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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Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

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