Need to Knit for Charity Fundraising Fast? Consider Brooches

You can’t get much faster than knitting brooches; here are 9 free patterns to consider

Let’s say you have a holiday bazaar or a craft fair that kinda snuck up on you. You knew you wanted to knit for it, you just didn’t know what. 😬

But now it’s two weeks till the deadline and you’ve got to knit something fast if you want to help fundraise for a particular cause.

Whatever can you do in this situation?

Might I suggest you knit brooches?

Why Brooches for Charity Fundraising?

You may very well have never knitted a brooch in your life. 🤔But don’t let that stop you!

Brooches are an amazing way to knit for charitable fundraising. They’re nearly always purchased as gifts, so if they’re well-priced and adorable, they’ll help eager shoppers knock a name or two off their birthday or Christmas lists.

That can make them hot commodties!

I encourage you to check out the darling brooches in this collection. I think you just might be tempted to knit one or more for your next fundraising event!

Adorable Brooches to Knit

Before we jump in, I’d like to point out that many of these patterns can also be used to create hair clips. Just attach the finished product to a metal snap clip instead of a pin, and you have a beautiful hair clip that many girls (and quite a few women!) will love. 👧

1. Ribbons of Hope Ornament

• What you’ll need to knit it: Small amount of heavy DK or light worsted weight yarn, in the color of your choice; US Size 6 needles; 3 small stitch holders, spare DPNs, or scrap yarn; pin back or snap clip

• Why you’ll want to: This would be an amazing fundraiser for any cancer-fighting charity or organization. The pattern includes a list of the colors for various cancer-awareness campaigns, so you can knit your brooch in the color that matches. Or, you can knit in many colors and have all proceeds go to a more general cancer-fighting campaign. Either way, this will make for a meaningful fundraising project.

2. Holly & Berries Pin

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amount of DK weight green yarn; US Size 3 needles; 3 red pony beads; pin back or snap clip

• Why you’ll want to: If you’re knitting for a Christmas bazaar or craft fair, this brooch will be a big hit!

3. Remembrance Poppy

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amounts of DK weight red and black yarn; US Size 2.5 or 3 DPNs; pin back or snap clip

• Why you’ll want to: If your fundraiser is near Memorial Day, or any other day of remembrance, this poppy pattern will be a great choice.

4. Rose Brooch

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amounts of any smooth yarn in whatever colors you would like for a flower and its leaves; needles a size or two smaller than called for with your yarn; pin back or snap clip

• Why you’ll want to: As far as I know, there’s no particular holiday connected with roses (aside from, perhaps, Valentine’s Day). But is there ever a bad time for roses? These would look particularly fetching as hair barrettes.

5. Jayne Cobb Hat Brooch

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amounts of red, yellow, and orange yarn in anything from fingering to worsted weight; US Size 3 needles; pin back or snap clip

• Why you’ll want to: This is a design based on a character in a popular TV show called “Firefly.” His character wore this hat, which is quite popular with the show’s fans. It’s a fun design regardless of whether any customers will actually realize its significance! (But be prepared to listen to any secret “Firefly” fans who might just go crazy with excitement upon seeing your product!)

6. Mitered Leaf Shamrocks

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amount of green fingering weight yarn; US Size 2 needles; pin back or snap clip; iron-on or stick-on gemstones (optional)

• Why you’ll want to: Another great holiday choice, this time (of course!) around St. Patrick’s Day. I love that designer Vickie Cowell intended these to be bedazzled, but of course you can easily go without. As you can see from the photo, they’re just as cute on their own.

7. Elven Leaf Brooch

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amounts of green and silver/gray fingering weight yarn; US Size 1.5 to 2 DPNs; US Size B to C crochet hook; darning needle

• Why you’ll want to: This is another of those “cute-even-if-no-one-knows-its-significance” patterns. (For the record, the Elven Leaf comes from the Lord of the Rings.) While you’ll need to crochet and embroider in addition to knitting, the crochet is limited to the border, and the embroidery is limited to the leaf’s “veins.”

8. Kittinpin!

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amount of worsted weight yarn, in whatever color you’d like your “cats” to be; US Size 6 DPNs; cable needle or spare DPN; 1-inch grosgrain ribbon; pin back or snap clip; thread and embroidery needle, beads, etc. for decorating the kitty face (optional)

• Why you’ll want to: It’s a brooch in the shape of a kitty. What’s not to love?? (I especially love the very clever way that the designer secures the pin back to the brooch. I think this would work well for snap clips too.)

9. Shawl Ministry Pin

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amounts of fingering weight yarn; US Size 3 needles; 2 round toothpicks; 2 6mm wood beads; permanent fabric glue; craft stick (they’re in the shape of popsicle sticks, and you can find them at any craft supply store or section); pin back or snap clip

• Why you’ll want to: These brooches might actually be better for gifts for a knitting group, rather than for sale (unless it’s a sale for knitters). But I had to include these anyway because — well, check out the pattern and I think you’ll see why. They are so sweet!

These knitting patterns for brooches are so delightfully quick, they’ll give you bursts of dopamine as you finish them. Not to mention that rewarding feeling of knowing you’re going to make money for a great cause!