Archive for the 'gift knitting' Category
Charity Knitting
Friday, April 11th, 2008
One thing I haven’t done much of is charity knitting.
Recently, though, a great one has come to my attention.
It’s the Oxfam Blanket for Maternal Mortality. They’re collecting 9″ squares. For me, that’s a great thing…I can send in small bits of knitting and not feel overwhelmed by knitting an entire garment or shawl by myself. And every little square is a big help to the project. Hey…if I make all of my swatches 9″…I help two birds with one stone.
Here’s the press release:
Oxfam calls on knitting activists to demonstrate some purling power
Oxfam is calling on all knitters in the UK to (purl together and) support a new campaign to help reduce the numbers of women who die needlessly every year in pregnancy and childbirth. Millions of mums in poor countries get low-quality health care or are forced to go though pregnancy and childbirth without it altogether, meaning that, every minute, a mother dies because she doesn’t have access to the medical care she needs.
The campaign is being launched in partnership with the parenting website mumsnet.com and knitters will be asked to make 9-inch squares for a giant baby blanket, with each knitted square representing a mother who did not survive pregnancy or childbirth to be able to care for her baby.
Mumsnet founder Carrie Longton said: ‘It seems astonishing that in the 21st century mothers are still dying through lack of basic healthcare. Mumsnet are delighted to be working with Oxfam to raise awareness of this desparate situation and Mumsnetters are busy knitting already.
The aim is to get 250,000 squares by September, the number of mothers who could have been saved in that time if decent healthcare had been available.
Oxfam Leeds Campaigner Sarah Blakemore said: ‘Most knitters love to make beautiful things to show others they care, this campaign is about showing how much people in the UK care about the lives and health of mums and babies around the world. It’s a message to tell world leaders they must act to provide decent healthcare for all’
The giant blanket will be handed over to the UK Government just before world leaders meet in New York to discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals, aimed at halving world poverty by 2015. It will represent a demand to global leaders to act now to ensure that everyone in the world has access to free basic healthcare
After the giant blanket has been handed in, it will be dismantled and sold in Oxfam shops and at festivals, with the money raised going towards Oxfam’s work to fight poverty.
To join a group of knitting Mumsnetters locally, click here http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/2280/499651
Send completed squares to Oxfam Campaigns, 47 Park Square East, Leeds, LS21 2NL
(Here’s the group on Ravelry: oxfam-blanket-for-maternal-mortality)
Posted in gift knitting | No Comments »
I never promised you a (knit-and-felted) rose garden
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
So, ok. I’m realizing that it’s probably better if I just go ahead and blog than “not blog because I’ll just blog about the baby.”
If I don’t write about what’s happening here day to day, I’ll not end up blogging at all. And that’s just Boring!
Here’s what’s going on:
Knitting:
I’m writing up the patterns for two garments for SWTC. This is my main project at the moment, and I snatch time for it when my mom can come over and hold Mazie. She’s not sleeping all day any more, so she needs to be entertained, and Grandma is happy to do that! My vision is to have these done by Monday.
I’ve also picked up my Sanpoku again.
I have a few minutes every night at like 10 to work on it. It’s great for zoning out and getting ready for the night time wake-ups. I’m not sure when I’ll finish this. My LYS isn’t carrying my colorway (Olive 9781), and I ran out of yarn! (Not because of the yardage listed in the pattern.) I’m subbing Comfort, and it’s hanked up differently. The pattern calls for 11 or 12 hanks, and the called-for yarn (Touche) is in small hanks, while the Comfort is in big balls (I’ll get some interesting spam for using that phrase)…and I lazily guessed at how many yards I’d need total.
Should have taken the .5 seconds to do the math and bought what I needed at the time. I ordered more yarn, so whenever that gets here I can finish it. I’ve finished two sleeves, and may have enough for the back, which is on the needles now.
I also finished this sweater:
It’s a size 2T and is a trade, going to a woman on the diaper-sewing board that I read. She’s making me a few diapers in exchange. Knit from Malabrigo worsted in “Midnight Blue.”
Do you like it? We made the buttons, too.
Here’s the back:
**See the lighter stripe at the bottom? Be a better knitter than me and alternate your hanks!**
In other news, we just had a stay-at-home day. I was going to campus, but we just weren’t able to get everyone ready (me, mom, Mazie) so we didn’t make it. Tomorrow.
My Mom and Mazie:
Posted in just chit chat, Patterns, baby, gift knitting | 2 Comments »
Gift Swap Knitting and lots of “signing up”
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
I signed up for a handmade gift swap on one of the message boards that I visit, and here’s what I’m making:
They’re little cotton bath scrubbies, and each one has a bar of nice soap inside. They take about 20 minutes to knit (if that). There are 11 people in the swap, I can’t wait to see what everyone makes. So far, I’ve finished 6 of my gifts and have 4 more to go.
Mom and I signed up for a 5K fun walk at the end of the month. I think it’ll be a lot of fun. Nate asked me if we were going to start training. I need to train to walk 2 miles? Sheesh, I must look really out of shape. I was at the mall yesterday for a whole HOUR. That had to be at least 1.5 K
We also signed up for a natural dye class in November. I’m really looking forward to that. I’ll take lots of pics. I’ll be careful not to stand in any poison steam, don’t worry.
I was at the mall yesterday, looking for bath bombs. I rediscovered my LUSH stash last week and used it all up…so I need more bath stuff. STAT. Unfortunately, our mall isn’t that extensive. So, I left the bath bomb trail and just spent an hour or so looking at baby stuff. I don’t know, do they still even MAKE bath bombs?** The expiration date on one of mine was 2004. I know they were THE Christmas gift a few years ago. But was it really 2004!? Time files, dearhearts.
Not much really new is going on. We’re going to Sioux City for Thanksgiving-mas and having Christmas with Nate’s family at Thanksgiving time. We’re leaving on the 20th…that’s only about a month from NOW!
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**ETA: Yeah. They do.