In May 2007, a group of sixteen college students traveled to Tibet on a university-sponsored trip, now planned as an annual offering, to study for three weeks.
Along with them went knitted hats, gloves and scarves to be distributed to the many children needing warm clothes. Not nearly enough, however.
Rural schools are unheated. Students sit in cold classrooms trying to learn their lessons. Volunteers are needed to help knit more of these items.
While in Tibet, we became aware of Ani Tsang Kung (one of many nunneries in Tibet -- this one in Lhasa), and would like to also include these women in our project.
For the children, size your items for primary-grade children, boys and girls; approx. US sizes 4 to 6. Scarves should be only 5 inches wide and 4 feet long – with NO fringe. Yellows, oranges, and reds are favorite colors,bright blues and greens, with white -- their sacred colors are white, blue, green, red and orange -- more so than muted blues and purples, or pastels.
For the nuns, choose saffron and dark reds, in a variety of women's sizes -- but remember these Tibetans tend to smaller sizes than most Westerners.
Please e-mail for details and instructions on selecting yarns and color combinations, and for mailing instructions for finished items.
Refrain from using red, white and blue together.
This is not a project about American patriotism.
Please do not be offended by this request;
it is for the protection of the Tibetans.
Here at the KniTibet website you will find links to free patterns, additional information on the organizations to benefit, and…more photographs of the schools and the children, and the other projects of the TVP!
Donations of wool yarns are welcome and appreciated, but not as much as your own time to make an item.
*If you don’t knit or crochet, there is a special pattern provided by TVP for a polar fleece hat which the children love! (see above photo)
