Street Inn's annual Knit-a-Thon

"Knitters and crocheters craft 9 x 9 inch squares, which will be collected, sorted and assembled into blankets on the day of the Knit-A-Thon. Knitters and crocheters from across the country and even the Atlantic, donate their time and stash to make a square that will be joined with 34 other squares, squares that could have come from Vermont or Texas, Switzerland or Ireland, squares made by kids or great grandmothers, men and women all for one cause. Over the four Knit-A-Thons we have made hundreds beautiful blankets that were presented as gifts from the community to tenants of the Pine Street Inn Residences and raised nearly $100,000 that directly aided the Supportive Housing and other incredible PSI programs. That is the power of knitting; a simple craft that can spark an idea, that can change a life."
-Farley N. Sullivan, Knit-A-Thon Creator and Pine Street Inn Council Member


I have participated in the 2009 and 2010 Pine Street Inn Knit-A-Thons, making a total of three afghans. Each November the organizers set up an event somewhere in Boston where you can bring your squares and sew them into afghans.

Never throw yarn away. Remnant scraps are great to incorporate into knit-a-thon projects such as this one, but many organizations will accept donations of yarn to provide the knitters.