I’ve written before about how much I love making New Year’s Resolutions. Not the kind you forget on the second day of the year, but the kind that you can look through and tick off gleefully all year. You’ve probably heard that about a third of people will have broken their New Year’s Resolutions by the end of January, but you’ve also heard that it takes 30 days to pick up a new habit (like writing every day). That’s why 30 (or 31) day challenges are my favourites. You don’t have a horrifyingly long time frame to contemplate, and a “challenge” is far more exciting than a “resolution”. So, with that said…
Your Mission
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to knit 30 (or more) items for your charity of choice in the month of January (if January’s no good for you, feel free to choose whichever month you like). My inspiration for this challenge was Donna, who wrote to tell me about her amazing charity knitting:
“My New Year’s resolution, every year since 2003, has been to make an average of at least one item for charity each day. Every year I have beat that goal. For many of those years, I have made over 1000 items. That goal has been beaten while dealing with fibromyalgia. One year I had shoulder surgery and this year, I did it after dislocating and fracturing my shoulder last December.
Who have I made these items for and what have I made? NICUs (booties, hats, afghans, sweaters), infant loss programs (burial outfits, afghans), hospice (magnets, ornaments), nursing homes (lapghans, scarves, hats), the military (hats), animal shelters (cat toys – from otherwise unusable yarn like stained yarn). I think those are the main groups.”
AMAZING, or what?
I’m going to be recording my progress on Ravelry by tagging relevant projects “charityknittingchallenge”. If you’re taking on the challenge, please let me know in the comments where you will be recording yours, so we can all inspire & encourage each other!
Also, as a small incentive, if you complete the challenge with me in January, I will send you a copy of the KnitLove collection so that you can wrap up and label your charity handknits! :)
Because of their size, baby items (especially preemie and newborn) are the easiest to complete in a day, and they will probably make up most of my challenge knitting, but there are other charities out there (as Donna mentions) that also require small, quickly-knitted items. Here’s the search I used to find some free baby patterns on Ravelry, but in case you don’t want to spend hours trawling through patterns, here’s a list of some that I thought looked useful. Feel free to suggest more in the comments!
I think knitting one pattern several times would be a good strategy, since it takes time to acquaint yourself with a pattern, figure out what yarns and needles will work with it, etc.
I know many of you have spent December knitting holiday gifts, and have been looking forward to January as a “selfish knitting” month, but I hope you join me in this challenge. Feeling like we’re contributing something good to the world around us is a basic human need, and one we easily forget when setting resolutions, which is why I think getting accustomed to giving every day is a wonderful habit to acquire. Also, it’s a great opportunity to use up some of those holiday leftovers! ;)
I got these pretty charms and the bracelet to hang them on from Primark (I don’t think they exist in the US, but I bet Forever21 has something close) with the intention of using them as stitch markers. They work like a charm (ho ho) and would make great (inexpensive) gifts for knitting friends. You can then purchase them charms on other special occasions to add to their collection. Stitch markers with clips would also work; I know Atomic Knitting makes beautiful ones.
The regular charms from Primark fit needles up to 3.5mm.
There are some adorable charms in the kids section too, but they’re smaller (and cheaper) and will fit needles up to 2.75mm. Perfect for socks!
This is a colourwork hat I’m working on with designs from the Perpetual Colourwork Calendar (October). I’ve already attempted filming one tutorial about creating your own colourwork charts, but the lighting was so poor that I think I will try again. Sorry for the delay!
The needles are KnitPro Symfonie (short 3mms with 60cm cable) and the yarn is Pure Wool Superwash from Nako.
It’s been a couple of years since I created The Little eBook of Knitting Stitches, and it’s been so well received that I thought I’d issue an update. It got me thinking how re-prints won’t be a feasible measure of success in digital publishing anymore. Instead, the advantage of knowing almost exactly how many times digital goods have been downloaded will become invaluable in deciding the popularity or success of a book. As I have nearly 2000 knitters on my newsletter list, I assume that’s about as many copies of The Little eBook of Knitting Stitches as have been downloaded. Not nearly as popular as my Shawl Knitting Cheat Sheet which has been downloaded over 5000 times. Wow!
Plenty of copies, in my opinion, to merit an update. Little eBook v2 now has charts for each of the 6 knitting stitches. I’m not sure why they didn’t occur to me back in 2009, but they’re certainly included now, and will hopefully save knitters lots of time. However, as I mentioned in the latest newsletter, what gave me most pleasure was reformatting the PDF as a booklet, so that it can be printed using half the number of pages (printed back-to-back), and be assembled like a proper little printed book.
Both the A4 version, and the booklet version are available to subscribers to the Laylock Newsletter. Subscribing is completely free, I’ll never ever share your email address with anyone else, and of course I’ll never spam you; quite the contrary I will send you awesome knitty inspiration a few times a month, so sign up below!
PLEASE only subscribe if you’re interested in receiving emails from me.
The eBook now contains:
6 stitch patterns
2 texture
2 lace
2 rib stitches
photographed on both right & wrong sides
charted
& laid out with clear instructions & advice on usage.
Autumn means bonfires! In addition to knitting, here are a couple of things you can enjoy while awaiting combustion:
1. The Bonfire Band is a delightful London-based band whose music makes me smile every time. This is one of my favourite songs of theirs, and one that I think captures their lighthearted ways. It’s called “Good Times” (in Londontown), and it’s a reworking of Bob Dylan’s “Hard Times in New York Town”. Give it a listen & download it on iTunes if you like it.
Good Times by The Bonfire Band
2. Lapsang Suchong, if you haven’t heard of it before, is a strange tea which has a distinctly “smoky” aroma, a result of its being dried over pinewood fires. Admittedly it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like the smell of bonfires, I strongly recommend you give it a try.
For best results, indulge in all three (& knitting) on the same day! :)
P.S. Thank you to Al & Mr. Jingles T.B. for making many of my slideshow photos possible!
Being without an internet connection wasn’t all bad, you know. I did an unusual amount of reading, splashed some watercolours around, managed to connect my Strat to my Macbook, and even ventured into a bank. Oh, and I made this trailer for the Cornflower Hat. It’s a bit better than my last attempt, I think, but hopefully not nearly as good as my next. :)
I think the work you put into your knitting will reward you richly, not just in the beauty of the final piece, but in more profound ways, just like the pretty spring blossoms bear fruit in autumn. That’s the story I tried to tell in this video. Also, of course, that a hat with a drawstring is an excellent place to keep your lunch, perhaps Paddington-style marmalade sandwiches?
You can also amuse yourself by spotting all 5 types of fruit in the trailer, and identifying the following quotations that were going through my head as I shot the clips:
“…sloeblack, slow, black…”
“…it is only flowers, they had no fruits…”
“nobody in the lane, and nothing, nothing but blackberries…”
I squealed with delight this morning on finding a download link from WoollyWormhead for her Bambeanies ebook! A while back when she was looking for name suggestions for the patterns, I nominated a few of my favourite Jabberwocky words, and I was lucky enough that she chose one of them. And now I get to squeal once a week as the patterns land in my inbox! Hmm, I wonder which one is Beamish? :)
Well, I was so excited that I cast on for a Ruskin right away, using some leftover yarn from my first Parasol Shawlette. There’s a very special baby girl who is to make her début in September, and hopefully she’ll enjoy wearing it.
The pattern is very quick & easy, but I did learn something new. I tried out WoollyWormhead’s Alternate Cable Cast On for ribbing for the first time. It’s a clever variation on the usual cable cast-on, and very easy to remember, so I shall certainly be using it in the future.
The name reminds me of a vague little daydream I’ve had for a few years, to be in a band called “Buskin’ Ruskin”. I wonder whether the man himself would approve? ;)
I was so so so cheered by all the lovely messages, newsletter replies, tweets, and of course blog comments I received yesterday. And a mention on the Electric Sheep Podcast was just the icing on the birthday cake. Thank you, thank you, thank you, lovely knitters! Replies are on their way.
I’m usually a pretty upbeat, positive person, and I adore doing this here, with you. I still find this a little hard to define, because as you know I do a lot of random, sillythings, and knitwear design sometimes seems like a small part of it. I love ideas more than anything, and design more than most, and knitting as much as, well… you, and all together they make me very happy indeed. But every day I meet people who scoff at my work, who ask me snidely how much I make, and inevitably wonder when I will get a proper job (& my own place). Luckily for me, none of these people are in my family. I don’t get hurt by these comments (that would be ridiculous), but I certainly get cross. There was a time when they made me doubt myself, and I sat in a dark office and did work that made no one on earth happy, least of all me. But now I brush them aside and try to use my crossness to fuel me in my work. Still, if it wasn’t for the positive feedback I get from you, I don’t know how long I’d be able to sustain this.
So THANK YOU! & if you’re just heading out on your own path and working for yourself, please don’t listen to the naysayers. Listen to your own true, brave voice and no other. Trust your own confident, capable hands. Don’t let anyone come between you and the joy of steering your craft.
You might be interested to note that my cynics all share one common factor (apart from cynicism, that is): they’re inevitably non-knitters. Which leads me to believe that there is a higher preponderance of nice people among knitters than in the general public. I have some theories about this:
Knitting is a calming occupation. Because knitters relieve stress through knitting, they’re less likely to lash out at others.
Knitting is a creative act, and it’s my belief that creating something makes people feel more fulfilled, so that they don’t have the urge to belittle the work of other people to make themselves feel better.
Knitting is contemplative, and anyone who takes the time to slow down and listen to their thoughts is better able to assess their relationships with others.
Knitting teaches you patience.
The devil makes work for idle hands. A knitter’s hands are always busy.
Of course we all have a long way to go, but I do believe that knitting can help us get there. Don’t you agree? :)
Sometimes all I want to do is stay at home and play around with my new Macbook Pro. :) I’ve been thinking about making a little knitting pattern trailer for a while, and the new iLife proved to be the catalyst. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be able to shoot a proper trailer with an actual camera, and pretty models who bother to brush their hair. A location slightly more stimulating than my bedroom would also be most welcome. In the meantime, the video for Cherry Blossom Girl’s Etam collection is magnifique & very inspiring!
This is my first new computer in 5 years, so please excuse me while I am absent a little, delighting in the sudden brightness of my photos, the fulfilment of my HDM obsession (snow leopard!), and the smugness that comes from knowing that for a month or so at least, I am UP TO DATE!
I worked up some quick swatches yesterday, to decide which yarn to use. The first one is in pink Feza Angora using 4.5mm (US 7) needles.
The second one is in white Alize 3 Mevsim, again with 4.5mm (US 7) needles. Which do you like best? At first I was rather in favour of the pink, but watching the Royal Wedding has swayed me in favour of white, I think.
Normally I have a great distaste for ceremonies & formality; weddings just feel hollow and sordid and… commonplace. But as one commentator remarked, it was nice to “suspend cynicism” for once & enjoy the Royal Wedding as a celebration of beauty and purity. The pomp & pageantry, the wide-angle shots of the Abbey accompanied by the swell of music from the orchestra, and the clockwork organisation were impressive in a way that few things are, anymore. (On the other hand, the Twitter commentary & live internet feed were impressive in a way few things ever were.) I found the prayers moving & nearly missed class just to see the kiss. Surely the sheer number of people who watched all around the world is an indication of just how deeply we long for grace and beauty and spiritual depth, and not only elitism, money and power? I like to think so, at least.
1. Print out this PDF.
2. Cut out the quotation cards (I recommend a ruler & craft knife).
3. String up some ribbon on your wall or corkboard.
4. Peg the cards onto the string.
5. Be inspired!
So here is my slightly Victorian motivation wall with a preponderance of Thoreau and Gibran. This is a project I’ve had in mind for such a long time & it’s almost embarrassingly easy to execute. I just pasted a few quotes into a Pages template et voila!
Sometimes a sentence is all it takes TO DO IT.
hot water bottle cover with pocket - £3.00 (approx. $4.70)
houses slipover - £3.00 (approx. $4.70)
earring & key holder - free
bow pouch - free
* Paypal will show you the precise currency conversion before you confirm the sale.
(round)about
My name is Derya and I'm 25-years-old. This blog is an experiment in better living through knitting. Learn more about Laylock in the Introduction. If you'd like to get in touch, leave a comment or email me at: d.y.davenport AT gmail.com.
30 December, 2011 | 
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