Knitting to Raise Funds - Suggest Charities



(This is not me or Colleen. In case you wondered.)



As I read through various knitting blogs, I see a lot of charity knitting going on, and I love that.  Knitting beautiful things for folks in need is important.  I've knit dozens of hats and mittens for winter clothing drives, and chemo caps for the local cancer hospital.  I've even knit clothes for Teddy Bears for children being fostered from domestic abuse!

But what if we looked at it differently?  What if the buying the pattern was the donation?  My dear girlfriend and intrepid sample knitter Colleen pointed this out. The charity would get a boost right away, and wouldn't need to wait for knitted goods to be finished.  It also opens charity knitting up to organizations who don't much need knitted goods.  (SPCA, Autism Speaks, etc.)  It's good Colleen is the brains in this friendship, 'cause I never would have thought of this, and I LOVE IT!

How would it work?  She patiently explained that a pattern could be posted on Ravelry for sale, with proceeds to go to a worthy cause.  The knitter would get a cool pattern at a normal price, and instead of the money going to the designer, it would go to a charity.  The knitter could then make the pattern (or give it away, or store it for later) at their leisure. 

This is cool.  It also led me to think of other fundraising possibilities.  A knit-a-thon for a cause?  An auction of knitwear for a particular charity? 

We have chosen our first charity, and are just working the kinks out of the pattern.  I'm hoping to post a photo and have the pattern for sale by the end of the week!  Please submit your ideas to us.  It will help us to design projects relevant to all of us.

Criteria:
1) National or international charities only, please.  This will create a broad base of appeal and possible donations.

2) Organizations only - no fundraising for individuals.

3) Send the exact name ("Susan G. Komen for the Cure" instead of "Breast Cancer") of the organization, with any other contact info you may have.

4) Indicate what the organization does, and why the organization is meaningful to you. Do you have friends or family helped by this organization?  Is it a cause you've worked for and believe in?  Did you found the organization?  

5) If someone has already posted your idea, post it anyway!  It helps us recognize the level of interest in a particular organization.

You are welcome to submit as many ideas as you have.  Please forward this post to your family and friends.  We would like to create projects that will appeal to as many knitters and families as possible, and we need your help.  Thank you in advance for all of your consideraton.

Kids' Earth Day Tote - Freebie Friday

Relating to the theme that I haven't been posting nearly enough patterns for babies and children, here's one from Lion Brand Yarn.  The Kids' Earth Day Tote is adorable and functional.  An added benefit is that it's from Lion Brand's By Kids For Kids program, meaning that the pattern was designed by a child for other child knitters.  It's made from cotton, so it's soft and durable, and there is no concern about the knitting provoking an allergic reaction.  Imagine your child bringing a tote they made to school, camp, or a sleepover!  It would be a pretty cool show and tell item, too.

This would be a great Mom & Me project for a family of knitters.  Each could make a tote of appropriate size to their needs.  The Mom part of the project could easily be the Windy City Tote.  It's bigger, of course, but it might take about the same amount of time for an adult as the Kids' Tote take for the child.  Mom's tote is made of wool and then felted, making another stron and durable piece.  The knitting skills are similar, and both incorporate stripes.  Choose related colorways, and you're on you way!

A Spring Baby Sweater

It's been a long time since I've featured baby clothes.  I've been too focused on the Mitten Project!  Sorry!  It's time to remedy that.  This sweater, Baby Pullover-Cardigan, is by Claudia Olson.  It's about the most joyful baby sweater I've seen in ages!  The combo of the pattern and the colorway combine for a fabulous effect.  And Ms. Olson is generous enough to offer this patten, and several others, free of charge.  (Thank you very much!)

This sweater can be knit as a cardi or as a pullover, and changing the colorway makes it a pretty versatile piece if you're into a more subdued palette. (Seriously, though, it's fun to find a variegated yarn based on the most common colors in your child's wardrobe.  Then they can wear it with everything, and it doesn't have to be a neutral solid.)  Knit side to side, it makes an easy project for even a very new knitter.  If you haven't knit a garment side to side, try it!  It offers very cool design possibilities.

As every mom knows, finding a spring sweater that your child doesn't want to play with or take off is a real coup.  That makes the fact hat this can be a pullover or a cardi a huge benefit.  (Pullovers are much harder to take off!)  If you choose to make it, let Claudia know on Ravelry.  I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing your photos!

Sample Knitting

Tree - AC

One of the odd things about designing knitwear is that making your own samples doesn't teach you much.  I designed the chart above, and test knit some of it, and liked how it seemed to work.  But when I write a pattern, I know what I mean.  For someone else to be able to read it and knit it and make an object that looks like I intended and they anticipated is another matter.  (Have you ever knit a pattern with a gorgeous photo, and try as you might the pattern won't get you and your knitting to come out right?  The designer may have knit their own sample, and never found the errors they had written into the pattern!  A good sample knitter will critique as well as provide a beautiful sample.)

I'm incredibly lucky to have a dear friend who is an excellent knitter and willing to point out all of my mistakes.  (This last bit is annoying when unsolicited, but face it - the mark of a true friend.)  She knits samples for me of everything I have any doubts about - I don't always wonder if it's okay if it's a pretty elementary chart - and makes my work look terrific. She likes to call herself my "bitch" (I am not making this up) but I think she knows she's more like my slave (kidding!). 

We had dinner last night, and she was kind enough to bring the sample above.  It reminded me once again how lucky I am that she is willing to help me in such a vital capacity.  Thanks, Colleen.  You so completely rock!

BTW: She is in love with the yarn above, as am I, Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel.  If you haven't tried it yet, get some!

Knitter's Frolics

I'm starting to get really excited for the Toronto Knitter's Frolic, April 30 - May 1, and the Central New York Wool and Fiber Frolic, April 16 in scenic Baldwinsville, NY.  These are the first frolics of significant size near me (suburban Buffalo NY) this year, and I'm champing at the bit! They're two months away, and it's driving me crazy.  It's like a 7 year old waiting for Christmas.

Knitting and fiber frolics are amazing for a zillion reasons, but I will only list ten, in no particular order:

1.  They are stocked with nearly universally "animal friendly" products, and cruelty free is an important credential for any product.

2. Absolutely one-of-a-kind uniqueness.  Handspun yarn is original like a fingerprint.  There is no twin to the skein you're buying anywhere in the world.  It's not all handspun, but there is substantially more artisan yarn than any other situation.

3.  The option to shop a wide array of completely organic product - no chemical sizing, dyes, or finishes make the yarns much less allergenic, and earth friendly.  Organic yarns are usually very clearly marked.

4.  The option for processed art yarns.  Most shops can't carry a large array of art yarns, and when they do it's hit or miss as to whether they're colorfast, superwash, or durable.  The spinners at Frolics are on site to tell you exactly how each fiber will hold up, knit up, and wear.

5. Many other knit, crochet, and weaving products are represented, and they are usually also mostly handcrafted - wooden knitting needles and spindles, ceramic yarn holders, stitchmarkers, sock and mitten blockers, project bags, needle gauges, jewelry, hats and tees, and of course, hand knit sweaters and everything else that can be knit (or woven).  If you prefer artisan crafts to mass produced goods, you'll be in heaven.  (Don't worry, there are plenty of quality manufactured products as well.  If that's your thing, you'll also be happy. Trust me.)

6.  Other fiber fans!  No matter how big your stash is, or how obsessed with your craft you are, there are like-minded people, and those who will make your obsession look like a casual fondness. 

7. Buttons.  Buttons and buttons.  Finding the right buttons can be a challenge, and the wrong buttons can really take the WOW out of a project.  You'll find handcrafted buttons of every material you can imagine, and like other artisan products, originality is assured.  Sometimes manufacturers are represented as well.

8.  Classes are not a given, but they are pretty common in these events.  I love taking classes, teaching classes, and even just reading through the classes that are offered.  It always reminds me how much there is to learn, and keeps my perspective on my work fresh. Whether they're teaching how yarn is made, or some intricate needle technique, there is always something I can use.

9.  Exotic fibers abound.  Suri, quiviut, buffalo, llama, banana, soy, silk, camel, angora - they're all there, just waiting to be caressed and admired, and ultimately taken home.

10.  You don't have to spend a dime to have a wonderful time.  Shopping is fabulous, and encouraged, don't get me wrong!  But these are some of those situations where you will see things and learn from them as if you were in a really cool interactive museum.  There are creative ideas galore, and it's contagious.  So no matter how weak or healthy your budget is on Frolic day, there's a great reason to go. 

Okay, to me the above post reads like knitting porn.  If it has the same effect on you, I'll probably see you at these events.  Let me know if you're going.  I'd be delighed to meet you. :)

Knitting vs. Designing

Slowly but surely I am awakening from my knitting hiatus.  Coffee has been involved. Design is still fighting for supremacy, but some knitting is finally getting done.  I've added an inch to the No H8 Mittens, and a few inches to the Guinan Hat.  The mittens are in Cascade Ultra Pima (white) and Cascade Pure Alpaca (burgundy), and so soft!  The hat is in Cascade 220 (turquoise) and Aslan Trends Bariloche (grey) and really warm.  I've decided to finish the hat in spite of occasional hives because it's easy, cute, and has been adopted by one of the children.  I started to frog it, and was asked to stop when a teen daughter realized she could never "borrow" it if it didn't exist!  And still lurking in the workbasket are the two-color brioche scarf, yummy socks, and the promised Girlfriend Gloves.  At least I don't have to start anything for an upcoming class right now!   I love that there are no deadlines.  Unless you want the mittens, hat, scarf, and gloves available this winter.

The rival of my knitting queue, my design process, often involves me knitting up a swatch of a small part of a design to check the look of a motif.  These side projects are a major impediment to getting UFOs into the FOs column.  I still can't choose one over the other as the priority, though, as I only want to design in spurts.  Trying to design when I'm not inspired is as futile as gift wrapping Jello. I need to get it down on paper while it's fresh, or it's gone forever.

I fuss over each design project a little every day like a doting mother.  There are some William Morris inspired mittens, Nursery Rhymes blanket squares, and a whole set of Arts and Crafts/Mission Style pillows, blankets, and towels.  The hand bone mittens are coming along, though ridiculously slowly.  I'll get there.  I think I have design ADHD.  Is there a cure for that?  Does it come in coffee flavor?

Freebie Friday - Annika Mittens

I've been looking for a Nordic looking pattern in multiple colors,with a rounded top, and haven't found what I'm looking for, so of course I had to design one.  I named it for my Swedish friend Cindy's daughter, who is adorable and charming. 

I went back and forth on whether to make a thumb gusset, and saw that most Nordic looking patterns don't have thumb gussets, so I skipped it.  For now.  I'm not sure I won't add one in the future as I knit these up.  If I do, I'll add it to this page for you so you'll have a choice.

Annika Mittens

Materials
Cascade Yarns 220 Sport

 Main Color - White
CC1 - Brown
CC2 - Red
CC3 - Green
CC4 - Blue

Size 5 needles

Size - As written this pattern makes a Women's mitten approximately 8.75 inches around at a 6.0 stitch 7.5 row gauge per inch.  To adjust size, adjust needle size and/or yarn weight.

Cast on 60 stitches.  The dark brown squares on the chart represent slipped stitches in the lower row and knitting the slips in the upper row.  This creates a slightly scalloped edge.

The right and left mitten are knit from the same pattern.  The lavender lines represent the knitting with waste yarn for the afterthought thumb placement.  Remember to use the right chart for the right thumb and the left for the left!

At the decrease for the top of the mitten it is K2, K2 together as indicated, then knit one row even.  The next row is K1, K2 together as indicated.  Then knit one row even.  The last row is K2 together around as indicated. Break CC4, leaving a 6 inch tail for weaving in ends.  Thread MC through remaining stitches, and pull to close top.  Weave in all ends.

The thumbs are worked in a similar fashion. When finished, weave in all ends.

I hope you enjoy these.  Happy Knitting!

Knitting Hiatus

The last couple of days when I move to pick up my knitting, I'm draw instead to putting more of my designs into the computer.  I think I may have just been knitting more than I realized, and with knitting being the same focal length as studying, I just can't take it.  This happens from time to time, and I let it take its course.  It always wears off, usually in under a week.

I did get Analisa and her hands to try on the cuff of the NoH8 mittens, and they fit well.  What a relief!  No takers on the yet-to-be-frogged Guinan hat.  It's a shame.  It really is cute!

Today I entered a Dog Cloth/Square.  I had a German Shepherd in mind when I drew it.  I mention this because the picture looks more random.  It looks like this:

As is usually the case, cast on 38.  Grey  = Knit on RS, Purl on WS  White = Purl on RS, Knit on WS.  Size US 7 needles in worsted, size US 5 in DK.   Enjoy!

Object Update

What's on the needles now is similar to what was on last week - No H8 mittens for Ana, Guinan Hat for class (now taught, but not yet frogged.  Cute hat, but wool is not my friend.  My hives are just starting to fade!) and socks for me.  There are a couple of test- knits hanging around, but they don't really count.

I sat down last night to knit, and got to the point on Ana's mittens that I needed her hand to confirm custom measurements.  She wasn't home, so I picked up the socks.  Hello Nichole Sock yarn!  Man, I love this stuff.  I got about an inch and a half done when I discovered the mistake I had made in the second row of the evening.  I ripped back, and now have about 4 rows of total progress to show for it. *Heavy sigh*  I'm in no hurry, which is clearly a good thing.  I can knit well, or I can knit fast, but I cannot do both.

The Punk Sweater and Andean Hat requested by Allison are in the finishing stages of the design process.  I may end up making the sweater in cotton or linen so she can wear it in the summer - we'll see what she wants to do.  Once completed, I'll post the patterns.  It's really fun to design for other people with different tastes.  It's like visiting a theme park - it doesn't feel like work no matter how sweaty, tired and sunburned you are at the end of it. (And you get to eat junk food in both situations.  What's not to love?)

You Should Write a Book, St. Paddy's Mitts

A reader sent me an email: "You should write a book. I'd love a book of yours on my shelf for mittens and blankets.  Are you writing one?"  I get that a lot.  So first off, Thank You!  Because I design so much for customers at the shop, for myself, and for my friends and kids, I have designed and test-knit hundreds of things.  I love seeing other knitter's interpretations of my designs!  Customers come in with their RFO's (recently finished objects) and I can't stop grinning about them expressing themselves with their work. 

So why not?  Trust me, I'm all for it.  I have no idea how to go about it, but since I can't stop designing (I've tried, believe me, but to no avail) it just might happen.  If you're looking for me on the bookshelf now, however, I'm afraid you'll need to wait a while. Visit me here, and I'll visit you back.

St. Paddy's Mitts

The idea was something Irish-looking enough to be great for the parade, but not so cutesy that you can't wear them on all the other cold days.  If you start them now, they can easily be finished by St. Patrick's Day!

Materials: Size 5 needles
Cascade Yarns 220 Worsted Wool, one skein each green, and white

Makes women's size large mittens. For smaller or larger size, decrease or increase needle size respectively.  Finished size 4.25 inches across, 8.5 inches long.

Cast on 60 sts needed. There is no separate cuff on these!  The pattern above makes a whole mitten.  Please note - there is a white stripe up each edge of the mitten, so make sure to count those on the above chart.  I admit, they are not super clearly marked.

This pattern is designed in the round, with an afterthought thumb.  The front and back of each thumb are the same.  The light green lines on the palm of the mitten body represent where to knit with scrap yarn for thumb placement.

Happy knitting!