charity
This is my 2009 tally für preemies. You might know that I support the German knit for preemies charity Frühchenstricken, who collect preemie knits and distribute them to the hospitals who request them. I usually send one packet a year, and this is the one for 2009 (they asked me to wait over Christmas to send it, so I only sent it last week).
What I made:
2 cotton blankets, ca 55x60 cm big
5 pairs of preemie socks
5 preemie hats
OK, it's not so much, but hey, every little helps and I know these items will beused by those who need them. Plus preemie knits are so great for quick stashbusting projects!
PS. What do you think about the new background Nick made for me?
Greetings from the Mouse Factory!
Well, not quite, but I have been making lots of mice lately, as I was trying to get as many as possible done for Ompelukerho (a Finnish women's action group I am a member of) stand at the Christmas market. The market is today, and I hope they sell well! They did last year, anyway, and because these mice are smaller than the ones last year, they might even sell better (as last year's mice were more like rats...)
I've knit some small things last month and I thought I'd show them to you, as they came out nicely, I think!
First we have the Grown-up bootees. The pattern is by Ysolda Teague, and it's a part of the Whimsical Little Knits 1 collection. I've knit them with vintage superwash wool held double on 5mm needles. This pair fits me, so the size is ca. European 39. They took approximately 100 grams of yarn. I'll be making more as Christmas presents!
Next I have two more pairs of preemie socks for the Sukkasato-KAL. Again 28 stitches around, made on 2,5mm dpns. The yarn is of unknown quality, but I did dye it myself (except for the toe of one sock, as I ran out of the self-dyed yarn). The KAL is finished now, my total: five pairs of preemie socks, and the grown-up bootees. Not bad!
Just two more pairs of little preemie socks for charity. I'm also counting them in the Sukkasato sock KAL.
The yarn is a nameless sock yarn I received from a friend a while back. The socks are made on 2,5mm dpns, and have 28 stitches around. The cuff is 1x1 rib and the foot is plain. As simple as it gets!
Sukkasato has started again, the Finnish 2-month sock KAL in which I also participated last year.
Like last year, I'll be making small socks for charity. Here's the first pair of preemie socks. Made on 4mm needles using 24 stitches around, the yarn is Hjerte Sock held double.
I have more pairs on the needles and will post them throughout the KAL. They are so sweet and quick!
I'm still working on the perfect cat bed. This is not yet it! But at least it's fluffy and cuddly! I'll give it to the animal shelter for sale later on.
I used odd balls of fluffy yarns, that's all I can say about the yarn. Some I got from the shelter, some I had in my stash. I made the bottom in one piece, like the bottom in Princess Snowball cat bed from Stitch'n'Bitch, and then picked up stitches along the sides. I used 6mm needles.
It still doesn't stand up right, but I keep trying!
First, however I'll enjoy my holiday! We'll be travelling to Finland through Sweden, starting tomorrow! So I'll be back in 2 weeks time with some lovely phots from Finland I hope!
I'm taking part in a crazy Finnish KAL called "Kesäyön hullutus", which translates to "summernight's folly"! The idea is to start a new project every day from the 1st June to the 20th of June, and finish all these projects by the end of July! I joined on the 6th, so I have a few less to do, but still... so therefore small projects are the best in this challenge!
I think preemie hats are the perfect small projects one can make. They're easy, quick and very useful (I'll be sending them to charity).
The Darfur group at Ravelry has been moderating the Pencil cases for Sudan -KAL/CAL since the beginning of the year. The results are great - by the end of January we had about 50 cases done and sent to HELPSudan, I don't even know how many we have now!
But the KAL is not over yet. It will end on the 31st of March, so now's the time for the last push (or better said knit).
To give you all a little extra incentive to finish your pencil cases, or cast on just a few more, there'll be a voting on the most beautiful pencil case in the KAL's Flickr group with some lovely prizes!
Here is one of the pencil cases which I've made until now for the "Pencil cases for Sudan" KAL which I'm sort of conducting along with the Ravelry Darfur group!
See the pattern I used at the right side navigation! This is the test knit for Kieran's pencil case. I used Novita's 7 Veljestä yarn, which is a wool blend, kind of a thick sock yarn. The white yarn was something unknown! My needles were 4mm dpns, and I made a twisted cord for closure.
Now I only have Wendy's pattern to try!
Sudan is an extremely war-torn country, and that for a long time. The current genocide in Darfur, before that the Second Sudanese Civil War, in which over 2 million people were killed have made it difficult for the Sudanese people to go on living normally, like sending their children to school.
