Hi

Hi all,
I am happy to be here!
I am a little intimidated by chart though.....
What is everybody thinking of making?

YARN!

God I love yarn shopping.
For those of you who don't read my normal blog, I bought myself some PIP Along yarn this weekend.



I want to do one knit and one crochet piece.
The top pic is some crochet thread. I'm thinking about making a black choker with a yellow ribbon. I have to play around with some different crochet edging.

The second picture is some Llama wool that is surprisingly soft. I just have to swatch, wash and check for color fastness. I'm not so good at color work, but I'm going to give it a try.

Sidebar

Ok, I have tried to put everyone's name and blog up on the sidebar. If you want your name displayed differently, or if I matched the wrong blog to your name, or if I didn't have your blog address and you would like me to add one, or if I left you off, altogether, please email me or leave me a comment.

Good Job!

Wow! I'm impressed you got the charts done so quickly. I wish I could knit that quickly and already have a stack of stuff done!

I actually work with the guys who started and run "Iraqi Schools" (listed in the charities below). They are awesome! If anyone wants me to check with them on anything they might like from our group, I can do that.

Charities

I did some research to try to find some possible organizations that could use knitted or crocheted donations. I haven't decided whether to donate something to the troops or to others affected by war. Also, I haven't decided what I am going to make.

What are some of your thoughts?

Give to the Troops - Cotton and wool socks are on the most requested list. I think slippers would also be appreciated.

Operation Shoebox - Items that can be crafted are socks and sweatbands. Also, it would be possible to craft a checkerboard or a hacky sack. [Too cheesy?] See this page for a pattern - plus others.

The Ships Project - Ships Support accepts knitted, crocheted, and sewn items. Note: please make sure you refer to the guidelines page before making anything to send to this project.

Soldier's Angels - Has different needs that might suit crafters.

Afghans for Afghans - is a humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets and garments to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan.

Operation Give - Sends toys and other goods to help the children in Iraq. Operation Give is grass-roots, non-partisan, volunteer-driven, and non-political. Note: Fed Ex is shipping forfree to this group's headquarters - click here for more information.

Iraqi Schools - Supports kids and teachers in Iraq. Crafted items could include pencil bags, games, teddy bears. [Maybe a teddy bear with the Peace is Patriotic logo?]

PIP Charts

Ok, the charts are ready. These are based on a 5 stitches by 7 rows gauge which is close to standard worsted weight, but any similar ratio will work. You may have to break out the calculator for this one. If you really need a different gauge let me know and I'll try to do another chart.

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I made it to look like the actual logo, but feel free to modify it as you see fit. Work the whole pattern in just 2 colors or add shading with duplicate stitch. Whatever works for you is cool with me.

Do you hear that sound?

It's the yarn shop calling me. I know it's supposed to be bad to hear voices, but I think I encourage this particular one.

My goal for the weekend is to try to get some sketches up for ideas. One things I'd like to do is make a couple charts of the Peace Ribbon logo so folks can work it as intarsia/fair isle/textured stitch into their project if they choose to.

If any of you are considering this route, please pop me a comment about the general scale you are considering and the approximate gauge you expect to work. It doesn't have to be exact but I'd like to get close.

I do plan to link to everyone's blog, directly, once I get a little more time. Bear with me, as this is my first "Along" member or moderator and I'm figuring it out as I go.

One other note, Jane you requested to join but I don't have your email address so I can't send you an invite. Please email me so I can make you a blog member.

Stuff To Buy

Several people requested the logo on items so I quickly threw some art together. Get your "Peace is Patriotic" gear here.
Here's a little sampling of items

First Post

Everyone who requested to join this Knit/Crochet along, should be receiving an invite to be a member of this blog. With this access you are free to post whenever you would like.

If you wanted, but didn't get an invite, or if your invite doesn't work, please comment here and I'll resend.

I hope you will all put one of the buttons on your site and link back here.

If you want to upload a photo and don't have a server to load it to, you can write me directly and I'll load it for you.

For now, we probably all need to assess the stash and possibly go yarn shopping, but feel free to post in the mean time if you have any thoughts or suggestions.