A project supporting Room to Read

I dug my knitting machine out of a shelf in my basement craft room where it's been stowed since we moved into this house. I used it a lot, long ago before we had cats and children who stopped taking long naps.

On Friday afternoon, I'm going to begin working with my class on craft projects that we will sell to benefit an organization called Room to Read at our Holiday Craft Bazaar next month. Learn more at http://www.roomtoread.org/ . Or read a column from today's NY Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/opinion/sunday/kristof-his-libraries-12000-so-far-change-lives.html?emc=eta1 Tomorrow in Social Studies I'll be telling my classes how the money they raise will be used: to publish picture books in the native languages of children in developing countries, to build schools and libraries to hold those books, and to educate girls so that the next generation will become more literate. Tangible goals that the children can support through their own efforts.

I spent some time designing a simple knitted project that my 3rd graders can mass produce. I came up with a neckwarmer-earwarmer. Everyone will want one this holiday season!

 I tried different weights of yarn, different widths, different lengths... How to make the tension right for small children's strength? How to teach them to troubleshoot?

It wasn't until late in the day that I thought about earrings. I made a couple of pair, including this one using hammered copper wire and these lovely stone beads. They go with everything I wear!