BY Louisa Burgio
In this issue I am championing a few of my favorite small businesses that are being used in my new “Give Back” Project. What immediately came to mind when I was developing this project were my local knitting store (LKS), a favorite yarn company, two amazing dog accessory brands and a wonderful pet photography company. There is something magical about small businesses.
I’ve been enamoured with the construction of knitted garments since I was a child. After I adopted my first rescue pup I learned to knit and soon after, started designing most of my dog’s sweaters. It didn’t take long before I fell in love with yarn and started collecting from around the world. Little did I know how much my desire to make my rescue pup beautiful sweaters would change my life.
In my desire to give back to my community, I have designed a collection of 4 wool sweaters and a blanket made of wool/cotton/silk mohair that I want to Auction, with the proceeds going to an animal rescue organization of choice.
Pre COVID, my local knitting store Avenue Yarns, in Albany, California had an event with the owners of the family-based Brooklyn Tweed Yarn Company (BT). It was my first introduction and I was fascinated that every part of their operation was done in the USA. Not only were the sheep local, but all the processes to spin, dye, package the yarn were done ethically and domestically… Plus the yarn is gorgeous!
After several projects working with BT yarn, I was chatting with my Avenue Yarn knitting circle and thought that knitting a few dog sweaters with organic fibers would be a wonderful way to raise money for less fortunate dogs in shelters and rescue organizations. Dog lovers who donated, would have an opportunity to own a beautiful hand made garment/blanket for their dog.
I hope you like what I have created. I always like to accessorize my handmade sweaters with gorgeous bows (it’s who I am). For this collection, I have chosen two small businesses @furdrobe and @maggieand.co to show you some beautifully different looks on how you can take a casual garment and dress it up high style. And to polish the looks, the wonderful @petpixacademy was fantastic in their beautiful edits of Theo. In addition to their amazing products/services, I chose these companies because of their sense of inclusive community, generosity, and kindness.
Knitting is something I primarily do for friends and family. I get tremendous joy creating for people and anticipating what they will love. I feel lucky to have a supportive LKS where I have made a lot of long-term friends, and have a place to go that has absolutely glorious yarns, along with a supportive community. More details on the auction will be posted on the Puppy Post Blog and of course, we always like hearing from friends, new and old, so please drop by @Theo.The.Poodle.Boy and say hello.
All our best for a happy holiday season,
Louisa and Theo
Theo’s friend’s get a 20% discount when they use his code:
@furdrobe use THEO20
@maggieand.co use THEO20
Thanks to my friends at @avenueyarns and @brooklyntweed and a special thanks to @petpixacademy for their beautiful Theo edits.