A NEW BEGINNING

Let's begin the new year with renewed energy and focus! We're embarking on a new project, THE RED SCARF PROJECT and we have beautiful yarn and easy but interesting patterns.

CHANGES TO IN THE LOOP
In the Loop will formally meet every third Friday throughout the year at 12 noon to 2 pm. We'll take a break in August and will not meet in November or December. Evening sessions will no longer be held but I would encourage In the Loopers to organize their own after-work sessions.

We've created crafting kits which include the pattern and yarn. Each In the Looper will sign out the kit and return the finished scarf. The In the Loop patterns are clearly written with notes on tools, gauge, yarn and of course instructions and tips for success.

Instead of posting the patterns on the website, we want you to stop by the Brown Bag Socials and pick up a crafting kit.

In the Loopers still have to buy tools to create the projects. REMEMBER TO BRING TOOLS TO THE BROWN BAG SOCIALS!

Generally, I will post to this blog once a month, after the Brown Bag Social event. We will send out two email blasts, one a reminder of the upcoming of the Brown Bag Social, and the second a notice that I've posted to the blog.

We really want to triple our working members this year, from 15 to 50. Tell your friends and colleagues in the office. We will supply you with flyers to post in your office kitchens and copy rooms, and we encourage you to tell us ways we can reach out to your companies.

PROJECT 1: THE RED SCARF PROJECT: JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH

We're finally knitting scarves for young people in their first year of college as part of the Orphan Foundation of America's Red Scarf Project - perfect for this cold weather! We have skinny yarn and chunky yarn, pure wool and wool blends, soft and squishy, dry and elegant. We hope you'll try it all, learn some new techniques, and have fun!

ABOUT the OFA, Orphan Foundation of America
Founded in 1981, the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) serves thousands of foster teens across the United States. Whether we're providing them with college scholarships, connecting them with mentors and internships, sending them care packages, or testifying before Congress, OFA is a passionate champion of foster youth. Visit www.orphan.org for more information and ways to contribute.

ABOUT The Red Scarf Project: A Great Charitable Knitting Initiative Provides Warmth and Encouragement to Foster Youth
In 2005, OFA launched a unique initiative to warm the hearts (and necks) of college-bound foster youth. We began taking donations of handmade red scarves to put into our Valentine's Day Care Packages. Word spread quickly around the charitable knitting/crocheting community. In the first year, we took in 3,500 scarves. The following year, that number swelled to over 15,000! For more information, visit www.orphan.org.

THE PATTERNS
For our crocheters, we've got the 1-2-3 Scarf, a fun and easy pattern created by Ina for In the Loop. We're using Lion Brand's Thick & Quick wool/nylon blend in four colors, fig, citron, apricot and lemongrass, that look great on both women and men.

For the knitters, we've got two patterns. The first is In the Loop Palindrome knitted with beautiful yarn donated by Sunday Knits, and the second a free pattern from Misti Alpaca using their gorgeous chunky alpaca donated by Stix-n-Stitches in Montclair.

Happy New Year, see you on Friday!