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Why Cake?

The concept for cake came about in a practical way. Many women enjoy knitting and crocheting, so much so that they create multiple projects for each family member. You'll know if you belong to this type of family, are this type of person, or have this sort of friend, because chances are you will have a closet full of homemade scarves and hats!
The question is: How can people keep enjoying their fun hobby while also serving a practical purpose?
The easy answer is: Donate! And, to make it even more fun, you can challenge yourself by getting together with friends and/or setting a personal goal for the winter months.

Local Chapter

Beginning your own local chapter of CAKE is a piece of cake! All you have to do is start. Your chapter can be you alone, your family, your children, a scout troop, your church, Bible study, classroom, whatever you like!
There are positives to either side. If you decide to go it alone, you can set a personal goal in order to challenge yourself, and this is an excellent way to encourage yourself if you are homebound or snowed in. If you knit/crochet with friends, you can challenge one another and use your crafting time as a special time to visit with one another.
The downloadable brochure on this page is geared toward members (and prospective members) of your group. You will want to download, edit, print, and distribute it in order to get started. There are places where you can add more personalized information that pertains to your own group.

Meetings

It is up to you to decide if you and your CAKE members will meet and knit/crochet together or not. You may want to meet to help new people learn how to make hats and scarves (see "For Younger Folks and New Crocheters/Knitters"), or you may want to meet simply to have time to visit with friends.

Places to Donate

Keep in mind that charity stores that resell used items generally sell to the GENERAL PUBLIC. If you want these items to go to people who genuinely need them, you are much better off donating them to a charity that will give them to people directly.
* Church/house of worship
* Foster parent families
* Shelter
* Women's shelter

For Younger Folks and New Crocheters/Knitters

Encourage everyone to get involved . . . even people who do not yet know how to knit and crochet. People who are new to it can start off very easily with a round knitting loom (available at craft stores). The extra-large size loom that yields an adult-sized hat is about 11" in diameter, and can literally be used to make an entire hat in a day. A decent-sized skein of yarn will yield two hats. It's a quick and easy way to get started with impressive results. Learning how to use one takes only a few minutes of instruction. The only drawback is that this type of "loom" generally requires using bulky yarn. In the case of thinner yarns, wind two together and knit as one.

Yarn

Although pretty yarns are tempting to use as fashion statements, they aren't always practical. Try to find yarns that are:
* Durable
* Machine washable
* Practical or basic colors (nothing overly trendy)
* Pre-shrunk (or non-shrinking)
* Warm
If you want to use a fashion yarn (such as an eyelash yarn), purchase a like-colored bulkier yarn and wind the two together into a ball, knitting/crocheting them as if they were one yarn. This will make the hat more practical/warm.

Official Items

The official items related to CAKE are listed below.
* A webpage -- Please refer to the URL so that people can find the official information about this program. The address is: https://www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST/cake.html. There is no ulterior motive to the webpage. Its sole purpose is to spread the word and contain the most up-to-date information possible. Remember that your printed brochure might be outdated and/or contain less information than the web version.
* A logo -- You can use the logo on your meeting notices, brochures or newsletters, and websites (upload to your own server and link to this page). Please spread the word!
* A brochure in .zip format. This is a Microsoft Publisher brochure that can be duplicated ad infinitum for your group. It is in Microsoft Publisher format so that you can type in personalized information (for example, when you will have your first meeting, or the charity you will be donating to). The brochure is written a little differently than this page; as if recruiting people to join a group already in progress. Information about how to start a group is not there.

How to Begin

If you're ready to start, you're probably wondering how! Here is how to start your very own CAKE group. Remember that you will not need to do some of the steps below if you are doing this alone or with your family.
1) Find a local charity that accepts and wants hats and scarves. Ask them if they would like them all at once or if people should donate them as they complete their projects.
2) Print out the .zip file about CAKE (or this webpage, if you do not use Microsoft Publisher, although this webpage is not as directed toward members, but more toward those who start groups), and distribute it to friends. Be sure to let people know that you (or others) will be willing to teach them if they do not already knit or crochet. Items in red are listed as ideas and are ones you may want to change. Please also feel free to remove the section on children being welcome at meetings, if you decide not to allow children.
3) Decide how often you will meet.
4) At your first meeting (if you have one), have everyone set a personal goal of how many hats or scarves they will make during the winter months.
5) Begin!

Download the Brochure

Brochure

Logo

Here is the logo in three sizes, suitable for various projects.
Large, for posters, brochures, etc.:

Small, for logos, etc.:

Extra small, good for website links:

Note to Yarn/Craft Stores

You are more than welcome, and even encouraged, to participate in this program and distribute brochures to your customers, because word of mouth is the best "advertising," and you have the best audience right there in your store! Please pay special attention to the following lists to help maintain the integrity of CAKE and your business.

Should do:
* Find a local charity that wants the finished items, and let your patrons know what/where the charity is (if you do not have a drop-off box).
* Participate yourself, or have employees participate.

Can do:
* Collect finished projects in a "drop-off box" located in your business. This will be convenient for returning customers.
* Hold beginner classes to teach people specifically how to make items for CAKE.
* Host meetings in your store on a regular basis where people can work on their projects.
* Recommend supplies that you know will work well for practical, durable hats and scarves (see the information under "Yarn").

Don't do:
* Act as if your recommended supplies are official supplies. There are no official supplies for CAKE.
* Imply that your store is the originator of the idea, the only place for supplies, or that other stores may not participate.
* Remove information about the official program's URL from the brochure.
* Use this as a way of advertising your store. The benefit of doing this project should be making people feel better.

Thank you so much for your willingness to help spread the word in your place of business. :)