Knit A Square presentation

I just had a two-day training session on professional presentation skills for work, and the course culminated with us delivering a presentation on whatever topic we chose. I chose Knit-A-Square, and thought I did fairly well.  It was over 34 minutes in length, way over what I thought it would be!  The instructor recorded us and gave us the DVDs, but I'm not sure I want to watch myself, never mind post the video online.

Sharing the plight of the AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children, the hard work that Sandy McDonald, Ronda Lowry and their families all have done and continue to do, and the pictures of the sweet faces of the children, just helped re-affirm my commitment to KAS!

Please help keep an AIDS orphan warm - Knit A Square!

 

Knit A Square at our school's holiday bazaar today

My son and I are off to our school's holiday bazaar this morning, where we have a booth for our Square Circle Knitting & Crochet Club! We're selling mini KAS square ornaments for $2 to help raise money for our club's postage fees this year. Every ornament sold will have a Knit A Square business card attached. :)

We also have handouts - cards and rulers - to spread the word about Knit A Square!

We have a spot for folks to have a go - knit or crochet a row, and we'll be working on squares all day long as well. 

Praying we spread the word to new folks who haven't yet heard about Knit A Square, and that they tell their friends, and so on!  Wish us luck!

Ok I have to run now, finish my hair before it dries in this crazy condition - need to be presentable and proud in my KAS shirt, to represent! :-)  Sorry for all the exclamations, but I'm very excited!!!

Mini KAS Square Ornaments to fund raise our postage

Today I loaded my Mini KAS Square Ornament to Ravelry, my first pattern I've listed there!  I'm hoping that other KASers can use it for fundraising, gift-giving, awareness-raising, all the good stuff that can help KAS!

I started some of our knitting club kids making them two weeks ago, and they are doing great.  We're going to sell them for $2 each at the school's holiday bazaar in a few weeks.  If we sell 30, we'll cover the cost to ship one box of 8" squares to South Africa. I've made a bunch, and Mrs. M, our teacher sponsor, is making some, too.  We have 14 pre-orders from teachers - it's so exciting!

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.

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!

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.

April challenge update

13 squares and 3 hats done so far. I took some time to work on a Lucy-inspired color stripe crochet bag for S.'s art teacher, and a dishcloth and dishtowel that I ran out of cotton on. Back to the challenge!

5/10/10: ETA I finished strong with 32 squares and 5 hats, so exceeded my goals by a wee two squares. Yay!  Not sure I'll be able to duplicate the effort any time soon, but one never knows. :-)

Knit A Square April Challenge!

The Knit A Square April challenge is here -- to challenge yourself and set a goal and work in a race against yourself.  Just coming off of the Ravelympics (and taking a bit of a break from marathon crocheting hats and squares), I'm getting back into challenge mode, and I'm afraid I'm already behind! :-(  That's ok, I've pledged 30 squares, one for each day in April, and 5 hats, one for each week in April.  I can tell now that it's going to be more crochet than knitted squares, as I can do those much faster. I'll be crocheting and knitting all weekend, I can tell.

I'm just wrapping up a Sheldon Turtle for KJ, so am taking turns between finishing her shell, and working on  squares.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

On another KAS note, we started up our third and final term of the Square Circle knitting and crochet club at the school last week.  We have 17 children signed up -- half of them are returning again and have been with us from our first and second 7-week sessions!  It's so heartening to watch them learn and grow, and watch their skills develop and especially their beaming faces as they turn in their finished squares.  Even the teachers and parents are making squares, which is just amazing.  We have a wonderful community, and we're so blessed to have them involved with KAS.

Have a happy Tuesday!!! :-)

Knitting Anywhere for Knit A Square!

Had to share - I submitted a "knitting anywhere" picture on the KnitASquare site and it's been posted :0)

Ravelympics casting on

Well silly me, I managed to inconvenience our 15-yr-old enough to take my picture during the Opening Ceremonies/Mass Cast on, but neglected to post it!  Getting old really stinks, I'll tell you.  Anyhoo, here I am casting on the red/white/blue/TeamUSA hat for KAS, with my constant companion on my lap, our poochita Kari, as well as my overloaded knitting bag and my ready-and-waiting stash (also viewable behind my chair).  Notice the new Knit-A-Square shirt that arrived on Thursday, just in time. 

Go Team KAS! :-)

Ravelympics/KASlympics ravatars for TeamKAS

Here are the ravatars for our Ravelympics/KASlympics TeamKas members, courtesy of my teenage daughter M.:

Alison:

bellalou:

Dawn:

Diane:

Jeni:

Jeanne:

EricaTheGreat:

Erica:

Sue:

squareaday:

Rona:

Kyla:

jow1306:

SassySean:








smbarr:








ramblinroo:








RhondaH:



 

Squares Squares and More Squares

The December challenge at Knit-A-Square was to make red squares, in remembrance of World AIDS Day.  I pledged five, and here they are:

Ravelympics

Hi everyone! I just came across the Ravelympics group over on ravelry.com, where fingers will be flying during the winter olympics starting in 30 days – anyone want to get a Team KAS together, so we can join hands (and hooks and needles) around the world making squares while watching the olympics? :-) I've posted this to the KAS group on ravelry, and the KAS forums as well.

Mini KAS Square Ornament - Free Pattern

Mini KAS Square Ornament - Free Pattern

(pattern only, tutorial below)

US size 8 knitting needles

US size G crochet hook

Worsted weight yarn (used Red Heart Super Saver, it holds its shape well)

Cast on 10

Row 1 through 4:  Knit

Row 5:  K2, P6, K2

Row 6:  Knit

Row 7:  K2, P6, K2

Row 8:  Knit

Row 9:  K2, P6, K2

Row 10:  Knit

Row 11:  K2, P6, K2

Row 12 through 15:  Knit

Row 16: Bind off but leave last loop on the needle.  Slip loop from needle to crochet hook.

Chain 21.

Form a loop with the chain, and slip stitch into the base of the chain to close the loop. 

Finish off, cut yarn, weave in ends.

Enjoy!

***Mini KAS Square Ornament TUTORIAL***


US size 8 knitting needles
US size G crochet hook
Worsted weight yarn (used Red Heart Super Saver, it holds its shape well)

Cast on 10

Row 1 through 4: Knit

Row 5: K2, P6, K2
Row 6: Knit
Row 7: K2, P6, K2
Row 8: Knit
Row 9: K2, P6, K2
Row 10: Knit
Row 11: K2, P6, K2

Row 12 through 15: Knit

Bind off but leave last loop on needle.

 

Slip loop from needle to crochet hook.

Chain 21.
Form a loop with the chain, and slip stitch into the base of the chain to close the loop.

Finish off, cut yarn, weave in ends.

Enjoy!

http://knit-a-square.com  to help surround AIDS orphans in southern Africa with love!

Knitting and Crocheting for Charity

I have been blessed with so much in my lifetime. Sure my family struggles sometimes like everyone else does, but overall, we have so much more than many others do in the world. I'm working on some charity projects, and I'm hoping to encourage others to do so, as well. If everyone gives a little of their time and talent, the world would be a better place. Come on, we all have yarns we bought and didn't end up using, wasting away in our stashes -- they could be used to make preemie blankets for newborns in the NICU in the hospitals, or hats for the needy who will really need them this winter, or simple knit or crochet squares that will be made into blankets to warm the abandoned children in Africa.

I've found Stitches from the Heart and His Hands Ministry thanks to the generous folks at the Lion Brand Yarn website, charity search page. While looking for some knit and crochet hat patterns, I found Knit-A-Square. Coincidence? I think not! God works in mysterious ways. We just need to listen to Him.

Check them out, or Google for other charities that call to you, search your heart, and take the time to make a small difference. Even one person can help change the world! :-)