Saaisha India Foundation

FAQs

FAQ: Beneficiaries

Knitted Knockers are special, soft, light weight breast prostheses that are very comfortable for women who have undergone mastectomies, lumpectomies and radiation, and/ or are undergoing reconstruction. Knockers are generally supplied in sets of two KKs/ four KKs for single/ double mastectomy patients.

The knockers are made of soft, mercerized, good quality, washable cotton yarn and filled with fiber fill. They are all either knitted or crocheted by volunteers, from yarns approved by us as per time tested patterns provided by knittedknockers.org of USA, with whom we are registered. While every effort is being made by us to ensure uniform quality, as multiple suppliers are involved there could be small differences in texture and feel.

Simply go to the "Register Now" section under beneficiaries and fill in the Standard Request Form and submit. We will need your full name, full mailing address, WhatsApp phone no, Email id and your bra cup size (A/B/C/ etc. for example), if you have had single or double mastectomy. There is no difference between right and left if you are requesting for a single mastectomy Knockers are generally supplied in sets of two KKs/ four KKs for single/ double mastectomy patients.

Oral or requests over phone are not accepted as it becomes difficult to track delivery. In your own interest you should submit request only by filling up the standard request form.

Our goal is to have them mailed within 4 weeks. Due to periods of increased demand at times it may take longer. If you haven’t received your knocker in six weeks, please feel free to contact us at Saaisha.india@gmail.com or knittedknockersIndia@gmail.com.

Yes, knitted knockers are very adjustable. Request the full size of knocker and then simply adjust the filling as needed. Please see the answer to the question  ‘Can I adjust the fit of my Knitted Knocker’ for further details on how to adjust them.

You can customize the fit of your knocker by adding or subtracting the filling by opening the back of your knocker (this should appear like a draw string and it is ok to open the back, as you won’t undo the knitted stitches!). Once you have the fit you like, you can simply tighten it up again and tuck the tail of yarn into the back. The knockers have been overstuffed to allow for this adjustment. If you need additional stuffing it can be purchased at any craft store.

They can be worn with any regular bra, sports bra, mastectomy bra or post-op camisole. While Knitted Knockers can be worn with most bras some work better than others. A snug fit full coverage bra works best. 

Depending on what type of bra you are wearing loosely stitching the knocker into the bra works fine as it can be washed along with the bra and air a dried. Some women have attached a Velcro tab in their bra. A simple pin works too. Some women prefer to add a weight to the knocker, and you can do this by adding a small stone or marble that you can buy at a craft store to get the weight you desire.

You can hand wash with mild soap (do not machine wash); do not wring or hang it for drying (It may lose its shape). Leave it on a clean flat surface to dry. 

Knitted Knockers used for swimming are made of an acrylic yarn, so they dry faster. We recommend a separate pair dedicated for swimming.

Saaisha India would love to have your feedback on the Knockers received by you. It will help us in improving the features, quality of the product. Positive feedback will also motivate our volunteers to do more for the cause. You can share the feedback by completing and submitting the feedback form in the give feedback section under beneficiaries.

They are FREE! We are 100% volunteer run and our band of dedicated volunteers meet the cost of yarn, postage to distribution center and more importantly their valuable time. A donation is always appreciated but is not a requirement for receiving your Knocker. Please see below for FAQ on donations.

FAQ: General

Saaisha India Knitted knockers are made by volunteer knitters. They do it because they care and want to make a difference. Providing Knitted Knockers free of cost is one of the projects of Saaisha India Foundation, a Charitable Trust set up for undertaking various activities for welfare of Women and Children. We are always looking for opportunities to spread the word with potential donors, charitable organizations, etc., who focus on community and women’s health. We have online payment of Donations on our website, Donors can pay online to  “Saaisha India Foundation”.  Any fund-raising ideas are always welcome and can be sent to Saaisha.india@gmail.com or knittedknockersIndia@gmail.com. Donations will help us meet our operational expenses such as filling material (fibrefill), pamphlets and brochures, and cost of shipping knockers to beneficiaries, etc.

A young woman named Beryl Tsang, from Maine in USA, owned a yarn shop and had breast cancer. After her mastectomy, disappointed with commercially available prosthesis, she designed and made the very first knitted knocker for herself. She and friends started making them to give away. This effort was the inspiration for Barbara Demorest, another cancer survivor to start the organization Knitted Knockers USA that Saaisha India is affiliated with.

Please read the 'About us' section.

FAQ: Volunteers

You can help us by making the knockers and/or beanies that we send to beneficiaries. You would be making the knockers and/or beanies using our patterns/instructions. Our website has downloadable patterns and videos on how to make great knitted or crocheted knockers, as well as recommendations on the kinds of yarn to use for the knockers. You are free to use any simple double crochet pattern for making beanies.  In order to become a Saaisha volunteer and get more information on ways to help simply fill out the Volunteer Information Form and submit some basic details about yourself. The personal information provided by you will be used by us only for our internal purposes and will not be shared with anyone without your consent. When we receive your information, a Saaisha Volunteer will get in touch with you to explain the philosophy of Saaisha India and what it takes to Volunteer for our Charity. If you like what you hear and confirm your wish to become a Volunteer, a Saaisha Volunteer will send you a Volunteer Welcome letter with additional information.

There are many ways to help us besides making the knockers. You can donate funds, or you can help with administrative work such as keeping track of yarn and knocker inventory, distributing knockers, contacting hospitals to determine their need for knockers, etc. If you are interested in knowing more about volunteering, please submit the Volunteer Information Form on the website. The personal information provided by you will be used by us only for our internal purposes and will not be shared with anyone without your consent.

Details of the patterns for Knitting and Crochet, Links to Video tutorials, list of approved yarns, maintenance of quality standards etc are provided in the “Services" page of this website.

The yarn used for Knitted Knockers is very important as they are to be worn against scarred, sensitive skin. Crochet requires a finer yarn than knit as the crocheted knocker can be a bit stiffer, so we have identified the yarns appropriate for crochet and knitting. After experimenting with various yarns, we have identified the mercerised 100% cotton yarn as most suitable for our requirement. We are aware that Volunteers must allocate money from their savings to buy the yarn and have therefore negotiated a special price for Saaisha Volunteers so that they get value for money. The yarn quality, supplier details, price etc will be advised to Volunteers from time to time. Volunteers may note that Supplier will provide yarn supply only against full payment and no purchases for account of Saaisha is permitted.

Please note that only knockers made from the approved yarn will be used to fill orders, so if knitting or crocheting for us please only use only approved yarn. If Knitters have a yarn supply source which gives higher value for money, they may send us a sample of the yarn and contact details of the supplier. If we are satisfied with the yarn for our purposes, we can negotiate with the supplier for a good deal for all our Volunteers.

Volunteers do not need to purchase anything other than the yarn and the knitting and/or crochet tools needed to make the knockers. Your only other expense will be postage/mailing charge for sending the completed unstuffed knockers to Mumbai or other Regional centres. Saaisha will purchase fibrefill for stuffing the knockers before distribution to beneficiaries.

We get requests for all sizes, but the largest number of requests are size B, C, D.

The completed knocker, when kept flat will appear triangular. Measure across the back (flatter side) of this triangle from one point to the midpoint of the opposite side. This should match the diameter listed on the pattern for the size you are making. So for example, for a B size it would be 5 inches from one point to the midpoint of the opposite side.

We would like Volunteers to knit/ crochet at least two pairs every month (of course more is even better!) – that will make it 48 Knockers a year. This will probably require you to purchase yarn for approximately Rs1000. This is only an expectation and not a requirement to be a volunteer. You are free to make them at your speed and as per your budget.

You may send the completed and unstuffed knockers to one of our Centres (Mumbai, Kalyan, Chennai, Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.) and Dallas (USA/Canada). Please contact us via email to obtain the mailing address.

In a volunteer driven cooperative venture like ours, generally such transactions outside the Group should be avoided. However, in specific cases you may do so provided (a) you inform us in advance by mail to saaisha.india@gmail.com or knittedknockersindia@gmail.com and (b) provide the name and contact details of Beneficiary.

Help us to create awareness by liking and sharing us on
Facebook: Saaisha India
Instagram: saaishaindia
Spread the word with your local media connections. Let us know what you are doing so we can share it with our followers. If you cannot knit (or crochet) or make knockers but have other soft skills please enroll with us and follow us. We may have projects coming up where we may be able to use your skills.

FAQ: Institutions

We are always excited to partner with the medical profession to provide free knitted knockers and/or beanies. We can provide you with brochures, cards and some sample knockers and /or beanies to show your patients. We love to connect volunteer knitters/crocheters with medical providers in their area to provide them directly with a supply of knockers. That way women can pick their very own knockers and take them home with them. Please leave your contact details through an email to saaisha.india@gmail.com or knittedknockersindia@gmail.com with brief details of your requirements for bulk supply. Our Volunteers will call you to discuss your needs and determine how best to meet them.

FAQ: Donations

You can donate online through our website in the 'Donate' section.  We request you to kindly keep the minimum donation at Rs 500 in view of the high processing cost.

We have formed our Trust recently and we are advised that we need to wait for 2-3 years before we can apply for IT Clearance to give benefit to the Donor. Once we apply for and get IT clearance, we will post the details on our website.

Got more questions ?

Email us at Saaisha.india@gmail.com or knittedknockersindia@gmail.com