in the spirit of giving

Knitters tend to be very generous creatures, in many ways. This knitterly attribute will definitely be a theme in today's post. Starting off, we have this year's Holiday Food Drive:


Not only are we, as knitters, giving food to the hungry; but, other knitters are offering prizes to give to food donors. It's such a win-win situation. We've got special skeins of yarn from Abstract Fiber (yes, yarn and not roving), adorable tchatchkes from Lantern Moon, Labels of Love from Soak, and a whole bunch of other goodies from businesses like ShibuiKnits and Bryson.

How does this work?, you ask. Well, it's simple. For every item of non-perishable food you bring in from now until December 18th, we'll give you a raffle ticket. On December 18th at 7pm(ish), we'll draw prizes for all our lovely donors.

Next, on the list of generous knitters: Liz. Who, crazily enough, knit these for a friend:


Wow. I'd want to frame them. Project specs?... here!

Yarn: ShibuiKnits Sock in "Ink" and "Wisteria"
Pattern: Cat Mittens by Jorid Linvik

And, finally, the sheer number of knitters who have come in with holiday presents on the needles says a lot about us as a group. Buying someone a gift card to an electronics store would certainly easier and a lot quicker than hand-knitting family and friends beautiful, one-of-a-kind presents, but knitters do it because we want to make something special for loved ones. And that's just awesome.

Of course, it's also a bit stressful when the deadline approaches and you're staring at 600 yards of stockinette. But, hey, think of the joy on the recipient's face.

And, if you're snapping at relatives and cursing your knitting needles, come and knit with us at our Last-minute Gifts Knit-a-thon this Saturday, Dec. 13th. Admission is only $5 and two items for the Food Drive, but gets you six blissful hours of uninterrupted knitting, with wine and aperitifs for fuel.

Or, if you still haven't started your holiday knitting, we have a collection of books and patterns on display (thank you, Sandy B for the poinsetta!) to help us late-starters actually get started:

Don't ask me how far I'm into my holiday knitting. We're just not discussing it.

Moving on, to more selfish projects... I started a Malabrigo Sock sock, with Indiecita and US 1 Lantern Moon DPNs:

It's amazing how much the "KnitPurlzi" has changed my expectations for traveling socks. Now I expect to arrive at Point B with unbroken needles, no tangles and perfectly un-dropped stitches. I really hope M.W. finishes the 5" prototype he promised me soon!

And, while we're talking about the "KnitPurlzi", remember to vote! for your favorite submission(s) to the Name That Gadget! Contest. (see the sidebar ---->)

Finally, we've started a Knit Purl PDX ravelry group to fill all your in-depth update needs. It's also a great place to request workshops, new yarn lines, whatever. We'll also use it to announce sales, new arrivals, or even arrivals of old favorites like Kauni and Malabrigo (which sell out fast).

Until Thursday (and the results of our Name That Gadget! Contest), happy stitching!