Summary of 2014

It was five years ago that knitters gathered in the library of a neighborhood church and launched the Hats for the Homeless project; word quickly spread to knitters in our community and 300 hats were collected. Read on about the amazing number of donations we received this year. We now have hats coming in from all across the country.

 Early December volunteers gathered at Steven B’s yarn shop in Minneapolis to count and to sort hats to get ready for distribution. We counted, we sorted, we made huge piles of hats for men, women, and children – 1700 hats had been knit along with 250 scarves. This was early December and within the next two weeks 800 more hats arrived along with 140 scarves! We ended up collecting 2500 hats and close to 400 scarves.

With this amazing number of hats and scarves, we were able to donate to 26 agencies and schools in our community that serve the homeless and those marginally housed. As we delivered the goods to these agencies, we talked to the people in charge and asked for feedback and how we could best serve their needs. Based on this information, we are making some changes for 2015.

Changes for 2015

• With the early onset of cold weather in 2014, we have decided to deliver hats and scarves to the agencies in late October—early November so that they are prepared when the cold weather hits.
• After reading recent articles in the newspaper about homeless statistics in our community and talking with school social workers, we will be collecting hats for school aged kids and delivering them to schools serving a high population of homeless kids.
• This year for the first time, homeless people standing in line on a bitter cold day waiting for a hot lunch at Mary’s Place, asked for scarves. We need more scarves.

A warm thanks to all the knitters in our community and across the country who knit for the project and in turn tell their friends about the project. People often ask me how many people are knitting for the project…my answer, “I don’t know…but many.” When knitting hats and scarves, keep in mind we are going after WARMTH….hats that are long enough to cover the ears and have a wide enough cuff to double up for extra protection and scarves should be about 8 inches wide and at least 42 inches long.
Barbara Melom

Knitting for Charity

Winter is just around the corner and 100’s of hats are needed to keep heads warm this winter. HATS FOR THE HOMELESS will be hosting a day of charity knitting at Steven Be's on Tuesday, November 11th. Pack up your needles and yarn and join us for this all day event. We will begin at 10:30 and continue until 7:30; stay as long as your schedule permits. Bring along a bag lunch; beverages and treats will be provided. Always surprises in store with new patterns and bins of yarn. We will also be collecting food items to donate to the Emergency Foodshelf.

Date: Tuesday, November 11th

Time: 10:30 am until 7:30 pm

Place: Steven Be

           3448 Chicago Avenue S.
           Minneapolis, MN

Spread the word to your knitting pals and join us for this fun filled and inspirational day as we knit hats; scarves and mittens are okay to pass along to those in need! As always we will have experienced knitters on hand to help you get started if this is your first hat.

Hat Pattern

Here is a pattern that uses bulky yarn and the designer is from Minnesota. The pattern can be found on Ravelry and is called The Grand Marais Hat. Use this link to go to Ravelry so you can download this pattern. It is a fun pattern to knit and works up quickly. You can use one color or up to three colors, it is your choice.

The Grand Marais Hat pattern Katie Chameleon

If you do not frequent Ravelry, it is a great site to find patterns, share what you are working on, keep track of your needles and your yarn stash, just to give you some ideas what is available. Also you can follow your favorite pattern designers, yarn shops, etc. You will need to set up a username and password .

The Grand Marais Hat pattern by Katie Chameleon

Happy knitting. Hope you enjoy this pattern.

Hats for 2014

We are accepting hats for 2014. They are due the first week of December.

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Please join us when we knit at Butter Bakery Cafe this fall. We get together on the third Saturday of the month from 11:00 until 1:00. The address is 3700 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55409. We will be there on Saturday, September 20th; Saturday, October 18th and Saturday, November 15th. Hope you can join us on one or all of these dates.

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Completed hats may be delivered to these businesses:

Ingebretsen’s
1601 E. Lake Street.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-729-9331

StevenBe
3448 Chicago Ave. So.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-259-7525

Linden Yarn & Textile, Inc.
5814 Excelsior Boulevard
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
952-303-3895

OR

Hats may be mailed to:
Hats for the Homeless
c/o Barbara Melom
5314 Penn Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55419

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Summary of 2013

 

One can only say “Thank You”

in just so many ways.

We hope the method chosen here

will be one that truly stays.

Hats for the Homeless has grown

in the hands of knitters whose caring

will put 2160 beautiful caps

on the heads of folks who’ll be wearing

much more than colorful cotton

as they face Minnesota weather-

they’ll know that the gift they’re wearing

means we’re all truly knit together.

So “Thank you” to all who created these gifts.

Each year we give more and the mission is true

to reach out in love and experience the blessing

to tell folks “We care about you.”

 

Items have come in from all across the country. Ragga from Iceland sent us a hat as well as Steven West who lives in Amsterdam....both well known knitting designers! Start your projects for next year!

We’ll be meeting the 3rd Saturday of every month at Butter Bakery on 37th and Nicollet from 11:00 until 1:00. Bring your yarn and knitting needles and join other knitters from the neighborhood. Hope to see you on Saturday, January 18th.

We never really have a final count as hats keep coming year round...as of mid December 2013 we had received 2160 hats and many scarves, some socks, and a few pair of mittens. So far we have delivered hats to 16 agencies in town who serve the homeless and those living on the edge. As you all know it has been an extremely cold and snowy winter in Minneapolis.

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Barbara Melom
 

Hats!

 

Thanks to the knitters from General Mills who arrived at Steven Be’s a few Sundays ago with a huge pile of hats...well, 212 to be exact. They spent the afternoon knitting, shopping, and looking for new hat patterns. It was a fun day to meet some of the knitters in our community who are knitting for Hats for the Homeless. 

 

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Question: "How many hats does it take to fill a Volkswagon?" 





Answer: "Nobody knows, there is still room for more hats."


Grandma Bernice says: "Better keep knitting so we can fill up the car!” 

 

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The greatest need is for basic hats knit for men in dark solid colors....navy blue, black, grey, and brown...preferably washable wool. Large and extra large...when in doubt knit it an inch longer to cover the ears.

We will be collecting hats throughout the winter. Hats can be dropped off at Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Shop on Lake St. and 16th Avenue, Linden Hills Yarn and Textile Center on Excelsior Blvd, Steven Be’s Yarn Shop on 35th and Chicago, or at the front desk at the YMCA on York Avenue in Edina.

Next Event: Knitters will be getting together on Saturday, December 21 st. at Butter Bakery located on 37th and Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. We will meet at 11:00 am until 1:00 pm or as late as you want to stay. Butter Bakery, a locally owned neighborhood restaurant, has delicious food at reasonable prices and good lighting for knitting. Bring along the latest hat you are working on and spend this time with other kindred spirits. We will be meeting there regularly on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Join us and bring along a friend.

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In the newspaper

Yesterday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune had a really nice story about the Hats for the Homeless project. How it began and how it has expanded. Here is a link to the newspaper article. A big thank you to all community knitters who have helped expand this charity project.

Lots of knitting happening.

Knitters from all over the Twin Cities attended our “Hats for the Homeless” kick-off on October 15th at StevenBe Studio/Yarn Garage. Thirty-five knitters logged in 99 hours of knitting time; many arrived with bags full of hats that they had knit over the summer. We are off to a good start....having collected 215 hats on October 15th.

Who are we? We are everyday people who have a passion for knitting and want to share the “Gift of Warmth” with folks who have hit hard times in their lives; many are living in shelters and others don’t know from one night to another where they will be sleeping.

What happens at a charity knitting event? It’s a very exciting and busy day watching all the knitters working on their project and connecting with other knitters in the community; we exchange patterns, knitting tips, talk about wool vs. acrylic (everyone has their favorite) and whether we pick or throw when we knit. Let’s take a look...

• Jean is newly retired and loves spending an afternoon with other knitters
• Michele is weaving in ends on the big pile of hats she has finished
• Lisa just finished her first hat
• Mary is teaching Jean how to knit
• Linda knows lots of knitters and has promised to spread the word about knitting “Hats for the Homeless”
• Ann arrives with four bags full of hats that her church knitting group has made
• Joyce can knit Latvian mittens but wonders if she can figure out how to knit a hat
• Jeremy and Bridget are kept busy answering questions, helping with yarn selections and keeping the coffee pot and teapot full.

Reminders:
We need adult large and extra large hats knit in darker colors....kids heads are bigger than you think.

Hats are due early December at the various drop-off sites listed.

 

Linden Yarn & Textile, Inc.
5814 Excelsior Boulevard
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
952-303-3895

StevenBe Studio/Yarn Garage
3448 Chicago Ave. So.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-259-7525

Ingebretsen’s
1601 E. Lake Street.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-729-9331

Let’s meet up at Butter Bakery on 37th and Nicollet.....on Saturday, November 16th at 11:00 a.m. Bring along your knitting.

Questions, please contact:
Barb Melom
bjm@visi.com

Charity Knitters

Hats for the Homeless will be having a fall “kick-off” for all the charity knitters in the community. Join us for this fun filled day of knitting and connecting with other knitters in our community. Bring your current charity knitting project. Also bring along a snack to share and we’ll provide the beverages. We have some new patterns to share and as usual, Steven will have bargain baskets of yarn for us to dig through....yarn ideal for hats. We will have experienced knitters on hand to help. Come for the day ...or as long as your schedule permits.
Date: Tuesday, October 15th
Time: 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Place: StevenBe Yarn Shop
35th and Chicago Ave So
Minneapolis, MN
RSVP: bjm@visi.com

 

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Upcoming Events

We are into our 5th season of knitting “Hats for the Homeless” that are donated to shelters and schools in Minneapolis. We are off to a good start – over 300 hats have arrived so far and it’s only September and was 95 degrees outside a few days ago, but we all know cooler weather is on the way.

We have several events on the calendar, our way of connecting the knitters in our community. We will be knitting in public at these two markets:

• Saturday, September 15 at Midtown Farmers Market on 23rd and East Lake Street
  from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon.

• Saturday, October 5 at Fulton Farmers Market on 49th and Chowen Avenue South
  from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon.

Bring along a knitting project, a chair and shopping bag for picking up fresh locally grown veggies. We’ll have patterns and experienced knitters on hand to help out newer knitters.



 

 

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Calling all “Charity Knitters in the Community” for a big get-together on Thursday, October 10th at StevenBe’s located at 35th and Chicago. We’ll begin at 5:00 pm – bring along a snack to share, beverages will be provided. RSVP for this event to bjm@visi.com. Bring your knitting, such as your current hat project, to work on and invite a friend to enjoy this gathering.
Please note: date for this gathering has changed to Tuesday, October 15th, 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

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Drop off sites are as follows:

Linden Yarn & Textile, Inc.
5814 Excelsior Boulevard
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
952-303-3895

StevenBe
3448 Chicago Ave. So.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-259-7525

Ingebretsen’s
1601 E. Lake Street.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-729-9331

 

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Hats are due the first week of December 2013.

 

Summary of 2012

GIVE THE GIFT OF WARMTH

HATS FOR THE HOMELESS

 A big warm thank you to knitters and stitchers all across the country who sent beautiful warm and wooly hats and scarves to cold Minneapolis to be given to the homeless and other people in need. Close to twenty agencies received donations from us. Several of the shelters allowed us to come in and hand out our hats and scarves….as the folks inquired about where the items had come from, they were really touched when told that the hats and scarves were made just for them. It was very heart-warming to watch the folks look over the new hats/scarves and choose one they really liked.

With the help of Ravelry and other social media, the number of hats received this year exceeded 1,550 and as of today, January 23, 2013, hats are still arriving in the mail and knitters are dropping off items at our local yarn shops. Scarves numbered over 200.

Just this week on the front page of the Star Tribune was this article “Homeless numbers hit highs not seen in a decade.” The Wilder Foundation research on homelessness in 2009 counted over 9,600 homeless adults, youth, and children living in shelters, transitional housing and on the streets. This increase in homelessness can be attributed to job loss, housing foreclosures, lack of affordable housing, and tough economic times. Keep sending hats and scarves our way!

Looking ahead in 2013, we will be scheduling several “Knit for Charity” days throughout the year at Steven Be’s on 35^th and Chicago Ave. In Minneapolis, we’ll continue to “knit in public” at farmers’ markets – talking to new stitchers about the project. Knitting groups are popping up in coffee shops and I’ve been told there is even a group of knitters who meet on Friday nights at an Irish pub to knit hats. Church and senior knitting groups also donate to the cause.

A few reminders:

·         Adult large and extra large

·         Preferably washable wool

·         Men prefer dark solid colors

·         Women and kids like more colorful hats

·         When in doubt, knit the hat an inch or two longer, to give the ears extra protection

·         Drop down a needle size to get a nice tight stitch

Hats for the Homeless drop off sites:

Linden Yarn & Textile, Inc.

5814 Excelsior Boulevard

St. Louis Park, MN  55416

952-303-3895

StevenBe

3448 Chicago Ave. So.

Minneapolis, MN  55407

612-259-7525

Ingebretsen’s

1601 E. Lake Street.

Minneapolis, MN  55407

612-729-9331

Again, With Warmest Wishes and Thanks to all the stitchers,...to the yarn shops for collecting the items and being there to answer questions,...to those who helped sort and count the hats and scarves,...those who helped with delivery,...all of you who showed up on Saturdays to knit in public at the farmers’ market,...thanks to the knitters who helped new people learn to knit,...to those who donated yarn,...the tech support – hope I didn’t miss anyone. Hats for the Homeless is truly a community wide project that brings people together – knitting for a cause.

Barbara Melom

bjm@visi.com
babzzzym@gmail.com

Interview with KARE11

I did an interview with a local TV station a few weeks ago regarding the Hats for the Homeless project. The filming took place at Steven Be's. It was on air during the 5:00 pm news on KARE11 last night. Here is the link to the interview.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=1000111

Keep knitting!

Charity Knitting Day

CALLING ALL CHARITY KNITTERS

Help us make a difference in our community this Holiday Season!

Charity Knitting Day and Collection Drive at StevenBe

Saturday, November 17th - 11am to 3pm

We're just like you. We're teachers, business executives, parents, retirees, students...you name it. But the one thing we all have in common is our dedication to those in need. Join us at StevenBe for this day where we combine our Passion, our Neighbors, and our Community in the ultimate acts of charity. Barb Melom and Joan Gilbertson head up this charity knitting day bringing groups and individuals from all over the city to support Hats for the Homeless and the StevenBe Creative Community Foundation.

POT LUCK - CHARITY KNITTING - FREE PATTERNS - HAT DONATIONS

Let us know you are attending

RSVP to bjm@visi.com or

StevenBe at 612-259-7525



Your Passion
Knitting for charity allows you to follow your fiber passion
while contributing to a cause that's important to all of us.




 Your Neighbors

We're all in this together. And volunteering is  a great
 way to meet and get to know others in your fiber
community and beyond.





Your Community

Your contributions will be distributed to local
organizations recognized by hats for the homeless.

 



 

HATS FOR THE HOMELESS



 

Updates

Hope you have been able to do some knitting with the weather changing to much cooler.

Another place to drop off your completed hats is Ingelbretsen's at 1601 East Lake Street, Minneapolis.

Regarding the day of charity knitting at StevenB's, Saturday, Nov. 17 from 11:00 - 3:00 p.m. This is going to be a potluck lunch instead of a catered lunch which was stated in the last post. Please bring a dish to share.

Enjoy all the great colors fall brings.

October/November event updates

Leaves are falling and temperatures are dropping which is a sign that winter is on its way.  We are hoping to have one more outdoor"knitting in public" before the snow falls.

Sunday, October 21st, we'll be at the Linden Hills Farmers Market at 43rd Street and Upton Avenue So.--in the parking lot next to Settergren's Hardware Store.  We'll be there from 9 to 12 noon with hat samples and patterns.  Bring your knitting and join us.


Saturday, November 17th, we'll be getting together for a full day of charity knitting at Steven B's Yarn Garage over on 34th and Chicago Avenue So.  There will be be yarn, patterns, hat samples and lunch will be served for $10.00  Be sure to RSVP for this event so that we know how much food we need to order. 
RSVP to : bjm@visi.com or call the yarn shop at 612-259-7525. Time:  11:00 to 3:00 p.m.

It appears that knitters have been busy working on hats, as we have close to 200 on hand and quite a few scarves.  There are many variations to the basic Watch Cap pattern.  A hat that I recently received called "Classic World War II Watch Cap" has a beautiful star finish on top of the hat.  If you Google, "Classic World War II Wtach Cap", you will be given a Ravelry site for the pattern....scroll down and choose the direct download...pdf option.  This might be a pattern you'd like to try.

HATS ARE DUE BY MID-DECEMBER. Drop off sites:  Steven B's Yarn Garage on 34th and Chicago,
Linden Hills Yarn Shop at 2720 W. 43rd St. and First Universalist Church at 3400 Dupont Ave. S

Classic World War II Watch Cap

Upcoming events for 2012

HATS FOR THE HOMELESS

Hats for the Homeless will be launching its 4th year of knitting hats to be distributed to local shelters in the Minneapolis area.  In 2011, we collected over 1200 hats.  Winters are cold in Minnesota, so we prefer washable wool for the extra warmth it provides.  Dark solid colors with no pom-poms on top seem to be the style preferred by our recepients. Patterns will be available.

September Events

September 15th on Saturday, we will be knitting at the Midtown Farmers Market on Lake Street and Hiawatha Ave. from 9:30 to 12:30.  Bring along your needles and yarn for working on a hat.  Also a shopping bag for picking up some fresh locally grown veggies. Bring along a lawn chair.

September 22nd on Saturday we will be knitting at the Fulton Farmers Market on 50th Street and Chowen Avenue So. from 9:30 to 12:30.  Again bring along your knitting supplies for working on a hat.  There is also a vendor selling beautifully hand-spun yarn at this market.

Both markets have great food vendors for a mid morning snack.

Rounding out 2011

We are humbled and honored to report that we have received and distributed 1,200 hats and 200 scarves this winter season thus far. TWELVE HUNDRED! Wow. Knitters, you have outdone yourselves with the amazingly beautiful and warm hats and accessories that you have made with your own two hands for our homeless friends. Each and every one was given to a person in need and each and every person in need was grateful. And we are continually grateful for your efforts, handiwork and kindness.

A complete list of collaborating organizations will be posted soon. For now, we are still weaving in a few loose ends and still collecting and giving hats (Old Man Winter seems to have finally arrived here in the Northland, and it's cold). And...we're still knitting too.

Please continue to send in hats throughout the winter and we will be sure to share them with those in need.

Thank you! May 2012 find you happy and warm.

Halfway There!

With the addition of another beautiful 72 hats just today, we are now officially at our halfway mark to our goal! Keep 'em coming, wonderful knitters! We can totally do this.

So many beautifully warm hats have been coming in, see the tally to the right! -->

The only trouble with these incredible hats is that the vast majority of them are for women and children. We will gladly (happily! joyously!) distribute these hats to the women and children, but our male homeless neighbors may be left in the cold at this rate.

Please consider knitting a much larger hat with very plain, dark wool and don't put any creative flairs on it. I know, I know, that's very hard for creative knitters to imagine! But trust me, they will be warmly received and very much appreciated. See pattern notes above or previous blog posts below for details on the hats for men.

And...THANK YOU!!

When in doubt, knit it LARGE!

We are in need of LARGE HATS FOR MEN. As you think about your knitting for Hats for the Homeless, please consider knitting a hat for a man. Make it big (bigger than you think, really large), dark, and solid-colored (time and time again, we've been told by the men who've received our hats that they just don't like the patterns, brights or even stripes). We have so many BEAUTIFUL hats for women and kids, but now it's time to focus on the men for a semi-balanced ratio to distribute this year. Thanks!

Going Strong

We are off to an amazing start this year and just wish that we could broadcast an ongoing THANK YOU ticker on this blog and elsewhere to all of those who have knit hats (and scarves and mittens...) and to all of those who are telling friends about Hats for the Homeless. It's truly an organic project and is so fun to see it grow. We have received 20% of our goal for this year and have already put a lot of those warm woollies out into the community. Just today, 55 hats went to a Minneapolis ECFE group for under-privileged kids whose families can use some help this winter. It may be 75 degrees now, but we all know it won't be for long.

We spread the word to piles of knitters at two local farmer's markets this fall--Fulton Farmer's Market and the Midtown Farmer's Market--and had a lot of fun sitting and knitting with so many of you in the presence of good food, great fun and lots of curious people. These knit in public charity knitting events are a great tool to spread the word and create excitement about Hats for the Homeless, so watch for details of more events to come!

Here's another great article about Hats for the Homeless too: "Knitting for a Cause: Hats for the Homeless." Thank you, Allison Nowak of the Southwest Minneapolis Patch!

Kick-Off Party

Bring your knitting supplies and join us for an afternoon of knitting as we kick-off our “Hats for the Homeless” for the upcoming winter. We will have patterns and experienced knitters on hand to help with questions. Spread the word and bring a friend!

StevenBe's Yarn Garage
3448 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, 55407
Saturday, August 27, noon-3pm

RSVP: bjm AT visi DOT com ~or~ joangilby AT gmail DOT com