Want to take up embroidery/crochet again but who will want the results? Recommendations please

And here’s some patterns that are useful to hospitals as gathered by students in Nottingham.

They include a “ventilator hat” pattern and the octopus toy that was quite a breakthrough because of its tentacles which seemed to calm tiny babies more than other designs.

www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/societies/society/knitsoc/patterns/

Try Pinterest for ideas also website Yarnspiration has lots of knitting/crochet patterns plus Ravelry site. Lots of different groups on Facebook as well. What about a scarf or shawl for yourself. When I had Covid, I lived with my shawl wrapped round me, cosy but not as dull as a cardigan. That shawl pattern was actually called the Virus shawl. I made it years ago and suddenly it came into it's own.

Crocheted clothing is very much in fashion!

Notspagetti, like you I have been making premature baby hats, but when I contacted my local maternity hospital they said they were not taking any due to infection spreading.
I have made quite a few, they are so easy and love the feeling of doing something useful. If anyone knows of anywhere that is taking them can you please let me know.
My twins were premature and its lovely to give something back for the joy they have given me over the last 28 years.

Unable to get out to buy birthday cards, I have recently been making my own, and am managing to use all manner of crafts to make them.

My latest creations have incorporated string art and embroidery on card.
I have also stitched some little blackwork (though not actually in black) motifs that I can use on cards.
Paper quilling.
Paper cutting
Cards with applique pictures machine-stitched onto them.
Glass painting.
I've used all these and more ?

While I haven't done it yet, I have also thought of crocheting fine motifs to decorate cards.

As yet, I haven't thought of a way to use knitting on them, but luckily one DiL actively encourages me to knit clothes for dgd, so I can knit whenever I feel like it. Knitted soft toys have always been appreciated by all my DgC too.

I know one Gransnetter was very disparaging on another thread about handmade cards, making it clear that she doesn't like to receive them, but luckily most people don't seem to feel that way.
I enjoy making them, and while it's a bonus if a recipient genuinely appreciates their card, I don't expect them to keep them for ever. Like someone up-thread, I have had my pleasure in the making - any more than that is a bonus.

well done mamacaz.
I have crochet many toys for my grandchildren during the lockdown and leave them on their doorstep after my window visits, they love them! The octopus is a great favourite, they sit and twiddle with them while watching programs. The dogs, they take for walks with them and the owls are in progress! I'm thinking of doing them for dementia patients after the lockdown.

If you want to make something small which you can use yourself, how about crocheting cotton dish-cloths? Initially I made these for myself; now I supply them to relatives. The dish-cloths can be hot-washed and bleached and they last for years. (I now receive requests for them!)

Davida1968, I bought cotton yarn and scrubby yarn and crocheted some dish cloths for my daughter. Two had scrubby centres and the square one was double sided.
I'm now making hats for Innocent smoothie bottles. My daughter bought me the kit.

I've crochet and knitted hundreds of things for Hospice and the local food bank (hats, scarves, slippers) but the easiet thing to make is a long rectangle and then turn it into a pretty bag with beads sewn into the crochet work and a long handle to wear it over the shoulder.

Most charity shops can't get enough of these because they're big enough to hold a phone, keys and purse for times when you don't need all the paraphernalia of the regular handbag.

BradfordLass73

Do you have a pattern for the bags or is there one you use on the internet please?

Not so long ago, I became interested in machine embroidery of clothes. Because a common way to decorate clothes is to apply various inscriptions and images that can be applied to fabrics in different ways: thermal printing, silk screen printing and sublimation, but machine embroidery is the best. By the way, I bought myself one of the best embroidery machines www.sewhomegrown.com/best-emboidery-machine-for-custom-designs-2020/ and now with her help I can decorate not only clothes, but also accessories. Separately, I want to note that machine embroidery has many advantages over the traditional method of embroidery.

My mum 85 and has cancer, kept going downhill doan and down not eatinge etc

The other day she suddenly !! said I think I will try crocheting again! It lifted our spirits as we thought she had given up completely.

Mum said they used to want little crochet things in hospitals.

I would love to tell her they need them somewhere (what ever she crochets) blankets, muffs anything.

If she thinks it will be used by someone, anyone it may give her a little bit longer to carry on.

Not sure where to start here in Lancashire but my dd works at a hospital so maybe thats that starting point.

I realise due to the currant situation things are a bit different.

current !! hmmm...

I crochet blanket squares for knit a square (8" x 8") but if you google knitting for charity there are hundreds of charities wanting knitting.
Some places also ask for volunteers, Knit for Peace is in Kensington, Knit for Life in Scarborough for example.
Once you start looking, you'll be spoilt for choice.

Hopeful Honey has a free crochet pattern for baby bootees in the form of yellow ducks with an orange beak. She uses bought eyes but I embroidered them for safety reasons. I also used to make Mickey Mouse booties. I volunteered in a charity shop and used to sell them there.

One year I made a load of Father Christmas badges and they sold for £1 each. They were so popular, I got fed up with doing them in the end!

The danger of making things to be sold in charity shops is that the price charged may not be worth the amount of work involved. I priced the things that I had made and they used to sell ok.

Jaycee5 thankyou for that I will take a look and maybe print some info out for my mum.

I cross stitch and have made coaster using square acrylic cases from e bay very cheap. Stitch the design back with iron on interfacing cut to size and just clip in. Also made various cushions using Aida 14 . And with Sudan canvas using chunky wool usually paint box yarns as they have a wide range of colours. Christmas tree decorations and made cards for all sorts of occasions. This year's cards the cross stitch is back with felt as they are book marks.

What about small coasters, toys or pictures? These can take quite a bit of work which may be a problem when setting a fair price for the charity to sell at.
Interiors magazines can give you an idea of what is 'fashionable' at the moment and easier for charities to sell.

Last year I made a lot of tree decorations for Gdcs’ school Christmas fair - little mini knitted elves, snowmen, fairies, Father Christmases, etc. I wasn’t looking to sell for profit, they were donations, and to make sure they sold I priced them at just £1.50 each, which of course was no reflection of the work involved.

Elsewhere at the fair people who were paying for table space were selling their own decorations etc. but the prices were much higher (I did buy some) but there were an awful lot left at the end. Sadly, unless it’s something extremely special, I’m not sure you can ever really expect a price that reflects the work involved.

This year I’m making much bigger Christmas items, both for Gdcs and as raffle prizes for their school fairs, but again they’re donations. I just enjoy making them, and luckily the yarn I use for such things is cheap!

How about a cat basket

Plant holder

I made one similar with a free pattern off Ravelry for my granddaughters toys.

That cat basket is brilliant! I might have to learn to crochet just so I can make one for my cat-mad sister in law - she nearly always has a few foster-cats in addition to her own 2 or 3.

Have a look on Ravelry free knitted patterns if you can't crochet

Oh wow Firecracker just wow!! LOVE the cat basket!