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I bought this stuffed toy penguin in 2011. Isn't he cute? The money I spent on him benefits wildlife preservation. And as a bonus, the creepy-as-hell penguin call he makes when you squeeze him scares the bejeezus out of my cats.

(Mary Mooney/The Oregonian)

The other day a story began spreading via social media that

. Almost immediately, some started saying it was a hoax, that it was an old story and that the charity mentioned had long ago gotten plenty of sweaters and didn't need more. I've done some digging, and I've been in touch with the

, the Australian charity named in the most recent story. I've put together a Q&A of what crafters are asking and what I've learned from my research. It should clear things up. The short version: Yes, you can knit a penguin sweater, and yes, it'll help the penguins -- just probably not in the way you think. Read on for the details.

Q: Penguins wear sweaters? Really?

A:

Yes. Some wildlife rescue groups use "sweaters" to protect penguins that have been exposed to oil spills. The garment initially keeps the bird from preening and ingesting more oil, then later, after the bird's been washed off, a new sweater keeps it warm until its feathers and natural oils recover.

Q: I keep hearing about penguins needing sweaters, but some people say it's a hoax.

What gives?

A:

They're thinking about different charities, and different stories. In 2011 there was

that resulted in more than 15,000 sweaters being made and donated. At the time, the the Tasmanian Conservation Trust asked people to stop making sweaters. Then a year or so ago, the website Jezebel accidentally revived the story, not realizing it was old and the demand had been met. This call for sweaters is different -- it's by the Penguin Foundation in Australia, and the sweaters' intent is a little different -- most of them will never be put on an actual penguin.

Q. Wait, what? What'll happen if I knit a penguin sweater?

A.

Odds are it'll be used to dress a toy, not a real penguin. When charities got inundated with sweaters last time, several started using the extra sweaters as fundraisers -- they use them on stuffed toy penguins, and the sales of those benefit the charity. That's what's happening here. The money raised helps wildlife conservation. The Penguin Foundation also uses the sweaters in its educational programs.

Q. You've written before that we should send money, not handmade items, to charities. How is this different?

A.

This charity's specifically requesting the handmade items, and it has no limit on the number of items sent. (Really, no limit -- I asked them!) So if you really want to knit a penguin sweater, go to it -- but bear in mind that the cost of shipping it/them to Australia won't be cheap, and if you want to help the birds, you might just want to donate funds directly to the Penguin Foundation. (Among other things, they've got an

.)

Q. Bottom line: Should I knit a penguin sweater or not?

A.

Your call. There's no wrong answer. It's an easy project, it'll definitely help penguins and it's a fun way to introduce children and rookie knitters to the joys of charity knitting. But considering the costs of shipping your work to Australia -- and the fact that there's no shortage of Aussie and New Zealand knitters who can knit for the charity -- you might just want to make a cash donation. Or buy one of those stuffed toy sweater-wearing penguins. To get maximum bang for your time/buck, here's the charity crafting rule of thumb: Craft locally, send money globally.

Q. Where can I get one of those toy penguins?

A.

The Phillip Island nature park sells them

.

Q. I still want to knit a penguin sweater! Where's the pattern? What fibers do they want? And where do I send it?

A.

. The Penguin Foundation says they'll take any fiber and any color. Since many of them will be used on toys, they encourage knitters to get creative -- anything goes! Make those toy penguins look spiffy!

Q. Is there a crochet pattern?

A.

I did a quick search and wasn't able to find one, but if someone makes one I'll post the details. It wouldn't be hard to adapt those knitting patterns to crochet. Update:

.

Q. I want to knit/crochet to help a local charity! Where do I start?

A.

Almost anywhere! Most of our local shops have charity drives of some kind. Here's a sampling:

in Portland is a dropoff point for

.

,

and

, all in Portland, all take donations for

.

in Beaverton runs a weekly event called

, at which knitters and crocheters gather to make items for local charities. And don't forget

!

-- Mary Mooney