So, I am an unrepentant selfish knitter. A majority if what I make is for me, and after my fall of commission knitting, everything else I knit is something I want to make for someone else. I just don't enjoy knitting to deadlines and thankfully I have a decent job so I don't have to turn my hobby into a job for financial reasons.
While I know much of knitting is done by groups for charitable purposes, and most of the time I see things like knitting non-superwash socks for homeless men, nothing if not ill-advised. I have worked for non-profts, most prefer cash or time to in-kind donations of knitted items.
However, after several years of knitting I have acquired a box of knitting that doesn't fit, or suit me or anyone I know. I have decided to donate these items to a local charity shop that sells somewhat exclusively to women and families in our local shelters and in need of good, low cost clothing.
I hope that these items find there way to people who they will suit and will love them, because I enjoyed making each item, from the baby blanket I made back in Austin to the very cute white owl mittens that I knit before I truly understood about gauge, to the ridiculously fluffy pink scarf I knew I would never wear.
While I doubt that I will knit intentionally for charitable organizations, (I would rather earn money and give cash to my favorite causes), I will continue to stockpile and donate knitted items that were always meant for someone else, even if I just wore it for a while.