Frequently Asked Questions About Prayer Shawls

What kind of yarn should I use?
The yarn should be very soft and be able to with stand washing. We recommend you avoid adding very long fringe on your shawl (short fringe is fine) as it can be easily tangled in bedrails and other medical equipment. You may even opt to leave fringe off your shawl entirely.

Are there any certain colors I should use?
No. We do recommend if you are knitting multiple shawls to keep in mind to make shawls that suitable for a male or female. Males tend to enjoy solid colors or shawls made yarn with multiple hues. Females like pastels, purples, pinks, yellows and white hues.

Do I have to use the stitches recommended by the prayer shawl ministry?
You may deliver the shawls to either our downtown main office located at 1101 6th Ave. in Huntington, WV (304) 529-4217 or you may leave them at the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House located at 3100 Staunton Rd., Huntington, WV. NOTE: Be sure to include your timesheet with your shawl so we may count your hours and send acknowledgements.

Why do I have to do a timesheet?
Do I have to write down the time every time I knit?
No you do not have to write down the time each and every time you knit. We just need an approximate number of hours it took you to make your gift of love. On average it takes anywhere 15-25 hours for knitting (depending on the size and style) and 12-20 hours for crochet (again depending on the size and style). Hospice of Huntington, Inc. is required to keep track of all the time that volunteers spend when working with our organization. We report to our Board of Directors each month the number of hours volunteers spend on hospice projects.

What if I am unable to take my shawl to either location can someone pick it up?
Yes, just give us a call and one of our hospice representatives will make arrangements to pick up the shawl from your home.

I have a large knitting group. Can someone come and do a presentation about the prayer shawl ministry and show us samples?
Absolutely! Jean Ramsey, hospice volunteer ambassador and head of the Hospice prayer shawl ministry will be more than happy to schedule a time to speak to your group. Simply call (304) 525-8265 or call the office and ask for Lisa Floyd, Director of Volunteer Services at (304) 529-4217

Does Hospice provide speakers on a variety of topics or other types of volunteer opportunities?
Yes. Simply give us a call and we will be happy to review topics and set a date!