Mandela day today - what will YOU do??

It's Mandela day today - "On Mandela Day people are called to devote just 67 minutes of their time to changing the world for the better, in a small gesture of solidarity with humanity, and in a small step towards a continuous, global movement for good. "

I'm supporting http://www.knit-a-square.com/ by making more squares to keep AIDS orphans warm in South Africa.

What will YOU do today?? http://www.nelsonmandela.org/

Gramma Cookie's Solid Granny Square for KAS

My father's mother was known as Gramma Cookie, and she passed away about 12 years ago.  She was a nurse, and she also sewed and crocheted.  She wasn't around when Knit A Square was formed, but I know that she would have sent a square or two to South Africa to help the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children there. 

This granny square design is in her honor, with the sample square done in her favorite color, purple.  I'll add a step by step photo tutorial later.  This one works up really quickly - you can bang out a few of these a day, if you have the time.


Love you and miss you, Gramma Cookie! XXXOOO

Gramma Cookie's Solid Granny Square
















See the free pattern at the KnitASquare forum.

You can personalize the pattern by alternating stripes of color around, or even using different variegated colors to make it super colorful.  You could also switch up the stitches each round by switching between dc, hdc, and sc.  I would not make any stitches longer than dc, to keep it tight and warm for Knit A Square.

Square 122 done

Just finished my square #122. we're doing an Avatar the Last Airbender-a-thon this weekend, getting ready for the new movie on Fri.

Tues night M and I will do a Twilight-a-thon and I'm rereading the saga books for the Eclipse premiere on Weds. Seeing it on XD, at least twice on Weds. Yes, I'm taking a vacation day for Twi-Day :)

Can I ever do one thing at a time?! Multi-tasking is in my nature I guess. Watching Avatar, reading Twilight, knitting squares, and yes now I'm blogging lol!

Happy Saturday!

Squares progress 9,636

The men and women of KAS are amazing - they've reported 9,636 squares made so far towards our 55,900 goal by end of August. That's 364 until we hit 10,000 - so exciting!

Whether we hit the goal or not, there will be a lot of blankets wrapped around such needy children, and we can all be proud of being part of that.

I'm working on #122 now, and hope to make more over the weekend. Go KASers! :)

Squares of hope

We are over 8,000 squares towards our 55,900 square goal for Knit a Square. I have 119 and another on my needles now. I can't seem to get them done fast enough.

The lovely folk in my ravelry bakers dozen group are sending 8" squares for KAS instead of the 12" we send to the member of the month - I figured that's at least 12 more for the children in South Africa!

Is is totally pathetic that I can't wait for vacation the end of July, so I can knit squares around the clock?!

Squares and socks

I volunteered to help keep the KAS tally for Sandy's call for 55,900 squares Jun thru Aug. It's so exciting to see the numbers grow day by day! All the KASers are just amazing in their response to the call. Over 3,600 so far!

My shoulder was hurting from crocheting too many squares recently, so I took a bit of a break and started my first pair of socks. Well, started again - I wasn't in love with the free pattern from the store, so I've been in search of one to use, frogging the first cuff several times.

I settled on the Universal toe-up sock formula by Amy Swenson on Knitty.com, and ended up restarting the toe twice. Sigh... First it didn't look right, then it was too loose. I mismeasured my swatch gauge. Hey, at least I made a swatch!

So far I have 3" done! It's self striping Patons Kroy socks jacquards in fern rose jacquard colorway. 75% wool/25% nylon. Making 1" cuff anklets so I can wear them in the warmer weather. Who knows, if I can get the hang of it, I may be making everyone socks for Christmas. ;)

Oh and I made two squares today as well, feeling guilty that I only have 113 done so far lol!

KAS: We desperately need just squares . . .

The call has gone out, KAS needs 55,900 squares over the next three months, and we can do it!

See Sandy's  post detailing where the blankets are committed to going.  We are all energized and already at it, and I'm helping to keep the tally.

Let's go KAS!

KAS business/calling card

Ok folks, we have a new resource available -- a printable business/calling card! Sandy tweaked my idea and has incorporated the KASCare logo, and it's in hi-def images and just beautiful. I've uploaded an image of it on my page.

She will post it on the main KAS page under resources, but in the meantime, if you would like a copy of the .pdf, please just email me here and I will forward it out to you. It is two cards across by five cards down, so 10 in all on the page, with cutting lines so you don't need to have business card stock to print and use them. They are beautiful in color, but equally lovely in black and white, if you don't have a color printer. Or if you do, you could print just one page, and bring it to a local copy shop to print color copies and maybe save some of your color print ink.

Print up a bunch and bring them to your local yarn shops, drop them around town during your errand runs, hand them out to anyone you meet, and especially keep a stash in your knitting/crochet bag so when people ask what you are making as you happily knit/crochet squares, you can hand them a card and they can come check it out! :-)

Women of Faith - Denver CO

Tunisian Squares

I'm working some tunisian squares now, and doing my own simple alphabet pattern, 8" square.

Yarn: worsted
Hook: size K

Chain 29; first stitch is not counted, and last stitch is TKS to maintain smooth edges.
Rows 1-4: TPS across and return. (I prefer Arnie & Kim's Purl)
Rows 5-25: 4 TPS, TKS across (work pattern), last 4 stitches TPS, very last stitch TKS.
Rows 26-28: TPS across and return.
Row 29: Pick up stitch as if to purl, YO and slip stitch, across to end. FO, leaving a 36" tail.

So far I have "A" done.  I'm thinking I'll do some A, B, C, that they can pepper in among other squares when they sew blankets together.  I'll post the finished (and tested!) patterns on the KAS Forum.