Karen Robinson of Round Table Yarns and Tim Stephens of Periodic Knits have teamed up to create a kit to raise money for the Unite for Bleeding Disorders Walk, which benefits the local Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Texas Central Hemophilia Association. Tim’s 14-year-old stepson, Bryen, has severe hemophilia B (which affects less than 1% of all hemophilia B patients), and Tim and his family are walking as part of Team Awesomesauce. The money raised through the Unite for Bleeding Disorders Walk goes directly towards three categories: Registration for the Texas Bleeding Disorders Conference, Camp Ailihpomeh, and Education Events for Families.
Pattern: The kit contains a cowl pattern designed by Tim called We Knit in Texas Cowl. This cowl was inspired by the phrase “We knit in Texas, y’all” which has become a rallying cry for all Texas knitters. The ribbed pattern was created by taking the phrase “We knit in Texas, y’all” as written in binary code. Binary code is a wonderful language for knitters because just as binary code uses two characters (0 and 1) in varying combinations to express ideas, knitting also uses two main stitches (knit and purl) in varying combinations to design fabrics.
When the phrase “We knit in Texas, y’all” is translated into binary code, the resultant 0’s and 1’s can be transcribed as knits and purls, respectively, to produce an aesthetically pleasing cowl pattern. Combine this with yarn that has been dyed in Texas and you get a uniquely Texan item. As part of this kit purchase, you will receive a coupon code to download the PDF pattern on Ravelry.
Yarn: The kit includes one skein of yarn to make the cowl, in your choice of one of three colors: red, white or blue. How much more Texas can you get? The yarn is a new worsted weight base called Gareth. It is 100% Superwash Merino with 218 yards per 100g skein.
The kit is $26 and for each kit sold, $17 will be donated to the Texas Central Hemophilia Association on behalf of Team Awesomesauce.