Seriously...how cute is this!!

UPDATE: Sweaters for Skeinz have reached critical mass! If your still keen to knit a sweater, contact the organizations directly (information below) to make sure they are still in demand. 

Here’s the update from Skeinz: “we do have crital mass of jumpers – but don’t worry if you have just completed yours – still send it in to us as we will keep stocks available for the Wildlife Rescue Team to draw from if required.”

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As you may have heard, there’s been a devastating accident and subsequent oil spill off the coast of Tauranga in New Zealand. This is pretty devastating as the environmental impact is huge! Sometimes in these situations, it feels like since we’re so far away, all we can do is watch totally helpless! But, it turns out, there is something we can do. There’s been a call by Skeinz.com for people to help the blue penguins affected by the oil spill by knitting them some little sweaters. Apparently, the sweaters help keep the penguins warm while they recover from the health impacts of being coated by toxic oil. It also help to stop them from preening themselves thereby preventing them for ingesting said oil. Once they’re strong enough, the sweaters are removed and the penguins are washed using a mild detergent.

So, if you know how to knit and have other friends who know how to knit, or you’re taking a knitting class or are a member of a knitting club…or anything along those lines…why not have a knitting party!! What a great way to spend a Sunday brunch! Merino and mimosas 🙂

And just to help you along, here are a few patterns and instructions:

Skeinz Newsletter

Penguins Foundation

Etsy Blog

Once you have your sweaters collected, you can forward them to

1. Skeinz at the following address:

2. Penguins Foundation at the following address:

C/- P.O. Box 97 Cowes

Victoria Australia

3922

Phone: +61 3 591 2800

Other than the links above, also check out Grist.org, Audubon Magazine, and Gawker.com.

Special thanks to our friend Kathleen Matthews for bringing our attention to this story on facebook. 

Nadira Lamrad

Nadira is the co-founder of Social Alterations. She is currently completing her final year as a PhD Candidate at City University of Hong Kong.