| Monthly Anniversary Celebration! July – It’s time for Holidays in July! Celebrate by making red or green items. Give your Peace Pal a red or green scarf or hijab, make a red and green baby blanket, put a star image on your project, or knit something brown, the color of gingerbread! Refer to our patterns page for blanket size requirements. |
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Thank You for a Wonderful Create-A-Thon! Since many of you have received approximately 437 Create-A-Thon emails from me this month (give or take a few), I promise to keep this update short! Our 2026 Create-A-Thon has come to a close, and we are filled with gratitude. Thank you to everyone who crafted, donated, attended our 20th Anniversary events, shared our mission, and helped celebrate two decades of service.
Over the past two weeks, our community came together for a Yoga for Knitters workshop, a Volunteer Appreciation Celebration at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, an Anniversary Community Craft Circle, and a Delivery Highlight Panel featuring stories from our delivery partners. Together, we celebrated the impact of handmade comfort and the caring community that makes it possible. We are still tallying the final numbers for donations and handmade items and will share the results as soon as the calculators, spreadsheets, and volunteers have had a chance to catch their breath.
For now, please accept our heartfelt thanks for helping make this year's Create-A-Thon and 20th Anniversary celebration such a success. We couldn't do this work without you.
Together, we continue to bring Comfort and Compassion to those who need it most. In brevity- Kelly |
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| Above: Virtual revelers celebrating during the Community Craft Circle Below: Local volunteers gather at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, CO |
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Community Member of the Month: Lynn S. from Fruita, CO |
What fun it was to chat with Lynn S., a long-time knitter and crocheter, who has lived her entire life in western Colorado! She is so enthusiastic about her craft and working with Knitting4Peace. One of the first things she told me was “I get such pleasure from making things and just thinking about the people who need a hat, or a young mom needing a blanket.”
Lynn started knitting when she was just 10 years old and fondly remembers the aunt who taught her, sitting in front of a mirror as she was left-handed. She later discovered crocheting, which quickly became her true love. One year she made 27 pairs of socks for friends and family members!
Lynn found Knitting4Peace through a flyer that fellow parishioners had brought back to her local church after having gone to a conference. As a retired social worker, Lynn was looking for new outlets for helping others and she loved the idea of making items for those in need. That was over 12 years ago and Lynn is still happily crocheting and regularly sending items to Knitting4Peace.
Lynn sees making items to donate as a “labor of love.” She well remembers being a young mom with 3 children and knows how wonderful it would have been to have brought home a blanket with a new baby. Lynn’s granddaughter also spent time in a NICU so she understands the unique challenges of that experience and how meaningful it is to have a special blanket to wrap a tiny baby in after such a difficult time. These are the images Lynn has in her mind as she crochets baby blankets, along with hats and scarves, to pass along to others.
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Lynn’s mother, Bev, is 92 years old and is also an avid crocheter. Lynn brings yarn to her and recently taught her how to make a Moscato blanket. Bev now makes 3-4 blankets a month to send to Knitting4Peace and says it keeps her young and brings her joy to know that she can make a difference in people’s lives. In addition to the donations from Lynn and Bev, Lynn regularly sends in items from a local church group.
Lynn suggests that other makers make sure they meet the guidelines of Knitting4Peace and “just have fun doing it”. In addition to regularly reading the newsletter Lynn has previously written to Arna to make sure she is sending in what is most needed and that her items meet K4P criteria. She also says that other makers should know what an important thing it is to bring warmth and comfort to others. We are so grateful to Lynn for all she continues to do and we thank her for being our Knitting4Peace Community Member of the Month!
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Item Requests: Mittens and Finger Puppets
We regularly hear from our Community Partners that mittens are among the most coveted items they share with others, especially for children in schools. Unfortunately, we are rarely able to fill all the requests we receive so please keep sending them in!
Finger puppets are quickly increasing in popularity and we rarely have enough to fill all the requests we receive. We can use animal, people, and even insect finger puppets. We’ve even seen flowers and rainbows and hear these are well-received as parents and children can make up stories about them! Please see the article on Consistency for important information about these tiny treasures. We hope you know that we are grateful for every single item you send in and that we are aware of the time and skill needed to create. Thank you so very much! |
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Consistency is Key: Finger Puppets
We absolutely love finger puppets but often are a bit quiet about them as we simply can’t keep up with the requests we receive for them. When we first began offering finger puppets, it was for programs designed to help increase language development for young infants and they were used primarily by parents. Sometimes younger children would also use them as they interacted with their infant siblings. Most requests for the finger puppets still come from programs who use them in this way. However, we now are also receiving requests from school programs in high need areas who are using them as “reading buddies” to encourage children just learning to read.
Thanks to those of you who regularly send in these special treasures and if you haven’t made one yet, now just might be the perfect time to give it a try!
Below are a few guidelines to keep in mind.
Finger puppets that resemble people and animals are most popular. They should fit on an index finger and be long enough that they do not easily fall off. If they are too short (fingertip length) or have a loose fit, they easily fall off fingers. |
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| We can use some finger puppets that are a bit smaller in width so that younger siblings may use them as they talk with babies. They must still be long enough to remain on a finger throughout play.
It is really important that there are NO items attached that could pose a choking hazard to young infants who may mouth the puppets. So, no beady eyes, buttons, sequins, antennae on bugs, etc. Also, beware of dog/cat hair and perfumes.
If you make finger puppets that “go together” as a set, please attach them with yarn or put them in a small plastic bag so that we can make sure they are sent out together.
Natasha Hanson has developed and shared a special “fingerprint puppet” just for Knitting4Peace. She shared her inspiration and design during her 2025 Create-a-thon Workshop. Many of you have made and sent in these special puppets and the response has been very enthusiastic. To learn more and access the FREE pattern, please check out what Natasha says about it on Ravelry.
Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions as you make these special items which help to increase language development for infants and are also being used as “reading buddies” in elementary school programs. |
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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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