Penguin Sweaters

Charitable calls to action usually ask for people to sign petitions, donate money, or call their representatives about some issue. All of those things are a good idea, and generally help some kind of cause, but they aren’t nearly as much fun as making tiny pieces of clothing for adorable animals in need. Skeinz, a yarn shop in New Zealand, has put out an international call for people to knit sweaters for penguins who were affected by the recent oil spill off the coast of Tauranga. See, penguin sweaters aren’t just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen—they actually can help save the animals’ lives as well. Not only do they keep them warm while they’re waiting to be properly cleaned by rescue workers, but they can prevent them from preening their feathers and ingesting dangerous and potentially fatal chemicals. So Skeinz has provided a pattern for making the little garments. They don’t include instructions on how to make them look like a tiny tuxedo, though. You’ve got to figure that out for yourself. If you don’t know how to knit, don’t fret — it’s not that hard to learn. There are sites all over the internet with instructional videos, or you can head to a yarn shop and ask for help. If you’re in possession of a Y chromosome, New York’s Lion Brand store holds a guys’ night, so you can even feel manly about it.

Charitable calls to action usually ask for people to sign petitions, donate money, or call their representatives about some issue. All of those things are a good idea, and generally help some kind of cause, but they aren’t nearly as much fun as making tiny pieces of clothing for adorable animals in need.

Skeinz, a yarn shop in New Zealand, has put out an international call for people to knit sweaters for penguins who were affected by the recent oil spill off the coast of Tauranga.

See, penguin sweaters aren’t just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen—they actually can help save the animals’ lives as well. Not only do they keep them warm while they’re waiting to be properly cleaned by rescue workers, but they can prevent them from preening their feathers and ingesting dangerous and potentially fatal chemicals.

So Skeinz has provided a pattern for making the little garments. They don’t include instructions on how to make them look like a tiny tuxedo, though. You’ve got to figure that out for yourself.

If you don’t know how to knit, don’t fret — it’s not that hard to learn. There are sites all over the internet with instructional videos, or you can head to a yarn shop and ask for help. If you’re in possession of a Y chromosome, New York’s Lion Brand store holds a guys’ night, so you can even feel manly about it.