April KAL: Hats for Sailors

(image from Hats For Sailors blog)

Welcome to April, and this month's charity KAL! This month, rather than focus on busting through a specific yarn weight or using a specific pattern like I did last month, I'm focusing on making as many hats as I can for the amazing group Hats For Sailors.

Hats for Sailors provides hats for sailors in the US Navy, one ship at a time. I joined the Ravelry group last fall and sent a few hats to their fall 2012 campaign. When photos of the sailors receiving their hats became available, I was blown away and humbled to see a few of my hats in the mix!

I love that this group came about thanks to the vision of a sailor named Shanti, who wanted to provide a handmade hat for every sailor on the ship she was about to command. The group has grown from that ship to someday providing hats for every sailor on every deployed US Naval ship!

Now that their next deadline is just a few months away (May 27, 2013) I'm looking at my superwash wool stash and thinking about the hats it all needs to become. To help them reach their goal, this month is all about knitting up my superwash wool for Hats For Sailors! The hats must be made out of superwash so they are fire resistant but can still be easily cared for. Thankfully I've accumulated enough to make close to a dozen hats this month!

I'd love for you to join me in this KAL! I'll be using a few different patterns, and next week I'll share a round-up of patterns that are free, work up fast, and are perfect for this charity! I'll be mailing all my hats out at the end of the month - for the mailing address contact the charity directly at HatsforSailors@gmail.com.