Cloths for Katrina: Knitting Relief

Kitt and Salle have started a yahoo group for knitters to help with the Katrina relief effort. They are collecting hand knitted face cloths and soap and sending it to their contact in Louisiana at their own expense. All you have to do is mail the cloth/s and soap to them and they take care of the rest. If you go to the link there is a small intro but if you go ahead and join, they send you an email with all the details.

To some, this may seem kind of silly and insignificant. Maybe it is…but it is something even those who can’t afford to send money can probably do. It really is quick and inexpensive. Even if you can’t be in one of the gulf states to assist the relief workers, you can do something active instead of feeling helpless. Picture yourself tired, dirty and in the 90+ degree heat of the shelters. Maybe a nice cloth and some soap wouldn’t seem so insignificant to you then.

Sugar n Cream cotton is typically $.99 per skein. Plus, I know there is a LOT of cotton ease around out there. Both perfect for a nice face cloth. The group says they also accept small soft baby toys, crayons and coloring books. You don’t feel like making a face cloth? Maybe a teddy bear or stuffed lamb?

I almost finished my first one last night in front of the TV. I cast on at the beginning of a Rome documentary and by the end of the show I only had a couple of inches to go.
If you don’t want to think about a pattern, just do garter stitch or practice some new stitch you would like to learn. I found this pattern at Rhonda’s site. She has LOTS of patterns for dish cloths/face cloths. This one is an easy pattern that quickly becomes mindless. More patterns at the Dishcloth Boutique and Knitting Help. Please feel free to list your favorite pattern links for dish/face cloths in the comments section.