Hi team. Here’s an update on the joey pouches we talked about here. I’ve gotten a lot of questions, so here is an update to help those of you who are helping!
Q. What if I can’t make your February 5 deadline?
A. There are shipping hubs throughout the U.S. which you can mail your pouches to. They’ll bulk ship to Australia. The only reason I’m not an official hub is because I’m only sending in one shipment. You can find a list of hubs here.
Q. How can I get these pouches to you?
A. You can either mail it to me or email me to make local arrangements to meet up or drop off.
Attn: Meagan Condon
Luthvarian Fiber Arts
PO Box 11044
Kansas City, MO 64119
Q. Can I help you with shipping?
A. Yes, please and thank you. Since we’ve gotten such a huge response and so many of you will be making joey pouches, shipping will likely get pricey. At the request of multiple folks, I’ve set up a gofundme which you can donate to for shipping. Any excess we raise will be donated directly to the Animal Rescue Craft Guild.
Q. Why are we knitting these?
A. In part, we’re knitting them because knit fabric stretches in a similar way to a marsupial’s pouch. We’re also providing a source of labor. Monetary donations to the cause are also useful, but what they lack is man power and manufacturing power to produce what the animal rescue groups need to deal with the large number of animals in distress. So if you have $2000-5000 sitting around and know an American manufacturer who can make these to spec, that would be a really effective donation. If you have a few hours and some stash yarn sitting around like I do, that is also an effective donation. We do what we can to meet the need.
Q. What yarns and fabrics can I use?
The list is pretty flexible. The main restriction is that the micro pouches need to be 100% wool with a natural liner. Please see these two documents for more details.
What Yarns for What Projects
What Fabrics for What Projects
Q. I don’t have 8-ply yarn. Can I use worsted, sport, etc?
A. Yes. Use the yarn and needle sizes you have and change your gauge. The goal is to get 5″ square pouches for the micro pouches and 9″ or 12″ for the regular pouches. These don’t have to be precise. They’ll be able to use anything in-between. The only recommendation I have is to use a lighter yarn like sport or DK for the micro pouches so they’re more flexible for the tiny babies.
Q. Do I need to make the liners?
A. You can if you’d like, but if you’re not adept at sewing, there are other volunteers who will make liners. Just send in the pouches. If you’re not a knitter but would like to help, making liners is a great way to help. There’s also other sewn items the rescue group needs. I’m happy to go find some of the other sewing patterns upon request.
Q. What do they need beside pouches?
Keep the questions coming, friends. I’m happy to share out whatever information I can.