Use our free basic beanie pattern and Measuring Beanies Tutorial video below to make two beanies. You won’t get these beanies sent back to you, but we’ll make sure they become part of a beautiful wig. Use Caron Simply Soft brand yarn in White, Sunshine, or Harvest Red. Please keep in mind, the beanie approval process is likely the only time you will send plain beanies: Once approved, you will receive access to our patterns and tutorials to send completed character beanies or completed wigs to the donation location closest to you.

Print and fill out our paper Feedback Form (one per a shipment) and include it in your package. Be sure to note the crochet hook size you used and the number of rounds of increase on each beanie.

Place your beanies in a zip top bag. Unfortunately sometimes packages or boxes are damaged in transit. All donations should be placed in a zip top bag before packaging to mail.

Send your beanies for approval. Our Beanie Approval Specialist, Christy, will partner with you during your initial process, You can contact her at the email address below with questions at any time. Please note that PO Boxes can only receive shipments from USPS. We recommend sending via Ground service.

• • Christy Gabler: PO Box 144 Templeton, CA 93465  feedback@themagicyarnproject.com

Once you are approved, your donations of completed character beanies or completed wigs will be hand deliverd to your local Chapter Leader or mailed to your nearest donation shipping location instead of to Christy.

This is the Double Magic Circle we start all our beanies with.

Watch your email for feedback from our Beanie Approval Specialist. Please be patient and give Christy plenty of time to respond; all of our leaders and support staff are unpaid volunteers who work out of their homes. If you haven’t heard from her in 3-4 weeks, feel free to reach out at her email address listed above.

If needed, make and send in two more beanies. We may ask you to make adjustments to your stitch tension, hook size, beanie dimensions, or increases. These are important tweaks that make our wigs wearable and durable for the widest range of children we serve — we appreciate your patience.

Once your work is approved, you’ll receive links to the Guide to Magic (the full pattern library on our website) and our private Facebook group for Approved Magic Makers. We are so excited for you to join this passionate community! All future donations will go to your local leader or nearest donation location.

If you plan to only crochet for us rather than making wigs, you may begin submitting your completed character beanies to your local leader or closest donation location any time after you finish your approval process with our Beanie Specialist.

If you plan to make complete wigs at home, we approve all of our wig makers one wig style at a time. Use the written and video tutorials in the Guide to Magic to make two copies of one character wig. It doesn’t matter which character you start with; just be sure to follow the shopping, assembling, and styling directions for your chosen wig as precisely as you can. You can always ask for advice and help in the Approved Magic Makers Facebook group as you work. Many beginning makers find Aurora, Wonder Woman, or Ariel to be some of the simplest styles to start learning on first.

With these and with all shipments you send us, don’t forget to print and fill out a paper Feedback Form (linked above – one per a shipment) and include it with your two wigs.

Choose a shipping location. It doesn’t matter which location you choose; select the one least expensive for you to mail to. This is the Magic Yarn leader you’ll work with for the wig approval process and submit your feature donations to. Please note that PO Boxes can only receive shipments from USPS.

• • Plain beanies not approved yet? Send your two plain beanies (See Step 1) to our Beanie Approval Specialist: Christy Gabler: PO Box 144 Templeton, CA 93465  feedback@themagicyarnproject.com
  • Approved Magic Makers that have already received approval on their initial plain beanies may give their future donations to their local leader or send to one of our shipping locations:
    • Katie Powell: PO Box 650, Arroyo Grande, CA 93421 westcoast@themagicyarnproject.com
    • Shelly Allen: PO Box 449, Kings Mills, OH 45034 northeast@themagicyarnproject.com

Your Magic Yarn leader will be in touch about any needed corrections. Once you are approved to make your selected wig style, you’re welcome to start working on another character. We are so excited for you to join us on your journey. Thank you for making Magic in the lives of the most deserving children!

I can’t crochet, but I can knit (or I use a knitting loom). Can you use knit beanies?

The short answer is, unfortunately, no. Knitting naturally produces a much thinner, stretchier finished material than crocheting does. The weight of the yarn that we attach as “hair” for wigs places too much strain on delicate knitwear, and the natural stretching and gapping that makes knit hats so comfortable to wear unfortunately also makes them unsuitable for the accessories that we attach to our character hats.

If you would like to learn how to crochet, there are many wonderful “knitter to crocheter” video tutorials on Youtube, and our solid HDC beanie pattern is great for beginners. There are also other ways you can volunteer at home for Magic Yarn beyond just making wigs and beanies.

I’m a beginning crocheter. Can I still craft for Magic Yarn?

Yes! Our solid HDC beanie pattern is simple and easy enough for most beginners. If you are able to count stitches, make consistent half-doubles, and understand working in rows vs. continuous rounds, you are ready to make Magic with us. Once approved, you can move on to our simpler character beanie patterns.

Why do I need to be approved — can’t I just follow your patterns and make things on my own?

Every crocheter knows that working with yarn is just as much art as skill. Some makers crochet very loosely, some very tightly; some may follow British rather than American pattern terms. It’s also easy to let subtle mistakes like working in rows vs. continuous rounds or flipping the work slip in. Partnering with a Feedback Specialist as you begin crafting with us helps save you time and effort, because you can be confident that you’re making the highest-quality pieces from the beginning. We tell parents that our wigs are machine-washable and “play proof,” and with over 50,000 wigs and beanies in distribution, we have found that certain small differences on the production side will make huge differences in durability and longevity for the receiver! We want to share those tips and tweaks as they apply to your individual stitching style.

Do I have to make character beanies? Do I have to make wigs?

We ask that all of our approved crocheters commit to focusing their efforts on making complete hats. We send anywhere from 400-600 wigs and character beanies every month to children around the world. Most processed by only two shipping coordinators, and it’s simply not time-effective for them to have to check, sort, and store incomplete bits and pieces. Whether you would prefer to make our crochet-only patterns (character beanies) or learn how to make a complete wig, we ask that the things you mail in to us be totally finished and ready to beautifully package for a deserving child. 

Periodically, we will have exceptions to this as we prepare for large public wig-making workshops. If our shipping coordinators ever need specific crocheted accessories mailed in, they will list those requests on our weekly “What We Need Wednesday” posts in our Approved Crocheters group. If you are working directly with a local Chapter Leader, she may also have specific crochet needs for you to donate locally (rather than mailing in to us).

Can I donate things in person instead of mailing them?

We have 15 local “Chapter Leaders” who are able to accept donations in-person. Chapter Leaders are not authorized to approve Magic Makers to craft at home, but after you have completed the approval process with our Feedback Specialist for beanies or Katie or Shelly for a given wig style, you are welcome to give those finished items to your local Chapter Leader based on her needs. Please note: Chapter Leaders do not accept donations by mail.

Once I’m approved to make a wig style, can I teach my friends to make it?

Promising the families who receive our wigs that they are “play-proof” and machine washable means that we have extremely high standards for the construction and visual touches on every wig we distribute. The specific skill set needed to know what small differences will allow a wig to stand the test of time is not something earned after making two or even two dozen wigs. We do not accept wigs sent in by makers who have not been through the Approved Magic Maker process individually, unless the wigs were made at a workshop run by a Magic Yarn leader trained in quality control. If you would like to begin the journey toward becoming a Chapter Leader yourself, you can find out more on our Workshops and Chapters page.

What does pet-hair-free environment mean?

Pet-hair-free environment means ensuring your yarn does not come in contact with your pet, their hair, or dander. How do you do this? By always storing yarn and projects in a zip-top bag, by changing into pet-hair-free clothes before working on Magic Yarn projects, and by not allowing your pet to snuggle up to you or the yarn while you are working. Due to hospital regulations, we are unable to use donations with pet hair on them.

I can’t crochet. Can I still make wigs at home?

Unfortunately, since we do not have enough inventory to distribute approved beanies to crafters, we expect all of our Approved Wig-Makers to crochet their own beanies for the base of the wigs they make.