Comfort Dolls knit along

Last month Brockley Knits held two knitting events where we encouraged anyone who wanted to to come and learn to knit. Since it’s much more fun to have a project to work on than to simply cast on and knit a few rows, we found a simple doll pattern that we could use as the basis of our knitting how-to. Once you know how to knit and to purl, you can simply change to a different colour yarn at the end of a row, and then sew the knitted fabric into a tube that you stuff. The doll is given shape using a drawstring of invisible thread or the same colour yarn to form the head. The arms and legs are made by sewing through both sides of the fabric to create definition. Eyes and a mouth can be added by sewing crosses and a line or yarn across the face.

We’d already tried the doll pattern, having first seen it in Let’s Knit magazine as a suggested ‘teach your kids to knit’ project. But the pattern wasn’t up on the Let’s Knit website and we couldn’t find the right back issue. Undeterred, we found nearly identical patterns online and discovered they had their origins in a charity project. The dolls in question are African Comfort Dolls and are given out to young kids orphaned by AIDS. As well as being a nice thing to receive and something you can clutch, the dolls have a practical purpose. They are sent to Africa along with HIV medicines. The dolls are used to cushion the medicine bottles and prevent them breaking.

African Comfort Dolls, as knitted by Claire at Brockley Knits

We thought this was a wonderful idea, so we decided that any dolls that knitters donated to us (having learned to knit for free) would be sent to a charity that sends out crates of medicine to Africa each year. They wait until they have raised enough money to send a consignment of medicines, and the dolls are packed into the crates along with them. Brockley Knits had fun using the African Comfort Dolls pattern to share knitting skills with people locally, and is continuing to knit these dolls so we’ve got a fair few to donate to this fantastic cause.

If you’d like to get involved, there’s a handy pattern here: http://www.squidoo.com/african-knit-dolls. If you need knitting instructions, please do come along to one of our weekly knitting meet-ups at Pat A Cakes cafe, Brockley Road SE4 on Tuesdays from 1pm to 3pm, or join us for a glass of wine (or a soft drink) and knit with us at Mr Lawrence Wine Bar, 391 Brockley Road SE4, from 8pm on the 1st or 3rd Monday of the month.

You can drop off finished dolls at either venue, or just email brockleyknits@gmail.com and we can collect them locally.