In October, we gathered around the fireplace at Silverwood, warmed by good company and hot drinks. We received 20 items, many of them time-consuming blankets and shawls.

It was our month for red, white and blue items -- and you all came through with such gorgeous items! They'll be donated to the VA Hospital in November in honor of Veterans Day. We donated there last year, as well, after learning that they're always in need of amply-sized lapghans for ailing vets. (Read about our previous donations here.)

Special shout out to Alexys Tellinghusen!! We received this message in our inbox:

A huge THANK YOU to Alexys Tellinghusen for the fabulous purple hat that I found at MN Oncology in Minneapolis.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and I will wear it often (I am wearing it right now).

I am sending love right back to you.
Beth

Click here to read more about our donation in January 2015 to Minnesota Oncology in Minneapolis.

Terri Shoberg had this to say about the three hats she received from Team Yarn - Head Huggers in October 2015:

Tricia Brownlee [of the Morning Blend Bible Study at Park Ave. United Methodist Church] delivered 3 very cute hats to me a couple of weeks ago. I love them & they are much lighter to wear around the house than my wig. Thank you so much for your kindness.

In September, we crested over 2,000 total items fashioned by Team Yarn members! Wow! What an accomplishment -- and we're not even in our third year yet. You are all so wonderful!

Volunteers donated 69 items in all in September bringing our total to 2,063.

As we have previously, we incorporated purple into our hats and other items in memory of Cheryl Slater, and then donated these items to the Harbor Room in Cambridge in October. (That blog post is coming soon.)

 It was one of those days when it was hot in the sun... and cool in the shade!

Are you interested in donating yarn 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 blog post for you!!

First, we really want you to know that we value quality over quantity. We want to be sure we're honoring those who receive our donations by gifting them things we would like to receive ourselves. We are known at our donation sites for bringing beautiful, well-crafted, and comforting items to be shared with patients. We want to keep up that reputation by continuing to deliver high quality 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, and Fun Fur
• Red Heart Soft (only the Soft kind)
• Bernat Boa
• Paton Metallic
• Isaac Mizrahi

Thanks a bunch to all of you who are part of this Team! We couldn't do it without you!