It doesn't take long to whip up a toy when you've had a bit of practice. This means there are those of us out there who have probably made more than we can possibly give away to baby toting pals. The solution is to give them away to a total stranger in one of the loveliest examples of giving graffiti I have seen so far.
I'm proud to introduce to you The Toy Society. A group who are intent on passing along those handcrafted huggables you create to those who need them. They are a world collective of toy makers who giving away their creations in Australia in 2008 and now have over 2500 members worldwide.
The idea is to make a toy, seal it in a bag with a "Take me home. I'm Yours." note and a tag with an ID number, leave it somewhere to be found, and then post it on the Toy Society blog.
Drops and finds can be tracked on the blog, but often the toys just go on their journey without the maker knowing where.
It's a lovely idea for those who enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling of passing on their hard-crafted creations and a chance to get on with a a little giving in your local areas.
Still sceptical? A look through the Why Join stories will definitely help.
To sign up and become a Toy Dropper visit the Toy Society.
Your creation could end up creating something even bigger. Get out there and give!
It's the time of year when knitters nationwide start click-clacking away in an endeavour to make more tiny hats for fruit drink bottles than any knitter has ever knit before. Yes folks, The Big Knit is back.
Each year Innocent, kings of the smoothie, call on the knitting masses to conjure up mountains of tiny hats. The hats are then sent out into stores and perch upon bottles until some lucky shopper comes along and buys them, smoothie and all.
For every behatted bottle sold, 25p will be donated to Age UK (formerly Age Concern). Fruity goodness for you and a warm glow in your heart for everyone.
Everything you need to know, including some free patterns, is on the Innocent website.
The knitting deadline is October 5.
How many tiny hats do you think you can cram in by then. Race you!
Your craft has been making an impact on your communities all over the place from Art Yarn's projects up north to Mrs Smith in Devon community craft is getting out there and putting smiles on faces. Local heroes are being handmade through their handmade. And now it's possible for you to reward those effort with the Tell Us Your Story campaign.
Tell Us Your Story is a project giving people the opportunity to recognise and reward people who've made a positive impact on their lives or in their community over the past year.
Aviva will donate £1 to the Street to School Programme for every entry. Street to School is a global initiative with the aim of reaching 500,000 children worldwide, helping them get off the streets and back into education. Every year in the UK, 100,000 children run away because they're unwanted, unloved or abused and many are never reported missing, and this charity is helping those children.
A prize of £1000 will also be awarded weekly to the local hero that captures the hearts of visitors to the site and wins most votes with one overall winner, chosen by a celebrity judging panel for a prize worth £10,000.
Nominate your heroes at Tell Us Your Story.
Knitting can be a cathartic thing when you're going through the shock and sadness of losing someone. It's with this in mind that residents of Oak Hill in West Virginia, USA came together to knit an epic scarf for someone they had loved and sadly lost.
The 1,700-foot pink hand-knitted scarf was stitched in honour of Terri Massey, a 41-year-old Oak Hill woman who had recently been lost to breast cancer. From a small idea the scarf grew until it was large enough to surround the local stadium as a decoration for their charity 'Relay for Life'.
Charity knits like this are comforting for those who feel hopeless in the face of cancer and other illnesses. I know this very well after the London Lion Scarf project I ran with Stitch London in 2007. We were sent scarf contributions from 15 different countries around the world and each had a story some sad, some silly and all heart-squeezingly poignant.
The Oak Hill Scarf will now make its way around other events to raise more awareness.
There are even instructions to knit or crochet your own part if you wish to join in.
Spring has certainly sprung but that doesn't stop it getting a bit chilly after dark. It's always good to have something to keep your cockles warm when the weather turns and I've tracked down a free scarf pattern that is made for nippy nights out on the town.
Cotton and Cloud are purveyors of lovely little knitting and sewing patterns that are original, different and inspiring. Much of their inspiration comes from Japan, as the owner Kyoko was born in Japan before moving to London.
The Frilled City Scarf is a simple but quirky little knit. It involves a crochet cast on, an easy cable pattern and the ability to 'make bobbles' in your knitting. All of these techniques are helpfully shown in the free pattern.
The pattern also has two versions: a long and a short scraf to make it adaptable for different weathers.
The really cool part is that the pattern is being used to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund too. You can donate whichever amount you feel appropriate here.
A frilly bit of fibre-flinging to keep you warm when the weather turns. And the chance to check out some cool Japanese goodies and hug a panda.
The stretching, muscle pulling and cheering of the 2012 Olympics are racing towards us and craft will not be left behind. Quilts4London are inviting those handy with a sewing needle to stitch an Olympic pennant.
They're looking for 12,000 pennants to represent the UK's athletes in a National Olympic Textile Project you should be able to see from anywhere in the stands.
The pennants can be made in any shape and design and they're calling for any genre of craft that involves sewing to join in.
Helpful guidelines for how to make your pennant can be found here and there's an even handier video taking you through step by step here.
The deadline for all contributions is December 2011 but it's never to soon to get your needle and thread in training.
For more details and an address to send to go to the Quilts4London website.
Kids are so very easy to craft for. Knit them an urchin-sized hat, stitch them a squishy bear, snuggle them up in the squares of a handmade quilt. They're always fascinated by the process of making things and will probably be the most fun to make for as they'll love it the more individual it is.
The Kids Company charity was set up to make the lives of wee ones a bit brighter. They "promote and support emotional well-being" and bring a little love into the lives of London's less well-off kids.
Member of Zurich Stitch and Bitch, Nicki Auf der Maur, got in touch with me recently to let me know about her "Wrap Up a Kiddie" project. She invites you to use your craft to make a tiny person's day.
You can donate fabric or yarn, make cushions or quilts, knit scarves, hats, cardigans or mittens or even stitch pictures. Basically any kid-friendly craft is welcome.
See how you can help on the Handmade Gifts for Vulnerable Children website and help to Colour a Child's Life.
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