Bears, bears everywhere

Last night was the night when the Atlanta Knitting Guild donates the bears we have collected all year to the Georgia Center for Children. Unfortunately, we were unable to donate as many bears this year as we did last year. I had done my part by knitting 5 items of bear clothing, but we need more people knitting even just one item.

Of course, many knitters do make things for charities, and that's the problem. You can't possibly knit for every worthy cause. This year I made the 5 bear items (actually 6, but I forgot to take one with me, so it counts towards next year). I also made some chemo caps, both for charity, but unfortunately more for people I actually know with cancer. I knitted the hat for Innocent Drinks in the U.K., spurred on since it was a charity one of my favorite knit blogs had chosen to help.

The Atlanta Knitting Guild itself has many charities that we work with in the metro Atlanta area, not to mention all the helmet liners guild members have knitted over the years.

If you decide you want to knit something for a bear, take a look at the guild's website. There are free patterns available, and some are very quick knits. I made 2 bear skirts this year since they are just like hats without having to do all the decreasing at the top.

All the bear clothes here are made from the same pattern that is available from the guild. I made two of the sunsuits, and they are very fast knits.

You can make items as simple or complicated as you would like.

Or, you can donate a bear, like the Halloween bear I found at Starbucks for 1/2 off. He's got such a cute face, and he's already dressed like a pumpkin.

In other knitting items, I still have to get a minute when we're both here to take a picture of the finished Flame sweater. This has been a busy week for us both. The Lady Eleanor is moving right along. Entrelac is amazingly easy to do, as well as amazingly easy to royally screw up. I think I've unknit about 50% of what I've knit. Honestly, it's so easy that I've been lulled into complacency, and I'm not proficient enough yet to do it on auto-pilot. I must admit that it's very strange to think that entrelac could be as mindless as basic cable knitting is for me, but I think it will be so in the not too distant future.