MSF Pete here, I thought this was such a great post about p/hop from mostcurious that I emailed to ask if we could mirror it here. Mostcurious replied “absolutely!” So here it is…..

Because I am so very fond of MSF/Doctors Without Borders, and this is a knitblog I would be very much in remiss if I didn’t mention p/hop’s 2nd Birthday. Last year, I blogged for p/hop.. They are again hosting a birthday blog-a-long which I have found myself unfortunately too freaking busy to read much of (let alone post for this time around), but what I have read is, as usual, ace.

p/hop is a unique knitting charity. Most knitting charities I am aware of involve knitting specific things and giving those things to that charity. p/hop is much more open and approachable for any knitter. There are a couple of ways to p/hop. The one I think of most often is pattern based. Designers donate patterns, which are then distributed by p/hop free of charge, on the honor system that you will donate (US link) (UK link) to MSF what you think the pattern is worth. The acronym p/hop actually stands for just that: pennies per hour of pleasure.

The second way to p/hop is to join their Ravelry group. Most of what happens in the group is that people offer yarn or books in return for p/hop donations. It’s like a destashing kind of thing, but instead of asking other knitters to pay you, you ask that they donate to p/hop for MSF what you think the yarn is worth, and then they post it to you. Of course, it’s on the honor system, so it’s possible people are not donating very much, but I think that’s one of the things I love about p/hop. It’s all about trusting that your fellow knitters are good people. Every time I read anything related to p/hop I feel better about humanity in general because of the honor system it follows (and the good work that MSF/Doctors Without Borders does helps too.)

In the past year, I have donated a couple of times for patterns. My first p/hop knitting was done last year, I started Socks for Little Witches in November and finished pretty quickly thereafter. I don’t think I actually knit anything else, but I donated a little more for the Cranford Mitts pattern even though I have never finished them (bad yarn choice on my part! The pattern is awesome.) I know the p/hop group is doing a KAL of that now, but I’m off doing a few other things. I will get back to it and finish eventually, I’m sure.

I have also acquired a bit of yarn via the Ravelry group. I will shut up and just give you pictures here, so you can judge for yourself.

This is a very recent acquisition. Mmm, blue and green.

This I acquired quite a while back. Lovely stuff. Needs knitting up, like so much of my stash.

In the end I love p/hop because they are raising money by asking knitters to donate by doing the things knitters do and paying a little here and there; whatever any knitter can afford, be it $1 or whatever. What other charity do you know that asks so little of you? All they want is pennies per hour of pleasure, and those pennies go to help people who can’t afford medical care all over the world. I love p/hop!

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Thank you for your lovely words about p/hop Mostcurious. You can follow the adventures of Mostcurious here.

We’ve extended the blog-a-long to Friday 12th November. If you would like to join in (the more the merrier) details of how to take part are here.

You can get all the blog-a-long updates by following p/hop on twitter and in the p/hop Ravelry group.