Every couple weeks, we like to feature a crafter that has been a meaningful contributor to the Giving Artfully community.
This week, we would like to introduce you to Cyndy. Cyndy has been a great contributor for Giving Artfully and has made over 100 beautiful items for EEROP, Kathleen’s Hats for Hope Initiative, Random Acts of Kindness for Kids, Outreach to Appalachia and Marine Kids Corps.
Thank you Cyndy for your time and dedication to these different organizations! Your gifts are impacting many lives.
How long have you been crafting and what inspired you to start? I started knitting about 6 years ago. My grandmother had knitted but I never took interest in it when I was a young child. After looking at some of the afghans that she had knitted, I became inspired to take a knitting class.
My youngest daughter was adopted from St Petersburg, Russia at the age of 11 months. She is now 15 years old and is also knitting scarves with me. I was especially thrilled to see that there was a Eastern European organization looking for scarves for the children in orphanages. Being so closely connected to this part of the world, I feel so happy that I am able to give something back.
Favorite type of crafting and some of my favorite projects? I love knitting with super chunky or chunky yarns and large needles. My favorite needles are bamboo and are size 35. I purchase much of my yarn from the etsy site. I love the handloomed yarns and especially those that have a wide variety of color and texture. My favorite projects are scarves and baby blankets. By using large needles and chunky yarn, the project finishes up very quickly. Although I have worked with lower gauge needles, I find that I prefer the almost instant gratification of completing a project in a day or two!
When and why did you start charity crafting? I have always volunteered for different organizations during my years as a stay at home mom…PTA, Girl Scouts, etc. I enjoy helping others and now that my daughters are older, I wanted to find something that I could contribute to. After all, you only need so many scarves living in Florida! My search for an organization that was looking for scarves led me to this site. I have received personal emails thanking me for my contribution from organizations such as Outreach Appalachia . That email has kept my inspiration to contribute going.
What is your favorite part of charity crafting? My favorite part of charity crafting is that I know that my items will be used and cherished by someone who is less fortunate than I. I especially enjoy knitting young children scarves in bright colors as I know that this may be the only new item that they may receive for the upcoming winter months.
Here are some pictures of Cyndy’s beautiful gifts:
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