Crafty Help for Fire Victims

Reports out of Colorado are that the biggest fires are now mostly contained, thank goodness, and thoughts turn to helping people recover who may have lost everything. Craftsy, which has its headquarters in Denver, recently reported that it made a $3,000 donation to the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department and was hoping to help raise $10,000 through First Giving (as I write this they hadn’t quite raised $4,000, so help them out if you can!).

I talked to a pal at Interweave, located in Loveland, last week, and she said no one at the company had lost their home but friends and family had been impacted. There’s a story on the Weaving Daily website about Nancy, a woman who lost everything in the Waldo Canyon fire, including her beloved cat and her loom. Fiber folks are stepping up with offers of looms and yarn, which is lovely to see. And a contributor to Spin-off, Kris Paige, lost her home and barn to the High Park fire. All her animals were temporarily relocated, and the family has set up a website to accept donations to help in their recovery.

One other way knitters can help is by buying Bijou Basin Ranch yarn. The company produces yak yarn and fiber products and is located in Elbert, Colo. They’ll be donating at least 10 percent of all online sales of fiber and yarn to the Red Cross and the Colorado Professional Firefighters.

Know of other ways knitters can support those who have been affected by the fires? Spill it!

[Photo of the High Point fire in June by Bijou Basin Ranch.]

While no one would likely use a knit backpack for school, knitting a backpack is a fun way to show off your knitting skills and carry around your project or everyday essentials instead of using a purse. Check out these cute backpack knitting patterns and stitch one up for your next project.

I couldn’t resist sharing this adorable bunny backpack (you can also make it without the ears) that is made on a circular knitting machine. This pattern is from Orange Olive Road and you can use a 46 or 48 needle machine for the bag but will also need a 22 needle machine if you opt for the bunny version.

If you prefer knitting by hand, check out the bucket bag pattern from WoolFans Knitting. This one calls for super bulky yarn in two or three colors (you could make it all in one color, too, if you’d rather) and it looks like the base is knit flat and then the sides are worked in the round.

You know I love a stashbuster, and that’s what you get with the Whidbey Bag from Wool and Pine Designs. This one calls for DK weight yarn for the body of the bag, which is actually worked in a single color from the top down. The colorful bits are woven in after the knitting is done, allowing you to use up all sorts of odd balls quickly.

Adding hardware to a knit bag makes it look that much more interesting, and the combination of leather accents and a sari silk yarn makes Le Backpack from Vanrey Knits a lot of fun. This pattern is on Ravelry and uses a super bulky yarn and seed stitch for a ton of texture.

Mama in a Stitch has a great free pattern for a little backpack with a flap closure. This one is worked in worsted weight cotton yarn with two strands held together for extra stability. It starts with a flat base with the body worked in the round and a knit flap and I-cord straps.

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