Designer Raises Funds for Seeing Eye Dogs Through Knitting Pattern

Tag : Knitting Jersey
Moved by her mother’s experiences with two dogs from TheSeeing Eye, knitwear designer, Kristi Schueler, recently released aknitting pattern through her company, Designedly, Kristi to raisefunds for The Seeing Eye dog guide school of Morristown, NewJersey. One hundred percent of the net profits generated by on-linesales will be donated to the school.

“Having Sootie allowed me to crawl out of my shell I had sunkinto since loosing the last of my sight. Without her, I would havenever taken computer classes, gone to college or been active in mycommunity,” says Patti Schueler, Kristi’s mother. Pattiof Willmar, Minnesota was trained for her first dog guide fromSeeing Eye in 1990. In 2003, Patti returned to Seeing Eye for hersecond dog, Gaston, and continues to appear at speaking engagementsfor various organizations around the region.

Marian Ju-Scozzare, a New Jersey resident and knitter said,“I will probably make several pairs since my husband and Iraise puppies for the Seeing Eye Foundation and I’d like tomake a pair in remembrance of each puppy we’ve raised.”Only a week after the release nearly $500 has been raised throughsales to persons around the globe. When asked what she had hoped toraise Schueler said, “I thought I would be doing pretty goodif I raised a couple hundred in the first month. I never imaginedsuch a sizable response in such a short time. I am in awe of thegenerosity of the knitting community to do good things for goodcauses.” According to a knitter known online as Poethead,“Not only is this such a great cause, the pattern is afantastic one!“

The Guided By Love sock pattern features lace paw prints movingdiagonally across the instep and along the edge of the leg until itreaches the cuff which reads “Guided By Love” inbraille created by knitting glass beads into the fabric.
Since 2003, Kristi Schueler has offered knitting patterns infull-color PDF format for on-line purchase through the web site atof her company, Desingedly, Kristi. Early this year print versionsof her patterns have become available at retailers across thecountry and online. Schueler’s patterns have also beenpublished in Spin-Off Magazine and will soon be found in InterweaveKnits special publication, Felt. In 2009 several ofSchueler’s patterns will be included in books.

Kristi Schueler is a Willmar, Minnesota native residing in FortCollins, Colorado for the past 9 years. She shares her home withher husband and their rescue dog, Emma.