I get daily requests from charity knitters and interns and as a small company it would be impossible to support all but who do I choose. It always makes me feel unhappy to turn people away. This year I have decided to support Knit for Peace a registered charity that matches knitters with good causers. Many keen knitters need outlets, so their distributions service is a much needed resource. Knitting is good for the knitter and their outputs keep vulnerable people warm. Therefore its a win win situation.

For advice on what to make and to download free patterns visit their website

www.knitforpeace.org.uk

You can send them all your left over yarn and they will find it a good home. You can also join them on Knit for Peace holidays in India and other interesting places. for instance this year they are going to Venice. These are all led by famous designers.

We're also popping a Knit for Peace bookmark in your order. It doubles up as a handy 8" ruler as well.

Knit For Peace is an organisation with a variety of charity campaigns, including knitting for premature babies, and raising funds for knitting shops affected by recent floods.

Knit For Peace began as an initiative which encouraged people from different, sometimes hostile, communities to come and knit together.

A representative from the charity said, "Based on our experience of developing Knit for Peace over the last few years, we have learned that knitting is extremely important as an activity that can be carried out right into extreme old age and helps improve long-term health."

There are several different projects and campaigns on the go [LINK: ]http://www.knitforpeace.org.uk/projects-and-patterns/], so you will have no problem finding a pattern to suit you! The organisation is currently taking donations of handknitted layettes for newborn babies, including those who are born premature.

The clothes are never sold, but are sent direct to wherever they are needed most, with tens of thousands of items delivered each year to refugee centres, homeless shelters and hospitals.

We've put 6 new free PDF downloads in the Free Patterns section and they are just perfect for keeping warm and snug this winter. They will make great gift ideas and will knit up quickly as they are designed for Roosteryarns Almerino Aran. However you could choose any of our lovely aran yarns.

The Fair Isle Scarf above is knitted in a simple pattern and is suitable for intermediate knitters. The scarf also has a garter stitch edge that helps to stop the sides from curling. You will also see that the model is wearing a Fair Isle Beanie and this pattern complements the scarf well.and also goes with the wrist cuffs pattern. Also in the pattern range is a quick and easy headband that is great to finish off all of those little leftover bits of yarn.

The cable beanie is a unisex pattern that will keep the wearer lovely and warm on a chilly day. The pattern comes in two versions, one is with a turn up rib and one is with a single rib. To keep you super warm there is also a matching Cable Snood in this lovely set of accessory patterns.

For the Fair Isle patterns you will need size 4.50mm and 5.00mm needles and for the cable patterns you will need 7.00mm and 8.00mm needles. We sell them here at The Little Wool Company and so you can just add them to the end of your order when you order your lovely Rooster Almerino aran yarn. We also stock a range of other Aran weight yarns that would make good substitutes.

We hope you like the new site! There's lots of new features to make your shopping experience even better. For instance you can now create your own Wish List. There is also a Compare List so that you can draw comparisons between prducts on the site. It doesn't matter which device you use there is a view for you so it is even easier to shop on the move.