Give it Away Now

I know quite a few of you knit a few rows here and there on the Albers Stash Blanket Project that was hanging around the shop several months back, and I thought you might like to see what became of your stitches.  

Photo by Beth Conyers, sourced from Melanie Falick Books

Our friend (and local knitwear designer) Leigh Radford spearheaded a community-wide knit-a-long to create these beautiful blankets for donation to charitable organizations in the Portland area.

Lantern Moon donated needles and local knitters donated their scraps and stitches.  Our very own Ann contributed a pretty large chunk of her stash and time to this project.  I love how the colors look so cozy and right-at-home together in these blankets, even though most of us would never think up combinations like these on our own.

Photo by Beth Conyers, sourced from Melanie Falick Books

The Albers Stash Blanket is from Leigh's book One More Skein, and she has more information on this project and many more photos on her Facebook page.

We love being part of these movements, so thank you to Leigh for organizing this and making our shop a part of it.  Do you all have any ideas for our next charity knitting project?  Let us know if you have any thoughts.  We'd love to get involved!

Helpless

So many people are feeling helpless in the face of everything that has happened in Japan. As many have in the past, several Ravelry designers are donating proceeds from pattern sales to aid organizations such as Mercy Corps, the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders.

Shown above are squared from the Mitered Crosses Blanket by Kay Gardiner of Mason-Dixon Knitting (photo by Kay).

Eiki from Janel Laidman (photo by Janel):

Comfort Slippers by Reiko Arato (photo by Reiko):

Cherry Blossom Socks by Heatherly Walker (photo by Susan Layne):

Depending on the immediate need, funds donated to these organizations may or may not go directly to Japan, but you can be sure they will go to help people in need during future disasters. Either way, it seems like a good idea.