Homemade blankets for children in need

It was all hands on deck for the knitters and crocheters at Rumpelstiltskin Yarns in Sayville on Wednesday, Oct. 16, as over 100 squares were turned into blankets for children in need.

With the colder winter temperatures due on Long Island in weeks, there wasn’t a moment to spare with whip-stitching and crocheted borders for the 8- and 12-square blankets.

Depending on the complexity of the knitting or crocheting pattern, a square typically takes one to three hours to produce. Many in attendance for the blanket-making event had made over a dozen squares.

The blankets were made as part of the Project Linus initiative, which provides handmade blankets to children age 0 to 18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.

Project Linus National Headquarters is located in Belton, Mo. National president Patty Gregory and vice president Mary Balagna direct and orchestrate the activities of Project Linus chapters located in all 50 states. Blankets are collected locally and distributed to children in hospitals, shelters and social service agencies.