Knit the Rainbow: Providing Winter Warmth for Vulnerable LGBTQ+ Youth
Early in 2020, Austin Rivers learned about the number of LGBTQ+ youth in New York City who were without stable housing. On coming across this knowledge, many of us would shake our heads and move on. Not Austin. An actor with a BA in Politics and a master’s in Public Administration, he combined his experience as a knitter and an activist to found Knit the Rainbow.
Above: Image source – Knit the Rainbow
There are more than 550,000 LGBTQ+ young people in the United States who are homeless or in unstable housing situations. More than 8,000 of those youth are in New York City, where fewer than 400 dedicated shelter beds are available. New York’s brutal winter weather makes a lack of stable housing even more dangerous. General shelters are often not safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, and these people are particularly vulnerable because of their youth.
Knit the Rainbow is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization working to empower and protect these young people by providing them with handmade knitted and crocheted winter clothing. Knit the Rainbow collects warm hats, socks, mittens, and scarves made by volunteers around the world. These garments are sorted, tagged, and delivered to partner organizations which provide shelter and other services for LGBTQ+ youth.
In the last fiscal year (April 2021 to 2022) Knit the Rainbow collected 3928 handknit and crocheted garments and distributed 5087 garments through 11 partner organizations.
Expansion is on the Horizon
After spending the first few years getting established in New York, Knit the Rainbow is poised to spread their wings. While collection and administration will remain centered in New York for now, distribution has expanded to Chicago, and New Jersey and Connecticut are also on their radar.
They plan to do more active community outreach as pandemic restrictions continue to ease. With donated yarn and tools, Knit the Rainbow will teach knitting and crochet to LGBTQ+ youth, providing them with valuable skills.
Knit the Rainbow at Maker Festivals
We were thrilled to welcome Austin Rivers of Knit the Rainbow to the 2023 Maker Festivals Lancaster for a special presentation and to accept his Interweave Top 20 of 2023 Community Leader Award.
You can watch the presentation here:
While he was at Maker Festivals, ABC News interviewed Austin about his mission and about Maker Festivals!
Interested in Maker Festivals? Check out our website for classes, instructor lineup, activities, and much more. We hope to see you there!
How You Can Help
While grant applications are in process, Knit the Rainbow is dependent on individual donations for funding its operations. Cash donations are welcome through its website. You can also purchase a variety of colorfully branded merchandise through its shop.
If you’re local to NYC, watch Knit the Rainbow’s Instagram for announcements of their next Day of Action. On this day, volunteers gather to sort and tag the donated garments in preparation for distribution. This would be a wonderful service event for a group of crafty friends.
And of course, you can make and donate warm hats, socks, mittens, cowls, scarves, and other winter clothing. I’ve found this a great way to make a dent in my yarn stash. There are free patterns available through the Knit the Rainbow website. You can also use any pattern that appeals to you. Remember, they serve people ranging in age from young teens to young adults, so garments in a wide range of sizes are welcome.
Donated garments can be shipped directly to Knit the Rainbow in New York. The website also lists yarn stores that have offered to serve as drop-off sites.
Pattern Recommendations
If you’re looking for additional pattern options, here are a few to consider:
The Hudson Hat by Anastasia Popova comes in three sizes and uses worsted-weight yarn. Add the matching gloves for a beautiful crocheted set.
The Thames Path Socks by Lisa Jacobs are beautiful knit in a solid color or use your partial balls of sock yarn and make them striped!
Carol Feller’s Mason’s Hat is a winter classic knit in Aran-weight yarn.
Spread the Word
Finally, if donating garments or money isn’t right for you now, you can still help. Austin credits the power of social media for the successful launch of Knit the Rainbow early in the pandemic. Follow them on Instagram or Facebook, share their posts, and tell your friends. Post a photo of the projects you are boxing up to donate, and tag it with #knittherainbow. With your help, Knit the Rainbow can continue keeping youth warm and letting them know there are crafters across the country sending them support and care this winter.
Originally published 6/16/2022. Updated 6/10/24.
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