It takes a village

I was surfing Ravelry a couple of days ago, and found an awesomely cute summery type purse. It's called the Nordstrom Crochet Hobo Bag by Dao Lam. This is the quickest and easiest pattern! I crocheted it in an evening and assembled everything yesterday. The only mods I did to it was I omitted one row of the 4dc clusters. I attached the leather handle by making tabs from the same fabric I used to line it with. Oh yeah, lining was a breeze even though this bag is crocheted in the round, which means there is no seaming at all! I sewed it in with my sewing machine, making it very sturdy and fast. I picked out one of the colors in the lining to match a cute ribbon laced through the top and tied into a bow. I LOVE the end result!!

I was listening to sillyfru's podcast last night after I got home from my knitting group, and she made the announcement of another call for help by a fellow Raveler. Tasha, aka bijouxmaster, is holding a contest and you can read about all the details on her blog.

Now, let it be said ~ I don't do charity knitting/crocheting for the purpose of winning anything, but I gotta tell ya....Tasha has some pretty awesome prizes!!! Her story touched me to the core..she is requesting any size hat that will fit a child in memory of her cousin's little girl, which you can read about via the link she provides on her blog. For every hat sent, your name is entered into the contest. If, for whatever reason you can't send any hats at this time, perhaps you could donate a prize to help Tasha with this contest...or maybe send a cash donation as she indicates on her blog. I just can't think of a better way to honor a little girl's memory, and I'm humbled by her family's strength and courage!

This brings me to the next part of my post today. I can't imagine a child fighting for their life, and yet, in Sacramento, a little boy of 3 years, is struggling. He probably isn't going to make it, as the doctors declared him brain dead yesterday. His father and stepmother are sitting behind bars, as well they should be, in my opinion. Allegedly, the stepmother beat the baby because he pulled down his pants and peed in the kitchen floor. Again, this just cuts me to the core to think that a person could commit such a heinous crime against a defenseless child! It just makes you want to scoop all the children of the world up and hold them tight as to protect them from all the evils of the world, doesn't it? I believe it truly does "take a village" to nurture and protect children!

I have lots on my agenda today. Scooter has been out of town for the past couple of days and will be arriving home today. I miss him when he is gone, and I know he is always happy to get back home too. So, to make it a nice homecoming, I better get busy!