This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
This month, I'm taking part in the Big Issue Knitathon! The aim of the knitathon is to get as many people as possible knitting 6'' squares which will be sewn together into a giant handmade blanket. The final date is the 16th December and I'm aiming to mail my squares off by the 1st December. So far after a week I've knitted three:
Although I love knitting this is something of a challenge because I'm currently the primary caregiver for a very demanding little 7-week old Lab Rat who, possibly channelling his evolutionary ancestors, insists on being constantly attached to me. So far I have knitted:
While holding the baby on my lap
While standing with the baby in a sling
While holding the baby over my shoulder
While feeding the baby (only possible when feeding on the left hand side - gave up on right hand side after dropping 3 stitches and accidentally bonking him over the head with the needles)
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Because of the added difficulty level, I've decided to use this as an opportunity to raise some money for the Big Issue foundation. The Big Issue is a charity that provides employment for homeless people in the UK through selling the Big Issue magazine. As Big Issue vendors are already working for an income the money raised goes towards Support Workers, who help vendors to move away from homelessness and the health, financial and social issues surrounding it.
In order to try and tempt a few more sponsors (and any amount is appreciated, even just a few dollars) I'll be offering the following incentives:
5 or more sponsors in the next 2 weeks: I'll post a little video of baby Lab Rat on the blog
10 or more sponsors in the next 2 weeks: As above, plus I'll knit a special "Scientific American logo" square with red and white wool
20 or more sponsors in the next 2 weeks: Both of the above, plus another special square with the name of a random sponsor on it (name will be pulled out of a hat)