Crafty Call-to-Arms: Knit Finger Puppets for Kids at IWK Health Centre

finger puppets at IWK Health Centre

Do you love to knit and have lots of little pieces of surplus yarn to show for it? Knit finger puppets with your stash, and give the kids at the IWK Health Centre in Nova Scotia a fun distraction from medical procedures.

Knit finger puppets with your stash, and give the kids at the IWK Health Centre in Nova Scotia a fun distraction from medical procedures.

The IWK Health Centre sent out this crafty call-to-arms last month:

This is a great project for a caring knitter wherever you are, because knit finger puppets take so few supplies to make, and since they’re small and light, they’re inexpensive to mail even to Nova Scotia.

One of my favorite things about this project, though, is that there’s so much scope for personality here. A lot of projects that you can make and donate to hospitals have to be quite standardized, and for good reason–supplies donated to hospitals usually have to stand up to industrial washing and sanitizing, and can’t contain anything allergenic. You want kids to be safe, of course, but it’s always a little bit of a bummer when you can’t make them quilts, for instance, using the same favorite fabrics and patterns that you use for your own kids’ quilts.

These knit finger puppets, however, are going to go home with the kids, so they don’t necessarily need to be put through industrial washing, and they’re meant to distract and motivate kids every time they undergo a procedure, so obviously you want to have a lot of creative variety in what you make. This means that you CAN use your favorite yarns, and you CAN use all your favorite colors to make these finger puppets really fun for the kids.

The patterns that the IWK Health Centre use include both a basic knit finger puppet pattern that is suitable for lots of modifications, and a pattern for a bunny or a chick that can be turned into a variety of different animals.

Want to donate, but don’t want to donate so far from home? Look into some of your local hospitals and medical centers, and see if they provide any comfort items to their patients. If they don’t, maybe they’d like to start!

Photo Credit: finger puppets image via IWK Health Centre facebook page

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top