Hello fellow knitters and crocheters,

As many of you may have heard, AllFreeKnitting is participating in an exciting charity challenge: we’re going to knit a bear for the Mother Bear Project and we’d like for you to join us!  If you’ve never heard of this organization before, all knit and crochet bears are made with a special pattern provided by the Mother Bear Project.  Completed bears are sent to Africa where children affected by HIV/AIDS get to receive your thoughtful donations.  Want to win some yarn just by participating?  Send us photos of your bears by Oct. 13 and you’ll be entered into a special yarn giveaway!

Progress Update: Our Bear Has Legs!

As promised, we’re going to show you our progress as we knit our own bear for the charity.  Here’s what my cuddly little guy looks like so far:

That’s right, just the legs and feet so far, but I’m already super excited to keep going!  Because you’re encouraged to have fun with your bear, I’m planning on using several different kinds of stitches to make this cutie.  For the feet I used Bernat Soft Boucle yarn in the garter stitch.  I just love how the yarn makes the bear’s feet look so soft and cuddly.  You can find some cheap Bernat Soft Boucle yarn here.  For the bear’s pants (or trousers), I decided the classic stockinette stitch was the way to go.  Since I imagine my bear is a casual, laid back kind of guy, I figured he’d be wearing blue jeans.   Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Soft Navy was the perfect choice for these; I also happened to have some in my stash!

Stay tuned for our next post!  I’ve already started making the sweater. 🙂

Have any of you started making your bears yet?  How far are you?