Knits for Animals

There are so many different ways to help people with our knitting needles and bits of yarn, but did you know you can also help animals with the work of your needles?

Many animal shelters will accept gifts of washable blankets that can be used to line cages and give animals a bit of warmth and comfort. And there are national projects like The Snuggles Project, which provides knit blankets to shelters (to sign up with this charity "costs" a $10 donation to the project).

If you'd like to help shelter animals, start locally by contacting your town's Humane Society or ASPCA. Find out what their needs are and if they would accept blankets. They might be able to give you guidance as to the sizes that would be best as well.

This type of knitting project can be simple garter stitch or other basic patterns, and you can use up the wildest yarns in your stash since no dog or cat is going to complain about the loud colors.

Knitting for animals is a great charity knitting project for new knitters and younger knitters as well, since there's no shaping involved. It's an easy project with a big reward (go play with the dogs when you make your blanket delivery, too).