Calling All Knitters

About a week and a half ago, I received an email from my local fancy yarn shop stating they have accepted a challenge to knit 2700 caps... in honor of our Troops.

The email went on to say, as many of us here in the Boise, Idaho area already know, the 116th Brigade from Idaho, Montana and Oregon is shipping out to Iraq in September. There are about 1500 soldiers from Idaho and 1200 from Montana and Oregon involved in this deployment. The Yarn Shoppe in Meridian, Idaho, has accepted this challenge to recruit knitters to help them make 2700 knitted caps to be given to the soldiers as they deploy. These caps will be used to keep the soldiers warm in the winter, and can also be soaked with water to keep their heads cooler in the summer under the military helmets.

You see, my son is in the 116th Idaho Army National Guard, and he has received orders for deployment to Iraq this September. He'll be sent to Fort Shelby, Mississippi, for a two month training before actual deployment to Iraq in November. His trainings have already increased to several two and half week trainings. He's completed two of these shorter trainings already. Sometimes, I can't breathe with the thought of him being deployed...

I took this photo of my son at his Basic Training Graduation, June 2008, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

I've completed my first cap (pictured above) and I'm on just my second cap, and plan to make as many as I can to help this crusade in honor of my son and his fellow Brigade brothers. In just one week, the empty basket at the Yarn Shoppe has filled with caps from so many others who have knitted in honor of our Troops. More caps are needed, I'm hoping to spread the word and meet the challenge of completing 2700 caps.

These caps must be made of 100% wool for safety and must be in medium to dark earth tone colors. I know the Yarn Shoppe has order plenty of Cascade 220 yard in these colors.