[lovemy2boys]

Ok ladies - you've inspired me...and I'd LOVE to learn how to knit - did you all learn from books (or your Nana's, which mine has passed on).

If you learned from a book/website, which would you recommend?

[belleinblue1978]

Originally Posted by aclee

My Nana is a mitten knitting MACHINE. She loves making them. Doesn't even use a pattern and is shy about it because sometimes one mitten might be a tiny bit bigger than the other. I always buy yarn when I see it on sale and whenever she wants an easy project she doesn't have to think about, she will knit mittens. Does it year around...then I gather them all up and bring them to local school and to the school nurses...they always seem to know which families are in need.

Gramma G crocheted Barbie clothes by the boatload. We would buy the inexpensive Barbie's, accessories, and those plastic shoe boxes and then we would donate sets of them to the county to distribute. I had SO much fun picking out thread for Gramma and mailing it to her. It made us all feel good. We didn't buy presents for each other, we did that instead.

[belleinblue1978]

Originally Posted by lovemy2boys

Ok ladies - you've inspired me...and I'd LOVE to learn how to knit - did you all learn from books (or your Nana's, which mine has passed on).

If you learned from a book/website, which would you recommend?

I learned to knit from the KS State 4H book. I have to find it, but I'll look for it and then you might be able to get it on EBay. It is perfect, you start by knitting a washcloth and move up.

Crochet I taught myself.

[binkybear]

Beginner knitter here
I learn best by watching live demonstrations, so books weren't as good for me, although I have a few good ones. I took a knitting class, but the teach was better at knitting than she was at teaching, so that wasn't too productive. Then I found this site, it's great! I'm working a scarf....well, I hope it'll be a scarf

KnittingHelp.com | Knitting Videos


Crick...I LOVE "Free Rice"! It's so addictive

[binkybear]

Originally Posted by aclee

I would like to volunteer to do the photography for some of the foster children in my state's heart gallery, for teen mom's etc. There is also a program that has photographers that photograph families with infants who are stillborn, or not expected to live long after birth. For me....it's just too high stress...I would worry about messing up the shots...

I think the heart gallery photos that are done properly are really needed, you'd be fantastic at it! You can see how the proper photos capture each childs individual spark, you can almost read how each child feels important in a proper photo. I can see where the other program would be high stress, very emotional.

[bromanchik]

My daughter, through her community service club at school, just organized a bunch of people to make fleece blankets for the local shelter. (Hers were made from fleece she bought herself) I think they have around 30. My daughter always asked about the homeless on cold nights.. from the time she was 5. She's glad she finally found something she could do to help.


My son is on his community service club too.

[aclee]

Originally Posted by bromanchik

My daughter, through her community service club at school, just organized a bunch of people to make fleece blankets for the local shelter. (Hers were made from fleece she bought herself) I think they have around 30. My daughter always asked about the homeless on cold nights.. from the time she was 5. She's glad she finally found something she could do to help.


My son is on his community service club too.

That's a great idea...the ones with the tied edges are really easy to make and VERY cozy...a good friend made me a car seat sized one. Like a lap quilt for a baby, it's about 12" by 24". As a tiny baby we tucked it around him almost swaddling him...now that he's a little older we still do it, but leave his feet out so he doesn't kick it off. Tyler will not wear a coat in the car and this works perfect. I was thinking about buying some fleece and making them as gifts for showers because I loved mine so much! Making them as a go home gift for mothers that give birth during the winter would be great too!

[buttascotchbaby]

There is an awesome program that has been around for almost 60 years, it is called Heifer International End World Hunger | Charity Gifts for Sustainability & Self-Reliance and they work at ending hunger around the world (including in the U.S.) by buying families a cow, a goat, a water buffalo, chickens, etc. It is an incredible program. You can either give them $250 to buy a cow for a family or $25 towards a cow. I am giving chickens to lots of families this Christmas (in the names of some of my friends and family members), it is only $20 -and it can completely change the lives of the recipients. The cool thing is that, for instance, if a family gets a cow or a goat (rabbits, llamas, etc.) they pledge to give the first female offspring to a neighbor or friend, and then THAT recipient does the same. It is an incredibly inspirational organization when you read some of the stories of people who have been helped by building on the old: give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish...