October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A couple of years ago I designed this scarf for my sister-in-law, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. (She just passed her 5 year mark - yay!) I've made the pattern is available for free download from my Ravelry shop for you to  make for someone special.

download now

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Approximately 6 oz. of worsted weight yarn
Size F crochet hook (metric size 3.75; English size 8)

APPROXIMATE FINISHED SIZE: 5" wide by 55" long

Brother, can you spare a dime?

This is my crafty country cousin, Georgia, working on a quilt in bed. Why in bed? Because she broke her leg and had to have extensive orthopedic surgery and won't be back on her feet for awhile. And along with that surgery came huge bills for the surgeon, hospital and rehab. And like so many of us self-employed she can't afford health insurance. A huge garage sale is planned for April 9 in Rockdale, Texas, to help raise money for her medical bills. But if you won't be in the area that day please consider making a small donation using the paypal donate button below. Thank you so much.

The Kindness of Neighbors

That's a busted skylight if you can't quite tell what my photo is. We had quite a hailstorm a few days ago. Here's a pic of some of the pea, nickel and quarter size hail we got.

But this post is really about a very nice neighbor down the street. M is out of town on business so it was just The Kid and me. After staring at the broken skylight for most of the next day, it occurred to me that I probably ought to tape some plastic over it, especially since more rain was forcast. So I headed down the street to borrow an expanding ladder from a neighbor I thought might have one. He ended up doing all the work of getting up on the roof and taping down plastic. And then the next day he came over and swept all the leaves and broken tree limbs off the roof (and there was a LOT of green up there.) I'm so thankful for his kindness, which reminded me that no one can go it alone - we all need help once in awhile.

Help Baby Ike!

This is Isaac, nicknamed Ike-a-saurus by his big brother. Ike’s mama is the author of Haiku Mama and the amazing blogger behind Haikuoftheday, where you can read a lot of their story in her own words. Ike was born 13 weeks early and spent a lot of time in the NICU. Ike finally got to come home but then his dad got laid off and their insurance was cut off the same day.

Now baby Ike is back in the hospital and is very ill.

Many mamas from the Austinmama community are rallying together to organize fundraising events to help with mounting medical bills. You can help by donating at Ike's website. You can also help by going shopping! Some Etsy sellers have offered to donate proceeds from designated items to help Ike. Rachel Hobson, over at the AverageJaneCrafter blog, has all the info on the shops involved. Go check it out and see if you can find something you can't live without. And help baby Ike at the same time.

The Happy Hooksters of Elk Grove, IL

I sold a breast cancer awareness scarf pattern to Nina in Elk Grove, Illinois. It turns out she and a group of crocheters are going to use it to make pink scarves during the month of October to send to the American Cancer Society. We should all be so generous with our time and skills. Here is an excerpt from an article about this group:

What started out in 2005 as a lunchtime group with a common interest in crocheting and knitting, has steadily turned into a passion for providing a measure of warmth and care for those in need.
“We started out making gifts for our family, friends and co-workers, but then collectively decided to extend our reach to charitable projects, such as creating lap robes for the elderly

To date, the Happy Hooksters have completed several projects, including:
79 baby blankets and 22 newborn hats for Project Africa
72 lap robes for the elderly at the Meadow Brooks Nursing Home,
75 hat and scarf sets and 25 baby hats for the Primo Center—a shelter for homeless and
abused women and children.

The team shows no signs of stopping. They have made baby blankets for babies born to fellow employees, as well as lap robes for sick co-workers. For their future projects, the group has their sights set on creating:
Chemo caps for cancer patients,
Squares for Warm Up America,
Hat and scarf sets for a shelter,
Lap robes for veterans, and
Other projects submitted by members or co-workers (cancer awareness scarves).

Their passion has not gone unnoticed. Their work was highlighted in the book, “Open Your Heart with Art," published in 2007 and written by David L. Wilson. In his book, Wilson, interviewed several of the group’s members and even included the crochet pattern for their lap robes.

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I wanted to to make something special for a relative, who is battling breast cancer, and came up with this scarf design. I originally was planning to save it for Christmas but maybe I should give it to her in October. Only it ususally doesn't cool off here in Central Texas until November. What do you think I should do?

Pattern available at my Etsy store.