It is with heavy hearts that the Knit Michigan Board of Directors voted to cease holding the annual Knit Michigan event. Over the nine years the event was held the group raised over $240,000 to help cancer patients and their families.

Knit Michigan isn’t going away! We are in the process of asking yarn shops across the state to serve as collection points for patient comfort items. There is a big need for chemo caps, blankets, pillows, and Knitted Knockers (TM). Knit Michigan will continue to collect and disseminate these items to cancer patients around the state. We also honor individual requests. Simply send a note to info@knitmichigan.org, including a note about the patient and their treatment center and we will work to get you the item/items you need. We do not charge for these items, but if you are in a position to make a donation, that is appreciated as we must support the cost of mailing to both individuals and cancer units. Many of our items are hand-delivered to cancer units by cheerful volunteers. All are knit by volunteers using materials that they provide.

Knit Michigan, a registered Michigan corporation, is a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit.

Knit Michigan is an independent organization dedicated to supporting cancer patients and their families by making and donating comfort items such as chemo caps and lap blankets to cancer patients. Any funds raised that exceed the costs of comfort item distribution are donated to patient and family support programs at these organizations: Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Rose Cancer Treatment Center at Beaumont, Genesys Regional Medical Center, Gilda’s Club, and U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Why is it necessary? Knit Michigan fills a need in the Michigan fiber-arts community for individuals to band together to work toward a common cause that has touched many of our lives. It provides an opportunity to give back and make a difference by doing something we love: creating and providing better situations for those we care about who must deal with cancer. Knit Michigan acts as an intermediary between knitters and patients.

What is the purpose of Knit Michigan? Simply put, the main purpose of Knit Michigan is to help others. Many of us have been touched by cancer ourselves or by family, friends or coworkers. Knit Michigan makes supporting cancer patients and their families easy, convenient and rewarding by donating money and comfort items.

What has Knit Michigan accomplished? Beginning with our inaugural year, 2007, Knit Michigan was held in donated space at the Academy of the Sacred Heart (www.ashmi.org) in Bloomfield Hills. Over the years we have raised more than $240,000 to support selected cancer serving organizations. We have also donated over 11,000 comfort items in the form of chemo caps, cuddly knit bears, breast cancer pillows, and pillows and blankets used in the infusion rooms. The comfort items have been gifted to cancer centers around the state, going as far north as Baraga in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Knit Michigan the event was discontinued in 2015, with the last one-day event held in February of 2015. Going forward, the non-profit will focus on expanding our reach for collecting and distributing patient comfort items around the state.