Knitting

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Knit a “Monster” for a Kid in Connecticut

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600 monstersAnyone who’s ever watched “Sesame Street” knows that not all monsters are bad. Monsters, in fact, can be a source of comfort and protection. A knit monster is a great symbol of love and happens to also be pretty quick and easy to knit.

That’s why monsters were chosen as the theme for a group called 600 Monsters Strong for Connecticut, the aim of which is to provide a knit or crocheted comfort item to each of the children who attends Sandy Hook Elementary School. The group formed hours after the shooting, as reported by the Huffington Post, and now has more than 1,100 followers on Facebook and more than 1,500 people are in their group on Ravelry (they’re still discussing what to do if they end up with more than 600 monsters, which seems likely at this point).

If you want to take part you can join the group in either of those places and knit up a monster of your own (check the Ravelry page for approved patterns and other guidelines) and send it to Ohio by the end of January. This is such a lovely project I’m really glad to see it doing well. People just want to be able to do something, and this small gesture will probably make a big difference to those kids.

[Photo by Alex via 600 Monsters.]

Comments

  1. I am going to be a meanie of sorts here: this is at least the third “make a ______for a kid in CT” I’ve seen. Beanies, pillowcases, now animals. We all want to do something because it hurts so much. But remember: there are children in YOUR neighborhood who could benefit from these same things. Maybe you should reach out to them first.

  2. donate any above and beyond 600 to local police to carry in trunk and gv to kids when they respond to violence and kids are involved

Have you read?

Knit Little Fish to Use Your Yarn Scraps

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out. 

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs. 

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make. 

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color. 

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash. 

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail). 

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs. 

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]