Mittens for Akkol Sweater

Last week, while on holiday, I learned about the Mittens for Akkol project. I can't believe that I never learned about this group during my years of waiting to travel to adopt my son.

As I was reading, a flurry of posts came up about the Grad colours had been posted. I investigated and learned the group knits gifts for the 'students/orphans' who graduate this coming spring. Nanci, the coordinator just returned from Akkol, Kazakhstan where she meets the grads to be, measures the students and elicits their colour choices. Each grad received a sweater, hat, mitts, scarf, thin pair of socks, and thick pair of socks. Reading about this project moved me to tears.

Many of the children in the orphanages in Kazakhstan are not orphans in the sense of parent-lessness. They live in the orphanage, or Regional Boarding School as the 4 year old to 16 year old homes are often called, but are still connected to family in some limited way. Because of this connection they are never eligible for adoption. In addition, many children come into care above the age of 4 and few families chose to adopt older children (me included). And other children, though eligible to be adopted never do get adopted and live their entire lives in the orphanage system. Whatever the reason they are in care, or however they came to be in the Regional Boarding School, it is definite they will not be leaving to a healthy, happy family with lots of cash to spend on their needs. Many leave to fend for themselves. The idea of these students leaving with a bundle of garments hand knit personally for them is a precious thing.

As I've been wanting to do something to support the children still living in the orphanages in Kaz, and that I love to knit, this is the perfect project for me.

Now I don't have a lot of time, but this is something that seems so very important to me, so I've chosen to knit a sweater for a boy. He chose browns, both light and dark, and dark gray as his colours. I've been checking out Ravelry for a pattern and finally tonight I settle on Todd Gocken's Brigade. I love it's streamlined look with the 3 X 2 ribbing up the sleeves, and I really like the offset zipper on the neck. The sweater reminds me of the style of clothes I saw on the young men in Kazakhstan.

The sweater is knit in Cascade 220. I'll do it in the Superwash version in the Chocolate colour as it will work great with his colour choices. I have some Cascade 220 for another project, so I can do my gauge, I believe both sweaters have the same gauge. I'll be out to buy the wool later this week.

I believe the finished sweater has to be sent out in early May, so I'll have to get started and finished quickly. My goal is to have most of the sweater finished by the end of March Break.