sudan
The Pencil cases for Sudan -KAL me and the Ravelry Darfur group have been moderating has now come to an end. We had a voting going for the most beautiful pencil case at Flickr , and I counted the votes some days ago. You can see the winners at Ravelry or at Flicr - so beautiful pencil cases!
HelpSudan seems happy with our efforts too. I've asked them if it's ok to keep sending cases, but haven't got an answer yet.
I'll be taking the pencil case pattern links off the side bar for now, and add them into a post under the category "Patterns". The side bar tends to get so long otherwise.
I hope you had a good time making pencil cases, and hopefully we'll get some more action going later on as well!
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!
I have another beautiful crocheted pencil case pattern to show you! I feel so happy that so many generous designers want to take part in this small action to help Sudanese childern. Read more of our campaign here.
This pencil case is by Tanesha Manigo aka Hippie, who has been having trouble with her Ravelry designer page, so I promised to publish the pattern here in her name. Please see the pdf pattern attached in this posting. As always, you can see all the available patterns on the right hand side navigation!
This time I'll use my Darfur Friday to make a book review. I devoured such a strong, impressive, emotional, raw and honest biography this week I have to share it with you.
It's called Tears of the desert by Halima Bashir, a Darfurian doctor who did all she could for her people, was hunted down for it, but could escape to Great Britain and survived.
She witnessed the mass rape of 40 school girls (age around 10) which the Sudanese regime allowed. She herself was raped and abused for 2 days, raping and cutting and burning her until she lost conciousness. Her village was destroyed by helicopters and Janjaweed. Her father was killed. She doesn't know where her family is, if they're alive or not.
The talented crochet designer Donna Childs was nice enough to design a pencil case for the Sudan project I've been running with the Ravelry Darfur group and will be running for a few months still - so please participate
She doesn't have a blog herself, nor a Ravelry shop page, so I offered to post her pattern here. I've uploaded it and you can find it attached into this post, or as direct document in pdf here Please take a look, it's so lovely! The other patterns available you can find on the right hand side navigation.
We have the first crochet pattern available, so please get your hooks and make one for Sudan.
Clara designed it, and you can find it at her blog.
A note to all: please send any cases you have ready to HELPSudan now, as they'd love to have some for their Annual Craft Auction on the 24th January!
Finished pencil cases can be sent directly to HELPSudan at
HELPSudan
5255 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
USA
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!
For the KAL/CAL "Pencil Cases for Sudan" which the Ravelry Darfur Group is moderating I finally got my pencil case pattern done as well.
It's great to be able to participate alongside with other generous and talented designers like Wendy or Kieran - see the links to their patterns on the right side navigation bar!
You can get the .pdf version of my pattern here, plus it can be seen here (press "Read more") as a blog entry (and the pattern is even attached here - you should find it!) I wish you all happy knitting and please let me know if you see any mistakes or unclarities in the pattern!
And: don't forget to submit your finished ones to the Flickr group!
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.
Another Friday, time to do another Darfur posting - I still have to do them, the bloody war is still going on, the President of Sudan is still on the loose.
This time I thought I'd link a site here in Germany, to any German readers I may have (please say hi at the comments!) Hilfe für Darfur is a humanitarian group which helps Darfurians with money and work. Currently they're working on a school project - please read more at the site.
