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Inspired Knits

totoknits.jpgMamas need to stick together, and former New Yorker Erin Brennan Allan and Nairobi native Mary Wambui are helping women do just that through Toto Knits. Featuring unbelievably cute hand knit sweaters and blankets for kids 3 months to 6T, the collection is ethically produced from start to finish. The cotton and wool are locally grown, spun, and dyed, then knit by a group of Kenyan women - many single mothers – who knit as a means to earn a living in an empowering, family friendly, and flexible environment. Their Safari Animal sweaters – all knit with little tails on the back – are particularly inspired.

Want to win a sweater from Toto Knits? Here’s how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Amira!
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  • Visit the Toto Knits collection, then leave a comment below about your favorite sweater or baby blanket style. Note: Entries that do not follow these instructions will be discarded.

  • Be sure to include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

  • One comment permitted per person; worldwide entrants welcome.

  • Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Tuesday, April 15, 2008.

    *Winner will receive a sweater of their choice, subject to availability.

  • Comments

    Wow, what an amazing collection of knit goods, and what an inspiring story!! Thanks for another great find.

    The crocodile knit sweater is too cute!

    I am torn between the lion and leopard styles. They are all so cute!

    I love the elephant sweater! all the sweaters are adorable!

    I like the lion & the piggy. Oh who am I kidding...I want them all!, lol

    mcginnisfamily5[at]gmail[dot]com

    The elephant sweater is adorable, but then all of them are.

    I like the lion sweater-adorable!

    I love the Lion sweater and the Classic Varsity Animal sweaters. Very cute!

    I love the lion sweater. Perfect for my new little one.

    I love the monkey and elephant sweaters! They are so cute!

    Oh my gosh, the Leopard!! It's so adorable!

    The stripey sweater is adorable!

    Wow, that is a tough decision. They are all very adorable. It's between the lion, elephant and mouse. Too tough to pick a favorite!

    The Elephant sweater is ADORABLE! What creative patterns, I love this idea. :D And what a phenomenal cause.

    I have never seen such adorable sweaters! I love the Mouse one so much!

    Stripey sweater is cute and hope to win. ;-) Thanks.

    oh the monkey is my fav,very appropriate i think:)they are so cute!

    The Lion Sweater is absolutely adorable.

    love the piggy baby sweater...great idea!

    They're all awesome. I think the lion is my favorite, though.

    Oh my gosh!! Not only are the products fantastic, the company is well worth every penny to support! Thanks for introducing us to them. My favorite item from their collection was the cotton crocodile sweater.

    I love the lion

    I love the cotton lion safari animal sweater! It is so cute! It was hard to choose a favorite though--they are all adorable!

    These are adorable! Love the Leopard and Lion sweaters!!

    love the mouse sweater

    I really like the crocodile sweater! All of the sweaters are SO cute.

    The Piggie Blanket is just adorable!

    My daughter is obsessed with ducks right now (she's 13-months-old), so our favorite would be the chickie, since she hasn't really figured out the difference between the two.

    I just love love love the piggy and the brown/blue stripey! Adorable!

    I LOVE the monkey and the lion!
    sjmanley(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

    Very hard to choose. I love the monkey sweater but I also love the crocidile sweater. The blankets are so adorable as well.

    These sweaters are all so cute! I love the farm animals piggy, and even the regular sweaters with the letter S. I haven't seen any of my friends with something like this. There are so unique.

    wool safari monkey is too cute!!! love all the wool safari styles.

    I like the leopard sweater! I love the subtle colors. It would look so cute on Olivia.

    My favorites are the elephant and striped sweaters.

    I like the chickie blanket

    I like the stripey sweater in pink.

    I absolutely adore the lion baby blanket. They are all so cute though!

    Oo! Oo! Monkey sweater! I give it 5 bananas out of 5 bananas for cuteness!

    The first sweater I saw was the "Monkey Sweater" and I fell in love with it immediately. Thankyou for the chance to win!

    what a terrific company!! The crocodile knit
    and the crocodile varsity are adorable!!

    I love the wool lion best, but the bunny sweater is super cute too.

    The monkey sweater is adorable.

    These are wonderful sweaters. I especially like the classic styles, which are often difficult to find. Beautiful!

    Oh... all of these are just precious but my favorite is the Leopard sweater! My sweet baby girl LOVES animals....this would be perfect for all of our family trips to the zoo!

    Oh wow! Sooo cute. I am in love with the cotton elephant sweater!

    What beautiful things! I love that they are hand made -- and fabulous seeing things made in Kenya! so many that I loved. My favorite is the Varsity Heart Sweater (although I think the pictures are mixed up between the Varsity heart and Varisty Animal.) I adore the monkey sweater too!

    While I just love the animal ones - they are so cute! I think my favorite is Stripey in pink/grey. Thanks for a great giveaway!

    Love all of them but my 2 favorites are the lion and Monkey sweaters.

    All of the styles are so creative - I love the lion sweater! And the baby blankets are adorable! As a single-mom myself I love that these wonderful products are created by a group of single-moms supporting each other.

    i cant choose! i think if i had to get one (for now) i would choose the monkey wool sweater

    I like the mouse baby blanket style.

    Adorable!! I LOVE the Elephant sweater!

    The lion sweater is too cute!

    Too hard to choose! I like the Monkey, Elephant, & the Lion!

    I think the Leopard is my favorite--but it's really hard to pick!

    What a great idea overall. I LOOOOVE the lion sweater!! My last name is Lyons so this sweater would be perfect for our little baby :)

    I would love the elephant for my little guy.

    OMG those animal sweaters are soooooo cute. I love the monkey sweater, but every one of them is just so adorable.

    I adore the Monkey sweater. So cute!

    love the monkey sweater, too cute for words.

    I love that piggy sweater.

    The leopard sweater is too cute! I love little ears on top of the hood.

    My daughter's two best friends are kitties, I think she'd look right at home in the leopard sweater!

    I am so in love with the monkey sweater!

    I love the monkey sweater, it would look so cute on my little monkey!

    LOVE the elephant sweater. Those ears!

    g-d these are stunning and what a (finally) fabulous way to get things that don't oppress women and children. LOVE the mouse sweater! to die for!

    I love the green/grey stripey.

    The piggy is adorable! What's cuter than that little curly tail? I love finding out about ethical, responsible companies like this. Thank you.

    These sweaters are precious and how awesome that they are made by women in Kenya.

    I wish I had money to buy dozens to give to "my" Kenya "babies" when I return for my 6th trip.

    Thanks for sponsoring the drawing!

    Holly
    www.galileeschool.org

    can you believe these are made by hand??? I like the yellow chickie sweater! amazing contest!

    the monkey sweater

    This is a tough decision because I really like all of them. I couldn't quite pick my favorite. It's between 3 of them and I just can't decide. If I win, I promise I will pick just one :) Here they are: the Lion, the Leopard and the Varsity Animal. Thank you for the chance. These are lovely sweaters!

    I can't wait to see my niece in any one of these adorable collections.

    I continue to be amazed at the moms out there with such amazing talents and creativity! Piglet was my fave. I don't see alot of knits in baby wear, I love it when I find them! Thanx

    My favorite has to be the Lion sweater. I wish they would sell these in more stores and not just online. It would make people more aware. Thanks for the great give away. I really hope I win. It would be an honor to wear one of these!!!

    love the classic striped sweater in pink for my sweetie, great stuff!

    I love the monkey blanket especially since we are doing the whole crib set "sock monkey" theme!! Please enter me!!

    What a wonderful giveaway. ALL these sweaters are so adorable. It was hard to choose a favorite, but I'd have to say the Monkey. Thank you so much for offering this great giveaway.

    I love the lion sweater!

    These are incredible! I like the Mouse style best.

    I love the monkey sweater, and the bolero sweater! Adorable!

    mmalavec@med.umich.edu

    The lion.

    I like the stripey and varsity animal sweaters. The lion is also adorable.

    I LOVE the lion sweater and it would look cute on either of my boy/girl twins. Hope I win!

    The lion sweater is absolutely adorable. I can barely stand it.

    What a wonderful website and I have never seen such creative sweaters before. The lion sweater is my favorite but it's really hard to just choose one!

    I like the monkey blanet the best. Very unique items, nice!

    fave sweater = MONKEY!!

    The monkey sweater is my pick for my daughter and Toto Knits looks like a great organization to support.

    These are the most adorable sweaters. I think I'd go for the yellow chickie sweater. I'm just loving these!

    I like the Chickie sweater.

    Leopard sweater is so adorable!

    It's so hard to choose!! I love the elephant (but I also love the monkey and the crocodile). What a wonderful and wonderfully made product. Thanks for the opportunity.

    I loooove the monkey sweater!

    omg how cute is this or what i realy love to get one for my little one there so sweet the one i like most is the monkey but well i f could i get one of each thats just how sweet thay reaaly are oh boy would i love to win one thinks jenny9675309@yahoo.com

    I would LOVE the lion--I have a little Leo toddler and possibly another Leo on the way (depending on whether he follows his due date or not)...the leopard is also cute. They are all cute!

    I absolutely love the aligator and lion safari animal sweaters. Super adorable.

    These are tooooo cute. I can just see one of my grandsons in the Crocodile or Leopard sweater.

    The Lion Sweater

    The Crocodile and Elephant are adorable! What fun little sweaters! Thanks!

    i like the monkey blanket.

    my favorite is the leopard-too cute!

    I love love love the bunny baby blanket. There are so many cute sweaters too!

    Hello, Their animal sweaters and new animal blankets look so good and comfortable! I choose the classic
    grey/green "Stripey Sweater" as my favorite sweater! Please enter me in this wonderful drawing. Thanks,Cindi

    Love the elephant sweater/jacket

    I like the classic varsity style.

    I love the Chickie baby blanket!

    What adorable knits! I like the monkey sweater the best! :)

    the lion safari sweater- or the stripey classic green/grey sweater are the cutest!!!

    The varsity animal sweater from the classic collection is so cute - and my son loves crocodiles and any creature with lotsa teeth :) Thanks

    I loved the elephant and lion sweaters - how cute and adorable - God bless the knitters.

    I think the varsity heart sweater is beautiful.

    I just love the piggy blanket! Thanks for the chance to win.

    I REALLY like these sweaters. But the one I'd like to see on my littlest the most would be CHICKIE.

    I loooove the leopard sweater! They are all so cute, though. The second monkey pictured is a close runner-up for me.

    I love the monkey safari sweater! So stinkin' cute!!!

    What a great site!
    I love Cotton Safari-Style: Monkey

    Thanks :)

    lion is cute!ty 4 the great contest!

    It's hard to choose, but I think the Lion is very sweet.

    The alligator sweater is the cutest. Thanks for the giveaway.

    I love the lion sweater, but it's hard to choose one favorite --they're all so cute!

    mouse or the elephant! just too sweet!enter me please..thank you

    The elephant as my ds adores his stuffed ellephant ella=)

    the lion sweater and the lion blanket are very cute!

    These are soooo adorable! I really like the Lion style. Thanks for the giveaway :)

    I really like the Varsity Animal with the alligator. The piggy sweater was a close second.

    I love love love the chickie baby blanket!

    Chickie Baby Blanket

    the monkey and elelphant sweaters are worth taking a second look

    These are just too cute. I love the lion sweater as well as the lion baby blanket. My 2nd favorite is the crocodile. Thank you for such a nice giveaway.

    Oh, the piggy style sweater! too cute!

    My favorite is the Monkey sweater! I love it! Thanks!

    I LOVE the stripey Brown/Blue (fantastic and unique colors for a babe!), but the Chickie sweater would be a big hit with my son as well!

    I LOVE the stripey Brown/Blue (fantastic and unique colors for a babe!), but the Chickie sweater would be a big hit with my son as well!

    I like the Stripey sweater!

    i love all of these sweaters and blankets, especially the elephant. what i love more is that it is a wonderful company and when it comes right down to it, its just working moms like me, doing what they can to make it for themselves and their families.

    I love them all, but the monkey sweater is my favorite.

    Love the Varsity Heart Sweater in size 6 months.

    The Stripey. I think it would look good on Ian

    I like the piggy blanket and the mouse animal sweater in size 3t for my daughter. Great giveaway, thanks!

    I love the Bunny sweater!

    Oh my goodness how cute! I love the crocodile and the leapard! All of them are so adorable. Thank you for showing me another great site! Nice giveaway!

    The monkey and lion sweaters are well-detailed and adorable, and they also fit my little guy's personality! Thanks for a chance at a great giveaway!

    Love the cotton monkey!

    I love the little piggy sweater! This makes me really wish that I could knit-- seriously adorable.

    I really like the Wool Safari Lion....ADORABLE!!

    I love the leopard sweater. Sooo cute! Please count me in. Thanks!

    I love the Lion and the Bunny!

    the lion sweater is cute!

    The cotton lion and elephant are just too cute for words!

    I like the Varsity Heart. Cute!

    I love the lion sweater and the piggy blanket. Both are very cute.

    I love the elephant sweater. It is super cute. Just like a mini-Jumbo.

    I like the monkey sweater and the monkey blanket.

    The Leopard sweater is cute

    I like the crocodile sweater, the monkey sweater, and the elephant blanket! The varsity crocodile and varsity monogram sweaters are also really cute!
    Thanks,
    Marissa :)

    The lion wool safari cardigan (12M) is so cute and is my favorite.

    I love the Crocodile sweater and the chickie sweater.

    My favorite is the varsity monogrammed swaeter and the bunny sweater. they were all so cute.

    My little guy would look like the "King of the Forest" in the lion sweater. And what an inspiring company! Thanks for the chance to win...

    The lion sweater is precious!

    My favorite is the Piggy Sweater. Thanks for the giveaway.

    The lion sweater is darling!

    Love the Lion sweater!! :) So cute!

    The monkey sweater is my favorite, but they're all great! Thanks for the giveaway!

    I like the Bunny sweater

    They were all so cute and unique, but I loved the leaopard and varsity heart sweaters the best.

    I really like the lion blanket. I know my grandbaby would love it. Thanks

    I love the leopard sweater.

    I love the monkey blanket!

    The lion sweater brings a smile to my face. It would be my top pick!

    The monkey sweater is my favorite. I like that the sweaters are hand-knit and help benefit a Kenyan community. Thanks for the giveaway.

    I like the elephant sweater!

    Monkey Sweater

    Yikes, I can't choose! They're all so adorable! I think my favorite is the Chickie Sweater.

    These are so precious, and what a wonderful way to help women thousands of miles away! My favorite (hard to choose though) is the bunny sweater. Love those blankies too!

    Oh I LOVE LOVE LOVE the leopard sweater! I can just picture my little one in it -- she would be so adorable!

    I want that crocodile sweater! Too Cute!!

    That Chickie is the cutiest! I love these sweaters, and the fact that they are helping single moms makes me even more thrilled! I know how hard it is day in and day out! Anything I can do to help, to put food on the table of their little ones is a joy!

    i like the leopard sweater.

    I love the elephant baby blanket!

    I LOVE the monkey sweater, but I know that my son would prefer the piggy sweater!!!! ;)

    They are all lovely, but the croc blanket is especially cute.

    Please forgive me if my comment posts twice, but I just got an error message when I hit "Submit."

    I like the monkey sweater the best.

    As a fellow knitter, these sweaters are beautiful! I like stripey the best- for my classic boy.

    My son would love to rock the crocodile!

    these are just tooooo cute... i really like the monkey sweater.

    What a cute collection of sweaters! The elephant sweater in the safari collection is my favorite, but I love them all! Thanks for the giveaway.

    The "chickie" farm animals sweater is my favorite.

    I love the Varsity Heart sweater!

    They are all amazing! I particularly love the leopard sweater- and I love that they are supporting these women.

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