Morgan Kranz is an 11-year-old girl who recently sold crochet and knit items such as purses, hats, and wrist warmers, at a craft show in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Unlike many folks who sell at craft shows, this young lady was raising money for the Diani Maendeleo Academy in Kenya. Morgan was able to raise $1,485 the day of the fair and even more since then. The profits were much more than expected so it’s unknown what they will be used for. It may be used for school supplies or lunch for the students. Students attend the academy 12 hours per day Monday to Friday, and 6 hours on Saturday with only breakfast provided.

Photo courtesy of Gwen Kranz

With only 2 years of crochet experience, Morgan Kranz is a great example that you can make a difference at any age and skill level (and turn a profit at craft fairs).

Due to an overwhelming number of requests, Crochet Spot now has gift certificates! If you need a quick gift to give a crochet lover, you can now purchase a gift certificate to the Crochet Spot Store. Gift certificates can be for the amount you choose and can be printed out from your computer or emailed to the recipient. Gift certificates do not expire and do not require maintenance fees. To learn more about gift certificates, or to purchase one for a loved one, use the button below.

The button above will also show you a sample gift certificate with instructions on how to use it and walk you through customizing it!

Looking to donate your crocheted items to a great cause? The Preemie Project is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 to comfort premature and critically ill babies. Crochet and knit items such as hats, blankets, and booties are donated to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.

So far Preemie Project volunteers have donated 1,700 hat and bootie sets, 1,500 blankets, 300 bereavement packages, and counting! Here are some free crochet patterns on Crochet Spot that you can use to create items to donate to The Preemie Project and other wonderful organizations:

Crochet Pattern: Basic Preemie Hat
Crochet Pattern: Newborn Baby Hat
Crochet Pattern: Shell Stitch Blanket
For more patterns, check out the Crochet Spot Archives.

To learn more about this organization and how you can get involved, feel free to visit The Preemie Project website.

In all my years of crocheting, I have yet to make a granny square, let alone an entire afghan of pieced-together granny squares. This is probably due to the fact that I already have an excessive number of crocheted afghans from more than one crocheter, including one of my grandmothers. Now, there’s nothing wrong with granny square afghans! It just isn’t something I find myself wanting to make. (There’s also a heat index of 100 today, so I am definitely not in any mood to think about afghans!) I have, however, seen some interesting uses of the proverbial granny square in totes, shawls and clutches, elevating this common crochet motif to new heights. This Smart Car, covered in crochet granny square goodness, takes the cake.

Photo by StartTheDay

Although it has been 6 months since the catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti, the already impoverished country is still struggling on just about every level. How could crochet possibly come into play? Here goes: Pat Eidsness is the pastor of South Dakota’s Peace Lutheran Church and she recently spent time volunteering in Haiti. While there, Eidsness tried instructing mothers to avoid letting their children play in or sleep on the dirt-covered ground.

Upon her return to Sioux Falls, SD, she wanted to do something more for the people of Haiti, so she started brainstorming. Her memories of the mothers and children sparked an idea: cutting up t-shirts into strips and crocheting mats from them. Soon enough she was requesting t-shirt donations from the community and asking for volunteers, from experienced crocheters to those who have never crocheted (but are willing to learn!). The collective effort has already resulted in dozens of completed mats and it’s fortunately an ongoing effort.

You can read more about crocheting for Haiti here.

Don’t you love holidaying in the summer? I know I do! I also love getting started on holiday gifts for the family and friends. If you would like to get started on holiday items too, I’m pleased to tell you that all Christmas patterns are currently 40% OFF! Hurry before the sale ends on Wednesday 7/28/2010 at 11:59 PM EST. Visit the Crochet Spot Store to shop!

The sale includes the following Christmas crochet patterns:

Santa Claus Hat (5 sizes) – Yes, that’s right, this pattern includes instructions for crocheting the Santa Claus Hat in 5 different sizes! From a newborn baby to a man, everyone can have a crocheted hat.

Christmas Applique Set #1 – This set includes 5 crochet patterns: candy cane, Christmas tree, gift box, Santa Claus hat, and stocking. Appliques are great to use as ornaments, pins, or to sew onto a bag, hat, or blanket!

Christmas Applique Set #2 – This set includes 5 crochet patterns: elf, gingerbread man, reindeer, Santa, and snowman.

Don’t forget that patterns can be downloaded straight from your store account after purchasing. No need to wait for an email

Have fun crocheting your holiday items this summer!!

Kate Jenkins pushes the envelope when it comes to fiber art possibilities. She doesn’t just knit and crochet, she knits and crochets. A former designer for fashion lines like Donna Karan, she is the owner of Cardigan, a knit and crochet shop and gallery all in one, based in the U.K. Her mission statement unravels like this: “anything can be created from yarn as long as it is made with love.” From striped wraps to fish and chip platters, dragonflies to the pork pie you see below, Kate exhibits at galleries and art shows all over the world and is known for her attention to small details and use of vibrant colors. read more »

Hello! My name is Erin and I’m a writer, mother and crocheter. My days are filled with mayhem, mischief and makings.  I started crocheting while on bed rest with my second daughter and have been crafting items for sale and as gifts ever since.  You can read all about my chaotic life at my personal blog Blogging is For Dorks and see my hand made items at Ultra Cute Crochet.

I love sharing my patterns and experiences in crocheting with beginners and with more advanced crocheters looking for more to learn!

Hello! I just started blogging here on Crochet Spot and I thought I’d tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 28-year-old New York City/Pittsburgh-based freelance writer and crochet/knit designer (among other random jobs!). I started crocheting about five years ago when I was diagnosed with a serious chronic condition that left me pretty housebound. It quickly became a therapeutic activity, something I really enjoyed and that I could do from the comfort of my home. I started designing my own patterns right away and opened an Etsy shop to sell some of my whimsical, personified handheld items like safety cones, balloons, s’mores, gourmet cheeses, fortune cookies, silver-lined clouds and many others. read more »

Photo by Saki Chikaraishi

You could crochet a cozy for your brand-spankin’-new iPad like Japanese crocheter Saki Chikaraishi did…wait, you’re a novice still learning the crochet ropes? There’s an App for that! Thanks to Jones APR, a mobile app, consulting and PR firm, there is now “Knitting & Crocheting HD,” an application specifically created for Apple’s iPad. The app just hit the iTunes store in late June and features over 500 photos, illustrations as well as instructions to take you through the knitting and crochet basics, including supplies needed and yarn types explained.

Apple gadgets are no strangers to crochet applications: there’s already one for the iPhone and iPod Touch, not to mention a few podcasts to choose from. But, the iPad is obviously more conducive to learning just about anything because of its visually-friendly size. Have you tried out any of these crochet apps or do you stick to crocheting up gadget cozies when it comes to the intersection of tech and craft?