Wool-Aid is pleased to continue its support of children in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia through the Dulaan Project. We coordinate with FIRE (Flagstaff International Relief Effort), whose staff in Ulaanbaatar organizes the distribution.

Winters in Mongolia are brutal, with temperatures that rarely get above freezing and that can often dip to -40 degrees at night. The capital city, Ulaanbaatar, is the coldest capital in the world.

Wool-Aid sends hats, mittens, socks, sweaters, vests, and blankets to the children to help keep them warm in these extreme conditions.

Wool-Aid is announcing two new patterns — the Keep Me Warm Sweater and How to Knit Basic Socks for Charity — plus an update of the classic Keep Me Warm Vest:

These new and updated patterns can be downloaded from the Patterns page on the Wool-Aid website. Each of the 29 patterns available there meets Wool-Aid guidelines as written, with no modification needed. They were all designed by members of the Wool-Aid community on Ravelry and are included with permission; these patterns are free for charity, non-profit, and personal use.

All items created with these patterns for Wool-Aid should be knit with 80%+ wool yarns, according to Wool-Aid Guidelines.

Our current focus is on sweaters, and there are several sweater patterns available on the Wool-Aid Patterns page, in addition to the newly released Keep Me Warm Sweater:

Big Kids Bulky Mock Turtleneck
Child’s Top-Down Henley
Child’s Placket Pullover with Collar
Child’s Pullover with Attached Scarf
From the Top Mock Turtleneck
Keep Me Warm Sweater
Lattice Wrap Shawl-Collared Sweater
Scrap Wrap Shawl-Collared Sweater
Steppe Sweater
The Steppe Ahead Sweater
Waffles for Brunch Sweater

Wool-Aid set high goals for 2013, but our wonderful knitters and crocheters met the challenge!

Shown below are the goals set by Wool-Aid for 2013 and the number of each item shipped to help warm children around the world this winter:

Item: Goal / Number of Items Shipped

Hats: 2500 / 2689

Socks: 1200 / 1163

Sweaters: 800 / 654

Vests: 650 / 672

Mittens: 650 / 595

Blankets: 75 / 115

TOTALS: 5875 / 5888

Warm woolen clothing and blankets were sent to children living in Mongolia (1034 items), Afghanistan (2238 items), Tibet (2238 items), and Kazakhstan (378 items).

Heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who helped make these goals a reality, warming children who live in the coldest climates and have the least access to resources! You’re truly making a difference in so many children’s lives. Thank you!