"Thank you so much," Susan Lombardi told us as we dropped off items at Woodwinds Hospital on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. In all, we donated 11 shawls, 2 capelets, 11 blankets and 45 hats.

"This is the time of year we're going through stuff," she added. She praised the quality of the workmanship of the items we dropped off. "When it's handmade, it's very personal for people."

Read more about past donations to Woodwinds here.

See the past Team Yarn donations in this basket in the entryway?

"This is awesome," Barb told us as we dropped off 60 hats in two boxes at St. John's Hospital on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. "They're all so cute!"

She told us this was the perfect time of year for a donation of hats at their site.

More about past donations to St. John's here.

During a weekend remembering Cheryl, we dropped donations by 3 hospitals. Our first stop on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018 was Children's Masonic Hospital.

Three boxes included 129 hats and one teddy bear. Of those, 84 were infant/premie. At a rough estimate of $15 a hat, that's a donation valued at about $2,754.

I know a woman in Finland who is a true Wonder Woman, battling cancer with a smile on her face. Rare and powerful. When I heard that a my mom's cousin's daughter was diagnosed with cancer in April, I started working on a shawl for her. It took a bit as I worked through gardening season, but I finished it in the fall and shipped it over. May it bring you strength, Danna.

When they called us up, we headed straight over with a few huge boxes full of handmade items.

Read about our past donations to St. John's here.

When we hear from friends about folks in their lives battling cancer, we like to send them with a few things from Team Yarn to spread comfort and hope.

This spring, we sent four hats, 2 shawls and a blanket with Arlette for her sister and others.

Juli's neighbor was blessed with a shawl and three hats (so she has some choices when it comes to head coverings).

And Gonne walked away from Amy's car with an armful of shawls/blankets for Peter Wohler's family, a local pastor with cancer. We know that it can be pretty tough to have a family member with cancer, and so we like to make sure spouses and kids have a piece of comfort, as well.

"Thank you so much," Allison Stratton told us when we dropped off 88 items at Southdale Hospital on April 23, 2018. She praised the creativity, uniqueness and quality of the 70 hats, 8 scarves, 3 blankets, 3 cowls, and 2 shawls. Plus, this batch of donations included 2 fiddlemuffs - items great for fiddling with during a cancer treatment.

See more about Southdale here.

For the past four years, we have been making red, white and blue items to donate to the VA Hospital in Minneapolis on or near Veterans' Day. This year we dropped off 18 items on Friday, Nov. 10.

... And discovered that the hospital is pretty barebones on Veterans' Day. While they were holding a special ceremony later, when we were there many offices were closed, including the Volunteer office where we usually drop our donations. Luckily, we ran into a few ladies in the hall, and one had a key to let us into the Volunteer office! So we were still able to donate that day. (Thank goodness! Those bags were heavy with lapghans!)

Read more about our past 5 donations here. 

A new covered walkway since we were here last!

It took two large plastic bags and three huge boxes to hold our Nov. 7, 2017 donation to Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury. In all, we donated 100 items. Of those, 29 were shawls and blankets (filling up the three gigantic boxes) and the rest were hats.

The kiddos and I managed the drop-off without Amy this time, and were in and out quick, with the help of a wheelchair. The two staff people who accepted our donation raved about the variety and quality. You should proud!

"This time of year, these items go so quickly. We can use hats, blankets and shawls!" said Susan Lombardi when I emailed her the week before. "Thank you for thinking of us!!

We have donated to Woodwinds three other times, in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Click here to read more about these past donation and the care offered at Woodwinds.

At a table in the entryway, patients can help themselves to hats, heatpacks, and a word of encouragement.

Origami Cranes of Hope is a new program at Woodwinds. Folks can volunteer to make these items of encouragement, and those who are fighting cancer can pick them up in the entryway at their appointments.