Warrior Shawl & Giveaway

UPDATE 6.11.2014: Congratulations to winner Evie! Evie, please check your email for your pattern! --------------------

Breast cancer is scary. Let me rephrase that… All cancers are scary, but one that has its lazer-like focus on mostly women (yes, men can get breast cancer, too) and being a woman myself, it adds in an extra scariness factor.

I was approached by a student and friend, Eileen Mitchard earlier this year about doing a design for the cause. I assumed she meant a design that would call attention to the disease, but it turned into so much more than that.

Breast in Show is a live stage musical written by Lisa Hayes with music and lyrics by Joan Cushing.  The show was conceived of by Eileen and is based on interviews conducted with patients, medical personnel and family members by Ms. Mitchard, Ms. Hayes and Ms. Cushing over a period of  two years. Show synopsis: Welcome to the “Chemo Café,” where strangers become friends sharing an unforgettable journey of laughter and tears on the road to healing. Join these warriors on a life-affirming rollercoaster of emotions in this original stage musical.

I immediately knew my answer would be "yes." I'm a huge fan of women helping women, but the thing that's so frightening about this particular type of cancer, is that we're all connected to it somehow. We all have known someone who is currently fighting the battle against breast cancer, has fought it in the past, is getting ready to fight it, has sadly lost their battle, knows a friend of a friend going through it, an aunt, a sister, a mother, a grandmother… This disease is everywhere and we've all been touched by it in some way. Eileen herself is a fighter, having fought her own medical battle regarding her heart and winning.

I lost a friend in January to cancer. While it wasn't breast cancer (it was cervical cancer), she was one of the three women instrumental in teaching me to knit. I knew her almost my entire life and when I read about chemo and how it often makes the recipient cold, I immediately put all of my knitting aside and knit a cozy shawl for her. She told me how much she loved it and how she wrapped it around her neck while receiving treatment. She came to mind when Eileen and I were throwing around ideas for what to knit for the show and I knew a shawl would be the perfect design.

There's something special about shawls. They wrap the wearer in warmth, yes, but each stitch is so much more than just one stitch. As I knit the shawl for my friend who lost her battle, I thought of her with every single stitch that flew across my needles. The art of packing a shawl with good intentions, thoughts and good vibes is called knitting a "prayer shawl," and the Warrior Shawl is coming from the same vein. The shape is reminiscent of wings, while the "spine" going down the middle reminds us to stand strong and fight our battles. The border is made of hearts and it would be easy to add a bit of sparkle and throw some beads on there.

In Breast in Show, the survivors become "warriors," so what better way to honor these women than to call this design the Warrior Shawl? Knit in Dragonfly Fiber's stunning handdyed superwash, Traveller DK, this shawl can be knit for yourself, a friend, a survivor, someone undergoing their battle currently or a prayer handed over to someone who simply needs one. Eileen is encouraging everyone to knit their shawl and wear it to the show, which will be playing at the 2014 Capital Fringe festival in DC July 10 -27, 2014.

More information on the show can be found here.

What I'm most proud of in this shawl is that 100% of the pattern proceeds are going towards funding the show. As I knit it, I thought of my friend, now gone but certainly never forgotten. She would have loved this shawl and I would have loved knitting one for her.

You can also join the Warrior Shawl KAL (knit-a-long) hosted by Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA on Ravelry. Anyone can knit-a-long, it's virtual so you don't have to be local. Join us!

Pattern available for download here.

One lucky winner will win a copy of the Warrior Shawl pattern. Leave a comment on this post about how breast cancer has touched your life. A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday.

New American Knits Giveaway!

UPDATE 6.6.14:  Congratulations to Emma, the winner of New American Knits. Emma, please check your email for further instructions. Yes, Massachusetts was the 6th state and I did indeed grow up in Norwell.

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It's no secret I'm a fan of our great country.

Yes, a country - like people - is always a work in progress, but I'm proud of the ingenuity that continues to come from our fellow citizens. One of my very favorite things about knitting is that it's truly universal. Sure, some of us may be continental knitters, other English, we may have a few "pit knitters" who tuck the needle under their armpit, or throw it around their neck like the do in Portugal, but we all end up with a knit stitch that looks universally the same. I used to teach in a women's shelter when we lived in New York and only half the women spoke English. The great thing about volunteering there was it didn't matter what I spoke or what they spoke - we communicated through our knitting, a lot of them told me they forgot their troubles for a couple of hours and we bonded over our craft, like so many millions of women have done before us.

I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Amy Christoffers' new book, New American Knits (Interweave / F+W; $24.99). I was immediately drawn to the title and was interested to see what Amy's take on classic American sportswear patterns was.

I was lucky enough to work with Amy when she had a garment in my Knitting Architecture book. I loved the cardigan inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement she designed and knit. She was recently announced as the new Design Director for Berroco and you can read her blog here. Talk about a talented lady!

I found this book to have quite a few designs I'd want to knit. I like "sporty" knits and am very much a cardigan girl. This book has a great balance of both cardis and pullovers with a few accessories like a cowl, shawl and fingerless mitts thrown in coming to total of 20 patterns. I liked the yarn choices and the palette was nicely paired with the photo location. All of the garments would be ideal wardrobe staples and are classic enough that they can be worn for years to come. In true Interweave fashion, the charts were easy to read, the schematics clear and readable and the garments had a nice array of sizes provided. I wear a lot of jeans and t-shirts with over-the-top sparkly jewelry, and a lot of these designs would fit into my style.

A few of my favorites from the book:

I really want to knit this red sweater. I love cables and calling for a worsted means it would knit up pretty quickly!

And now for the giveaway!

Leave the answer to this trivia question in the comment section of this post to be entered to win a copy of this fantastic book (USA residents only, please): Massachusetts became part of our nation as which number state (I am from Massachusetts. Bonus points if you know the town I grew up in)?

A winner will be randomly chosen on Friday, June 6th.

Bring on the Sparkle

If you're a frequent TanisKnits reader, you've probably come to recognize some of my knitwear models. There's my son of course, my son's gorgeous and amazing preschool teacher, knitting friends, playground mom friends, friends from college and high school, friends who are actually models and 2 little girls that frequent our lives on a weekly basis. I find time and time again, people you know and are comfortable with make better models, hands down.

Brynna and Rory are the daughters of a dear friend, Mary Beth, and both have modeled for me before. Both girls come with their mom to our house on Wednesday evenings for dinner and playtime, while their mom and I chat it up in the kitchen. I met their mother in a knitting class I taught and she quickly became not only one of my favorite students, but a great friend, especially when we learned we lived a few blocks away from each other on Capitol Hill.

Even though we've moved across the river to Virginia, it's only a handful of miles away and we see them often. They come here to crash on Wednesday evenings before I teach and they head off to Irish Step Dancing class. I've enjoyed getting to know them better, watch how they and my son interact, watching them growing into wonderful young ladies and get some adult time with another crafty mom while they play.

School and Irish Step have recently come to and end for the summer season. While we'll continue our visits at the water spray ground and random playdates during the hot months, I wanted to send them off with something special, something very THEM. I dug through my yarn and came across a lone skein of Cascade's Cherub Aran Sparkle in "striking purple." A bright fuchsia-colored yarn with SPARKLES for 2 girls under the age of 8? I can't think of a better yarn to use to make them a little something special until we return to our breakneck pace in the fall.

Wanting to make them something they could share and wear, I decide to knit each of them up a headband with a botanical theme. I knit up 2 and realized I had more than enough for 2 more. 4 headbands out of 1 skein? Yes! I love yardage that seems to go on and on forever and this didn't disappoint with 240 yards. Cherub Aran Sparkle meets all the standards I have when knitting for other people's children - it's incredibly soft (the metallic strand doesn't make it itchy like some yarns with metallic in them can be with 54% nylon, 42% acrylic, 4% metallic), it's superwash (hooray for yarns that can go in the washer and dryer!), it had over a dozen colors to choose from, many of which were ideal for these self-described "girly girls," the yardage was generous, the price point was great and most importantly, I knew both girls would love it!

Knitting up swiftly on US 7s, the patterns are easy to adjust for any head circumference. Shorten or lengthen the cord ties, or add or subtract lace reps to fit your needs. There are 4 botanical-themed bands to choose from, with a few leaf patterns, a daisy and some interesting edges happening. Knit 1 or all! How cute would these be for a flower girl at a wedding, birthday party favors or just for dress up?

Happy summertime!

Download the free pattern here.

On My Way

I was an animation major at RISD. I am also a knitter. I love when worlds collide.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/92767692]