Winners of Our Noni and One Fine Yarn Giveaway is Nina Levine

Judging this giveaway was very difficult for me, so I enlisted family and friends to read all the posting and almost all of them picked Nina’s Because of her teaching her students they get rewarded through acts of kindness.  What an amazing idea for all teachers and students.

I asked Noni to help with the judging and she likes our second choice (blog-less in NJ) will win the pattern and Noni will be sending a pattern out to her.

And the grand prize winner of our Noni and One Fine Yarn giveaway is Nina Levine with her entry as follows:

1. Nina: I would love this pattern so that I could raffle the lunch bag off to my second grade students. They earn raffle tickets for going “above and beyond” in effort and in acts of kindness. I taught all my student to knit this year (we made our own knitting needles) and they love it! I have made 5 different Noni bags so far and my students love seeing the before felting and after felting difference. I think that raffling off this lunch bag would be highly motivating for my students and a super fun knitting project for me. Thank you for this fun contest!

2.            What a great bag!  (blog-less in NJ)

I volunteer at a National Wildlife Preserve and we do a lot of environmental education and outreach. I’d love to make this and show people that they can have a very attractive reusable (and therefore environmentally friendly) lunch bag that is fun (for kids), hip (for teens), and trendy for those adults for which that matters.

About Nina:

 I am a displaced New Yorker thrilled to be living in Portland, Oregon. I teach second grade at Duniway Elementary School, a public school here in Portland.  I learned how to knit at age 38–4 years ago–to make my bus commute and staff meetings pleasurable and productive.  My students were always curious about the needles and yarn sticking out of my work bag and so I thought I share the fun.  For the past three years I’ve taught all of my students (7 and 8 year olds) how to knit.  First we make our own needles out of chop sticks and Sculpy.  I can’t express what a thrill it is to see some of my most rambunctious and squirrelly students choosing to knit rather than roughhouse outside during recess!  I also receive many “creatively” knit items from my students–although I insist they keep their first piece for themselves as a reminder of how perseverance can pay off and how far they have come!  Teaching and knitting are my greatest Passions are that I love fusing the two!  I think I am addicted to both!   

I told my class today about this great gift we will receive.  They are very excited and asked that I bring in the bag daily so they can see my progress.  Andy (who is also addicted to knitting now) congratulated me.  Sarah felt it necessary to remind everyone that we don’t do kind things because we expect something back but because it is the right thing to do.  She did add that she’d love the lunch sac!  This is such a great age to work with! I will definitely look to Rita’s store for my future knitting needs.