Hi there!
Lately, my partner and I have been obsessed with this small long cat pattern by PommeDesignShop, to the point where we’ve each made about three of them in the last couple of days. It’s just one of those patterns that are so cute and original, and yet are simple enough that completing it doesn’t feel like a chore and is quite a meditative process. Because of this, we’ve been pumping them out left, right and centre, using the opportunity to get into our jammies and leisurely crochet while streaming our other current obsession, Yellowjackets on Paramount+.
These cosy cat crochet sessions inspired us to create a pyjama-wearing variation of this adorable small long cat pattern, in line with National Pyjama Day, Friday 21 July 2023.
What is National Pyjama Day?
National Pyjama Day is an initiative by the Pyjama Foundation here in Australia and is all about wearing your favourite pyjamas to work, school, or wherever you might be during the day! Aside from the obvious benefit of being comfy all day (especially since we’re in the middle of a particularly chilly winter!), this is all for a really important cause – raising awareness and funds for children living in foster care.
In Australia, the latest data according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) website shows that in the 2021-2022 period, over 177,000 children were receiving child protection services. A significant number of these children were also in out-of-home care (i.e., foster care), with over 45,000 children receiving such care, and alarmingly, over 19,000 of these children were Indigenous.
Being a foster carer takes immense dedication and can be quite challenging. While there’s no doubt foster carers often do as much as they can to help children in their care, foster children face various challenges that non-foster children may not experience, at least not to the same degree. The instability of living in out-of-home care can have various implications on the mental health of children in the system, which can impact their ability to socialise, and have knock-on effects on their education.
This is a key focus area for The Pyjama Foundation, as falling behind in education can lead to further issues throughout the foster child’s life. As children in foster care are Australia’s lowest performing educational group, The Pyjama Foundation hopes to raise funds this National Pyjama Day for their Love of Learning Program, which is offered to children in foster care. The program is the only service of its kind and supports children in out-of-home care with literacy and numeracy programs, which aim to install a love of learning in children and help them develop vital skills.
What does all this have to do with crochet?
Well, The Pyjama Foundation’s commitment to helping children inspired us to spread their message through our love of crochet (and cats!) and give National Pyjama Day the attention it deserves.
Head to The Pyjama Foundation website for more information about National Pyjama Day and the Love of Learning program. If you would like to support The Pyjama Foundation’s mission to help children living in foster care, please consider making a contribution via their donation page.
If you’re interested in purchasing your very own pyjama cat, visit our Etsy shop DandyKnotsCrochet.