Playing around

We all know how easy it is to get into a rut, even when doing something that is generally considered a creative endeavor.  I don't know that I've been playing with fabric long enough to have found myself in an official "rut," but I did decide it would be fun to try doing some patchwork squares that consisted of smaller pieces sew together, rather than bigger blocks made of a single fabric like I have been doing.  I found some instructions for making wonky nine-patch blocks (oh, you quilters, with your "wonky" and your "scrappy") and gave it a go.

I wasn't able to master the trick of shuffling the blocks around so that each block has one square of every different fabric, but it was still really fun to end up with pieced blocks.  Wonky pieced blocks.  Wonky AND scrappy pieced blocks.

Trying something different with fabric got me thinking the next time I was dyeing yarn.  I have always loved creating really saturated colorways, but lately I have been seeing a lot of yarns featuring more dappled colors, with more variations in how the colors take and more colors peeking through in layers.  I don't know if I'm being clear -- it's hard to verbalize this kind of thing -- but I figured I would play around with some different techniques and see what happened. The last batch of yarns I did (some Superwash Merino Classic Worsted and Cashmerino Sock) includes some of these skeins:

The top photo shows some of the dappled colors, and the peach one what happened when I played with overlapping colors.

These are two of the CashSock colorways that came out especially striking.  These are all in stock in the Black Bunny Fibers on-line shop.

Don't forget: there are still a few more days to participate in the Go Knit In Your Hat Summer-Search Fundraiser! The prizes are wonderful and we're SO VERY CLOSE to my goal of raising a thousand dollars for Summer Search:

See the list of fabulous prizes here..... -- including knitting books! yarn! roving! and other goodies!!!

No-Bull Book Review Twofer

Recently I was sent two review copies of books that appealed to the child in me (in the best sense of the phrase).  So let's do a No-Bull Book Review Twofer.

First up is a charming children's picture book called Extra Yarn, with text by Mac Barnett and illustrations by Jon Klassen (Harper Collins 2012; MSRP$16.99, available via the link for $10.19 as of the time of this writing).

The simple, sweet story is about a girl who finds a box "filled with yarn of every color." What else can this clever girl do, but use the yarn to make a sweater? After she makes herself and her doggie a sweater, and makes sweaters for all the creatures around her, and makes sweaters for the other people in her life, but the magical box doesn't run out of yarn, she makes sweaters for trees and buildings and pick-up trucks. An evil archduke covets the box, but you probably won't be terribly surprised to hear that there is a happy ending.

If Barnett and Klassen aren't knitters, they must be married or related to knitters, in particular the yarn-bombing kind.  For example, only someone with a knitter's soul would imagine a world in neutral, restrained colors --except for the yarn, which adds a rainbow of color wherever it is used by the girl. Only a knitter can truly understand the desire to cover everyone you know in handknit goodies, like the girl who lovingly knits sweaters for all the people and animals and even inanimate objects in her life.

I particularly loved the way that the illustrator used the shapes of real knitted fabric for all of the knitted items -- a nice touch that packs a lot of punch. It's a lovely book and would charm any knitter or under-8-year-old child.  Not surprisingly, the book has been getting rave reviews from both the knitting community and the publishing world, so I highly recommend it for any kids in your life. And even for the grown-up yarn lovers with a sense of whimsy.

The second book is a more traditional knitting pattern book but one with a somewhat untraditional topic:  knitting dinosaurs.  Knitted Dinosaurs: 15 Prehistoric Pals to Knit from Scratch (STC 2011; MSRP $16.95, available for $11.53 through the link as of the time of this writing), is a delightful book full of detailed patterns for knitting dinosaurs.

When I was in first grade, I remember very distinctly going through a phase where I was fascinated with dinosaurs. I had little plastic ones of all kinds, and I knew all of their names, what they ate, and so on. (Once my kids reached that phase, I was shocked and appalled to learn that some of the dinosaur names I learned don't exist any more.....good-bye, Brontosaurus!)

Barrett notes that when she began working on the book, her daughter was in a prehistoric phase:

We were surrounded by dino books, a roaring plastic Spinosaurus and even a "hungry dinosaur" game. Therefore, I felt well qualified (one step away from being an expert paleontologist in fact) to tackle the challenge of creating some woolly dinosaurs with my own needles and yarn.

As noted in the title, there are 15 prehistoric creatures contained in the book. After the introduction, there's a gallery in which each creature is shown in a full-page color photo. Since these patterns do have a lot of

thoughtful details (in the allosaurus above, for example, note the way that garter stitch is used for stomach and paw pads, and clever shaping makes the face modeled and more expressive rather than a simple oval or rectangle), the big photos are helpful for the maker to use as reference.

The patterns are then presented, with a description of what the real dinosaur looked like, more close-up photos, list of supplies, templates for felt embellishment, and often including additional interesting factoids about the dino (e.g. "Stegosaurus had a tiny brain, about the size of a walnut, but he had very BIG spikes on his tail.").

I was really impressed with the cleverness of the designs. For example, the ankylosaurus was a dinosaur with thick bony spiked plates on its back. Barrett uses bobbles and a textured pattern to mimic the plating and spikes:

It's fun to see someone who takes both her knitting and dinosaurs seriously enough to get all the details right!

The vast majority of the patterns are done in DK weight yarn (various fibers are used, including wool, cotton and bamboo), with a few done in superchunky yarns. While many of the brand names used might be relatively unfamiliar to American knitters (e.g. Stylecraft), the back gives distributor information and in any event, the gauges are certainly common enough that substituting would be very easy.

The instructions look pretty detailed, walking you through each body part, then explaining how to put the pieces together and embellish. After the pattern section is a separate "Techniques"section, including instructions for gauge swatching, basic stitches, and tips on stuffing, using thread to make joints for the creature, attaching eyes and embroidery stitches. There's even a two-page layout on dinosaur names, with miniphotos of each dinosaur along with pronunciation and the name's meaning.

This book was released a few months ago, and I don't know how it slipped under my radar. All in all, an excellent and surprisingly detailed set of prehistoric creatures to knit for the kid or adult in your life who is fascinated with them.  Yabba-dabba-doo!

Raffle for Summer Search:  Progress Report

Wow.  My readers are amazing. In just a few days, we've already raised over $600 for Summer Search Philadelphia.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you haven't made a contribution yet, there's still plenty of time. Here's a link to my original post with all the details. (Also, Summer Search's United Way Donor Option Number is 46628.)

Okay, let's get this raffle started

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about a fundraiser I wanted to do to benefit Summer Search Philadelphia, a fabulous organization that helps high-risk teens stay in school, get into college and graduate from college.  You can read my post here. My husband has been working with this non-profit group for a while now, and we have been so impressed with both the kids who are part of the program, and the staff and volunteers who help make it happen.


I'm ready to begin the raffle and I have been so grateful for the outpouring of support from all of you. Check out the amazing prizes that have been so generously donated so far in support of Summer Search:

• A signed copy of Wendy Knits Lace, donated by Wendy Johnson

• A selection of patterns from StephCat, donated by (of course!) Stephannie Tallent (her Ravelry pattern page is here)
• A knitter's goodie package full of handdyed yarn and patterns, donated by Black Bunny Fibers

Representative skein shown; I'll select for you based on your color preferences and available inventory

• Lovely-to-spin shetland/mohair/silk roving, donated by Puff the Magic Rabbit
• A spinner's goodie package full or handdyed roving, donated by Black Bunny Fibers

• A copy of Hunter Hammersen's upcoming book full of beautiful patterns, The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet, in either PDF or printed form (expected publication date spring 2012)

Crocus Sock (from The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet)

• An advance signed copy of my new book, which will be published this fall (target date October 2) by Lark Crafts -- I will give you one of my author copies as soon as I get them and sign it for you.

• An accessory handknit by Somebunny's Love
• A selection of 5 PDF patterns from Sailingknitter/Liann Originals (link to her Ravelry pattern page is here)
• A selection of PDF patterns from the Lady Wyvern (link to her Ravelry pattern page is here)
• Goodies from Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts....
• A gift certificate to WEBS, generously donated by Caitcreates
• Three skeins of gorgeous Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn in the winner's choice of color and the Sakura shawl pattern donated by Loop Yarn in Philadelphia

Brooklyn Tweed's Sakura Shawl

• A wonderful Delicious Hors d'Oeuvres Wrap kit, designed by Lorna Miser and  donated by Universal Yarn (features six lovely Fibra Natura yarns! and pattern with skill-building techniques)
• A prize to be announced, donated by designer Chrissy Gardiner of Gardiner Yarn Works
• A prize to be announced from KnitCircus magazine
• A signed copy of Knitting Knee-Highs, by Barb Brown

• A copy of "The Fine Line," a beautiful pattern booklet by Grace Anna Farrow

To be eligible to win these prizes, all you have to do is make a donation to Summer Search Philadelphia. For each five dollars you donate, you will get one chance to win. So if you donate five dollars, you get one ticket in the raffle; ten dollars gets you two; and so on.


To try to maximize participation, there are 3 ways you can donate money. The best is to go directly to the Summer Search Philadelphia website right here and use a credit card to donate directly. When you receive your email confirmation, forward it to me at summersearchATblackbunnyfibersDOTCAHM and I will create your tickets and put them in a Safe Place until the drawing.


If you would prefer to send me a check or even cash (although I cannot be responsible for anything getting lost in the mail), email me at summersearchATblackbunnyfibersDOTCAHM and I will provide you with my mailing address. I will give the money to Summer Search Philadelphia and put your tickets in the raffle.


If you are a Paypal person, please shoot me an email at summersearchATblackbunnyfibersDOTCAHM and I will provide you with the email address associated with my paypal account. Once again, I will give that money to Summer Search Philadelphia and put your ticket(s) in the raffle.


I will check the special email addy several times a day so I can respond quickly but if takes a couple of hours, please be patient!  


If you can't donate but would like to help, please don't overlook the best, most important thing you can do:  SPREAD THE WORD.  Link to this blog post on whatever social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) you use, tell your blog-readers about the raffle, post the link in appropriate Ravelry groups, tell your knitting, crocheting and spinning friends, and so on.  


The raffle is open as of the time you read this post, and to be eligible for a prize, donations must be received by midnight, EST, February 29th, 2012.


Thank you from the bottom of my heart (and the bottom of crusty old Mr. Go-Knit-In-Your-Hat's heart) for your help with this!

Let's get the thermometer going up, shall we? I've set a goal of a thousand bucks.  Can we hit that?  Might we even top that? 

Are you in?

About two years ago, Mr. Go-Knit-In-Your-Hat got involved with a wonderful organization in Philadelphia called Summer Search.  The program is part of a national organization that is designed to find high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds and help nurture them so that they graduate high school, continue on to college and become productive members of the community.  There are a lot of great things about the Summer Search program, but one thing I really like is the way it tries to make a difference one kid at a time, with lots of coaching, mentoring and follow-up.


Summer Search starts by getting referrals from teachers and principals -- people who see kids at school every day.  They identify students who demonstrate potential for reflection, altruism and performance -- and part of the reason for Summer Search's success is the difficulty of the screening process.  It's a rigorous screening, and these kids come from backgrounds so unlike most of ours that we can't imagine the kind of things they face on a day-to-day basis (parents who have died or are otherwise out of the picture, abuse, neglect, poverty, crime and violence in their neighborhoods, and so on). 


Once they enter the program, students participate in four aspects of the Summer Search program.

• Each student is assigned a mentor and meets with their mentor for weekly sessions. The mentor helps coach the student, give them insight into their behavior, help them with any problems they are having, and generally gives emotional support. A big emphasis is placed on helping the student to be accountable for their actions.
• Each student gets a scholarship to take two trips, one in the summer before the junior year, and one in the summer before the senior year. These trips are designed to build the student's confidence in his/her abilities, to show them the broader world out there (a lot of these kids have never been outside Philadelphia -- some have never been outside the particular neighborhood where they grew up, let alone left the city or state) and help the student gain valuable experience. Past trips have included participating in Outward Bound, community service trips to the Dominican Republic, study abroad programs in China, and other amazing experiences.
• Each student gets help in applying to colleges, including individualized help with the admissions forms and financial aid counseling. Over 90 percent are the first in their family to go to college, so things like paperwork and deadlines, that might not be a big deal when you're used to them, prove much more difficult for Summer Search kids.
• Each student participates in a host of "alumni" services, like helping them with networking events, providing internships and finding mentors for them. They also receive continued mentoring through the first two years of college.  You might not realize it, but the first two years of college are critical for Summer Search kids.  They are away from home for the first time, feeling isolated and overwhelmed as so many college freshmen do, but they also don't have tons of financial support or sometimes emotional support.  They may get calls from family members saying "You need to quit school and get a job" or they may have trouble getting used to the new workload that college demands.  The mentoring process really helps these kids keep their eyes on the prize:  a college degree that will help them break out of the endless cycle of poverty.

The results are phenomenal.  Consider some of the statistics.  The U.S. Department of Labor says that only half of low-income students graduate from high school; a whopping 99.6 percent of Summer Search participants do. If you look at low-income ninth-graders, only 11 percent of them are statistically going to complete a four-year college degree -- eleven percent!  But 85 percent of Summer Search participants in post-high-school educational programs are on-track to graduate.

All of these statistics are kind of bland, though, compared to the experience of actually meeting a Summer Search participant. Tom and I have been at various events and part of the program is that Summer Search participants and their parents are expected to help pay it forward by telling their stories in person and in print.  These kids are so bright, so enthusiastic, and so proud of what they've accomplished. Their parents tell stories that will make you cry, admitting how difficult it was to let their children go to other states or countries, how much they missed them, but how proud they are of all their child has achieved.

Sounds pretty amazing, no?

Here's where you can help, even in a small way.  Right now, I am organizing a Go-Knit-In-Your-Hat fundraiser to benefit Summer Search Philadelphia. I'm still figuring out the exact logistics, but the general idea is that anyone who contributes to Summer Search Philadelphia will be entered in a type of raffle to win fabulous, fiber-y prizes.  (I will post a separate blog post entry explaining the procedure later in the month.)

I would really like to raise some cash to help out this amazing program, so I need your help.  Right now, I'm looking for prizes.  I will, of course, include some fabu Black Bunny Fibers prizes -- probably a spinner's basket full of handdyed roving, and a knitter's basket with yarn and patterns -- and I will also offer up one of my author's advance copies of my new book, personally autographed for you....perhaps I will even offer to do a custom dye job for someone and create a colorway based on the winner's preferences.

But those of you who read my blog who are in the business, might I prevail upon you to offer up a donation of something to use as a prize?  Perhaps if you are a yarn company, you might offer up a prize consisting of some of your fine yarns?  I will sing your praises forever.  If you are a designer, you might offer up a signed copy of your latest book, or a collection of your patterns in paper or PDF form. If you are a publishing company perhaps you might show your appreciation for my unceasing dedication to book reviews by offering a book or selection of fiber-related titles. You can leave a comment if you're sure I can track you down, or leave your email or use the sidebar to contact me.

Thanks in advance.

Tis the season

Since it is the official season of peace on earth and good will toward all, I am going to share a story with you of a fantastic non-profit group that I recently became aware of. Earlier this year, Mr. Go-Knit-In-Your-Hat became involved with the local office of a national nonprofit organization called Summer Search. Summer Search's mission: to find low-income high school students and help nurture them so that they graduate high school, continue on to college and become productive, altruistic members of the community. I really like the way the program seeks to make a difference one kid at a time, through lots of individualized help.

Summer Search starts by getting referrals from teachers and principals in identifying disadvantaged students who demonstrate potential for reflection, altruism and performance. Once they enter the program, students participate in four aspects of the Summer Search program.

• Each student is assigned a mentor and meets with their mentor for weekly sessions. The mentor helps coach the student, give them insight into their behavior, help them with any problems they are having, and generally gives emotional support. A big emphasis is placed on helping the student to be accountable for their actions.
• Each student gets a scholarship to take two trips, one in the summer before the junior year, and one in the summer before the senior year. These trips are designed to build the student's confidence in his/her abilities, to show them the broader world out there (a lot of these kids have never been outside Philadelphia) and help the student gain valuable experience. Past trips have included participating in Outward Bound, community service trips to the Dominican Republic, study abroad programs in China, and other amazing experiences.
• Each student gets help in applying to colleges, including individualized help with the admissions forms and financial aid counseling.
• Each student participates in a host of "alumni" services, like helping them with networking events, providing internships and finding mentors for them.

Tom and I attended a dinner at a West Philly high school a few months ago designed to celebrate the achievements of the Summer Search students. We were knocked out by these outstanding kids. Part of the process involves coaching the kids on social skills so that they're comfortable talking to adults, including things that seem like common sense but aren't at all intuitive if you haven't been taught them -- like looking people straight in the eye, shaking hands upon being introduced and speaking without mumbling. Tom and I were greeted by so many of these smart, accomplished kids. They were bursting with stories about their summer experiences and rightfully proud of the colleges they'd been accepted to.

Check out the statistics: 99.6 percent of Summer Search students graduate from high school, 96% go to college, 89% graduate from college or are on track to do so, and 72% are involved in some sort of community service.

So if you happen to be feeling altruistic, please keep Summer Search in mind. There are Summer Search offices in Philadelphia, San Francisco, North San Francisco Bay, Boston, NYC, Seattle and Silicon Valley. A link for secure on-line donations is here. Summer Search is also looking for volunteers to do everything from take students on a "breaking-in" hike to mentoring to creating internship positions to writing letters to the newspaper for publicity, and for more ideas on how to help (many of which don't involve giving money), you can go here. I'm going to do a fundraiser through my blog for this group sometime in early 2011, so you'll be hearing more about Summer Search during the coming year.