Nearly half of the world's population is at risk from malaria. The WHO estimates that in 2015 there were 212 million cases of malaria and 429,000 deaths caused by malaria. The simplest form of prevention is to sleep under an insecticide impregnated net. Providing these nets to those in need and tracking their effectiveness is what The Against Malaria Foundation does.
Emily Wessel and Alexa Ludeman, the duo behind Tin Can Knits have brought together world renowned designers to collaborate on their charity collection Heart on My Sleeve to raise funds for The Against Malaria Foundation. The collection of 8 sweaters follows the Tin Can Knits pattern of having a whole range of sizes from baby through to adult.
Crazyheart by Tanis Lavallee; photo ©Tanis Fiber Arts
What's really clever though, is that all of the patterns use the same tension, have the same basic body and sleeve constructions, and only differ in the yoke, hems and neckline. If you like the hem of one design, but the yoke of another, you can combine them without having to do any maths or worry about whether it will work.
Tenderheart by Alexa Ludeman; photo ©Tin Can Knits
The designs have been donated by Shannon Cook and Jane Richmond, Romi Hill, Bristol Ivy, Tanis Lavallée, Joji Locatelli, Alexa Ludeman, Ysolda Teague, and Emily Wessel. You can also embellish your sweater with hearts either incorporated into the sleeves or hem, or as additions once you've finished your knitting. These have been contributed by Joji Locatelli, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Sylvia McFaden, Alexa Ludeman, Claire Devine and Kat Goldin. Full details about all of these contributors can be found on the Heart on My Sleeve website.
The KAL for this project, with some amazing prizes, started last week on the Tin Can Knits forum on Ravelry and will go on into April, so there's still plenty of time to get involved.
You can buy Heart on My Sleeve directly from Ravelry, but I would thoroughly recommend having a look at the HoMS website for more details about the campaign.