Independent Knitting News

There are many ways to “Race for the Cure®” to support the Susan G. Komen foundation in bring awareness to this disease that primarily affects women. Michigan had four affiliates sponsoring races this year with the Grand Rapids, MI race scheduled to take place Saturday September 26, 2009.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the leader in the breast cancer movement by supporting the research to cure this disease.  The foundation is constantly finding new partners and sponsers to generate funds to support their cause.  The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

The knitting community is no exception in supporting breast cancer sufferers. Pattern designers and Charity knitters have long supported breast cancer sufferers by knitting and crocheting Chemo caps.

The September newsletter from Bernat® introduces the new Knit & Crochet for Breast Cancer collection. This collection is available at participating ACMoore, JoAnns, Michaels, Walmart Canada and Zellers – while quantities last. Bernat® is contributing $10,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® through the purchase of the yarn in the Knit & Crochet for Breast Cancer collection from August 15 – November 15, 2009.

Bernat has also made available 4 new free patterns featuring their new yarns. There are two knit patterns and two crochet patterns available for download. These patterns are not available through the normal free pattern search.

Easy Gift Scarf Cabled Hat & Scarf Prayer Shawl Crochet Chemo Cap

It is important for us as a community to acknowledge the many men and women that have fought breast cancer. The best way to honor their heroism is to work towards a cure and to make a difference. A purchase from the Knit & Crochet for Breast Cancer collection will make sure the total amount of $10,000 will be given to the to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® foundation.

To find out more information about breast cancer research, breast health, or any other breast cancer issues, visit the foundation or call 1-877-GO-KOMEN.

[tag]Blue Sky Alpacas[/tag] started out importing luxury alpaca yarns, and then added cotton to its line.  When it came time to add other fibers to their line, many people just could not get past the Alpaca tag, and never expected to find any other fiber offered by this company.  To get around this marketing problem without changing the name of the company, or remove focus from the Alpaca yarn customers, Blue Sky created a new line of yarns and patterns with a different name and brand.  This new line of yarns are made of natural but machine-washable fibers and is called[tag] Spud & Chloe[/tag].  The yarns are made of wool, silk and cotton.

[tag]Clara Parkes[/tag] , author and blogger, reviews the new line of yarns from Blue Sky Alpacas at her[tag] Knitter’s Review[/tag] site.  According to Clara, this yarn brand, Spud & Chloe, was the hit of the recent TNNA.

The yarn comes in 3 weights to complement one another, and in a multitude of colors.  The yarns can probably be found at your favorite store by now.  A google search (my favorite search engine) found many hits yarn stores, including kits at[tag] Jimmy Beans Wool.[/tag]

In addition to the new yarn, [tag]Susan B. Anderson[/tag], blogger and author of Itty-Bitty Hats and Itty-Bitty Nursery, is now working for Blue Sky Alpacas.  Susan was hired to write and create the Spud and Chloe blog and to design and write free patterns for the blog,with  new and fresh free patterns every month.

Here are some of the new knitting tools to hit the market. I love new and unique tools.

One of the best general purpose tools yet is the Knit Kit.  This is called “the Swiss army knife of knitting”.  This product first debuted  at the [tag]TNNA [/tag]Show in San Diego January 17-19, 2009.  It was an instant hit!  Now you can have all your small knitting tools in one place and not loose them in the bottom of your knitting bag. The unit is small – approximately 5″ x 3-1/2″ and will fit in you purse or pocket.  The store locater at [tag]Knit Kits[/tag] website shows where you can purchase this tool. A demo for this kit is available at [tag]youTube[/tag] to show you all its unique characteristics and how to use the tool.
Next up is the [tag]Fibersphere™ [/tag].  This is the ultimate in fiber protection.  The Fibersphere™allows your yarn to flow smoothly inside of the sphere to help avoid tangling.  It protects your yarn from damage by outside elements.  The Fibersphere™ now comes in two sizes, 7-inch and 5-inch diameters. Both sizes come in clear or translucent pink.  If you buy the pink container, the company will donate 5% of every purchase towards breast cancer research.  For a list of retailers, go here.

The cutest item I found today is the [tag]Addi Teddy Bear Needle Huggers[/tag]!  These cute point protectors are made by [tag]Skacel[/tag] the manufacturer of [tag]Addi Turbo[/tag] knitting needles. What fun these needle tips are.  Addi Teddy Bear Needle Huggers are for keeping your double pointed needle sets neat and organized.  They can also be used as point protectors for larger needles.  Each color features a different diameter opening for various sizes of needles. The idea behind the bears is to put all the double pointed needles from your project using one bear at each end of the needle.  Four pairs bears in a package for about $14.00.