community knitting project

It feels good to get a project off the needles. I just finished my panel for Leigh Radford’s Community Knitting Project. This is for a blanket; each blanket consists of nine panels.

This looks delicious. (I’ve had too many cinnamon rolls lately…)

I picked up this project from Leigh when it looked like this, including the needles which were donated by Lantern Moon. The needles will go back to Leigh and maybe someone else will knit a panel with them. (Or do you want to? I can send them along.)

The dark brown Lamb’s Pride stripe was just started. I went from there to here.

It’s interesting to try to coordinate with someone else’s color palate! I had some leftover yarn from my Log Cabin Blanket, and was happy to see that some of the colors would work. This was great TV knitting, a simple ribbed pattern.

Now that the blanket panel is done, I’m planning to start January with a little selfish knitting. Fingerless mitts are in order! They’ll either be my Hugs and Kisses Fingerless Mitts that I started on the flight back from Hawaii (but didn’t get far)…

…or a new design that’s rolling around in my head in Malabrigo Arroyo, a sport/DK weight superwash. I just picked this up at Twisted when I dropped off some patterns yesterday.

These blues are so me! But so is the Beaujolais. Where should I start? Or maybe I should start both; the OXO mitts for when I just want to follow a pattern, and the Arroyo when I have more time to think and plan. Yeah, that’s the ticket…

I also think I’m making something for DH for his January birthday. Maybe. That’s a lot on the needles for a usually monogamous (about projects) knitter. Wish me luck!

What’s on your needles for the new year?

Leigh Radford, designer and author of several books including One Skein and One More Skein, is spearheading a community knitting project, and you can be a part of it.This is the Albers Stash Blanket from One More Skein. Leigh says:

Please join me in knitting blankets to be donated to those in need this winter! Knit and send me one panel of the Albers Stash Blanket. I’ll be gathering a team to assemble and complete the blankets. Blankets completed here in Portland will be donated to P:ear, Cascade Aids Project, and Raphael House. If enough panels are completed…, I would love to expand this list of recipients and will include non-profit organizations outside the Portland-metro area.

If you’d like to coordinate your own effort and donate a blanket within your community, please send me photos of your work in progress and completed work as I’ll be posting photos of everyone’s efforts as this project progresses.

Due date: Panels need to arrive in Portland/OR by January 31, 2012.

You can find more information on Leigh’s Facebook page. Questions? Not on Facebook? You can email Leigh at OneMoreSkein@leighradford.com.

I ran into Leigh at Twisted last weekend, and she passed on this panel to me. Leigh mentioned that she has started several panels and passed them on to other knitters. Lantern Moon has generously donated some needles so that Leigh has multiple panels going.

The pattern is simple, and is available through Leigh’s Facebook page. I’m happily knitting away on it, and will go into my tiny stash of leftovers (I’m not a stasher, remember?) and see what the next color will be. It might be a challenge; I’ve worked mostly with jewel tones, and this is not!

Would you like to be part of this project? You don’t have to knit an entire blanket, or even an entire panel. You can organize your knitting friends to complete a blanket, one panel, or even just get a panel from Leigh and knit on it for a while and send it back. But the more you knit, the more stash you use, and that means that more blankets will be donated. I hope you’ll join us!