Welcome to the weekend! We have Valentine’s Day to celebrate our loves, and Family Day to spend time together and as the second Sunday in the month we at Baaad Anna’s are reminded about the opportunity to strengthen our community with knits that give joy to others. Whether you call it charity knits/crochets or fibre art donation projects, we take Give Back Sundays as a monthly heads up that we are part of a greater whole: a community. Through Fibre Arts we have the opportunity to clothe, warm and delight others, and these are done in a number of amazing ways. Today we will highlight two amazing initiatives that do just that.

Project Linus is an international non-profit named after security blanket-toting character from the Peanuts comic strip. With the motto that a blanket is like a hug when you need it the most, this group organizes blanket-making efforts, be it knit, crochet, or quilted to give to any child facing substantial distress in their lives. Project Linus Burnaby is based within blocks of our East Hasting location, and we are thrilled to be able to contribute both upcycled yarn donations, blanket squares, as well as fully completed blankets to their efforts. These donations are collected and distributed through our various Community Programs, including our previous Give Back Sunday efforts, and we would be happy to continue to do so. You can read about these and other Give Back Sunday efforts here.

Another amazing project quietly happening around town is the silent appearance of beautiful fibre art pieces in various corners of the city. Dee of @deirdrepinnockdesigns has been placing beautiful fibre art pieces endearingly called Yarn Bombings on corners and fences that make you stop and reflect. With messages of ‘Be Kind’, ‘I Care’, ‘Pride’ often in places often intentionally overlooked, these pieces have been delighting the local neighbourhoods for months now.

Equally important, she has been added culturally relevant pieces throughout Vancouver highlighting the corona epidemic, ‘can’t breathe’ and various Downtown East Side initiatives. Through our Upcycling initiative, we were able to direct two large bags full of underloved yarns to Dee in the early months of winter to help supply Dee with the raw materials needed to continue on these amazing public art projects. Be sure to follow her efforts via Instagram @deirdrepinnockdesigns.

If you want to focus some of your fibre art adventures on community building, please take some time this weekend to work on a project that would be a gift for someone in need. A gift of a blanket or warm hat truly embodies the strength that can be found in a healthy community. We will continue to focus on community growth and give-back projects with our monthly Give Back Sunday feature, on the second Sunday of each upcoming month. Join us in any way you wish!