Bond Buzz, Issue #8
December 11, 2003
Free from Bond America!

Dear Friends,
Welcome again all Bond Sweater Machine(r), Magicord(r) and Wyr Knittr(tm) owners to another issue of the "Bond Buzz" e-newsletter!!

With the holidays nearly upon us and knitting becoming more popular than ever, we’re sure to be welcoming many new Sweater Machine owners in the months after Santa arrives. So don’t forget to share your enjoyment of knitting with others in your family and your friends by getting them their very own Sweater Machine.

There’s lots happening these days. The Rwanda Knitting Project is a big one. I am very proud to share with you a Special Recognition Award I’ll be receiving at the annual HIA Trade Show taking place early February for the project. What a surprise! But the best surprise of all was a message I received from the supervisor of the Kiziba refugee camp in Kibuye, Rwanda, that “the women are knitting like crazy! They’re knitting cricket sweaters and selling them for $4 [a LOT of money in Rwanda where the average rural wage is 40 cents per day] in the market! They’re now starting to knit baby clothes.” I couldn’t be happier!

I’ll be heading back to Rwanda (with 5 others including my daughter) on January 13 with more machines for AVEGA, groups of widows (and orphans) who organized themselves for support after the 1994 genocide. This time my daughter, Naima, is also coming to help. We’ll also be working with the experienced refugee women for knitting over 500 “Scarves for Peace,” half of which will be put in Grammy Gift Bags and the other half sold through online and catalog retailer, Eziba with all the profits going back to the knitters.

Check out the new (winter) issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting! There are FOUR pattern pages written for the Ultimate Sweater Machine! They include a great scarf, trio of pillows, a super-easy cardigan and graphic throw, starting on page 52. There’s also a great write-up on the Rwanda project on page 12.

Our Buzz-tip: Well, it’s actually “our” Lori’s tip that she likes to give to people with “challenging” tables (and a tip I use for demonstrating on TV): cut a strip of the padded rubbery shelf-liner the width of your machine and put it right under your machine. It not only keeps your machine from moving anywhere, it also protects your table!

Until next time, HAPPY KNITTING!

Cari Clement
And please visit our parent site at http://www.caron.com