I know it's been a while since I posted but this post I have truly looked forward to writing.
There are not very many companies out there that make a quality product and make sure that the product helps those in need. I am honored to have one of my toys sponsored by
Be Sweet which is one of those companies. I hope you go over to their site and look at all this company
does and
makes. Be Sweet not only makes eco-friendly yarn but helps women in Africa by providing job training, giving the women a skill with their job and, as if that isn't enough, donates money to the local schools in the woman's area.
These are some of the lovely ladies that work this amazing yarn.
Nadine Curtis is the owner and was nice enough to sponsor the yarn for the
Sisters reversible toy from
Itty-Bitty Toys
by Susan B Anderson. When I found out that the yarn was on it's way I got very excited and then when it arrived in the mail I actually jumped for joy, when I opened the envelope, so my boys got all excited as well. We all did a little dance and ooed and awed over the yarn then I cut off tiny bits of it so that the boys could touch and feel it. They are not old enough to understand that what they are feeling is fibers all the way from Africa made by the most amazing African ladies but I know and they can feel my excitement and think it is pretty special themselves.
I received 4 skeins to use in making the toy. The colors are Natural, Navy, Tangerine, and Lime Green.
and I made this with it.
As you can see, I did not use the lime green color but I promise to use it for good. I was inspired by this company to pay it forward and I have started knitting hats for the preemies at my local NICU. The reversible doll is also going to be given to the hospital to a child that needs a friend (or 2) to help him or her through a hard time. You can read more about this in
this blog post where I have put up a free pattern.
The braids were made with left over yarn from other projects.
The sisters is a fun easy toy and I followed the pattern exactly except for the arms. It would have been to much work to stuff them after I knit them so I stuffed the hand part as I was closing them up and then I just left the upper arms unstuffed.
Working with this yarn is AMAZING! I can't stop petting these tinny little preemie hats I'm making with the left over yarn. It is made of organic cotton and bamboo. It's a little thick and thin but not to extreme. The yarn can be easy to split if you are not paying attention because you are reading a book or watching TV but this yarn is so dreamy that it deserves all of your attention. Knowing that the yarn is organic and that the dyes are low impact makes it even better. I wish I could work with this yarn all the time. It would make a great infant blanket. It is even machine washable!
Here is a photo of the beautiful Nadine Curtis, who was amazing enough to donate the yarn for this toy and one skein of the Bambino Taffy In the Coco color for a giveaway! Yes you read me right. I'm sure you have seen these at your local yarn store. Now you get to try if you are lucky!
Nadine was nice enough to answer a quick web interview for me to tell us more about this amazing company and it was such a delight to e-mail back and fourth with her about this sponsorship.
There is the interview.
Who is the mastermind behind Be Sweet yarns and how did the company get it´s start?
I am the owner, Nadine Curtis, and decided to start a range of hand knitting yarns made from fibers that I was working with for our South African accessories range. I had the opportunity to live in South Africa for a couple of years and fell in love with innovative craft products coupled with production by people in empowering job creation programs.
Who is your yarn artist and where does s/he get his/her inspiration?
We work with many groups and artisans to produce our complete range. The inspirations come from many places. Our new Bambino Taffy was inspired by developing further our "self striping" "all in one" yarns but with a cotton based fiber. Also we wanted to make it look cute and sweet so we packaged like a piece of taffy candy - hence the name.
What inspired you to give back to people in need?
Why not? Living in South Africa it's easy to feel drawn to helping others that are less fortunate. There is a lot of poverty and I believed that I could find a way to do my little part to help others there.
With giving back, how do you choose the programs that you give to from all the different programs out there?
The school that we give donations to is based in the small community where our mohair group is located and the children and education of that community is in need. We want to help give opportunities to the children of our artisans. The Bright Start program was started by my friend Sally Whitford and her mother Sharon who are dynamic women and also believe that giving youngsters the opportunity to learn is where changing and uplifting a community begins.
Is there anything new and exciting that you are working on now that you would like to share with us?
Yes yes yes! We have new colors and patterns coming out for Spring 2011 including a new Magic Ball color called Blossoms, Misty Lakes, and Antique. Also two new Bambino Taffy colors -- French Revolution and Candy Sprinkles.
Next fall we will be launching a new simplicity line with some really fun and unique fiber combinations in gorgeous colors with elegant patterns to support.
Thank you so much Nadine. You are an inspiration to us all.
I hope all my readers treat themselves and make a difference by buying some Be Sweet yarn this season. You know you deserve a treat!
OK here are the rules of what you need to do to win this amazing yarn.
You have 4 chances to win if you follow the rules.
Here are the rules:
1. Go to the
website and find what your favorite yarn and color is. Come back and leave a comment with contact info.
2. Become a follower or sign up for my feed via e-mail at the bottom of the page then come back and leave a comment with contact info
3. Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this site and then come back and leave your twitter id or become a follower on twitter @OlofDrofn.
4. Put up a blog post about this giveaway and come back with the link to it and contact info.
Remember that you have to come back and comment for each entry but if you forgot to put contact info then your entry is invalid. If you forgot to add something please delete your first entry before you enter your correction. I'm sorry, but you have to live in North America or know someone in North America that is willing to receive this and send it to you, to be eligible to win this prize.
Giveaway will be open til Sunday the 19th of December 2010 at midnight. Winner will be announced on the following Monday.
