Please take 30 seconds to get involved...

If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Infact, a dear friend of mine back home had to have a double mastectomy just last year. Although hard to believe, insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for at least 2 days after surgery. Please take the time to make a difference! Please copy this to your blogs and/or send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're still reading this, I hope you'll take 30 seconds to vote on this issue and pass it on to others you know who will do the same. There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through' Mastectomy where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached. Lifetime Television has put this bill on their Web page with a petition drive to show support. Last year over half the House signed on. Please Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name, state, and zip code. http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php

PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of ALL women, THANK-YOU!

Knitting Bags-Which One Should You Have?

By: Gina Williams
You will find a knitting bag is as important as any needle you use for knitting. These bags make your handy work easy to carry and portable. You should always have a good knitting bag which will cater for your knitting needs. It is vital before you purchase a bag, that you make sure it has all the special compartments for your needles, yarns, that you will need.

When choosing your knitting bag, always keep in mind the type of work you will be undertaking. If you decide to make sweaters, such as Afghans, then you will need a much larger one than if you were to decide to make socks, or other small items. When choosing a bag you should always keep in mind, that your bag will be used for carrying your knitting material from place to place, so the stronger the bag you decide on, the more objects you can carry.

If you wish it to serve a dual purpose, such as a knitting bag that also serves the purpose of a purse, then look for knitting bags which come in leather, or suede. There is a large variety available in to days market. Some of them are intricately designed, while the others are simple but smart looking. So you can choose a knitting bag that satisfies your mood or is a treat for an eye.

When choosing your knitting bag, you should always keep a track of the latest fashion and what will be your requirements. While shopping for one, it is always better to purchase a bag which has hard sides as it is easy to carry and more durable.

Instead of zippers always choose one which has a snap, this is so your knitting does not get stuck in between zippers. It also is always better to purchase one that has a pocket or two for keeping your accessories in. If you decide on buying a large one, then always better to buy one with purse length handles, this will make it easy to carry it on your shoulders, for comfort and ease.

If you are purchasing a small bag to carry knitting materials for smaller projects. Then you need to consider one that has soft sides, this is so that you can fit extra material in it, without harming it. A drawstring or a short strap will make it easier to wrap the bag around your wrist, while carrying. If you carry bigger bags then it is possible that some of your smaller items may get misplaced.

It is not necessity to buy a knitting bag, if you are enthusiastic enough then you can make one for yourself. You could knit a bag, or even make it out of fabric. You will also find there are a lot of free patterns to choose from, if you do decide to make one. You can use any type of fabric or material to make your bag, as long as you choose a fabric that pleases you and is strong enough to carry your load.

A knitting bag not only makes you mobile, but also provides an opportunity to show your talents and latest projects to all your friends and family. Whether you be at your friends, family's or at your home and people ask you about your latest project or your knitting talents, then you can easily teach them a stitch or two by carrying an extra needles and yarns in your knitting bag.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
“ This article was written by Gina Williams, an up and coming expert on Knitting. Did you find these knitting Tips useful? You can find out a lot more FREE information about Knitting by going to Free knitting Tips. ”

Charity Feature - Tails of Hope Foundation

Doris joins Tails of Hope Foundation in inviting
others to make and contribute more scarves.

The Tails of Hope Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization uses the skills of knitters and crocheters to help pet owners in need. Their volunteers create scarves out of Fun Fur which are offered in return for donations, used to provide life-saving advanced veterinary care for companion animals undergoing cancer treatments.
Visit Tails of Hope Foundation to find out how you can donate knit and crocheted blankets of all sizes to be included in the Blanketed with Love^SM packages. They're collecting blankets to be used at veterinary hospitals to keep companion animals warm after they have received treatment for cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, and to be used by owners to keep their companion animals warm while transporting them home after such treatment. Please contact them if you would like to become involved in this great project or have blankets that might be appropriate for donation.

Tree of Life Knit-Along

Lion Brand Yarn is offering this pattern free for the next two weeks for anyone who would like to join the Knit-Along. Please click on the image to your left to get the pattern.



Are you in need of a good spring project? Look no further! The Tree of Life afghan designed by Nicky Epstein may be just what you're looking for! The Twin Trees and Flower Garden pattern is just beautiful!
Let's all join in on this group knit-along and work on this classic pattern together. Feel free to post comments here and share your progress along with links to photos of your project.

Feel free to use the knit-along badge above on your blog. (Right-click the image — or Ctrl+click on Macs — and select “Save As” to save it to your computer.) Just be sure to link it back to the Knit-Along page on Lion Brand...

Cafe Crochet now has a Social Network!

I actually set this Social Network up on Ning a couple of months ago, but hadn't gone live with it until now. I thought this would be a great way for us to get to know each other!
Visit theCafe Crochet Social Network now! Be the first to join!!! I look forward to hopefully getting to know you (my readers) through this... Leave me a comment here and let me know when you join! See you there!

Crochet Stitches and Techniques

I just found a wealth of information on where to Find Crochet Stitches and Techniques How-to Pages this evening at About.com:Crochet

Each "how-to" is by Sandi Marshall and has step-by-step photos or includes diagrams. She even offers a FREE newsletter! This site has so many wonderful tips and techniques showing in-depth details... It's definitely worthy of a bookmark for all you crocheters! Click Here to go there.

Additional links include:

Crochet Help For Very Beginners

Free Crochet Patterns Master List A-Z Links

Work of Our Hands

This evening I learned about a wonderful non-profit project in Namibia (Africa), Work of Our Hands, while reading through my most current issue of Interweave Crochet.
Valerie Garber thought her life was perfect in the spring of 2002: she had a loving husband, a great art studio and plenty of time to explore her passion for crafts. But, by the end of 2002 she found herself in Namibia...
After a few months of grieving her losses, homesickness, and wondering what she would do with herself in a country where it's hard to even find art supplies, she new she had to get a grip and make the best of things!

Suddenly, in Africa she had a thought "Maybe there's a reason for my eccentricity and for all the seemingly unrelated skills I have required over a lifetime. I can teach most any kind of art or craft skill". When she learned that most crafts being sold to tourists in Namibia were imported from South Africa, she wondered if there could be a market niche for craft products made by Namibians.
Work of Our Hands was born! The students chose to learn beadwork and today most of their beadwork is combined with crochet. Visit Work of Our Hands for more info and find out how you can help!