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| Monthly Anniversary Celebration! September – back to school – knit something child-sized. How about a nice warm pair of mittens, a hat, or a scarf? Warm children’s scarves should be 4”- 6” wide and 42”-55” long. All hats must be washable, and a minimum of 13” in circumference.
Toddler hats are typically 18”-19” and for children ages 3-10, the circumference should be 19” to 20”. Warm hats in bright colors are preferred. Or create something using the school colors of your alma mater!
Refer to our patterns page for size requirements. |
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Back-to-School Means It's Crafting Season! As summer begins to wind down, we know what comes next at Knitting4Peace, back-to-school requests!
Over the next few months, we'll receive requests for hundreds of hats, scarves, mittens, and other warm items from schools, shelters, and community partners working to make sure children and families are ready for the colder months. For many of the people we serve, a warm hat or pair of mittens isn't just an accessory—it's comfort, dignity, and the reassurance that someone cares. The wonderful news is that because of you, we're ready.
Our incredible makers, Peace Pods, and volunteers spend the entire year creating with love so that when these requests arrive, we can say, "Yes, we can help." Every stitch you make today becomes warmth for a child waiting at a bus stop, a family facing a difficult season, or someone experiencing homelessness. Whether you knit one hat or fifty, crochet scarves, sew fleece hats, or gather with your local Peace Pod, you are part of something much bigger. Together, we're wrapping our communities—and our world—in comfort and compassion. As you enjoy these last weeks of summer, we invite you to keep your needles, hooks, and sewing machines busy. Every handmade item adds to the growing pile of hope that will soon be delivered to those who need it most. Thank you for making it possible for Knitting4Peace to answer every request with confidence and every recipient with kindness. Together, we're proving that a simple stitch can change a life.
-Kelly and the Team |
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| Above: A beautiful hat created by K4P maker, Coralie Below: Students choose their hats at a Denver elementary school |
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Community Members of the Month: Linda S. and Leslie Y., Quilters |
Are quilts accepted at Knitting4Peace?? Heck, yes! Not only are they accepted but they are welcomed with enthusiasm. We have several Peace Pods and individuals who regularly send us beautiful quilts and our Community Partners are always happy to receive them.
We’d like to introduce you to two of our quilters who are long-time Knitting4Peace community members. Linda and Leslie have already donated over 120 NICU-sized quilts this year and are on target to surpass the 239 they donated last year. Over the past few years, they have donated over 800 quilts, along with many knitted items.
Both women learned how to sew early on when they were in school. They began quilting in earnest when Kristin, a mutual friend. brought a group of sewers together during Covid and they began to sew together in the back yard. Kristin shared her many tips and tricks as they made masks and quilts. Much time has passed since the days of backyard sewing but the quilting continues!
Linda and Leslie are both avid knitters who were each already donating items to Knitting4Peace. Linda even had a stint on the Board of Directors and has volunteered her time in many other ways. It was a natural progression for the two of them to begin to share their quilts, too. When making quilts to donate, they have found it easiest to divide the sewing tasks. Linda does all the fabric cutting while Leslie pieces and does the quilting. She then returns the quilts to Linda who completes them by putting on the binding.
The two quilters enjoy using good quilting cotton in child-friendly colors, much of which is donated by friends and acquaintances who are paring down their “stashes”. They like being able to use these odds and ends of fabric for such a good purpose. Friends also contribute funds to buy batting and some offer to longarm the quilts for them. Leslie and Linda sometimes use seasonal fabrics for their quilts, always making sure to get them to Knitting4Peace in time for distribution during the appropriate season. Flannel is a favorite fabric to use for winter quilts.
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Throughout our conversation, Linda and Leslie emphasized the communal nature of the quilting they do and asked that we share the following with newsletter readers: “We couldn’t keep this project going without the ongoing financial and cheering on support of our Saturday knitting group which includes Peggy H, Jean S, Arna C, Peggy D, Kristin R, Christy M, and Sue W.” They both agreed that their best “Words of Wisdom” for other Knitting4Peace makers, whether they are quilters, knitters, or crocheters, is to “Have fun with it!” They encourage others who quilt to not worry about making everything match, but to focus on making something that is both beautiful and practical. They say that “as long as it’s sewn together well it will keep a baby warm.”
Linda and Leslie are happy to chat with others and share simple quilting patterns, along with tips on what they have learned over the past few years. Let us know if you’d like to connect with them and we will put you in touch. In the meantime, they will continue quilting AND knitting, saying that each of the hobbies serve as fun, creative outlets which utilize different parts of the brain. We’re so grateful to them and thank them for being our August Community Members of the Month.
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| Blankets, Quilts, & Finger Puppets |
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Items Most Needed: Blankets & Quilts of All Sizes and Finger Puppets We continue to need blankets in all sizes and finger puppets, especially as more programs become aware of what Knitting4Peace has to offer. We are heading into our busy season so please know how much we value each and every donation!
Small knitted, crocheted, or quilted blankets that are a minimum of 26” and a maximum of 30” are in great demand. UC Health Center has a standing request for their NICU patients and the visiting nurses in Guatemala’s Global Health Program share them with families in rural areas. Please do not make blankets in this size with lacy patterns as the holes can pose a challenge for little fingers and toes.
Regular sized baby blankets are a minimum of 30, up to 52” and are regularly requested by many organizations. Motherwise gives them to appreciative new moms, schools love them for their community cupboards, and Denver Health welcomes them for their many families in need. We also send baby blankets to The Gathering Place and Family Tree who share them with the families they serve. Both lightweight and heavy weight blankets are welcome. Quilts, too!
Lap or throw blankets are meant to provide warmth and comfort, covering adult legs and feet. They typically are anywhere from 40” to 60” in width and length.
Larger blankets or quilts have been requested by programs like the Family Tree. They would typically include knitted, crocheted, or quilted items that are twin-sized or larger. These may be cost-prohibitive to mail but local donations are welcome.
Sleeping mats are a particular kind of rugged, heavyweight quilt, made specifically for use on the ground. We no longer accept these at Knitting4Peace but they can be sent directly to our Community Partner. See the Patterns page on our website for the specific address.
Finger Puppets depicting animals and people are growing in popularity and we rarely have enough to fill all the requests we receive. We currently have less than 10 available and programs who use them typically request 50 or more each time! |
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Consistency is Key: Peace Pals with Realistic Skin Tones
For many children, one of the most important aspects of Peace Pals is that they can “see themselves” in their new friends. Because of this, we ask that all Peace Pals have realistic skin tones and eyes, plus a friendly smile. Please do not send in Pals with “skin” or “eye” colors that are not realistic! Many of our experienced makers recommend using Skein Tones from Lion Brand. We generally have plenty of the lighter colored Pals so those with medium and darker brown skin tones are typically most needed.
When it comes to hair color, anything goes and Peace Pals with wild hair colors, as well as more typical hair colors in a variety of styles, are welcome. Peace Pals with glasses and those with hijabs are always in high demand. If you add decorations, it’s best that they are made of yarn so they do not pose a choking hazard for young children.
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Baby Peace Pals are a smaller version of the regular sized pals. They are a quicker make and we have several organizations who are requesting this special size. Instructions for making Baby Pals can be found in the Patterns section on our Knitting4Peace website.
Peace Pals with hijabs are always needed. Teachers at a local school have shared that they initially had only requested Pals with hijabs for girls. However, they soon found that many of the boys were specifically asking for Pals with hijabs because they reminded them of their mothers. We really would like to meet this need! For more information on making Peace Pals, please see the videos from our many Peace Pal Make-A-Longs on our Knitting4Peace YouTube Channel.
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HAVE A QUESTION ON HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING? ASK ARNA! |
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Please note:
Our donation intake is run solely by volunteers. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to immediately acknowledge each package as it arrives. Remember, you can always track your package with your carrier.
Remember, mailing costs qualify as tax-deductible nonprofit donations. Keep your receipts! Due to a lack of storage, K4P cannot accept yarn donations unless they are new and still in the original wrapper.
Thank you for understanding. |
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| Mail or bring items to: 2600 N. Leyden St., Denver, CO 80207
Drop-Off hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9am-12pm The church is no longer staffed by an assistant so please be sure to go during the timeframe mentioned above.
Ring the doorbell and you will be let into the church to drop off your items. EACH mailed box or dropped-off bag must include a note with the DATE, NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, E-MAIL, AND PEACE POD. Did you make a local delivery this month? Click the button below to report it and don't forget to send pics! |
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Special thanks to Park Hill Congregational Church for their continued support and allowing us to share their space in Denver. |
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The Fine Print:
*Customers must have a registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card account to link to your organization.
*If you do not yet have a King Soopers or City Market loyalty card, they are available at the customer service desk at any King Soopers or City Market
REMEMBER, purchases will not count for K4P until after your register your loyaltycard.
You must swipe your registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card or use the phone number that is related to your registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card when shopping for each purchase to count.
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Have you registered with your Kroger store yet?
Please consider linking your Kroger rewards card with K4P. It's free to you and allows us a small monthly donation from the corporation.
Our assigned Kroger NPO (Non-Profit Organization) number is HL532.
To Use the King Soopers or City Market Community Rewards Program:
Simply visit the appropriate link below for your store:
For King Soopers Stores - go to http://www.kingsoopers.com
For City Market Stores - go to http://www.citymarket.com
Once logged into your King Soopers or City Market account you can search for Knitting4Peace either by name or HL532 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a loyalty card.
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| Are you ready to support the mission of Knitting4Peace? Donate using the button below! |
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Contact Arna@knitting4peace.org with questions about patterns and guidelines. Check out our social media posts for the latest news (links below). If you have questions about deliveries or donations please email info@knitting4peace.org. ALL donations sustain our work. Donate online or mail checks to:
2600 Leyden Street, Denver, CO 80207
Donations to Knitting4Peace are tax-deductible. |
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