Love Knits was born in Spring 2007. At the time I was between jobs and thinking a great deal about purpose. We’ve all been blessed with different kinds of gifts and passions, but what good are they if they don’t serve a purpose? If they don’t serve anyone but ourselves? I tried to take a personal inventory. How could I use what I’d been given to love someone else? I worked at a summer camp and I recalled the summer before when I’d taught a few people to crochet in my spare time. It was a cheap, easy and social hobby people loved. I thought forward to the summer I was about to get into and the potential it held. I was one girl with one hook; but camp had over 300 staff, imagine the potential of hundreds of hands!!! Shying away from public speaking at all costs I infiltrated camp property at a cellular level, one staffer at a time. It struck me that if I could start teaching people to knit and crochet, I could simultaneously encourage the vision to serve others with their newly acquired skills!
Not only did Love Knits challenge staff to create warm hats, mitts and scarves for those in need in the city of Toronto, it created a spirit of community within camp. Lessons were given during meals, free time, and on days off. Students became teachers, creating a ripple effect. By the end of summer boxes full of beautiful pieces had been collected for Love Knits. I was blown away with what I had seen unfold over a few short months, especially by how eager people were to participate. They were willing to invest hours upon hours of their free time making handcrafted gifts for those they didn’t even know!
The greatest thing about Love Knits was that the idea actually got bigger once camp ended. A few girls let me know they’d brought the idea to their high schools and school boards challenging the students to participate. They’d find a cause or a charity and have a goal to collect items for them. Others across the ocean and around the world were telling me they brought the idea to their neighbourhoods, challenging their communities to do the same.
What’s with Love Knits now? As I sit here trying to finish writing up the history, I dream about the future. How can yarn, crochet hooks, and knitting needles make their way into the hands and hearts of those eager to move? I sit here attempting to create an informative website that will hopefully encourage and instill the vision to LOVE our neighbours at home and abroad through acts of kindness and service related to knitting and crochet. By providing resources, stories and other useful links I hope to do just that!
In the Bible Jesus says, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35-36. It’s these words that planted the initial seed that eventually blossomed into Love Knits!
Founder: Julie Rains
