Knit Red

A new book, Knit Red, just rolled off the presses. My copy arrived this morning and I like it. Alot. The idea behind this book it to raise awareness of women's heart health. Too often we think of heart disease as being all about older people and men. Unfortunately, that's simply not true. Heart disease it the number one killer of American women. It stops more of us that all forms of cancer combined. That's a pretty sobering thought. 

Instead of dwelling on those sobering thoughts, Laura Zander decided to get busy and do something about it. She galvanized a bunch of people in the yarn industry to get behind her and an initiative called Stitch Red. We're all donating 5% of our profits from the sale of certain red products to The Heart Truth. At Lorna's Laces, it's our Shepherd Worsted in 11ns Bold Red.

Then she took it a step further and created this book. Thirty gorgeous projects by some of the biggest names in knitting today. Each designer has pulled back the curtain a little bit and tells us about their personal experience with heart disease and shares a tip about how they create heart healthier lifestyles. Some of it is as simple as trying a new recipe each week (Jared Flood) to living in a one-car household and walking more. (Cecily Glowik McDonald)

Lorna's Laces is featured in two patterns. Ysolda created the Slip Stitch Beret. This hat is super cute and 

 is knit using just a single skein of Shepherd Sport in Bold Red. And I have to add that I think this model is flat-out beautiful. Rose Callahan took a spectacular photo and the styling is wonderful. Don't you think the sparkly little heart pin is a nice touch?

Ysolda's tip? Use unrefined sugars and whole grain flour in your baking to keep those cakes and cookies as healthy as they can be. A sweet treat doesn't have to sabotage your diet. 

The second design is Amy Swenson's Eyelet Shawl. This is another one-skeiner, this time using Honor. 

Besides the beautiful pattern, I again immediately noticed the styling. Even a dress form can look great if it's styled right and photographed well. The man behind the lens this time is Marcus Tullis. 

Amy's tip? Avoid temptation. By investing in a desktop coffeemaker instead of visiting the coffee shop in the lobby of the building where she works, Amy steers clear of sweet treats like muffins and donuts. 

Do you have a tip? What are you doing to make your life healthier? Leave a comment to be entered in a chance to win a copy of the book. We'll leave the comments open until June 22nd at midnight and pick a winner when we get back from TNNA. 

Soldier Love Capelet CAL

A really fab CAL just got started over at the Styled by Kristin  site. Kristin Omdahl contacted us about the idea a few months ago and we jumped at the chance. Sometimes, we send yarn out to designers and it takes so long we almost forget about it. Not this time! Kristin emailed with ideas and sketches and even gave us little sneak peaks along the way. It's been so fun. And really hard to wait to share it with you. Here's what she says about the project: 

I am so proud and excited to share this new crochet along (CAL) with you. I chose the yarn long before I designed the project for the CAL and it was the yarn that inspired the entire vision. I chose to use Honor by Lorna's Laces Yarns because I happen to really enjoy working with it. I gave the uber-talented ladies of Lorna's Laces creative license to pick the color for me, after giving them a list of 5 colors that made me smile. When the package arrived, it was Honor Navy Pier. First of all, I know the area of Chicago (my favorite US City) the yarn is named for, and it took me down memory lane of my modeling days in Chicago many, many years ago. Then I started thinking about all the soldiers, past and present, that have graced my life and those who have sacrificed for me and not graced my life directly.

As you may remember, I used to run in local races for charity. That is how I first learned about the Wounded Warrior Project. This awesome charity's mission is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history. You can read more about them here: Wounded Warrior Project Website

I'm excited to announce that for every pattern sold, I will be donating $1.00 to the Wounded Warrior Project! The Solider Love Capelet Crochet Pattern is $3.99 and available as a PDF pattern that you can download immediately, either on my website, Ravelry or CraftsyPattern Shops. The pattern includes 2 patterns actually. You can either use the stitch pattern of the yoke of the capelet to make a scarf, or make one of the two sizes of the capelet. Either way, the project takes only 2 skeins of Honor by Lorna's Laces, an H/8 (5mm) crochet hook, and five 1" buttons. 

This week, I ask you to find your yarn, make the tough choice of which of the gorgeous hand dyed colors you want for your capelet, download the pattern and read over the instructions, and ask me any questions. Next week, we will get started crocheting!

The entire time we were emailed about this project, Kristin never mentioned the Wounded Warriors. How nice of her to donate part of the proceeds of the pattern to such a lovely cause.