We are aiming to knit 6,500 blankets to distribute through Save the Children programs in Australia and countries such as Cambodia & Laos- and we need your help!
Born to Knit is a campaign run by Save the Children Australia.
We are rallying the knitting troops of Australia to knit 6,500 woollen blankets. Your blanket will help a child stay warm and feel comfy and safe. Most importantly, your blanket will help to ward against pneumonia, one of the biggest killers of children under five in the developing world.
Runny noses and tummy aches are a common part of childhood. Dying from these easily preventable or treatable illnesses certainly shouldn’t be. Tragically, 7.6 million children under the age of five die every year from illnesses like diarrhoea and pneumonia. That’s why health has always been one of our global priorities.
By getting involved with our Born to Knit campaign you are helping. Your blanket will help a child stay warm and feel comfy and safe. Most importantly, your blanket will help to ward against pneumonia, one of the biggest killers of children under five in the developing world.
At the end of our campaign, the knitted blankets will be distributed to mothers and children in our programs across Australia and countries such as Cambodia and Laos.
Share your creativity with a child who needs your warmth. Your blanket could help save a life. Thanks for your support.
Guidelines for knitting your blanket:
- Please use 4mm needles
- Please use 8ply 100% pure wool
- A perfect-sized blanket is made up of 16 knitted squares
- Each square should be about 20cms x 20cms
- The final blanket size should be around 80cms x 80cms
Please send your completed knitted blankets and squares to:
- Save the Children
42 Dight Street
Collingwood, Victoria, 3066
Or drop them into any of our Save the Children retail stores.
To help you get started you can purchase a Born to Knit Kit or if you have your own wool & needles and just need some tips check out our knitting instructions.
Thanks for your support and welcome to the Born to Knit team 🙂
Born to Knit 
I have lots of totem wool that my mother left me and now I have another project to use them for.
Wonderful to hear Malle! We look forward to receiving your squares. Thanks.
Can I crochet these squares? I cannot hold knitting needles because of arthritis.
Hi Virginia,
Of course you can crochet the squares. We would love you to be involved in our Knit One Save One project – Knitting is in the name but every woolen square, whether made by knitting or crochet is much appreciated.
Thanks for getting involved. We look forward to receiving your squares.
I have a friend who is almost completely blind. She can, however knit, mainly by feel. She is now confined to bed in a nursing home. She knits strips – about 15cms wide, and 75 cms long. They each comprise 5 squares. She changes colour after 15 cms – so each strip has 5 squares.
I sew these strips into rugs which are approximately 70 cms square.
We then give these rugs to op shops etc. Would they be suitable to give to ‘Save the Children’ for the ‘knit one save one’ project?
Hi Helen,
The rugs that you two knit would indeed be good for our Knit One Save One project. That is fantastic that your friend is still knitting, and we would definitely appreciate her time and effort. The address to send them too is:
Knit One Save One
Save the Children
Level 6
250 Victoria Parade
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Thanks for your support Helen.
I note this comment from about 12 months ago. My dear friend is still knitting, but I have become the tardy one. If I sent the strips, would there be a good person who would sew them up?
Hi Helen,
If your friend has already knitted squares, we are more then happy to receive them, as a small number of volunteers are still sewing squares into blankets.
Warm Wishes
I’m a little confused; do you have to use wool? Can you use acrylic or is wool the preferred fibre?
Hi Karen. We are really trying to encourage the use of wool over acrylic. Wool is more fire retardant, a better insulator and lasts longer than the acrylic. However, if you have already knitted some squares in acrylic we will still accept them. In short – you do not have to use wool, but it is definitely the preferred fibre. I hope this helps.
Thanks for clarifying! I have a fair bit of acrylic in my stash that was given to me from various people and I was just wondering if I could use it for this. Wool is definitely better! But are acrylic blankets useful for this for those babies that are allergic to wool?
For babies allergic to wool, an acrylic blanket would indeed be useful, and we will make sure we use them for that purpose. Happy knitting Karen!
Hi,
I live in the U.S. but there dont seem to be any knitting-related charities I can participate in where I live, so I’ve been thinking about participating in yours. Are there any website with modestly priced wool yarn available?
hi well done everyone in cluding my self more on the way.dulcie
hi well done everyone .i will help were i can.iam knitting same more squares will have a go at sewing them up for you .from dulcie
I have started knitting squares because my friend asked for them on your behalf. I now find my tension is up the creek and some squares are slightly larger or smaller than 20cm, depending on the ball of wool I use. Is this a major problem? Do you have piles of “too big” and “too small” that are sewn separately?
Hi Sue. To be honest… we don’t receive that many squares that are spot on 20cm by 20cm! So it does not matter at all if some of yours are too big or too small. When we sew them into blankets we will try to match them up to similar size squares as much as we can. It is fantastic that your friend encouraged you to get involved with our project – we appreciate your support. Thanks!
What is the deadline for finishing the squares / blankets? I can’t seem to find mention of an end date anywhere on the site.
Cheers Jac
Hi Jac. We are aiming to collect 80,000 squares, so the campaign will continue to run until we reach out goal. We were thinking this would fall at the start of October, but due to the overwhelming success of it we might reach 80,000 squares even sooner! We already have over 50,000. Amazing! So we will continue our Knit One Save One project until we hit 80,000 squares, whenever that may be. Thanks for your support! Happy knitting.
I finished my blanket!
BTW, the URL for the address needs to be updated to http://www.savethechildren.org.au/what-you-can-do/volunteer/knit-one-save-one.html.
I have seen that you have reached your goal of 80,000 squares, so are you still accepting them?
cheers
ellie
Hi Ellie,
Thanks for your post – yes we are still receiving squares and blankets up until 31 August. We wouldnt want people to put their time and efforts into knitting these squares and then not be accepted – so yes we are still receiving these for another couple of months.
Happy knitting! Bree.
What is the earliest we can send squares in for next year. I was thinking of getting my Before and After school care kids to make some during the christams vacation
Please stay in touch as we will be launching our new campaign for knitters shortly
Warm Wishes
Hey, just wondering how I get involved and sign up.
Hi Amelia,
It is very easy to be involved in our Knit One Save One campaign! All you have to do is knit a number of 20cm*20cm squares and send them in to our head office. Save the Children Australia, Locked Bag 5000, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065.
If you include your details in the post we will be able to keep you up to date on our Knit One Save One campaign
Warm Wishes
Hi there!
Just wondering if the 2011 season had started yet?
Thanks!
Laina 🙂
Hi Laina,
We have not yet launched our knitting campaign for 2011 as we are still in the planning process.
But stay in contact via this blog and our website for further notifications of when we launch the 2011 camaign 🙂
Warm Wishes
approximately how many stitches in length x width of the square?
Hi Sarah – Each 20cm square should be about 44 stitches wide and 88 rows high (when using 4mm needles and 8ply wool). Good luck! 🙂
Hi Sarah,
If this helps knit one then increase one each row until 44 stitches then decrease one stitch each row until 88 rows. If you do that you will find stretch in the square and it looks rather nice.
Regards,
Roslyn
hi all i have done same squares for you .will have ago at sewing them up .it is ajoy to do them .regards dulcie
Thanks Dulcie. Good luck with the sewing!
Hi
My mum was really looking forward to knitting some blankets for your current campaign, when she went to enuire at Spot light about the wool, they worked out that one blanket jknitted with pure wool wasgoing to cost $80 which she can’t afford. I noticed a question aboput using acrylic, is this still ok as she was quite disappointed aboput not being able to contribute.
Louise
Hi Louise – we are encouraging people where possible to knit with pure wool as it is more fire retardant, warmer and lasts longer. However, we do understand that this can be expensive and so are accepting blankets that are a mix of acrylic and wool. We hope that your mum does join our Born to Knit campaign. Thanks for your support.
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hello keep up the good work for less of then us.iam doing same squares for you .iam little slow .has i am trying to get them done for you .how long have i got .regards dulcie
I’ve been knitting and stitching squares together for Wrap with Love and now i notice you have a similar project but the sizes are different and you prefer wool instead of acrylic. I’ll try to make some before 31st August, but if not then i’ll watch out for your next campaign.
Are diagonal knitted squares accepted? i find it easier to get the size correct that way.
We do indeed accept your squares if they are knitted on a diagonal! Thanks for your support of Born to Knit. Happy knitting 🙂
Hi, just a quick question. I was wondering if you would accept blankets that are made from yarn that are only partially wool (i.e like 70% wool etc) and are stitched with 5mm needles (I am a very tight knitter)? I’m a uni student and don’t have much money so would like to use supplies I currently possess, but would love to contribute.
Mif
Hi Mif. Thanks for your support of Born to Knit. You can definitely use the supplies you have available. We are encouraging people where possible to knit with with 100% wool as it more fire retardant, lasts longer and is warmer. However, we are accepting blankets that are a mix with acrylic also. You can use what ever needle size you like, as long as the squares are (more or less) 20cm x 20cm and the blankets are 80cm x 80cm. Happy knitting!
I organised a group of friends to knit a square each. We met on Saturday and sewed them up, so our blanket is finished now. I will bring it in this week sometime. Would you like a photo?
Fantastic to hear that you finished a blanket on the weekend. Congratulations! We look forward to receiving your blanket and we would also love to see a photo. If you could email your photo to: borntoknit@savethechildren.org.au that would be fantastic. Thanks 🙂
The Christmas Island Neighbourhood Centre has had a great time in organising our Born to Knit activity. Not an easy feat considering we’re in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We had visitors shopping in Perth and delivering wool to us at every opportunity. We have nicked name the Shire Ladies the “Knitting Machines” and our Westpac Manager has been spotted secretly knitting down at the cove. We have managed to knit over 150 squares, which we are very proud of! They are on the way to be sewn up into beautiful blankets. Well done everybody, Annique Jones, Christmas Island Neighbourhood Centre.
Does the project run every year? I only just found out about it and want to get started. I see you recently completed a campaign. When is the next one?
Hi there. Thanks for your interest in our campaign. We have just finished up Born to Knit and are now in the process of getting the blankets to Laos, Cambodia and India. We are hoping that this will be a campaign that runs every year, but we have not yet finalised plans for 2012. We will let you know when we do! So stay tuned….
Any further updates on the next campaign?
Thanks!
My Office wants to get started on the blanket knitting asap so that we can supply more blankets that last year. Is it a mistake to start knitting now?
Hi Lindsey, thank you for your message and support of Save the Children.
We love that you are keen to start now, but we are asking everyone to put down their knitting needles for us, until we re-launch the campaign again in about April.
The reason for this is because we are currently speaking with our country offices around the world to see which health programs need blankets, and how many. This will help us set our target for this year too.
Please stay in touch via this blog or the Save the Children website.
Regards, Bree.
Any details yet about this year’s campaign? I am organsing a knitting event to knit squares for Born to Knit at my school and would love to include as much detail as possible. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into it!
Anne
Good Morning Anne,
Thank you for your email. I am happy to announce that we are busy preparing to launch this campaign at the very start of winter. Although the campaign isn’t formally running, we are still collecting knitted blankets and squares. So if you do hold your event before we formally launch this year’s campaign, please feel free to send them in. Same address as last year:
Save the Children
Born to Knit
42 Dight St,
Collingwood
VIC 3066
We still have a large number of knitting kits being sold on our online shop if you would like to purchase those for your event 🙂
Happy knitting.
Cheers,
Janosh
Thank you Janosh. I will look forward to seeing the launch detais. Is there still a schools cometition?
Just starting sewing squares into blankets; sewed about 200 last year, that’s my small contribution.
Small contribution? Bruna, for you to knit 200 squares that is no small contribution at all!
All of us here appreciate your support. Look forward to seeing the blankets you create this year.
Cheers,
Born to Knit Team
Hi just would like to know where do this blankets go and can we donate other kniting items
Thank you for your message Helen Finigan,
Blankets donates to Born to Knit will be given to mothers with newborn babies and young children. Through our programs in Australia and Afghanistan, all blankets donated to our Born to Knit campaign will make their way into the arms of caring mothers.
Cheers,
Born to Knit Team
hi,
i have just completed a knitted blanket but am unsure about how to finish it off around the edges for a better look.if i send it in as is would someone be able to do that and also would you be able to tell me how to do it for next time. thank you
dawn mcn
Hi Dawn, Thanks for getting in touch with us about how to finish your blanket. Some knitters choose to crochet a border around the edge to finish a blanket for a better look and make it more sturdy. However, this is not necessary and we accept blankets even if they do not have a finished edge. Hope that answers your question. Happy knitting!
Born to Knit Team
I have just returned to knitting after a long absence as i find it very relaxing after a stressful day at work. It also helps me keep the weight off, as busy hands mean no snacking. I was so pleased to find your charity. This allows me to knit in my slow and steady manner, not have to worry about tricky patterns and know that my work won’t end up in the bottom drawer but potentially could save a child’s life. Win win! I am aiming for a whole blanket, so wish me luck!
Hey Deidre,
Great to hear you are enjoying your time knitting for Born to Knit! We wish you lots of luck for your blanket and look forward to distributing your creation to a child. Happy knitting!
Born to Knit Team
I love your regular email stories and photos of blankets and people that are involved with Born to Knit. I feel part of a diverse and wonderful community of knitters/crocheters. Cheers Lil
Thanks Lil, and thanks to the wonderful Born to Knit community! Your support makes this possible.
Happy Knitting
What is your deadline for blankets and squares?
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Thanks Knitxpressions,
We still have six week to go!! So pick up your needles and start knitting for Born to Knit and remember to send your knitted blankets or squares before the end of September 2012.
Thank you and Happy Knitting!
I am moving house and have boxes of wool that I would prefer not to take with me. Are you still accepting donations of wool?
Hi Lyn, thank you for your offer. We accept donations of wool and we give them to some volunteers who are knitting for Born to Knit. We are not sure if we would be able to use your donation for this year campaign but this will be very helpful for Born to Knit 2013.
Thank you and Happy Knitting!