knitoutsidethebox combines my passion for knitting with my desire to give back to my community. While many knitters generously donate their handmade goods to deserving charities, I prefer to sell my hand-knits to generate cash for non-profits.

By sharing my experience, I hope to inspire others to raise money for charities by selling their handmade items. On this site, you’ll find:

Happy knitting!

Karen
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Photo of Karen CatlinAbout me

I’m Karen Catlin, an advocate for women who work in the tech industry, a happy mom & wife, and an avid knitter. Like many people, I am addicted to knitting. My goal is to knit and get exercise every day, although usually not at the same time. That said, I have knitted on the exercise bike at the gym. I told you I was addicted!

I started this website to share my experience with selling hand-knitted goods to raise money for charitable causes. “Knit Outside the Box” was coined by my friend Susan, and I love how it represents my particular focus for charitable knitting. While so many knitters (and other crafters) generously donate their handmade goods to deserving charities, I prefer to sell my knitted items to generate cash for non-profits. By “thinking outside the box” about how to combine my passion for knitting with my desire to give back to my community, I have been able to raise thousands of dollars for causes I care about.

I do not write about donating knitted items directly to charities. While there are many charities that can use donations like preemie hats, prayer shawls, and afghans, my website is focused on selling knits to raise money for non-profits. If you are interested in ideas for where you can donate hand-knits, please check out the great Charity Knitting forum on Ravelry.

I hope you find this website inspiring and that you use some of my ideas to contribute to a cause that is near and dear to your heart. Please share your experiences with me! I would love to hear from readers who have additional ideas for generating cash for charities via hand-knitting.

p.s. I also blog at Use Your Inside Voice about the intersection of leadership and parenting. Perhaps I should start a notebook of ideas for a blog about the intersection of knitting and leadership?