Happy days - our favourite charity knitting campaign of the year is back! The Big Knit 2012 is calling on knitters far and wide to reach for their needles and knit up teeny tiny hats to top off Innocent Smoothie bottles! Later this year the hats will appear on smoothies in shops across the UK, and money raised from sales will go to Age UK's annual efforts to help keep older people warm this winter. For more info, head over to www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/bigknit.

Simply Knitting and The Knitter have launched another fantastic crafty campaign for Refuge, the charity which helps families experiencing domestic violence. This year, they're asking nifty knitters to create something special for children staying at Refuge's safe houses - a cuddly teddy or a cosy cot blanket.

Read on to find out more about the campaign - you too could send a handmade hug to someone special!

There's nothing quite like crafting for a good cause, so we couldn't resist sharing this latest charity knitting appeal with you all. Battersea Dog & Cats Home are calling on knitters to come to their aid. The Battersea Foster blanket appeal is asking knitters to reach for their needles & whip up a blanket to keep their foster dogs cosy in their new homes. Read more...

If you're a regular visitor to The Making Spot blog and our Facebook page you will know we have been supporting Innocent’s, The Big Knit campaign in aid of Age UK. There are still two weeks to get entries in so you still have plenty of time to pick up those needle and get clicking.  To give you some more inspiration we’re delighted to share with you some cool fruit and veg patterns created by The Knitter’s very own Juliet Bernard. Juliet has come up with a whole series of designs for The Big Knit and you can see them all over at Ravelryright now. Here we've featued: The Pear, The Pumpkin & The Apple. 

Don’t forget when you are done to show us your handy work on The Making Spot Facebook page! Did you buy any Innocent smoothies last year? Well, if you have the hats still why not send them back to Innocent. We love a bit of upcycling.

Knitting needles at the ready, it's time to turn up the heat as Innocent announce the launch of one of our favourite charidee crafting campaigns The Big Knit!

Whether you are a knitting newbie or have been clicking away for donkeys, we are calling upon you fellow craft fans to put down that WIP (work in progress) and raid your stash to make a bobbly hat for a good British cause.

Good news if you like to get crafting for a good cause. Mencap have launched Make With Me - calling on crafters across the UK to get involved by hosting a making party. And that's not the only excuse they're offering to reach for your craft kit AND make a difference.

A good charitable cause really inspires me to pick up my needles. This year we are really pleased to be supporting our friends at Simply Knitting and The Knitter with their Refuge Comfort Blanket campaign.

When it comes to scrapbooking, we already know there's a lot more to it than just pretty papers. But today scrapbooker Shimmelle Laine is proving just that by using her skills to raise awareness of the Because I’m a girl campaign.

Way back in 1988 when I was a mere whipper snapper all you had to do to support Red Nose Day was wear a shiny red nose. Millions of pound raised and a variety of noses later I am delighted to welcome something I would be proud to wear....drum roll please....presenting the Red Nose Day Corsage!