Store Raises Money to Help Injured Dog

I was just in Tulsa last week, though I didn’t manage to do any yarn shopping. If I had made it to Loops Knitting, I’m sure I would have heard the story of Purl, the lab puppy owned by the store’s owner, who was attacked by two pit bulls and badly injured.

Purl is the store mascot at Loops, and owner Shelley Brander is thrilled to report that she’s expected to make a full recovery. All the surgery, plates and reconstruction on her legs come with a huge vet bill of more than $7,000, and Shelley is hoping to raise some of that money through an Indiegogo campaign.

To sweeten the deal anyone who pledges $10 or more will receive 20 percent off an order at Loops (up to 1,000 donors). As of this writing the campaign has raised more than $3,000 and has 40 days to go.

Animal lovers and fiber lovers alike should get behind this story. I wish Purl all the best for a speedy recovery!

Looking for pet supplies, toys, food or gift ideas? Check these out.

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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