https://www.laiaia.org

IAIA Association is a non-profit organization that works with knitting and weaving in 3 areas:

1. HEALTH - Developing Knitting Therapy in nursery centers withelderly people and people with mental illnesses;
2. EDUCATION - PromotingSocial Volunteering in Schools; Making children feel useful working with wool activities and aware on environment protection;
3. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE- Implementing social and Charity Projects (blankets for refugees, premature clothes, scarves for people in need, etc) there is always wool implied on them.

Camino de la Fonda, 19
28400 - Collado Villalba
Madrid

Tel. +34 670 639 701
info@Laiaia.org

https://www.gomitolorosa.org

Gomitolorosa is a non-profit organization of social utility committed to promoting solidarity, recovering of well-being and caring for the environment, through the support of knitting.

It recovers the Italian waste wool, otherwise burnt, for the purposes of environmental protection and the conservation of native wool, with which it creates balls of wool of 14 different colors associated with some pathologies (pink for breast cancer, red for heart diseases, etc.).

It supports knitting as a therapeutic tool for the individual recovery of mental and physical well-being, donating 100% certified wool.

It collaborates with hospitals, associations and amateur knitting groups throughout the national territory with which it creates artifacts (scarves, shawls, blankets, hats, etc) intended for social solidarity.

The “Thread that Unites” is the project that actually "connects" the national network of associations and amateur knitting groups, in the implementation of the Association's aims. It is divided into 4 lines of intervention:

1. SOCIAL SOLIDARITY: promotion of knitting for the creation of artefacts intended for weak subjects of society (elderly, children, patients, disabled, disadvantaged);
2. KNITTING THERAPY: promotion of knitting for therapeutic purposes at hospitals and health facilities with the aim of improving the quality of life of patients and their families, restoring the well-being of the body and mind, breaking down the state anxiety about waiting for the diagnosis or treatment;
3. SOCIAL KNITTING: promotion of knitting in public meeting places, to create sharing, socialization and leisure, contrasting loneliness;
4. AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS: promotion of knitting for the realization of projects in support of awareness campaigns for different pathologies, to which the production of wool balls in different colors has been linked, according to an international code that attributes to each disease a different color.

HISTORY

Gomitolorosa was born in 2012 in Biella, the city of wool, from an idea of ​​Dr. Alberto Costa, an oncologist surgeon, internationally recognized for his contribution to the advancement of the treatment of breast cancer, for innovative ideas in the field of scientific communication and teaching to doctors and for raising the standards of medical care.

The project starts as a container of ideas and people of good will to support the world of women's health in particular. Makes its first appearance on October 15, 2012, on the occasion of the Day for Breast Health.

From 2018 it has its operational headquarters in Rome.

Via delle Quattro Fontane, 20 a/b 00187 Rome
Italy
Tel.+39 06 45666930
segreteria@gomitolorosa.org

http://hetibetevo.hu/kossunk-horgoljunk/

KötÉS is a knitting project providing warm hats, scarfs and gloves for people in need. KötÉS works under the umbrella of „Heti Betevő”.

Heti Betevő is an organisation providing good quality lunch every Sunday to approx. 2000 people in need (mainly homeless people, but also to large families and the elderly) in five locations (two in Budapest and three in other cities) since 2014.

It has all started with a group of friends joining together and cooking lunch and distributing the hot meal to homeless people. The news of where one can get lunch on Sundays spread fast and more and more people turned up for it. Fortunately, more and more helpers joined in. The money raised by the association finances the lunch, as well-known restaurants cook a one-dish meal for the people in need.

Marianna Manna Bartha joined the group of Heti Betevő in the first half-year and she created the kötÉS group when at the very first winter it came to her attention that a lot of people were cold, without hats, scarfs and gloves.

“As I love to knit and crochet it was obvious that I was going to knit a few hats. I’ve already had a very good experience of people’s generosity through the lunch distributions, so I made the first gathering of “kötÉS: Let’s knit for the guests of the lunch distributions” open on Facebook. We met in a coffee shop that supported our association. Not only acquaintances came, but strangers as well, among whom some still come every year.”

The knitting together occasions usually start in October every year and we gather every 3-4 weeks until Christmas. The Sunday closest to Christmas is the time when we distribute our knitted hand-made items along with some collected used ones. This way we are able to support everyone.

“It’s always a great pleasure that they can choose one that they really like.”

bartha.marianna@googlemail.com

http://www.stitchlinks.com

Stitchlinks – the home of therapeutic knitting since 2005

Stitchlinks has pioneered the approach of using knitting as a therapeutic tool to improve wellbeing and has been driving research into this area since 2005.

Founded by Wellbeing Coach and former physiotherapist Betsan Corkhill, it was set up to provide users with a safe, trustworthy hub of information on the use of Therapeutic Knitting.

Our mission is to use Therapeutic Knitting to improve wellbeing generally, and to complement medical treatments in the self-management of long-term health conditions. We are working closely with academics and clinicians, and as a direct result, Therapeutic Knitting and Therapeutic Knitting groups are being formally acknowledged by leading clinicians and academics for their benefits in mainstream healthcare. We have been successfully using knitting therapeutically since 2006, so have a wealth of knowledge to share.

We are passionate about unravelling the neuroscience behind knitting’s therapeutic benefits as well as promoting a 'whole-person' approach to wellbeing and health care so encourage variety, curiosity, exploration, creativity, laughter and a lot of fun!

The Asociación para la Creación Textil ACT is a national non-profit association whose
objectives are to promote textile craftsmanship and spread the values of textile culture in
its threefold aspect of heritage, creation and knowledge transfer.

creaciontextil.org
@actcreaciontextil

To this end, the ACT organises training activities, exhibitions, online and presential talks,
demonstrations… Although its members practice all kind of textile craft techniques, many
of them work with wool and/or are engaged in sheep breeding and wool processing.

Cooperativa d’Alegria, founded in 2024 in Castelo de Vide (Alentejo, Portugal), is a social solidarity cooperative that promotes community well-being, social cohesion, solidarity and inclusion through art, culture, and local social initiatives. Working with diverse groups—including elderly people, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities like immigrants, unemployed individuals —and the community in gerenal it fosters collaboration, mutual support, and equal opportunities through community-based action.

cooperativadalegria
@dalegria_cooperativa

It´s mission is to create new dynamics within the community, rooted in the values that guide the cooperative, promoting local action that fosters social well-being. It is worthwhile to live by honesty, solidarity, and mutual support, defending community values. Inspired by community and sociocultural life, the cooperative’s activity is experienced through the creation of social dynamics, organizing various activities such as festivals, regular programs, as well as projects and social intervention initiatives.

The EGNATIA EPIRUS Foundation is a private non-governmental organization based in Ioannina, in the Epirus region of north-western Greece. Its main mission is to promote the sustainable development of the Epirus region through the use of new technologies and innovation.

www.egnatiaepirusfoundation.gr
@EGNATIAEPIRUSFoundation
krekata@epcon.gr

Over the past five years, the Foundation has focused on strategic cooperation in the wool sector, exploring new and innovative uses of wool. This has led to its participation in the European Wool Exchange network. In 2024, the Foundation hosted the 4th European Wool Day in the mountain village of Metsovo.

For more than 30 years, the Foundation has designed, managed, and coordinated projects in the fields of crafts, environmental protection, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism, often within the framework of international cooperation initiatives co-funded by European Union programmes.

The Foundation has also played an important international role, having served as the International Secretariat of the World Crafts Council during the presidency of Elena Averoff, a member of its Board, at WCC International from 2000 to 2004.

https://istocar.bg.ac.rs

"Institute for Animal Husbandry" (IAH) was founded in 1948 and today is the leading research institution in the field of animal husbandry in Serbia.

IAH is also an organizer of thematic workshops for the education of students, agricultural advisers and breeders.

https://www.irishfibrecrafters.com

Sandra King create products with wool from "sheep to shawl", with the traditional crafts of handspinning, natural dyeing, hand weaving and knitting. Sandra also supports local farmers and Ireland's wool community and she enjoys teaching the public these crafts and sharing her work through visits to her home studio.

www.irishgrownwoolcouncil.com

The Irish Grown Wool Council was formed in 2023 by bringing together stakeholders from the island of Ireland to focus on improving the Irish wool sector. Working together to establish and further benefit the sector for the wider good. Our aim is to create additional value in the total wool value chain and ensure that a fair proportion of that value makes it way to the primary producer (farmer).

We bring wool stakeholders across the island of Ireland together to realise the potential of Irish Grown Wool as a natural, sustainable and versatile material by

• building on its rich heritage;
• enhancing the understanding and appreciation of the characteristics of Irish grown wool;
• improving the quality and sustainability of Irish farmed wool;
• facilitating collaboration in product and market research;
• ultimately applying innovative product solutions.

Knitting with Heart (Pletenje srcem) is a non-profit organisation, based in Belgrade, Serbia.

 knitheart
pletenjesrcem
pletenjesrcem@gmail.com

The Knitting with Heart initiative started as a response to the refugee crisis in 2015. A group of likeminded craftivist women gathered with the intent to help the refugees in Serbia. It was soon joined by several individuals and companies, who donated materials, as well as finished products.
By next season, the initiative expanded their work in order to help more people and, over the years, they made donations to safe houses, shelters, children's hospitals, in Belgrade and other places.
We continue our humanitarian work through free knitting and crochet workshops for everyone interested, so our works can reach as many people in need as possible.

Made in Slow was created to preserve and revive traditional heritage and values through sustainability.
Through “Transhumance by Made in Slow,” we work to conserve and promote transhumance in Spain, highlighting the value of its wool.
Our yarns and products are made locally, supporting local artisanal and industrial sectors.

madeinslow.com
MadeinSlow

“Because every story matters. Made in Slow.”

The Montenegrin Wool Institute Niksić studies and valorizes the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Montenegro in relation to wool and sheep farming.

Scientific collaborations and researches are leaded in parallel with concrete applications, aiming to new technologies still preserving traditional craft techniques.

OZANA is a Non-profit organization based in Zagreb, Croatia.

​Its main mission is to improve the quality of life of young and adult people with intellectual disabilities and their families. The program combines rehabilitation and therapeutic activities with social content.

http://www.udruga-ozana.hr
strikeraj.cafe@centarozana.hr

Inclusive workshop involving young and adult people with intellectual disabilities, and anyone interested in knitting and crocheting.

Štrikeraj café, Ulica grada Vukovara 239, Zagreb is open to everyone who wants to knit or crochet with us, as well as to those who want to learn and improve their skills.

We design and implement socially engaged knitting and crocheting initiatives in which everyone can participate, regardless of their level of skills. They are equally challenging and interesting for everyone, everyone can have a sense of achievement with their contribution, and the resulting product helps a specific group in need. Our initiatives usually involve knitted and crocheted installations and interventions in space.

By presenting the therapeutic possibilities of knitting and crocheting at conferences and to all interested parties, we create awareness of the benefits of these activities and encourage others to integrate them into their work or leisure time.

Ulica grada Vukovara 239
Zagreb 10 000
Croatia

She launched the Pletenje.net brand in 2007 with the aim of promoting knitting and crocheting as traditional skills and therapeutic tools. She places the greatest emphasis on the revitalization of sheep wool as she encourages participants to use wool from domestic producers in their work. As an oncology patient herself, she experienced the benefits of knitting during treatment. Currently, she runs therapeutic knitting sessions at the Department of Haematology at University Hospital Centre Rijeka, Croatia.

https://pletenje.net
 pletenje.net
pletenjenet
@Pletenje_Net

Evi Skoufari is responsible for the therapeutic knitting program in the clinic Donna Health Care, as an associated member of the EWE Foundation.

Her work focuses on promoting well-being and social connection through knitting-based therapeutic practices.

donnacare.cy
eskoufari@donnacare.cy is

In our Secondary vocational school “Taki Daskalo” (Bitola, North Macedonia) students get the skills of tailoring, sewing and making clothes.

Our students participate in many projects in the country and abroad, cooperate with many civil associations and non-governmental organizations.

Founded in 2015, the Volim Vlašići Association (Love Vlašići) is a community-based organisation dedicated to nature conservation, ecological awareness, and sustainable local development in Vlašići on the island of Pag, Croatia.

The association brings together local residents, volunteers, and nature enthusiasts who share a common vision of responsible and sustainable living. Through environmental actions, educational workshops, community initiatives, and development projects, we work to protect the natural environment while strengthening local knowledge, traditions, and social cohesion.

www.volimvlasici.hr
 LoveVlasici

https://ecomuseumzagori.gr

EcoMuseum Zagori was founded to manage the protection and exploitation of the natural and cultural heritage of the area to the benefit of local development. Here visitors learn about various aspects of social life, production processes and the socio-economic and natural history of the region.