Red Scarf Tradition

Your hand-knit or crocheted scarf will be delivered in a Valentine's Day care package to a college student who aged out of foster care and is going it alone.  Models: Students and staff of the Orphan Foundation of America.  Photography:  Gale Zucker

As I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with my family, I'll be spending this upcoming weekend thinking about all the people, places and things in my life that I'm thankful for.  It is wonderful to have four days of rest to contemplate gratitude.  For the past five years I have crocheted one, two or three scarves for the Red Scarf Project during Thanksgiving vacation.  The Orphans Foundation of America is collecting red scarves for their project!  From the website: OFA launched a unique initiative to warm the hearts (and necks) of college-bound foster youth. We began taking donations of handmade red scarves to put into our Valentine's Day Care Packages for young adults who have left the foster care system.

 
Here are the particulars about your scarf donation:
Scarf Size: Approximately 60" long and 5" to 8" wide. Scarves should be long enough to be wrapped around the neck, with tails long enough to be tied in the front.
Style: Think unisex collegiate. Ask yourself if your son, brother, and/or husband would enjoy receiving the scarf. Fringes are optional. Your scarf should drape and tie easily.
Yarn: Preferably DK, double fingering-weight, worsted weight, or light bully yarns. No laceweight, super-chunky, or mohair yarns as there are many people who find mohair too itchy. The yarn should be soft.

Color: Red! However, this could mean burgundy, cherry, russet, red stripes with other colors, or multicolor hues including red. 

Finished and tagged: Yarn ends should be securely sewn in. For a personal touch, attach a tag saying "Handmade for You" with your first name, city, and group affiliation, if any. Donors have also included washing instructions, messages of encouragement, gift cards, etc.

Above are all of the red scarves I've donated over the years.  Get your yarn, needles and hooks out and make a red scarf this weekend!  Once your scarf is finished, mail it by December 15th to:  Foster Care to Success, Red Scarf Project, 21351 Gentry Drive Suite 130, Sterling, VA 20166