Editing Knitting (section)

==Craftivism and Charity==
[[File:Drawing_by_Marguerite_Martyn_of_two_women_and_a_child,_all_knitting_for_the_war_effort_in_St._Louis,_Missouri.jpg|thumb|right|Drawing by [[Marguerite Martyn]] of two women and a child knitting for the war effort at a St. Louis, Missouri, Red Cross office in 1917]]
[[Hand knitting]] garments for free distribution to others have become a common practice among hand knitting groups. Girls and women hand-knitted socks, sweaters, scarves, mittens, gloves, and hats for soldiers in [[Crimea]], the [[American Civil War]], and the [[Boer Wars]]; this practice continued in [[World War I]], [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]], and continues for soldiers in [[War in Iraq|Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]]. The Australian charity ''[[Wrap with Love]]'' continues to provide blankets hand knitted by volunteers to people most in need around the world who have been affected by war.

In the historical projects, yarn companies provided knitting patterns approved by the various branches of the armed services; often they were distributed by local chapters of the [[American Red Cross]]. Modern projects usually entail the hand knitting of hats or helmet liners; the liners provided for soldiers must be of 100% worsted-weight wool and be crafted using specific colors.
[[File:Knitting a brighter future for Syrian refugees in Lebanon (11173833666).jpg|alt=A Syrian refugee stands next to the clothes she has knitted for sale.|thumb|Some charities teach women to knit as a means of clothing their families or supporting themselves.]]

Clothing and afghans are frequently made for children, the elderly, and the economically disadvantaged in various countries. [[Pine Ridge Indian Reservation]] accepts donations for the Lakota people in the United States. Prayer shawls, or shawls in which the crafter meditates or says prayers of their faith while hand knitting with the intent on comforting the recipient, are donated to those experiencing loss or stress. Many knitters today hand knit and donate "chemo caps", soft caps for cancer patients who lose their hair during [[chemotherapy]]. Yarn companies offer free knitting patterns for these caps.

[[Penguin sweater]]s were hand knitted by volunteers for the rehabilitation of penguins contaminated by exposure to oil slicks. The project is now complete.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.tct.org.au/jumper.htm|title= Penguin Conservation in Tasmania|author= Tasmanian Conservation Trust|access-date= 13 April 2010|archive-date= 23 March 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180323162044/http://www.tct.org.au/jumper.htm|url-status= dead}}</ref>

Chicken sweaters were also hand knitted to aid battery hens that had lost their feathers. The organization is not currently accepting donations, but maintains a list of volunteers.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jo |last=Eglen |url=http://littlehenrescue.co.uk/Hensandtheirjumpers.aspx |title=Hens and their jumpers |website=Little Hen Rescue |year=2008 |access-date=9 February 2011 |archive-date= 9 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709092841/http://littlehenrescue.co.uk/Hensandtheirjumpers.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Originally started after the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, Knitters Without Borders<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/tsffaq.html|title=Yarn Harlot: TSF FAQ|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-date=11 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011174156/http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/tsffaq.html|url-status=live}}</ref> is a charity challenge issued by knitting personality [[Stephanie Pearl-McPhee]] that encourages [[hand knitting|hand knitters]] to donate to [[Médecins Sans Frontières]] (Doctors Without Borders). Instead of hand knitting for charity, knitters are encouraged to donate a week's worth of disposable income, including money that otherwise might have been spent on yarn. Knitted items are occasional offered as prizes to donors. As of September 2011, Knitters Without Borders donors have contributed CAD$1,062,217.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/tsffaq.html |title=Knitters Without Borders |author=Stephanie Pearl-McPhee |access-date=10 September 2011 |archive-date=11 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011174156/http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/tsffaq.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Security blankets can also be made through the Project Linus organization which helps needy children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.projectlinus.org/|title=Project Linus-Home|access-date=28 October 2012|archive-date=10 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710212625/https://www.projectlinus.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are organizations that help reach other countries in need such as afghans for Afghans. This outreach is described as, "[[Afghan (blanket)|afghans]] for Afghans is a humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets and sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afghansforafghans.org/|title=afghans for Afghans --|access-date=28 October 2012|archive-date=16 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216034301/http://www.afghansforafghans.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The knitters of the [[Little Yellow Duck Project]] craft small yellow [[duck]]s which are left for others to find, as a [[random act of kindness]] and to raise awareness of [[blood donation]] and [[organ donation]]. The project was started in memory of a young woman who had collected plastic toy ducks and who died from [[cystic fibrosis]] while waiting for a [[lung transplantation|lung transplant]]. Finders of the ducks are encouraged to log them on a website, which {{as of|May 2020|lc=yes}} shows that 12,265 ducks have been found in 106 countries.<ref name="lyd">{{cite web |title=World Map |url=https://thelittleyellowduckproject.org/world-map/ |website=The Little Yellow Duck Project |access-date=31 May 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321122727/https://thelittleyellowduckproject.org/world-map/ |url-status=live }}</ref>