Little Yellow Ducks Invade NY

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been more than a little obsessed with The Little Yellow Duck Project. I’ve been crocheting little ducks like crazy and my son, husband, and I have now placed 34 ducks in NYC, Long Island, and around Westchester County.

It’s ridiculously fun. Sneaking around. Trying to leave a duck in a super crowded place without being noticed. Eagerly checking The Little Yellow Duck Project’s world map to see if any new ducks have been reported. The rush when we’ve had another duck on the map. The amazement that our ducks were the first ones reported in NY state. The shouts of joy when we realized that the 500th duck reported was one we had left!

Ducks about to hit the streets of NY

My husband’s continued attempts have resulted in 0 of 14 ducks on the map. However, after leaving ducks on his coworker’s desks and discussing the project with them, he learned that one of them is about to donate a kidney in a few days. He didn’t feel it was right to push her to register it. She was doing more than her share for the cause.

So what is the cause? The Little Yellow Duck Project has two goals: to brighten up someone’s day by finding a little duck and to increase awareness and registration for organ, blood, and bone marrow donation. How is that personal? My friend Tania who I mentioned in my last post died earlier this year at the age of 41 while waiting for a heart transplant.

Little Yellow Duck with Tag

So what’s the deal with these ducks? There are a few official free patterns, but you can make any duck you like however you want to make it and stick a tag on it letting people know to take it home and that it’s part of The Little Yellow Duck Project with the website listed. I’ve used both the Just Ducky Lovey pattern and Filbert. Both are free patterns and work up in about an hour. I’ve found that Just Ducky Lovey is better for sticking in places, like slots of a bench if it’s windy. Filbert stands up and works great for flat places like picnic tables or the top of washing machines. The tags are available in multiple languages on the website and even include a place for you to name each duck.

While I’ve crocheted my ducks, there are also patterns for knitted and sewn ducks. People have also made ducks out of pom poms and have made bags with appliqued ducks on them.

This is an international initiative so no matter where you are, no matter what your medium, give it a shot. You just might make it on the map (and help to save a life in the process).

First Group of Ducks for The Little Yellow Duck Project

Filbert! as a Little Yellow Duck

Mallard variations of Just Ducky Lovey

 

 

 

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Free Pattern: Window Pane Square 6″

Window Pane Squares for Share a Square

This is the first square I freestyled. I was creating some squares for Share A Square, a bunch of people making squares that will magically turn into blankets for children with cancer, and realized it would be fun to start freestyling and to see where it took me. With a hook, yarn, and pattern free, I came up with the Window Pane Square. This is the pattern.

Using an H hook and worsted weight yarn this created a 6 inch square. I used a combination of Red Heart Soft and Red Heart Super Saver. If you need to make the square slightly larger, add more rows of SC or HDC as border rows.

Notes: You will join each row with a slip stitch and will not turn. Slip stitch to corner or finish off and add new yarn color at the corner at the end of each row. Repeat between () or [] where indicated.

Row 1: Ch4, Join with Slip Stitch

Window Pane Square - Row 2

Row 2: Ch4, 15 TC into circle, join with slip stitch into top of Ch 4

Window Pane Square - Row 3

Row 3: CH 1, (3 SC, CH 2, skip next stitch) 8 times, join with slip stitch into first SC

Window Pane Square - Row 4

Row 4: (Ch 3, 2 DC, Ch 1, 3 DC, Ch 1) in the first Ch-sp, [ (3 DC, Ch 1) 1 time in the next Ch-sp, 2 times in the next Ch-sp] repeat around ending with 1 time, join with slip stitch into top of first Ch 3

Window Pane Square - Row 5

Row 5: [[Ch 1, 1 SC, Ch 3, 1 SC (in ch-sp)], Ch3] repeat around with 2 SC in corner stitches

Window Pane Square - Row 6

Row 6: Ch 6, skip ch-sp, [DC (in SC), Ch3 (skip ch-sp)] repeat around, make 2 in corners, join with slip stitch into third chain of first Ch 6

Window Pane Square - Row 6 Closeup

Window Pane Square - Row 7

Row 7 : Ch 1, SC around (this will be 3 SC in Ch-Sp, 1 SC in DC, and 6 SC in corner Ch-sp), join with slip stitch in first SC

Window Pane Square - Row 8

Row 8: Ch 1, SC around, 3SC in corners, join with slip stitch in first SC

Repeat Row 8 if you need to make the square a little larger.

For this year’s blankets, all squares need to be submitted by tomorrow, March 10, 2011, but they will start accepting squares for next year in August 2011. You can check the Ravelry group Share a Square 2010 for updates and to see if squares are being accepted yet.

Sending the Squares!

I finally wove in all the ends, steamed them, wrote up patterns for the two I freestyled (to be posted next week), handwrote the tags, and my husband actually took my squares to the post office to mail them!

I started the squares during the monster post-Christmas storm that held me hostage at my parent’s place in Long Island with only leftover yarn from Christmas presents and finished my last one today. They’re all going to Share A Square, a group making blankets for kids with cancer attending a special camp this summer. There’s still a few days left if you’re interested in sending some squares too. New deadline is March 10, 2011, but they’ll be accepting squares for next year starting in August.

Check one off my FO Pledge. Now only 6 more to go…

 

Squares for Share A Square (1 missing)