Baby Blankets and Socks Campaign: Warm Hands Network (end date 8/31/10)

Wool-Aid is supporting Warm Hands’ fall campaign dedicated to baby blankets and socks.

Items are destined for the 400 children in the Innu community in Northern Labrador and will be delivered through the Warm Hands Network. These children live in a very isolated area and are often forgotten.

Within the community, items are distributed through The Next Generation Guardians – a group of Innu women in Northern Labrador working to help the next generation learn life skills and preserve and protect their Innu language and culture.

The Next Generation Guardians want to be able to give every new baby born in the year a blanket when they come into the clinic. This gets young moms into the clinic (a definite plus) and it sends some good kharma into the atmosphere when a teeny baby gets something they will have around them for the next few years. And, of course, because each of the children needs multiple pairs of socks, the need for socks is ongoing.

Our end date is August 31, 2010 for receipt of items at Wool-Aid, so that we can have our Wool-Aid contributions sorted, shipped, and received in Canada by the end of September.

GUIDELINES FOR SOCK KNITTERS for this campaign:

• Wool (at least 80% wool/animal fiber)
• Worsted weight or heavier yarn
• As a rule of thumb, the leg of the sock (cuff-to-bottom of foot) should be as long as the foot of the sock (heel-to-toe), up to a maximum of about 10 inches for the leg.
• Socks are needed for children of all ages, but tiny socks for newborns aren’t as useful because Innu babies tend to be larger at birth – more often 10 lbs. or more.
• There is a particular need for children 5-15 years old.
• Please tie socks of a pair together, with a bow at the top of the cuff, before sending.
• A sock pattern that incorporates all of these guidelines is Cozy Toes by Christiane Burkhard.

GUIDELINES FOR BABY BLANKETS for this campaign:

• Wool (at least 80% wool/animal fiber)
• Worsted weight or heavier yarn
• Baby blankets should measure about 40”×40” so that babies can be well wrapped. This is a guideline — something to guide us in providing a large enough blanket to wrap a 10-pound newborn in, knowing that this blanket will be needed to provide a good deal of warmth. They can be square or rectangular; they can be somewhat larger or a bit smaller.
• Please choose a pattern that creates a dense, warm blanket; a blanket that is lacy or airy will simply not be warm enough.
• Baby blankets can be either knitted or crocheted.

Suggested baby blanket patterns:

Mystery Baby Blanket by Christiane Burkhard

Granite Stitch Baby Blanket for Wool-Aid (crochet) by Debbie Cowherd

If you are able, a contribution to help share the cost of shipping expenses to Canada would be appreciated. See how to donate to Wool-Aid for details.