So today I met a wonderful lady who was buying wool to knit hats for homeless people. She bought 6 balls of Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran at nearly £6.00 a ball and when I commented how lucky whoever got one of these was going to be, she put me in my place and firmly told me that actually homeless people were some of the unluckiest people and that she was once homeless and that she certainly didnt feel lucky when she was!! She added that if anyone smiled at her or gave her something no matter how small it was back then, it made her day and made her think that not everyone thought she was a worthless lazy good for nothing - that someone actually cared and wanted to help.
So now she knits hats made in 'nice real wool' to keep the recipients properly warm (her words), refusing to use 'the cheap stuff' as she doesnt think that shows much care. She also tucks a £1 coin in every brim......what a lovely lady.
I gave her 2 of the balls just because in this instance she was right! I have so many customers knitting for charities all over the country and all over the world which is fantastic, but the phrase I hear a lot is 'whats your cheapest ball of wool?' or 'they dont need expensive wool'. I sell hundreds of balls of 'Value yarn' for this purpose which is great as where the finished garments are going to there is very little, so 'value' is better than nothing . But, how nice would it be if every now and then we thought of the people in need as worth more than 'the cheapest yarn' and made someones day by making them something of worth - this lady has made me think hard, and I have just cast on a hat in Pure Wool Merino to pass on to her if she comes in again......
Heres a few hats a homeless person might NOT want though.....
If you are interested in Knitting Hats for homeless people this winter you can find patterns, cheap and not so cheap wools in the shop from January 2014!
Take care and keep warm
Love
Tina xxx
www.thewoolstop.co.uk
info@thewoolstop.co.uk
