I hope the new year finds you rested, restored, and energized. I’ve been cleaning house, sweeping up the dust bunnies from under the couches, and staring at my piles of laundry. I’m sure many of you have been doing the very same thing, but maybe getting some laundry done. In the middle of the mess, we are still blessed. Blessed to have a roof over our heads. Blessed to have dirty laundry. Blessed to have the sofa, dust bunnies and all.
I am really excited about all of the possibilities this year. Last year we were able to reach out to orphans in Mexico, Nicaragua, and India. We sent dresses to little girls in Mexico. Dolls arrived by the suitcase to children in Nicaragua. And we sent more items than you can shake a stick at to India. It had to be sent over in a crate by ship. That’s a lot of love sent overseas. We sent a gaggle of sock monkeys to children at a burn camp. We made quilts for homeless children in Michigan. We collected 3,904 items for charity!! WE did this!
This year is going to be even more exciting. Get your children involved, include your friends, now is the time to spread HOPE. I cannot wait to see all of the wonderful things you all create. You all are amazing.
{Star Stitch Kint Scarf pattern generously donated by Vickie Howell}
Much of the nation is currently overwhelmed by this Arctic blast that has covered our landscape. It’s cold out there and what better time to launch a project that allows you to sit on your couch and knit or crochet.
For Project 6, we have partnered with The Orphan Foundation of America’s Red Scarf Project. Yup, get your needles and yarn out because it’s time to make a scarf. A red scarf!
The Orphan Foundation serves thousands of foster teens throughout the U.S. They provide college scholarships, connect them with mentors and internships, send them care packages, and testify for them before Congress. Each year 25,000 students ‘age out’ of the foster care system and the Orphan Foundation is committed to helping them become tomorrow’s successful citizens. They launched the Red Scarf program in 2005 to send red scarves to warm the hearts (and necks) of college bound youth. They began taking these donations to include in their Valentines Day care packages.
We have partnered with the Orphan Foundation to make scarves to send to these students. The scarves can be knitted or crocheted and we have provided a pattern from Vickie Howell to help you along. The pattern will be in the sidebar, with a link to it here, later today. A huge thank you to Vickie for donating this pattern for the Craft Hope book. She is amazing!
Here are the guidelines to help you along:
Scarf Size: Apx. 60″ long and 5 -8″ wide. Scarves should be long enough to wrap around the neck.
Style: Think unisex collegiate. Ask yourself if your son, brother, husband would appreciate the scarf. Fringe is optional.
Yarn: Something soft. No mohair as some people find it itchy.
Colors: Red! However, this could mean burgundy, cherry, red stripes with other colors, or multicolor hues including red. Other unisex colors including black, navy, teal, olive, and gold are also welcome.
Finished and Tagged: For a personal touch, include a tag that says ‘Handmade for You’ with your first name, city, and Craft Hope. Donors have also included washing instructions, messages of encouragement, gift cards, burger bucks, stamp books, etc.
*You do not have to use the pattern provided to knit a scarf. You may knit or crochet any scarf you’d like. Also, they only accept knitted or crocheted scarves. Thanks for understanding!
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As the Orphan Foundation collects many scarves please be sure to include a note saying it’s from you and Craft Hope. That’s the best way for them to keep a tally of what the Craft Hope community has sent in. Also, in your return address please put Craft Hope under your name so that the sorters can put them all together.
The deadline for this project is Valentines Day, February 14th!
Please send your completed scarves to:
Orphan Foundation of America
The Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive
Sterling, VAÂ 20166
And to give me a general idea of how many people will be participating in this project please leave a comment to let me know that you’ll be making a scarf, or two, or twenty.
Please spread the word by posting this project on your blog. It is through this amazing blogging network that so many know about Craft Hope. Thanks for all you do. You make the world a better place!
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Hey y’all, a few people have expressed concern about the Orphan Foundations December deadline for scarf collection. Just to let everyone know, we have an arrangement worked out for Project 6. So rest assured that all of the scarves will be delivered into loving hands. Cheers!








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Sending my scarf off today!
My scarf is going out tomorrow! I’ve done this for the past three years and it slipped past me this year so I was thrilled to see this date extension!
hi there. my mom and i will be sending about 5 scarves your way. we will be sending them friday, the 12th and hope its not too late!
I mailed one out today. Hope it gets there in time! Thanks for heading this up. I’m excited to have completed my first Craft Hope project!
I’m about finished with my two scarves, but I don’t think I’ll get to mail them until Friday. Is that too late?
Send them on! Thank you so much. The deadlines are flexible.
I’ll be sending a version of a scarf – red neck warmer.
I am sending one off today!
Mailing one scarf today. Enjoyed this project and looking forward to the next!
I only finished one, but I am priority mailing it today. I am going to continue on, though, and submit for next year. THX!!
My mother and I each made a scarf.
Will be sent priority today.
Thank you for organizing this.
The Doan sisters sent off 19 scarves and cowls. Loved every minute of it. Hope the recipients enjoy them as much as we did.
Mailed by proirty mail. 9r ed scarves for the Red Scarf Project.
These were made by the Friendly Crafters in Monrovia,CA.
I just sent 5 scarfs out!!
I got in on this late, but I just finished a scarf and I’ll send it out tomorrow!
Just finished mine (finally) – sending first thing tomorrow.
Didn’t want to post ’til my scarf was safely in the mail !
( since I haven’t knit since the dinosaurs roamed the earth )
Well it went out Priority earlier this week ! Hooray !!!!
From Idaho with LOVE
I only got 1 finished in time, but it is all wrapped up and ready to go to the post office in the morning!
aaaaahhhhhhh…. i finished mine. i’ll get it out today. completely forgot about the mail it out on time part of this.
My mom and I mailed off 10 yesterday. Thank you for all that you do in organizing this website.
I sent one off. I hadn’t signed up to do one yet because I wasn’t sure I could get it done. But I did& it’s on it’s way! Yahoo! Thanks for doing this. I love it!
I made 2, and they’re on their way! Thank you!
OH no! I just found this website and I am too late to make a scarf. =( I care so much about children in foster care and am just waiting to be in a place in life where I can adopt. I really wish I had found out about this earlier.
Just wanted to let you know that my scarf went out in the mail this week.
http://www.tonyastaab.com/2010/02/the-red-scarf-project.html
Thank you for the opportunity to participate. I’m looking forward to the next project.
I ended up making 2 scarfs. ^_^
a box containing 10 will be arriving by monday morning at the latest from your friends in K1-D2.
soooo…for those of us just now stumbling onto this blog post … do you know if they will be doing this again next year? I have a group of Grama’s who would LOVE to join up next round!
[...] finished the scarves for CraftHope! Â It feels so good to complete a project so quickly and with such purpose. Â The last 24 hours [...]
[...] just wrapped up Project 6, benefiting the Orphan Foundation’s Red Scarf Program. What an incredible response with over [...]
Forgot to post here — I made three scarves and sent them along! What a great project!
[...] love the way these turned out. I tried their lovely recommended pattern, the star stitch scarf donated by Vickie Powell, but in the end I was more comfortable with this [...]
Hi, I am a member of the Ocean State Knitting Guild. At our meeting this week each of us has to pick a charitable project with directions and yarn supply.We will put them in a brown bag and then proceed with an organized shuffle and exchange of the projects. Someone will get my brown bag and I then hope to propose to the entire group that we accept the Red Scarf Project as an assignment for the entire guild.
I would love to have any other printed material you may have on the project.
As things develop I will stay in touch ! Keep up the good work,
Thanks,
Pat Sumner/traveletc@aol.com/401-423-2333
[...] go-to scarf pattern: The Star Scarf pattern (http://crafthope.com/2010/01/project-6-orphan-foundation/ ) from Vickie Howell (made for Craft Hope) became an instant classic for me. Simple enough to [...]