my life in stitches

the best present ever

for the past year, i've sponsored a woman in the Congo through Women For Women International. it was just one of those things that felt like the right thing to do. i think that people are easily dissuaded not to make charitable contributions because they don't feel that a small contribution can make a difference. i'm here to tell you that a small contribution ($27 a month) can go a long way toward helping a woman to take care of her family and to, ultimately, become self-sufficient. today i received the most amazing letter (translated by someone in her community) from my sponsor sister, Esperance. i hope that she won't mind that i've shared it with you.

Dear Lisa,

Please receive greetings from your sister, Esperance, who loves you so much. Are you fine?

I am a bit fine. The aim of this letter is to tell you how happy I am since I don't know how to thank you for the financial assistance I am receiving from you. It is helping move forward, progress, and enhance my life. I am paying school fees for my children without struggling too much, and I have bought a goat.

I do not know how grateful I can be to you. May God reward you for your kindness. I am also pleased with the manual training I am receiving. I am also learning basic literacy skills. That is it for now. Thank you for your good understanding.

Yours,
Esperance

anyway... it brings tears to my eyes. i share it with you in the hope that you may realize how much good you, too, can do. what you give is what you get. this holiday season give yourself the best present ever - sponsor a woman in need.

it's here!

look what just arrived! my advance copy of Yarnplay At Home. it is so surreal to finally hold it in my hands. i am really, really pleased with how the book turned out. the release date has been pushed up to mid December, so it should be available before xmas. many of the projects in the book are decorating my home now. you'll get to see a bit of that during the Yarnplay At Home Blog Tour. speaking of which, if you're interested in hosting a date on the blog tour, please email me. this invitation is open to anyone who hosted the Yarnplay Blog Tour as well as new participants. if you're new, you should check out the previous tour and email me with any ideas you have. if you previously contacted me, your name is still on the list and i will be in touch. the tentative date is mid to late january. i will be doing a book signing (and possibly a class) here in Austin in January. i'll post details as they become available. if you worked on a project for the book, you can expect to receive your project along with your copy of the book around late december / early january.

in knitting news, i've been mostly working on small projects. i decided to knit pocketbook slippers for a couple of family members for xmas. i love that it's a cute, quick, and easy project. this pattern reminds a bit of the telephone game in that the final result is a bit different from the original pattern. i have had to tweak this tweaked version of the pattern in order to get the strap to fit better. anyway, it's fun to knit and a great way to use up leftover yarn! photos to come.

cashmere for everybody!

i had some leftover cashmere, so i used it to knit a sweater for Ashby.

yes, i am real crazy.

i have a thing for chairs

saturday's walk in the park with ashby

new pattern for sale : : lisette : : 3/4 sleeve pullover

lovely lisette is a fitted, 3/4 sleeve sweater knit with an aran weight wool.

specs:

skill level: intermediate
sizes: this sweater is sized for XS through XXXL with finished sizes ranging from 32.5" - 44.75".
materials: 750 - 1070 yds of an aran/worsted weight wool.
gauge: 18 sts and 26 rows over stockinette
price: $6.00

PDF file will be sent by email (to the address that your payment was sent from) within 24 hours of receipt of payment.