What???? Am I crazy? It's hard to believe winter could be around the corner, when we are enjoying 70 degree days in the middle of October here in Western New York! But rest assured, it will get cold, and children will need mittens.
Many of you will be familiar with the Heart to Hands Mittens for Children collection that I started last year. With your generous contributions of handmade and store-bought mittens, we were able to donate close to 800 pairs of mittens to various mission outreaches in the Buffalo area! If you are new to this mitten story, please check out the link on the sidebar to learn about what inspired me to collect mittens for children.
This year, I'd love to do it again. Just today, an incredible man from Buffalo City Mission told me about the needs of his ministry, which is serving men, women and children in the inner city. I promised him that we would have mittens for him . I also plan to donate mittens and gloves to the same ministries that received them last year:
Prince of Peace Church, Cornerstone Women's and Children's Shelter, Hearts for the Homeless, and Freedom Village USA.
Please help me to warm the hands of these children once again this year. No matter what your faith background, I assure you, these mittens will be used and appreciated, and the message of this gift will simply be Love.
Do you have a start date in mind? I've been knitting mittens off and on since last Dec with the intention of splitting them between the parish mitten drive and another charity. I'm picking YOUR mitten drive as the other one. So there's a start of 6 pairs with more in the works. :o)
Posted by: Jill | October 17, 2007 at 10:25 PM
Count me in again this year, and I'll tell my knitting guild about it either through email or at the next meeting depending upon when you'll need to receive them all. Do you only need children's sizes? I can't believe a whole year has rolled around already!
Posted by: Michelle | October 17, 2007 at 11:58 PM
Count me in too!
Posted by: patti | October 18, 2007 at 06:10 AM
I was hoping you would do this again this year! I am all geared up to knit mittens this fall, and I will send you a few pairs when I get them made. I will also spread the word on my blog and to some of the groups I belong to online.
Posted by: Priscilla | October 18, 2007 at 07:19 AM
Count me in again, Lynne. What a great project this is.
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 18, 2007 at 08:51 AM
Great project Lynn! I won't have time to knit anything, but I'll hit the local Walmart and send some store-bought ones off your way. Just post the mailing address.
Posted by: Dorothy | October 18, 2007 at 09:38 AM
Are there any fiber requirements for the mittens? Can I use non-superwash wool?
Posted by: monica | October 18, 2007 at 12:35 PM
I was just wondering about this yesterday. I guess I'd better get started. :)
Posted by: Beth | October 18, 2007 at 09:10 PM
I have attempted mittens once and got very messed up on the thumb. Shall I even commit? What if I commit and mess up and cannot follow through, I would feel very awful. I was browsing the patterns...which is the simplist? Lynne, kindly reply
Posted by: Julie | October 19, 2007 at 10:49 AM
Great cause to keep those hands warm! If you need patterns I have a lot linked from this page:
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/winter.html#MITTENS
I have been making them for orphans via LDS Humanitarians Orphanage module this year. The world will be a whole bunch warmer this winter!
Bev
http://bevq.blogspot.com
Posted by: Bev Q | October 19, 2007 at 07:35 PM
I'm so glad to hear you are doing this again. It's a wonderful way to share the blessing of warmth with someone else (though it's 70 degrees here too!). I will try to knit something but if not, I will send ready made.
Will you be at Rhinebeck? I'll be there on Saturday, and I'd love to meet you in person if you can go.
Posted by: Debby | October 19, 2007 at 10:17 PM
I loved doing this last year. I'm definatly in again. What a blessing you are to these ministries!
Posted by: Paula | October 24, 2007 at 11:33 PM
Lynne,
Is your address still the same as last year for the mittens?
Thanks,
Paula
Posted by: Paula | November 07, 2007 at 10:42 PM