Calling ALL Knitters and Crocheters, grab your needles and hooks, some yarn, a friend or two, and come and knit for a bit!
The first Knit In for 2026 will be Saturday, February 17 from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Green Top Grocery in the teaching kitchen. Knitters and crocheters are welcome to come and create charity items or work on their own projects in the company of like-minded crafters.
This quarter’s featured project will be making red, white, and blue lap afghans for veterans who participate in Operation Penguin (flightless Honor Flight) and pet blankets for local animal shelters.
Volunteers have been knitting and crocheting blankets to comfort homeless pets living in animal shelters across the United States for the past over 15 years. While these pets await adoption, the blankets provide a comfortable bed year-round. When they are adopted, their blanket goes with them, providing something familiar as they adjust to their “forever family.” Local beneficiaries of these blankets are the Humane Society of Central Illinois in Normal, McLean County Animal Control, and Pet Central Helps in Bloomington. For more information about the project, lists of participating shelters, or free patterns to use, please visit http://comfortforcritters.org/.
The Greater Peoria Honor Flight has been showing gratitude to our Central Illinois veterans by providing a "Welcome Home" after a day's visit to Washington, D.C. for the past several years. At some time during the flight, each vet receives a crocheted flag and some receive a red, white, and blue lap blanket, all provided by volunteers. However, for a variety of reasons, there are veterans for whom the traditional honor flight experience with the flight to DC & back may not be an option. This is where Operation Penguin steps in borrowing a phrase from their friends at the Penguin Project, "penguins may not be able to fly, but that doesn't keep them from soaring!" We are hoping to provide a blanket for each veteran who participates. Blankets should be 24 inches by 24 inches in size (any knit or crochet pattern) in red, white, and blue yarn.
Mark your calendar for the rest of the 2026 Knit Ins from 10am to 1pm on the following dates :
May 9 at Bloomington Public Library
August 8 at Normal Public Library
November 7 at the Museum
Parking will be available in the main parking lot outside of Green Top Grocery.
Questions? Contact the Education Department at 309-827-0428 or email by clicking here.