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! :)

Grab a Button

<a href="http://laylock.org/blog"><img src="charityknittingchallenge-sm.png"/></a>

Find a Few Patterns You Like

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!

0-150m

1. Simple Newborn Hat with a touch of lace
2. Frantic Mama Knitted Soaker Pattern
3. Baby Rollin’ Beret
4. Mini-Reversible Duck to Bunny
5. Baby Mittens
6. Bonnet and booties – Hat
7. Newborn Norwegian Sweet Mitts
8. Little Seedling Soaker
9. WW Cardigan Vest
10. Stretchy Ribbed Newborn Hat – In the Round
11. Baby Hearts
12. Baby Cable Cap
13. Lark Rise
14. Confection Baby Shrug
15. Simple Shrug with a Twist

150-300m

1. Presto Chango
2. Snug
3. Swirled Ski Cap
4. Hooded Baby Wrap
5. top down garter stitch yoke vest (short rows version)
6. Twiggy

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! ;)

Have you read?

1. Travelling Light
2. Ruskin
3. 101 Reasons Why I Love Knitting

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.

If you go to the Primark in Birmingham, say hello to the Bullring Bull in his woolly jumper. :)

Have you read?

1. Stitch Marker Knitting Patterns
2. Printable Knitting Calendar

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.

Once you’ve downloaded your ebook, you might like to queue your favourite stitch patterns on Ravelry!

I do hope you enjoy it! Happy Knitting. :)

Have you read?

1. The Little eBook of Knitting Stitches
2. Mary Thomas & The Knitting Bargain of the Century

3 things that go together: bonfires, The Bonfire Band, and Lapsang Suchong.

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.

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!

Have you read?

1. How My Knowledge of Fiber Saved My Life

(click here if you can’t see the embedded video)

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…”
• “the pears are not viols…”
• “hope is the thing with feathers…”
• “when I am an old woman I shall wear purple” (I might start now!)

Many thanks to Granddad’s orchard, Grandma’s greenhouse, Dad’s camera, providential butterflies, birdsong and the D chord.

The pattern will be released this week, knitters! I hope you enjoy it…

Have you read?

1. Her Woolly Materials