Monthly Archive for May, 2010
This is an anniversary video! I am technologically challenged, so it’s no frills! I think I forgot to say a few things in it, so I’m covering all my bases, but in essence I just wanted to thank the hundreds of hands and thousands of fingers around the world that are attached to people with compassionate hearts eager to serve others in this awesome way! Spring means NEW LIFE so be encouraged to get back on the LK wagon, or jump on it for the first time. It’ll change your life. Not in a “Oh darn, now I’m an 85 year old stuck in the body of a really really cool person!” kind of way, but an “Oh my, I just learned a sweet new and totally awesome and practical skill that I can use to really serve people, AND I’ve made a bunch of new friends…” type of way.
Bless you all for all that you have done, your selfless examples are humbling and encouraging. If you have anything to say about anything, or have a story or question, or are the heir to a yarn factory and need to donate 50,000 balls of yarn pronto, feel free to drop us a line at loveknits@gmail.com! We love hearing from you…We’ll be sure to post your pics and stories on the blog to help encourage people along the way!
LK
Here’s a story about a girl named Kayla from Mississauga, ON who is ON FIRE for Love Knits…
I remember going into Kayla’s classroom a few years ago to teach her and her class about Love Knits. It wasn’t long after that I’d noticed Kayla fell in love with crochet and started a hat business… (I recognize a pattern here, why haven’t I been smart enough to start a hat business? ; ) What I noticed over time was not only could Kayla have abandoned the LK mission in pursuit of her own interests, but her heart embraced the LK mission in a maximum capacity kind of way! She is hosting, teaching, creating, and no doubt giving copious amounts of her time to severely bless others…
A few months ago I got wind of Kayla organizing T.H.I.S in her home, and made her write about it! Not even 30 minutes ago I was back and fourth with her about what’s she’s been up to lately, and the following pictures have seriously put me to shame. Kayla and her mom have been stock-piling these home-made treasures waiting for the right context to hand them over. It’s obvious they’re machines, so if you are in Mississauga fuel their fire!!! On a related note, if you know of a mission who could use these hats drop me a line and I’ll hook you up with Kayla. As it stands they are “all made up, with nowhere to go”!
Do you remember the original LK poster? The quote that started it all?
“We can do no great things, just small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
This is proof of just how GREAT small things can be : ) Each one of those hats is a “small” thing, and it’s obvious they amount to something great!
Kayla, thanks for your example of how you are loving “the least of these…”
This note is for those of you who retire your needles and hooks at the first sign of warm weather. Love Knits was actually started while I was at camp, in the heat of July, so I know it’s entirely possible to enjoy summer hook-in-hand : ) Here are some ideas to get you re-stoked about LK this summer…
1) Learn a knew pattern, or at least a new stitch! Conquering new things feels good, and propels you forward. If you can’t justify making winter hats in summer, learn to make baby blankets or afghans!? It’s not summer everywhere at the same time anyway, so you could get a head-start on hats or scarves for the up-coming cooler months…
2) Create with the end in mind. If you plan in advance which local shelter or family or overseas mission you are going to partner with, it’ll give you a vision for your creations. If it’s a women’s shelter create more feminine treasures. Kids? Think bright colours and designs. Google creative ways to add funk to your hats, scarves, and mittens!
3) If you’re up in cottage country or camp or just hanging out with friends, get that token guy who plays guitar and covers all the Oasis and Greenday classics to sing to you and your friends around a campfire while you eat smores and LK your hearts out. Social knitting or crocheting is where it’s at for those who have the heart, but lack the discipline : ) You’ll be highly motivated by those around you. Organize and challenge a group of your friends to create and collect a certain number of items for a specified project!
4) Have a goal to teach 5 new people to knit or crochet over the summer. Or even just one. Then make it happen. Teaching is my favourite, I love watching people get it. Remind your students that everybody sucks at the start! It’s a good exercise in developing patience. Everyone’s first project should be kept on their wall in a frame, because they are always disastrous! But it only takes one project to weed out the bad habits, and become seriously addicted to a skill that’ll change your life forever…or could, if you’re brave enough to dream : ) Yes, that’s a challenge! Get addicted to giving, you’ll never feel so rich!!!
5) How to get donated yarn? Facebook. The stories I could tell you from FB alone about getting donations is miraculous! Create an official FB “NOTE” titled ‘Yarn Wanted’ or something to that effect. In it outline your reasons for wanting people to raid their closets and yarn baskets. Then tag all of your friends and women your mother’s age in the note, it’ll appear on their wall and they won’t be able to avoid it : ) Friends of yours who aren’t interested in learning themselves but believe in what you’re doing will buy yarn and donate it. That’s SWEET because that fuels the fire, and without it LK wouldn’t be! Everything matters.
BONUS: Remember to take pride in what you’re making, and that your best is good enough. Time is precious and the fact that you’re giving so much of it to create beautiful gifts for people you’ll never meet is a huge deal. Tears make their way to my sweater as I think about all the stories that have been shared over the last three years of people around the world who’ve been on the receiving end of your loving kindness. To some your gift is the only gift they’ll receive that year; one of few pieces of property they don’t have to share with everyone else in the shelter, orphanage, street etc. Let those realities relight the fire in you…
Bless you,
Julie
*Post the link to this particular blog on the walls of all your friends who need the encouragement, lets get summer 2010 started on the right foot!
A few ideas as to what makes a yarn donation not-so-awesome…
1) Half knit granny squares. I am not sure how they’ll contribute to keeping people warm when they are not attached to an entire blanket? We’ll take entire blankets…
2) Cat hair covered yarn. Half the world is allergic to animals that shed, and I’m included in that number. When there’s more cat hair in a bag than yarn, I’d say it’s fit for the pit. We’ll take your cat, or your yarn, but the combo isn’t of any value to anyone.
3) Odors. Would you want to wear a hat or mittens, or be wrapped in a scarf or blanket that smelled like moth balls, gym socks or that thing that’s been rotting in your fridge for the last 3 weeks? Neither does anyone else!
4) Mini-balls. Mini-balls are the balls of yarn that unravel to be like 45 inches long, not enough to make a row of anything. Just pitch those suckers!
Without you, LK wouldn’t be. I encourage you to seriously think of not only the people giving their time to create beautiful things (who have to breathe in the fumes emitted from your donated yarn), but also those on the receiving end. People deserve our BEST! It’d be totally appreciated if you peeked through your donation bag or box and weeded out any of the rubbish from the above mentioned list, before dropping it off ; ) Either way, we want your yarn so if it means we have to do it on our end we still will…
Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for continuing to fuel the fire!
♥ LK
Classic Crochet Beanie Recipe
If you don’t crochet yet, learn HERE : )
A number of people over time have asked me how I make the beanies I make for Love Knits, and to be honest it’s trial and error almost every time because yarn thickness can be a huge variable! Be that the case, there is a rough pattern I go by so I’ll gladly share that with you. Consider this an average sized adult hat with yarn that is middle of the road in thickness. If your LK group is making hats for children or premies, then stop increasing a couple rows earlier and stop when you feel it’s long enough. I have never written out a pattern before, so I hope this makes sense. Hit me back in “comments” section if you need clarification on anything!
What you’ll need:
1 ball of yarn
1 5mm hook
*Make a slip knot on your hook, leaving about 6 inches of yarn to darn in later
*Make a chain of 5 links to make your rat-tail (aka daisy chain) and then join to make a belly button (aka circle)
*(Row 1) Crochet 9 stitches into the middle of the belly button
*(Row 2) 2 stitches into every 1 stitch
*(Row 3) 2 stitches into every 2nd stitch (1 in all the rest)
*(Row 4) 2 stitches into every 3rd stitch
*(Row 5) 2 stitches into every 4th stitch
*(Row 6) 2 stitches into every 5th stitch
*(Rows 7-15) 1 stitch into every 1 stitch
End of each row “routine”:
After you finish your last stitch in every row you will you will be ready to join it to the beginning of the row. To do that slip your hook in the big gap between the first 2 stitches and pull through a loop. Once you have your loop pull it tight to join and make a circle. Now link two more stitches through that loop. Because this hat is double crochet, those two links make up for the height of the stitch. Et voila! Start your next row…
WARNING:
Your hat should not look like a SPIRAL from top to bottom, but completed circles. If it’s a spiral than you have not finished each row properly. You can have a finished hat that’ll look decent from the front, but it’ll look “pulled” at the back!
Be sure to darn in your loose ends, don’t just cut them!
