For Christmas, Jan Brown, 52, of Seaburn, has hand-knitted more than 300 festive patterns to present to homeless greyhounds. Each jumper, which can take up to 20 hours to knit, is delivered to animal shelters all around the country.
She has created a variety of Father Christmas outfits, antlers, woolly hats, scarves, and dog snoods since beginning her business five years ago. She has even converted old blankets into coats.
“I can’t think of anything I would rather do than crochet fuzzy garments for dogs, said Jan, a mother of three. I’ve knit for more than 4,000 hours, but it’s all been worthwhile.”
“I think they look really sweet in their festive Christmas sweaters, and it’s helping the rescue centers so much,” the speaker said.
“My gifts assist keep the greyhounds warm when out for walks because they have extremely little fur and really feel the cold in the winter.”
Making coats and jumpers for these dogs helps rescue organizations save money that might be better used to feed and remove more canines from the streets.
“My coats allow them to prioritize their money because the rescue homes must use the funds they raise to pay for vet fees and care for the dogs while they recover from illness.
Even though it seems like I’m constantly knitting and sewing, I know it’s all worthwhile.
In 2013, Jan quit her work as a caretaker to devote all of her time to creating coats and woolen sweaters.
Any money she makes from her business, Knitted With Love, www.KnittedWithLove.co.uk, goes into purchasing the coats’ materials and paying the postage to deliver her creations to UK animal shelters.
She can spend up to 20 hours making a sweater, and up to 4 hours using blankets from charity shops to refurbish coats.
“Because we are aware that not every dog will find a new home for Christmas, this gesture is all the sweeter for them”
