The Big Knit – knitting hats with Innocent Smoothies

I first saw innocent’s little brochures at Frankfurt YarnCamp, asking for woolly hats… and I was hooked immediately. (Before that, I didn’t even know innocent existed – turns out they’re not just about smoothies, they actually care about people. Love at first sight! )

Here’s the amazing part: every little hat sold with innocent smoothies comes with a donation to help keep older folks warm, cozy, and connected through the winter. How cool is that?

This year alone, almost 12,000 hats have been knitted in Germany – some of them are actually tiny works of art!

So last weekend, my mother and I jumped in too. She knitted the basic hats from leftover yarn, and I handled the finishing touches – pom-poms, flowers, all the fun stuff (you know I can’t resist flowers 😉). By the end of the day, we had 31 hats ready to go!

If you love crafting and want to help, you have to join in! The deadline is December 1, 2013. Check the German innocent site for patterns, ideas, and all the details—or watch the English video. Trust me, it’s worth it!

Off to the post office to send our little hats on their way – who’s next?!

Knit the Bridge: yarnbombed

No time to actually sit down and write a proper blog post, but while I was looking for something completely different (the web really is weird like that), I stumbled across these photos—and had to share them with you.

The Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh was completely yarnbombed—yes, yarnbombed—into what is supposedly the largest piece of knitted graffiti in the US. We’re talking 1,847 artists, more than 600 blankets, all coming together in one massive, colorful, yarnbombed installation.

A true “jaw-dropping endeavor,” as the Huffington Post put it—and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. I mean, just imagine the planning, the stitching, the coordination behind something that big… and that beautifully yarnbombed.

Knit the Bridge: yarnbombed

Knit the Bridge even has its own blog and a Facebook page both filled with tons of photos, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and all kinds of information about the project and the people involved. Definitely worth a look—enjoy!

cristina saucedo: Knit the Bridge: yarnbombed

There’s even going to be a party on the bridge this Sunday. If only Berlin were a little closer to Pittsburgh… 🙂

Leftover Bits of Yarn? No more!

Do you ever wonder what to do with leftover yarn?

Confessions of a Yarn-A-Holic posted a wonderful link today: 34 Adorable Things to do with leftover bits of yarn, composed and arranged by Buzz Feed. (Thank you for posting this!!) Below are my favorites: pom poms as bookmarks and a clock sweater.

Maybe I should post pictures of the yarn stamps, the bows and the ahern too.

Maybe you should have a look at the article yourself. Eventually, you’ll like it just as much as I do!

Pom-poms make bookmarks you won't want to stop playing with.

Give a clock a much-needed sweater.

A Teddy goes Public

I have quite a few childhood friends, some forever friends, but also business friends and eMail friends. Some are casual friends others are close friends but there is only ONE genuine crochet friend (well, maybe two crochet friends, says J, referring to Hannah, her constant interest and support in my projects and blog … :)).

Anyhow – it was rather by chance that Juliane and I realized we’re both hookers. However, she does not have a blog (yet) and consequently I am in the fortunate position to post the little bear she made the other day. She calls him the UglyTeddy, which is probably a synonym for „Teddy with a lot of character“ as he is not ugly at all.

Be it as it may, the UglyTeddy is here to meet the world. Please welcome the UglyTeddy with me (Ta-daaaah – a drum roll, please).

Crochet Teddybear