I’m making “sweaters” for my classmates as Christmas presents.  They are all in the Harvard colors of crimson and white.  I need to have 19 made by November 11!  So far, I’ve completed 7.  I thought you would all like to see them, so I’ve taken them up to the shop.  DeeAnne has made a super little display by the front door.  I’ll be adding to it as I complete them.

The pattern is free and can be found here:

I would love to see others add their own ornaments to the tree (maybe in your college colors) to keep us all inspired to finish presents for Christmas.  Put your name on the inside so we know to whom it needs to be returned in time for the holiday.

Terri DeBolt brought a visitor to the Sit N Knit today.  Isn’t she adorable?

She shared all kinds of lamb secrets and we learned a lot about wool.

If you would like to make a lamb like this one you can find the pattern in Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B Anderson.

What a wonderful surprise to see 16 beautiful bears walk in the door.  The bears are for the Mother Bear Project.  The bears are sent to children in Africa who have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic there.  This family is from McPherson, Kansas.  All the girls help make the bears.  They have little garage sales to get the money to buy yarn.  Today we sent them home with 2 boxes of yarn that Studio Customers have donated for charity use.  These girls will put it to good use.

Have you seen the new Knitty issue this week? Deep Fall…I fell in love with the pullover called Lia. It’s sexy, but not too sexy for work. While my very plush self doesn’t always look good wrapped in yarns fatter than worsted weight, this one definitely has possibilites, especially given that the recommended yarn is Malabrigo Chunky.

Lia by Mandie Harrington, courtesy of Knitty

While the pattern is sized for chests 28-52 inches, you’ll notice the finished chest is 26-50 inches (depending on size, of course). This sweater is designed with 0-2 inches of negative ease. But don’t fret, those purl ribs will stretch to maximize your curves. And if you’ve wanted to learn how to cable, but just not jumped in, I think the cables in this sweater are great for newbies. Just a few cables, and the larger sized yarn makes it easy to see exactly what’s going on.

So if you don’t have Malabrigo Chunky on hand, you may want to look at Cascade’s Eco or 128 Tweed. Or with the new Berroco shipment in at the Studio, take a look at Berroco Blackstone Tweed Chunky or Vintage Chunky.

Who’s up for showing off your curves?