Yep, our Snow Bird Bernice is back, and she brought a whole bunch of blankets and other items to our May 2017 meet-up! Plus, we welcomed newcomer Charlene Cervenka to our group and hope to see more of her!

Newcomer Charlene brought a bag full of fun hats!

Checking the size on an available head :)

The Younger Crew on their regular ramble in the park.

Sandi Fischer, age 62, of Isanti joined our Team in 2016, and ended the year as one of our top contributors with 174 items! She was surprised to learn of her annual tally. 

"I just love making hats, and thinking that they might brighten someone's day makes it so special to me," said Fischer.

Why did she join us? "I got involved with Team Yarn because I really wanted to donate hats, but I'm disabled, so I can't get out to do it myself. I was so thrilled to find you!" stated Fischer.Her mother-in-law taught her to crochet back in 1984. "She taught me the basic stitches, then got me a booklet for a sampler afghan that used all those stitches and taught me many more," recalled Fischer. 

She isn't one to follow a set pattern. "Most of the time I combine patterns/techniques and just play and see what I come up with," she noted. 

Fischer crochets in the winter, and does beading in the summer. She already has a big bin of hats ready to donate next fall via our Cambridge drop-off site at the Century 21 office (202 Main St. S. Cambridge.)


Thanks for all you do!!

Are you interested in donating to Team Yarn, but you don't know what to buy? Do you know someone who wants to donate, but they need some recommendations? Then this is the post for you!!

First, we want you to know that we value quality over quantity. We want to honor the people receiving our donations with high quality, beautiful, well-crafted items. So, although the temptation may be to fill up your cart as much as possible, we'd way rather receive a smaller donation of the softest, squishiest yarn you can afford.

Second, we know it can still be really, really hard to know what to choose. So, we've created this list. It is not exhaustive, but it can be helpful if you're standing in the yarn aisle feeling stuck. Here are some yarns we love:
Loops & Threads: especially Charisma or Impeccable
Caron Simply Soft
Lion Brand: especially Heartland, Vanna's Choice, Homespun
Deborah Norville yarns
Isaac Mizrahi yarns
Bernat Chunky

Please, please, NO Red Heart yarn, unless it is the kind the specifically says "soft." Although this Team can work wonders with pretty much anything, we have enough of this yarn to challenge us for quite some time yet.

Thank you so very much! We couldn't do it without you!

by Amy Pass

Hello Team! We made some changes to the "Yarn, Patterns & Guidelines" page of the blog. Most notably, we added these TWO points on hat sizing:

1) There is NOT a significant demand for child or infant sized hats. We have been turned down by children's hospitals because they have a greater need for teen hats, which, simply put, means adult sizes. If you've already made child/infant hats, we will certainly find a home for them. However, as a group, we're trying to reduce the number of small hats we produce.

2) Experience has taught us that a comfortable adult hat that stays on the head should come down far enough to cover the tips of the ears. There is a tendency, especially among beginners, to make hats that are too short. Use your own head or the head of a friend or family member to measure!

The "Yarn, Patterns & Guidelines" page is also where you can find a longer list of yarn that we especially love! And there are links to a few free pattern pages. I've taken the link to the Team Yarn Pinterest page down for now, as there are a whole lot of children's hats on that page!
Thanks again for all the work you do! Keep Saving the World One Stitch at a Time!