DECEMBER 15, 2011 ISSUE
First-Graders’ Hungry Monsters Project Aids Hunger Coalition
First-graders Grace Hice and Eli Topper in Amy Eberle’s class at Hardin Park School show off the monsters they created during a free design session.
Vampire Crystal
Mr. Underwear
A colorful combination of fiber arts and children’s creativity is raising much-needed funds for a local food bank this winter.
Fiber artist Katie Boyette, known for her adorable knitted monsters, has partnered with Amy Eberle’s first-grade class at Hardin Park Elementary School to create patterns for three monsters designed by the youngsters. The patterns are available for sale for a $5 donation, which goes to The Hunger & Health Coalition.
Dubbed the “Hungry Monsters Project,” it all began when Boyette approached her daughter’s teacher, Ms. Eberle, about working with students to design their own monsters, convert their ideas into knitting patterns and then sell the patterns for a charity project. Eberle suggested the Hunger Coalition.
Boyette visited the class in late October and began by talking about hunger in the community and about knitting. She passed around a few of her knitted monsters. Then, the students had a free design period, drawing monsters on paper and writing their characteristics on the back.
In the second part of the project, Eberle guided her students in making a list of “Needs vs. Wants,” and the class decided to set a fundraising goal of $500, which will feed 150 people. Then, students split into three groups and each worked together to create one monster and short narratives for each one.
Mr. Underwear, for example, “hates pants, bats, mud, dogs and toothbrushes,” but he likes “cats, eyes, stars, food, and, of course, underwear.”
Boyette knitted monsters based on all three groups’ drawings and presented them to the class.
“They love it. They’ve been super excited,” Boyette said.
Boyette then developed patterns for each of the monsters so that other knitters can recreate them.
“The interesting thing about the pattern is that all the heads and bodies mix and match,” she said. For instance, a knitter might choose to combine Vampire Crystal’s one-eyed head with Mr. Underwear’s portly body.
Boyette hopes to continue the project once or twice a year so that even more monsters are added to the pattern line, multiplying the possible combinations.
Patterns can be purchased online at www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hungry-monsters-project, or Boyette can provide paper copies. In addition, Boyette has partnered with Apple Hill Farms to package the patterns and alpaca yarn together in kits, which will be sold at Black Bear Books in the Boone Mall.
Or, non-knitters who want to help can simply make a donation through PayPay to katie@hungrymonstersproject.org.
“It’s going pretty well so far. We’ve reached $400,” Boyette said. “We’re getting there a little bit at a time.”
The Blue Ridge Fiber Guild will be knitting Hungry Monsters for sale, though few will be available by Christmas, Boyette added.
To further the cause, in addition to the Hungry Monsters, Boyette is donating all of her pattern sales for the month of December to the coalition.
For more information about the project, click to www.hungrymonstersproject.org or email Boyette at Katie@caffaknitted.com.
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