Jordana Paige’s Sale for Preeclampsia Awareness

I wanted to let you know about a very special sale that’s happening tomorrow (that would be July 18). Knitting bag maker Jordana Paige is going to be selling imperfect handbags throughout the day with proceeds to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation.

Preeclampsia is a condition in which pregnant women suffer very high blood pressure. It can lead to seizures, strokes and organ failure and can cause death of the child and/or the mother. About 300,000 are diagnosed with preeclampsia each year, and it causes serious problems for thousands of women. It is close to Jordana’s heart because her sister lost her son because of preeclampsia.

“It is in memory of Cooper that I am doing this fundraiser to raise both money for the Preeclampsia Foundation and awareness of this horrific disease,” she said.

A previous fundraiser like this raised $15,000 for Doctors without Borders Haiti after the earthquake there, and Jordana hopes this sale will have a similar impact.

The sale will begin at 8 a.m. Pacific (US) time tomorrow, and a new handbag will join the sale each hour through the day. All bags will be $50 each. The sale items can be viewed at the Jordana Paige website and can be purchased online.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one. If you snag a deal, spill it!

[Photo by Jordana Paige.]

If your family is the sort to do a turkey trot for Thanksgiving, or even just to take family pictures, you’ll want to get started knitting up some Turkey Sack Hats with this pattern from Underground Crafter.

The pattern uses super bulky yarn and is rated easy. It’s knit flat but there are a few skills in here around the shaping of the eyes, which includes changing colors, working bobbles and doing a wicked purl 3 together decrease. Twice.

But that’s all in one row, and the rest of it is pretty simple. The beak is worked separately and sewn on, and the side of the hat is stitched up to make it into a hat.

What’s great about this one is that it comes in 10 sizes, ranging from newborn to adult large, so you really can make one for everyone in the family. And because it uses super bulky yarn you can knit a bunch pretty quickly if that’s a thing you’d like to do.

It’s also fun because you could use this base pattern to make different animals or for different holidays. Make it all in orange and stitch on a jack o’lantern face for Halloween, or make a white one that’s a snowman, for example.

In any style this would also be a fun gag gift for that person in your life who has everything or doesn’t want gifts, or if you do a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange at work or elsewhere.

And make sure whether you’re making it a turkey or some other character that you include the pom poms at the top! They’re just so cure and a great way to add a bit more color to the project, and they’re easy to make. (See also: ways to make a pompom with yarn.)

You can grab the free pattern at the Underground Crafter website.

[Photo: Underground Crafter]

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