Dropping everything for this KAL! ~ By guest blogger Kelly Lightbeam

Yes, you heard me!  I'm dropping everything for this Knit A Long, as far as knitting goes, at least.  I have three Brooklyn Tweed projects going on: Ashby, Sempervivum and Sandness.  It took a little while to get each of them to a good stopping point, but now that I've started Rachel's Shawl, I'm going to stick with just this one for a bit.

I chose a light pink shade of Misti Alpaca, for my little next-door-neighbor lady.  She's always so good to us, and I like to give her hand-knits for Christmas.   She's always very gracious, but I know that she really likes the color pink the best!

I meant to cast on Monday, but I got a little busy with a few projects, like my daughter's first day of preschool (!) and we finally got around to putting tile up on our fireplace.  Actually, we can't take credit, because we paid someone to do the job, but it still feels like a huge accomplishment.

I can't wait to see everyone's finished projects!

XOXO  Kelly Lightbeam

My Wonderful Journey ~ a post from Kelli

The BT Fall 13, Brooklyn Tweed  Fall 2013 catalog is out.  I'm excited to share my test-knit that is featured in the booklet, the Afton wrap in worsted weight, Shelter, color Soot.  (No I did NOT design this!!!)  Checkout Jared Flood's latest patterns. 

Thanks,

Kelli    ( I still need to knit one for me to keep)

Guest blogger -- Penny

Happy to be doing a KAL again -- especially this one. I've been itching to make another Rachel's Shawl and now I have an incentive. I wonder if Carolyn would like to join us? I'll ask her. She just started back to work/school and might be too pooped by evening/weekends. Still, she needs a suitable diversion. :)

We just returned from Colorado. The trip ate a hole in my charity project time, but I'm well under way again. I need to find some yarn first. I was successful buying on ebay recently. Perhaps I'll check there first.

Happy Knitting! I bet Melissa is half finished with her Rachel KAL. Fess up girl.

UPDATE: As you can see... I selected my yarn. I bought it recently at Maker's Mercantile in Kent. I knitted the last KAL with Schoppel and like how it turned out. It will be interesting. I wanted to do something in 8 - 10 ply, but what the heck. Fingers crossed. Will probably CO tonight. :)

edited by Mel (hope you don't mind Penny!) : since I just posted about the kal last night and the post is buried now I'm adding the link to the pattern we're doing : Rachel's Shawl can be found here ~ the link works even if you're not a Ravelry member but you do have to use paypal for purchase. Additional knitalong info can be found here!!

I'm In ! ~ a Kelli post

This is New England Shetland, fingering weight, double stranded... FOLIAGE.  Should be a 'bute Clark'~

Thanks Melissa, can't wait to add this Rachel Shawl to my collection. (OK, I just have the one other,  Melissa knit me for Christmas)

edited by Mel (hope you don't mind Kelli) : since I just posted about the kal last night and the post is buried now I'm adding the link to the pattern we're doing : Rachel's Shawl can be found here ~ the link works even if you're not a Ravelry member but you do have to use paypal for purchase.  Additional knitalong info can be found here!!

Impromptu KAL for Rachel's Shawl ~ posted by Melissa

 

 

I was hesitant to do a knitalong since I decided to charge (and donate) the money from the Rachel's Shawl pattern, but enough people have voiced that they would still like to play that it shall be done!

 

We're starting now and it will go til...whenever it's done!  If you have yarn and pattern already, and are added as a guest blogger, you're good to go!  If you have never blogged along with us and would like to, pm me on Ravelry with your email address (don't do it here where it's public!) and I'll send you an invite so you have blogging privileges.

 

If you haven't purchased your pattern yet and would like to:

HERE'S THE LINK!

 

The link works even if you are not a Ravelry member, but you do have to use paypal to purchase the pattern.  Also, if you haven't been following along this last week, the information about where the money will be going is on the pattern page and can also be found in the last few blog posts.  It's a very worthy cause and will make an event happen next year that may not have enough funding otherwise, so we're doing a good thing!

 

I just got my yarn (I'm making an aran weight version with Rowan Felted Tweed in 'Pebble') and am casting on immediately!

 

Thanks again for such a supportive response ~ we've raised $200 $212 $276  $316(!) already!  You all rock!!

~Melissa

 

I've added some links for easy searching :

♥ Rachel's story & my inspiration

♥where to find Rachel's Shawl

 



Please Meet Rachel ~ the beautiful Warrior herself :)

Rachel’s Story

Hi Friends of Girls (and boys!) in Sheeps Clothing! 

Melissa invited me here to guest blog and share my story with you all.

Where to begin?

How about how I know Melissa?

I say “know” because I know her through Ravelry and the Internet only.  We met through a knit-along around Christmas time I believe (correct me here if I am wrong Mel?) as we both embarked on knitting a translated (and sometimes complicated) lace shawl for the month of December. Each segment of the lace shawl brought new techniques, new fun in making pretty holes with pretty string. Dropping stitches, messing up stitch counts and trying to understand the language translation challenges together. Let’s just say Melissa’s shawl turned out breathtaking and mine just turned out. :GRIN: I knew she had the lace thing down. 

I worked at a yarn company for a while and I was able to bring Melissa aboard for some sample knitting. Lace of course. Her knitting presented in person was just as lovely as her pictures found on Ravelry. I loved her attention to detail. Also, Melissa’s own family had someone that struggled with cancer and my mom was a 32 year cancer fighter. We chatted a bit here and there about the challenges cancer brought to our families. Encouragement was always in Melissa’s correspondence with me! I am so grateful for her cheerful spirit.

Surprise came in 2010 when I myself was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. My own mother had just passed away from cancer 9 months earlier. What a blow to me this was! I had all my mammograms since age 21 and I did my monthly checks.  How could this happen? I was only 41 years old. The thought of treatments and trying to raise my four kids with my husband during this time seemed very daunting. How did this girl get through it?

My first chemo treatment in “THE CHAIR” and I was terrified. But I brought knitting…

 

Still knitting in "THE CHAIR" but now with no HAIR.

 I KNIT my way through it!!!

LAST chemo! WHEW. This was a LONG road.

16 infusions total of chemo…followed by 38 radiation treatments.

Towards the end of treatment, I wasn’t LACE knitting. But knitting was my way of coping with what was going on around me. It was my own personal “therapy” and it took my mind off of my side effects. Plus I had something to keep my mind occupied. I had lists of projects, I had things to make for my nurses/turned friends. It kept me busy.

One thing I desperately missed though was feeling girly, feeling feminine. Losing both breasts because of having BRCA-2 breast cancer gene was a tough blow. Then chemo puts you into chemically induced menopause. Add losing your hair (all body hair really!) and being allergic to your wig why it just seemed to add more insult to injury. I was pretty down.

Enter in Melissa.

After some encouragement from me, she took a leap of faith and she whipped up a beautiful lace shawl. 

It took my breath away! 

 

So delicate yet not at all weak. Have you seen her pictures of this beauty? Way more cool than mine…

This was a pink WARRIOR concoction that said YOU CAN DO IT.                  

And I did!

 

I fought cancer and so far…cancer hasn’t won.

Today, it will be 3 years this November since I was diagnosed. It’s hard to believe the woman in these pictures was me. It’s like it happened to someone else.

I can knit lace again. I can look to the future again with hope. I thank God every day for my blessings.

Yet I know there are women out there that are just starting their battles. They’ve just been told they have breast cancer.

They may be in the middle of treatment.

They may be struggling to finish their treatments.

They might even be fighting for a second or third time.

Those women are the true warriors. Those women are brave.

Rachel’s Shawl is Melissa’s way of making pretty holey string into making a woman feel pretty amazing wearing it. Not only women fighting breast cancer, geez, ALL us WOMEN desire that, don’t we? 

 

And for the months of September and October she is generously donating the money raised from the pattern sales to my Breast CancerSupport group and their retreat held each fall. A scholarship fund will be set up for women that cannot afford to pay for this retreat. They will get a chance to relax, to be pampered, to get away from the hospital and treatments to be around those that understand what it means to go through cancer. MinnesotaOncology and Virginia Piper Cancer Institute partner to offer these retreats for women to share, to love and to heal more than what’s on the outside.

It’s what is on the inside.

Please consider buying a pattern today.

October is PINK month.

Breast Cancer Awareness.

It’s more than a ribbon.

It’s about sharing. 

Thank you Melissa for sharing this pattern with me. Thank you for donating to an awesome cause that will help women with breast cancer. AND Thank you for letting me share ‘MY STORY’ here on your blog!

Four, Three, Two, ONE!! ~ posted by Melissa

It's the official countdown to my first pattern release ~ it should be up momentarily!  I did decide to charge for the pattern after all, but I will be donating 100% of the proceeds through the end of October (which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month) to a charity near and dear to my friend Rachel's heart.  I hope to have Rachel introduce herself to you all soon so she can say 'howdy' and share a little of her journey if she'd like.  She's the reason this pattern came to be and I'm so thrilled to give back to a cause that has made a difference in her life, as well as the lives of others who have been affected by this horrible disease.

The money I raise will be donated to help fund next year's event but here is a glimpse of the good it will help do as shown on this year's pamphlet:

So, although I hope that anyone who spends their hard earned money on my shawl pattern loves knitting it, know that even if it's not the best thing you've ever knit at least your money went to a very good cause.

 

Thanks to everyone for all your super supportive comments and encouragement last week in getting this thing to actually happen.  If it wasn't for all your nice words, this whole thing probably wouldn't have come together and the way that it's all played out, I really feel like this is what was meant to happen with this pattern after all.

 

Happy knitting everyone!!  I hope you enjoy making Rachel's Shawl!

 

AND IT'S OFFICIAL ~ CHECK THIS OUT ~ GOOSEBUMPS :)))

 

~ Melissa

 

(Rachel, Jeff, Will, Annette, Penny and Lori ~ hehe! ~ you all rock! Thanks for everything!)