Shortly after relocating to Comox in 2006, Judi Pedder read an article about Project Linus.

Having grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it struck a chord and she quickly became a Blanketeer. Since then, she has knitted 80 crib-sized blankets, which are distributed anywhere on Vancouver Island that children need comfort 鈥� be it in one of the hospitals or in other traumatizing situations.

Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org) began in 1995 when a petite, downy-haired little girl was going through intensive chemotherapy. This little one was comforted by her own security blanket, and an idea was born in the mind of Karen Loucks-Baker, who started making blankets for Denver鈥檚 Rocky Mountain Children鈥檚 Cancer Center.

Project Linus was born and so was the slogan 鈥淎 Project Linus blanket is like a big hug when you most need one.鈥� There are now more than 371 chapters in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia and the Philippines, with more than 3,556,285 blankets having been distributed (to September 2010).

Pedder, with a secondary goal of spreading the word, has had some success in attracting even more blanketeers.

The blankets can be quilted, fleece, crocheted or knitted; they must be 100-per-cent machine washable and preferably in child-pleasing colours.

Pedder鈥檚 are knitted, using mostly rainbow yarns, and she adds an edge of crochet in a matching or contrasting colour. As an artist, she gets satisfaction from finding the right colour for that edging.

So far, each of the blankets she has knitted has been individual, or if of the same yarn, then a different-coloured edging makes it one-of-a-kind. No longer interested in counting stitches and following patterns, Pedder has developed a simple pattern which is completely reversible.

She uses pale and pretty yarns suitable for babies, bright and cheerful ones to brighten any child鈥檚 day, more 鈥渂oyish鈥� shades and many that are just pretty colours or more 鈥渕ature鈥� shades for the older recipients, who all keep the gift when they go home.

Blankets go to the Vancouver Island chapter co-ordinator in Lantzville, who washes every one, sews on a silk label saying it was handmade for Project Linus with the name of the person who made it.

The blankets are then folded, held with a ribbon and a letter about the project is tucked inside.

Project Linus also welcomes donations of blanket-making materials, office supplies and postage stamps. Project Linus is a registered charity and can accept monetary donations.

The second part of the Project Linus mission is to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups on Vancouver Island, for the benefit of local children.

The website has plenty of patterns and even discount coupons.

鈥� Project Linus