I meant to post Lisa Anne Auerbach’s work ages ago, I just spaced it completely, which is too bad… Lisa is an artist whose medium is knitting. And her messages are overtly political. Which is a good thing, because the juxitoposition of her almost girly knitwear with in-your-face political messages really works. She did a number of Obama-related pieces in the run up to the election, and participated in the Manifest Hope show in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

Portlanders have the opportunity to hear Lisa talk about her work tomorrow, Thursday, December 4, at noon at an event at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in the Pearl District. This is a free event, and is open to the public. Here’s a link to the news release from PNCA and you can download the event flyer here.

We’ll see you there!

Yes We Can!

Remember this amazing sweater? Well, Laura, knitwear designer and new author, has offered a free download of her pattern for this sweater over on her blog! So bust out those needles and start knitting!

Yes We Can!

This Hebrew knitting chart was created by TikkunKnits, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (who also knitted and felted the Obamakah we recently featured). Thanks to her offering this chart, you can make your very own hat of other knitted item with Obama spelled out in Hebrew. (Click on the image to be taken to the larger, printable view.)

There’s more here on TIkkunKnits’ blog.

Yes We Can!

You can read more about this project at this post on her blog.

Yes We Can!

The Knitters for Obama group on Ravelry (membership/login required) has started a new fundraiser, with some AMAZING prizes (85 of them!). Here are the details (note, it sounds like you need to be a Ravelry member—it takes about 4 days to get an invitation to join—and some of the links in the prize descriptions will only allow you access if you’re logged onto Ravelry):

1. Donate to Barack Obama THROUGH THIS PAGE between September 20, 2008 12:01am CST and October 31, 2008 at 11:59pm CST. If you are in the right place, there will be a message that says “This contribution will be credited to Knitters for Obama Fundraising Goal.”

2. Forward your confirmation email to obamaknitters [at} gmail [dot] com and let us know in which drawing you’d like to participate. You get one “ticket” for every $5. (for example, if you donated $25, you could put 3 chances on Prize 7 and 2 on Prize 14, or all 5 on Prize 1, or whatever.) Also, please include your Ravelry Name to make things easier!

It’s that simple! You can contribute between September 20, 2008 & October 31, 2008 at 11:59pm CST. Drawings will be held on November 1, 2008 at 10:00pm CST.

Here is the prize list!

1) One autographed (and personally inscribed with the winner’s name) copy of Franklin Habit’s forthcoming book, as well as 2 skeins of his Lorna’s Laces Panopticon colorway, generously donated by blackbunny and franklin.

2) One autographed (and personally inscribed with the winner’s name) copy of blackbunny’s forthcoming sock book, as well as a skein of sock yarn, generously donated by blackbunny.

3) One new Louet S51 Double treadle spinning wheel, which retails for around $660, generously donated by RockyWood.

4) A subscription to Interweave Knits, generously donated by knittinkitties.

5) 1 skein of worsted weight Wollmeise Merino-Lamdochtwolle in colorway Veilchen, as well as a pair of glass bead and silverplate earrings handmade and generously donated by juulia.

6) 250g / 492yds of Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester DK, in Brick, generously donated by sjsong.

7) Five skeins of Malabrigo Silky in Velvet Grapes, generously donated by Anoush.

8 ) A washcloth gift kit that includes 2 x 100 gm skeins of Euroflax Originals in Neptune and 8 bars of homemade cold process soap. The batches of soap currently contain shea butter, cocoa butter and oils of almond, avocado, castor, coconut, jojoba, olive, and palm as well as grapefruit seed extract as a preservative and essential oils for fragrance. Will whip up a custom batch if allergies to any of these ingredients are a problem, but it takes awhile to cure. This great prize package is generously donated by pergola.

9) A lap quilt, featuring the embroidered Obama 08 logo and other patriotic designs. The colors would be red, white and blue, generously donated by MaryAlice.

10) 4 skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Yarn Fingering Weight in “Eat Your Veggies” colorway, generously donated by LacyKate.

11) One custom-stenciled t-shirt with your choice of one of three different Obama designs, generously donated by thankyoulocust.

12) A crochet pattern download of the winner’s choosing from http://www.nexstitch.com, generously donated by NexStitch. Note: There will be 15 winners of this prize.

13) Two skeins of Malabrigo Chunky in the Tuareg colorway, and one skein Malabrigo 100% Organic Cotton in the Plata colorway, generously donated by Laiane.

14) Three skeins of Plumknit 2-ply Cashmere in a handpainted colorway that includes blue,purple, red, pink, generously donated by LacyKate.

15) A personalized colorway, dyed just for you from Blackbunny Fibers, that includes sock yarn, lace yarn and a batch of fiber, generously donated by blackbunny.

16) A 150 gr skein of Kauni Multieffekt in the recipient’s choice of in-stock color, generously donated by marjaknits.

17) An Oressa needlecase that KnitNana of Nana Sadie Rose will create for the lucky winner, generously donated by teabird.

18) A skein of Pippikneesocks fingering weight yarn in Unity, generously donated by Pippi.

19) 5 skeins of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in peachy colour 340004, generously donated by teabird.

20) 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden sock yarn, generously donated by meg-o.

21) 4 oz of mohair/borderleicester roving for spinning, generously donated by puffmagicrabbit.

22) a skein (roughly 4 oz, around 250-325 yds) of handspun, generously donated by puffmagicrabbit.

23) An autographed copy (personally inscribed to the winner) of The First Christmas Stocking by Elizabeth Winthrop, generously donated by knitfiction. Her website has a downloadable free pattern for adults and a much simpler one for children.

24) 1 skein of Opal Mississippi in colorway 2086 (cream, light brown, and light blue), 1 skein of Opal Mississippi in colorway 2087 (cream, kelly green, purple, and yellow), 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted in citrus, generously donated by HunterXan.

25) A set of three pattern booklets of designs, personally autographed and inscribed for the winner by the designer (all published by Leisure Arts): I Can’t Believe I’m Knitting Socks, Lots of Love Knits for Kids, and Lacy Baby Sets to Knit, generously donated by the designer, baxterknits.

26) A custom-knit a pair of socks knit out of MamaE’s YES WE CAN sock yarn, generously donated by risala.

27) 7 skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in Color #04 Primrose, generously donated by ticklemouse.

28) A $25.00 gift certificate for Blackbunny Fibers, generously donated by obscure.

29) A 2-set row counter bracelet, with Yes We Can on one side, and patriotic colors on the other, plus handmade stitch markers, generously donated by blacktabi.

30) A Bohus kit (yes, the real thing!), generously donated by Laurelmknits.

31) A surprise package of Thymes products that will include at least three different scents of lotion and body wash, most likely tons of bath salts and some roller ball perfume and a candle. The package will probably be worth over $100, generously donated by seephillips.

32) A skein of Wollmeise Lace yarn in Poison No. 5, generously donated by tangles.

33) A skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk in shades of blue and green, and 2 skeins of Artyarns Ultramerino 4, generously donated by suzenew.

34) A pig nose, The 2008 Interweave Felt magazine, which includes a polar bear pattern, A stuffed wolf and a book about wolves from Wolf Park, And some lipstick from Burt’s Bees, generously donated by VeryBadDogs.

35) A felted purse with a flower design needle felted on the front, generously donated by pezwitch.

36) Two skeins of Malabrigo in Col China, generously donated by knitmasala.

37) Two 500 yard skeins of Jaggerspun Zephyr 2/18 in Elderberry, generously donated by knitmasala.

38) A knitting bag crafted from red, white, and blue fabric, made and generously donated by kmsMaverick.

39) A personalized Obama Logo tote bag, approximately 12 in deep and 16 in wide and made from recycled t-shirts with a reverse-applique logo. The winner will get a custom made bag for in whichever colors (navy/blue/white/red/black/something else??) they would like, generously donated by terrimonster.

40) A bento box setThe package includes a two-tier bento box, a tight-seal bento box, a belt for the two-tier box, a fabric bag, an insulated bag, chopsticks and a case, a fork and spoon that fit into the top of the two-tier box,two silicone divider cups, a heart-shaped mold for hard-boiled eggs, two packages of Pocky sticks, and some rice-paper candy, and somewind-up sushi, which didn’t make the picture! Included is a jar of furikake if the winner wants one – they’ll just have to tell VeryBadDogs if they want a seafood product or not and a tin of homemade Drommar (Swedish sugar cookies), generously donated by VeryBadDogs.

41) A sock yarn package, including 2 skeins of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Irving Park and 2 skeins of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Edgewater (Chicago-dyed yarn named after Chicago neighborhoods, in honor of Barack Obama’s hometown), 2 skeins of Knit Picks Palette in Navy, and 2 skeins of Knit Picks Essential in Tuscany Multi, and a baby lamb notions bag, donated grudgingly by minjo (KIDDING! I love donating to a great cause!).

42) A hand-knit scarf (in Universal Yarns Classic Shades ), and a $50 gift certificate to Knitpicks, generously donated by carlitadee.

43) Six skeins of Anguilla House rare 100% alpaca wool yarn in black (3 skeins) and a nice brown (3 skeins), labeled “100% NATURAL”, locally raised, sheared, and spun at a small farm in Pawcatuck, CT that is no longer in operation (the alpaca farmer/spinner retired), generously donated by peppergrass.

44) Four skeins of Habu Bamboo XS-32 yarn in the wine colorway. Two are still skeined and two have been wound into center pull balls, generously donated by Maegwin.

45) One skein (410 yards) Fleece Artist Scotian Silk in the Polar Sea colorway, generously donated by Laiane.

46) One skein of Sundara Sock Yarn in Brown Sugar over Buttermilk (350 yds, 100 grams, 100% superwash merino), generously donated by knitnic.

47) Two skeins of Schaefer Yarn Miss Priss in the Clara Barton colorway, generously donated by Laiane.

48) Four hanks, still in the manufacturer’s bag, of Classic Elite Provence in discontinued color 2645 (a natural linen/flax color). 256yds per hank = 1024 total yards, generously donated by crankyalyson.

49) Three hanks of kettle dyed, discontinued Handpaintedyarn.com Merino Worsted from handpaintedyarn.com in light-to-medium blues. 215yds per hank = 645 total yards, generously donated by crankyalyson.

50) A large, handwoven wrap in shades of blue and white, generously donated by Taueret.

51) A copy of Knit 1 for the Road, generously donated by the designer, MargKnittinARound.

52) A gift box full of lavender goodies from Clear Creek Lavender, generously donated by the owner, LostCityDenise.

53) A subscription to Vogue Knitting, or an alternative magazine of the winner’s choice, generously donated by fourpeass.

54) A copy of Folk Knitting in Estonia, generously donated by teabird.

55) One personally inscribed copy of Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together, generously donated by the designer, velostricken.

56) One copy of each of the designer’s scarf patterns: Mabel’s Scarf and Pop Scarf, donated generously by the designer, velostricken.

57) A 1 oz (300 yd) skein of LARS 100% pure qiviut (because there are good things that come from Alaska!), generously donated by ciellel.

58) A skein of Lotus Yarns Aura (superwash merino/silk/nylon/silver) in the colorway of the winner’s choice, generously donated by melaniedc.

59) A skein of Sea Yarn sock yarn in Tides of Change II from Zen Yarn Garden, generously donated by RoxanneZYG.

60) A set of 1 dozen handmade buttons made from rare recycled hardwoods, custom-made for you by Sarah Whitcomb Antiques, from antiquesharon.

61) A complete set of Katherine Vaughan Designs patterns, generously donated by KTLV.

62) A prize package of 12 patterns from Gardiner Yarn Works, generously donated by chrissyg.

63) A Pigs in Lipstick on Parade set: Cell Phone Cozy, Lipstick Cozy, Toilet Topper, Condom Amulet, Keychain, Badge & Barrette, generously donated by tikkunknitter.

64) An official Sockdyers for Obama Stupendous Sockalicious Prize Package, with Obama-themed yarns lovingly dyed by our own KFO sock dyers, generously donated by blackbunny, MamaE, Pippi, RoxanneZYG, and Scout.

65) One Fleece Artist Little Squares Blanket Kit custom-dyed in the color of the winner’s choice, generously donated by retroknit.

66) A handmade knitting bag, lovingly crafted and generously donated by craftywendy, as well as Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Purr, which is a gorgeous lavender color (in honor of Michelle Obama’s passion for purple) – 10 skeins in all stored in sealed plastic bag, generously donated by sueknits4fun.

67) An awesome yarn pack that includes: Two skeins discontinued Knit Picks Gossamer Merino Wool in Rose Garden Lace Weight, 440 yards in each skein; one skein Wool in the Woods Frost (wool/ mohair/polyester), 200 yards worsted weight, in Martha’s Vinyard, four skeins Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed (silk/coton/merino/viscose), 131 yards in each skein (524 yards total) in color 17 (Vibrant Green) DK weight, two skeins Superwash Lace from Tess’ Designer Yarns (merino), 500 yards in each skein, in a deep non-solid red color, six yellow/red ceramic handmade buttons from Briar Rose Fibers, one skein Schaefer Yarn Company Anne (superwash wool/mohair/nylon) 560 yards, fingering weight in blue/green, two skeins Acero by Brooks Farm Yarn (superwash wool/silk/viscose) 420 yards per skein, color 23 (purple/blue/brown), generously donated by MandyS01.

68) A SpinOlution Mach1 Spinning Wheel, which retails for about $500, generously donated by janro.

69) 5 PDF Patterns of the winner’s choice, generously donated by janro.

70) A Bark Obama Dog Sweater Kit, which includes the pattern, three skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (machine washable) in navy, red and off-white, plus small amounts of Cascade Cloud 9 to make the fuzzy dogs and Online noveltygold yarn to make the stars, as well as a yard of vintage red ribbon with white stars for trim. The pattern knits up in three sizes, for dogs with a chest measurement from 13 to 20”, generously donated by savannahkay.

71) A loop shawl out of Louisa Harding Kimono Angora, some super duper NYT chocolate chip cookies, and some one of a kind, hand made Barack Obama stitch markers, generously donated by Leah.

72) One skein of Socks That Rock fingering weight in the Tide Pool colorway, generously donated by nbgriz.

73) A copy of Folk Hats: 32 Knitting Patterns and Tales from Around the World (Folk Knitting series) by Vicki Square, generously donated by Tamsyn.

74) Five skeins of 2-ply homespun yarn, generously donated by mythkeeper.

75) A complete set of Avalon Fiberarts patterns – hardcopy to be mailed to whoever wins the prize. 13 patterns, valued at $5 each, including 12 sock patterns & one pair of gloves, generously donated by lawardrop.

76) An Obama Yarmulke, felted and hand embroidered, generously donated by tikkunknitter, and a gorgeous pair of pearl and silver peapod earrings, from Jewels of the Blue Ridge, generously donated by plumsaucy.

77) A sock knitting package, containing 2 balls each of Panda Silk, Panda Soy, Panda Cotton, Maizy, and CPY Bamboo DPNs in size 1, 1.5 and 2, generously donated by druding.

78) A beautiful hand-crocheted beaded necklace and earring set made with gorgeous Swarovski and Czech glass faceted beads, generously donated by jewelry artist Lisa Barcy (retroknit, I will have you be the contact person for this prize).

79) 2 bags of organic tea and cookies based on the winners preference. The tea is from a fabulous local place: http://www.thepathoftea.com, generously donated by KnittingReader.

80) An Indie Sock Yarn Dyer Package, that includes: 1 skein Chameleon Colorworks Bambino in Lavender Fields (400 yards), 1 skein Fannie’s Fingering Weight in Fall Flowers (400 yards), 1 skein Chewy Spaghetti Handpainted Spaghetti II–Fingering Weight in Eclectic (320 yards), donated generously by KnittingReader.

81) In honor of Michelle Obama and her love of purple, a full bag (10 skeins, approx. 920yds) of Rowan Handknit Cotton in a lovely plummy purple color, 226 (discontinued), generously donated by KTLV.

82) A set of six stitch markers (custom words up to six letters apiece), as well as one pair of fingerless gloves/armwarmers from TinkerAndPo’s Etsy Shop, generously donated by TinkerAndPo.

83) An Obama Spa Set: 1 “Yes We Can” pattern knitted cotton cloth, my pattern for the cloth, and a bar of herbal soap, all packaged up nicely, generously donated by skullsnbats, and a Yankee Candle Aroma Formula pillar candle (3”x6”) in Sage & Citrus, along with a glass pillar coaster, generously donated by acferreira1.

84) One pair of knitted sock blanks for you to dye, made of merino and Seacell. A practice piece of fabric will be included, generously donated by Safeena.

85) A handmade journal with a light, dusty blur velvet cover and handmade paper made from old denim/jeans. It is hand bound by wildethyme with waxed linen threads and beads on the outside spine,. generously donated by wildethyme.

Yes We Can!

Even though we’d seen the progress of Flickr user iwriteplays was making on this Shepard Fairey-inspired knitted sweater (check it out here, here and here), we were still absolutely floored when we saw the finished product uploaded to the Obama Craft Project Flickr pool.

Breathtaking.

Yes We Can!

Yes We Can!

As promised, we’re posting the finished version of the sweater we wrote about a couple of weeks ago. Marissa Lynn from Moscow, Idaho finished up the sweater for her (adorable) little boy, and it’s even more fabulous than we’d imagined. The Fair Isle work is amazing, let alone the unmistakable face on the back and “OBAMA” on the front.

Send us your original Obama-inspired creations! Drop us an email at obamacraftproject@gmail.com or upload your pics to the OCP Flickr Pool.

Yes We Can!

Etsy seller mysavannahcottage, of Savannah, Georgia, is offering a pattern for the must-have dog sweater of this campaign cycle. And she is donating the proceeds of the sales of this pattern to the Campaign for Change.

Yes We Can!

These lovely socks were knitted by Flickr user smrjunior out of some very special yarn. It’s named “Audacity” is created by Black Bunny Fibers, with $5 from each skein sold being donated to the Obama campaign. We just checked, and it looks like Black Bunny just restocked this yarn in a variety of weights, so if you want to knit your very own Audacity creation with this beautiful multi-colored yarn, you may be in luck! (And don’t forget to email us your finished project at obamacraftproject at gmail dot com or upload it to the flickr pool.)

Yes We Can!