Knit me a square?

2009_06230001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Over on the Posh Knitter's Group on Ravelry we're knitting for the Macmillan cancer trust. Dee received the following message and it's taken hold and this is the first square to arrive, thank you Michaela :)

Squares are to be 20cm square (!) and garter stitch knit on the bias.

Pattern

cast on 3 stitches
knit all rows increasing by knit front and back into the first stitch of every row.
when the side measures 20cm decrease every row, k2tog tbl at the start of every row.

please sew the ends in if you can as we'll assemble at our Macmillan coffee morning by crocheting all the squares together, Oh and it's aran weight please, nice and quick.
leave me a comment if you want to join in and I'll send my snail mail addy when you've got some squares to send

Here's the Macmillan message

Macmillan Comfort Blanket – The Knitter Campaign 2009

The Knitter magazine needs your help. As you may know, Macmillan Cancer Support is their charity of the year. They do an amazing job for people who are living with cancer and many of our families (including my own) will have been helped by their services. So important is this charity to the team at The Knitter that they are launching a Nationwide campaign called the Macmillan Comfort Blanket in association with the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on 25th September and supported by Rowan.

They are asking knitters all over the UK to knit squares – 20cm x 20cm squares to be precise. In fact they would like knitters to host a Coffee Morning for their knitting group, friends and family and knit 40 squares to make a Comfort Blanket, 8 squares long by 5 squares wide. Each Comfort Blanket we make will be given to somebody who is living with cancer, so the more blankets we knit, the more people we benefit.

The Knitter have asked designers from around the world to create lots of square patterns especially for the campaign. Based on Rowan’s Pure Wool DK there are patterns for squares by Debbie Bliss, Alice Starmore, Meg Swansen, Kaffe Fassett, Marie Wallin, Kim Hargreaves…. the list is endless. These can be downloaded at www.macmillan.org.uk/theknitter

So here is what knitters need to do to take part in the Macmillan Comfort Blanket:

* Download patterns from www.macmillan.org.uk/theknitter
* Register for a coffee morning or donate online www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee or call 0845 602 1246 quoting NA3
* Knit squares with your knitting group
* Take 40 beautiful squares and sew together into a Comfort Blanket
* Send you Comfort Blanket to: The Knitter Macmillan Comfort Blanket, Future Publishing Ltd, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW or drop it off at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace.

The target is 100 blankets, that’s 4,000 squares, and you can keep updated with news of the campaign on The Knitter Ravelry group, and the Macmillan and Rowan websites.

Sadly some of us will get cancer. Think how much it would mean to you – the gift of a Comfort Blanket – knowing there are people out there you have never met who stand by your side lending you strength.

Thank you from everyone at The Knitter and Macmillan.