Red Scarf

I figured I had better post my one measly red scarf before Valentine's Day. And here it is:


Thanks to Maia for the pattern!

This was a fun and relatively quick knit. This is also the first "real" scarf (not counting fun fur scarves, which I admit to making and wearing, and moebius scarves, which I suppose are real scarves, too) that I have made since high school, if memory serves.

ETA -- I forgot to put anything in the first post about the Red Scarf Project! What an oversight! Some of you possibly recognized the tag as one that was created especially for that project. I have blogged before about the RSP and why I think it is worthy, although I'm sure others have said it better. Next year the RSP will get more than one red scarf from me, I hope.

Even Weirder Things, and New Year's Meme

Paper Tiger tagged me for this Meme, but I have been very delinquent in responding.

First Things First

What is the first thing you did in the new year?

We were at beautiful Echo Lodge near Lake Tahoe, and I didn't stay up until Midnight, so -- sleep.

What is the first thing you ate in the new year?

A delicious communal breakfast with leftover ham from the night before, oatmeal pancakes, leftover corn bread and eggs. "Leftovers" don't sound tasty, but believe me, these were.

What is the first thing you knit in the new year?

A red scarf for the Red Scarf Project. I used this pattern by Maia, but mine is not as lovely, being plain red. No photo just now. I spit spliced the skeins in the middle, although I am embarassed to admit that on the first attempt I actually picked the wrong end out of the pile-o'-scarf I had sitting there -- yes, I actually managed to splice the new end to the cast-on tail.

What is your first ‘blessing’ of the new year?

The holidays are over. 'Nuff said.

What is the first thing you will do to make the world a better place in the new year?

I have to laugh a little at this one. "Make the world a better place" is part of the Girl Scout law, and also part of the GS mission statement, which reads, "Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place". I'm a GS leader, and so I suppose that the first thing will be the first GS meeting of the year this coming Sunday.

Post the first photo you took in the new year!



This is a false start on my socks for ME! Some of my hand-knit Xmas gifts were received in a very underwhelming manner, making me all the more eager to knit something for myself, after having finished the Xmas knits and the Red Scarf Project scarf. This pattern was from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, but it turned out too tight -- I could barely get it over my heel. So, it's been ripped. The successful successor sock worked, and I'll post it next time.

Happy New Year! I'm not tagging anyone with this, it's too far past New Year's.

And the weird things? I can't believe that when I wrote my previous deadly dull post I omitted some of the truly, obviously weird things about me.

1. I used to be something of an outdoor adventurer, and one spring I had to be rescued from the mountains by a US Navy helicopter & crew due to a bad case of pulmonary edema -- a form of altitude sickness. We had been on a backcountry ski trip, and the helo ride happened to fall on my birthday. It was a very nice present, indeed.

2. And then there's the time I took a long fall while climbing the face of Half Dome in Yosemite, and heard tourists talking about me the next morning on the top. It's usually a two-day climb, but it took us a skosh more.

3. Despite the adventuring, I have never broken a bone (although my right ACL is severed due to a minor downhill skiing fall). I had my appendix out the same year as the ACL tear. Not a banner year for me.

4. ETA -- I have climbed down El Capitan in Yosemite, but not up. And for a climber, that's weird.

Red Scarf Project

There's a new blog site this year just for the Red Scarf Project. This charity has caught my interest ever since I first read about it, and I'd like to help spread the word!

The idea is to knit or crochet and donate a red scarf, which will be distributed on Valentine's Day 2007 to kids who have aged out of the foster care system and are in college. When I try to imagine a kid like that, without their own family and perhaps with little or no support from their former foster family or the foster care system, and, despite all that, trying to make their way through college, my heart really goes out to them.

Perhaps, to that student, a scarf would be very tangible evidence that someone was thinking about you and wishing you the best. It seems to me that that might help.

So, grab a button and play along! There are prizes, too. Go here for more buttons (no hotlinking please -- ask me or another blogger if you need instructions) and to find more info. Me, I have a reversible cable scarf in mind. Must. Buy. Yarn.

Found my Red Scarf Pattern!

I think this is going to be my pattern for the Red Scarf Project. I like my scarves reversible (I know, I know, but we all have our little hang-ups, and that's one of mine, so bear with me, 'kay?).

This one has plenty of textural interest without being too tricky to knit. Previously my thought was to try to knit something like this, and honestly I suppose I won't really decide for sure until after I've cast on and knit a bit. Which won't be until January, at the rate my Xmas knitting is going.

ETA -- here's another nice scarf pattern, one designed specifically for the Red Scarf Project. Decisions, decisions.

Thoughts on Charity Knits

Franklin mentioned recently that he's usually not much for charity knitting, and that the poor can usually use money more than knitting. This echoes some of my own sentiments on the subject. Most of the items that we lovingly hand-knit can be purchased at less cost than what we put into them in time and money.

People hand-knit blankets, representing an enormous expenditure of time and money, and give them to local charities or even send them overseas, and I can't help but feel that the time and money could be better spent purchasing more of the needed objects rather than making and shipping hand-knits. Possibly even the money could be used to provide employment to people in the target area making hand-knits, to better effect than making and shipping them ourselves.

Rabbitch mentions in this post that a knitted blanket for the charity she supports takes 100+ hours to knit. If I worked an extra hundred hours at my, you know, regular job, and took the net proceeds and bought blankets -- that would be more than one blanket, by a good bit.

I don't mean to denigrate these efforts, I do admire these efforts and have to hand it to the participants; these projects just, well, puzzle me a little bit. Certainly if the hobby we do for enjoyment can also support a good cause, that's a good thing. I guess that the feeling of connection is there for the giver, more so than if they just wrote a check for the same cause, and that's a good thing -- at least for the giver. I'm not quite so sure about the recipient. Maybe they'd rather have 2 store-bought blankets than 1 hand-knit one, or 2 people could have 1 store-bought blanket each, instead of 1 of them having a hand-knit one.

Anyone else feel the same way? If you think I'm missing something about this, I'd like to hear why, because as I said, this is just a little bit puzzling to me.

Having said all that, I do really support several causes where I think that the hand-knit nature of the gift really might make a difference to the recipient -- my SnB, Eweforia has several times made caps (largely because I begged everyone to) for local chemo patients, and for WIC. I have blogged here and here about the Red Scarf Project, which I whole-heartedly support.

Having been mulling this over here, I think maybe now I can articulate this a bit better. Anyone remember Maslow's hierarchy of needs? I view the Red Scarf Project recipients, for example, as likely having needs #1 (biological, such as food) and #2 (safety) met, but they could probably use some help with #3 (love/belonging) and #4 (status/esteem), and that's where the hand-made scarf comes in.

But freezing, starving people are deficient in needs #1 and #2, and until those needs are met, the special, need #3/#4 nature of the hand-knit object given to try to meet needs #1 and #2 may not come into focus for the recipient. So the store-bought blanket (and the more, the better) might do just as well.

Certainly all of the charity knit projects do good work, and are deserving of support. I'm only trying to articulate some thoughts about these charity projects that, now that I have mulled it over a bit, may help me to decide which ones I personally will support, and which ones I will support with money and which ones I will support with hand-knits. You, of course, may do the same for yourself.

Red Scarf Red Alert!!

The 2008 Red Scarf Project is apparently going to be held in 2007. Interesting choice, but they have good reasons.

Stay tuned here for more.

More actual knitting!

I've made loads of things I haven't blogged about yet. Some I have even forgotten to take pictures of before giving them away. Bad blogger!

I made two Shedir hats (the PDF of the pattern is here), one for my cousin and one for a friend, both of whom lost their hair to chemo, and both of whom are doing much better now. I have no pictures, though, so I'm going to cheat and use a picture I have of another one I made:


This one was for Lisa, who is now also doing well. The two I don't have a picture of are a denim blue color.

A while back I took an evening and crocheted this water bottle holder:


This gets used often.

I used to crochet a fair amount. Usually I insist on using a pattern for something -- not so with this one. It seemed like more bother to use a pattern than it would be worth. I grabbed a hook and some cotton yarn and away I went. I take this to my exercise class, and it makes the bottle much easier to hang onto on the walk home, when I'm also wrangling the dog. Ginger has never met a smell she didn't like. I should make another, though -- DD swapped me her red water bottle for this blue one, and I'd rather have something that went with the bottle better.

OK, I realize that is getting really picky.



This one is still around, but in a completely different form! I wore it only once in this form, which is the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat. There's nothing wrong with the pattern, I think I chose the wrong yarn for the pattern. I didn't like the drape I was getting with this yarn (Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted, an acrylic/wool blend) and thought it was most unflattering. There's nothing wrong with the yarn, either, it was just a mis-match. I re-knit the yarn into a Koolhaas Hat. Much better! I love this pattern, and at last count I think I have made 7 or 8 of them. DD stole this particular one. Here are four more:


Did I mention that I love this pattern?

I made a green one for Dad, a green one for Tim to replace the denim blue one that Ruth swiped (more on that later), a turquoise one for sister Laura, and denim blue ones for Tom and me.

I also love this one, but so far I have made only one:



This is the Grace Lace Beret in Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK. I really like how this came out and want to knit one for myself. This one was a gift for Ruth. Ruth and Tim are friends of ours in England. We met them decades ago, when they were in our area on a one-year teacher exchange. We've stayed in touch ever since -- they've visited us here, and we've visited them there.

I saw them last summer when I took our Girl Scout Troop (yes, both girls and me -- that's our Troop!) as part of a larger group from the area to a huge Scout and Guide encampment in England. Here I am with Tim and Ruth:



I knit the Grace Lace Beret as a thank-you for Ruth, and a denim blue Koolhaas as a thank-you for Tim.

By the end of the day Ruth had stolen Tim's Koolhaas hat! It wasn't that she didn't like the beret -- she kept that one, too. So I knit him a new one and sent it over. I hope it has arrived all right. Oh, the joys of international shipping.

As for what I'm knitting now, I've got three projects going -- an Apres Surf Hoodie in a pale blue alpaca blend yarn, which will be for DD. This is yarn I got in one of our group yarn swaps. I seem to be the queen of getting free yarn at these things, because I always see possibilities in yarn that others don't want.

Either that or I'm nuts. The Apres Surf Hoodie is knit with fingering weight yarn on 2.75 mm needles. In a lace pattern. And this yarn is grabby -- frogging is difficult. I hate to think what the seaming is going to be like. On the other hand, it's gorgeous, if I do say so myself. I have done the body, now it needs to be blocked and seamed, and then the hood will need to be knit. This is a very long-term project -- I began it in the spring. (It's not the project that I've taken longest over, though -- at least not yet.)

I'm making some scarves for the Red Scarf Project. I'm making them in a color called Plum Heather. So sue me.

And of course, socks. Actually, I didn't make any socks for a while. Isn't that odd? It is for me. I guess I got a little burned out on them for a while. But now I want more hand-knit socks for myself, so I'm knitting more. Mom has also requested another pair. Red scarves first, though.

I made something else in red (free yarn, too!) and shipped that off to England just yesterday. It's lovely, if I do say so myself.

More on that later, though. Watch this space!

I've got a Cool Sock Project Bag!

I've been meaning to blog about this ever since it arrived, and here it finally is:



Darn it, my pic came out a bit blurry. Let's see if my pic of the bottom is any better.



OK, that's a little better.

It's reversible, too, but I was a bit too rushed to dump everything out to take a pic of the other side. You can see a glimpse of the inside fabric in the first pic, and the bottom of the inside is the same as the main outside fabric.

These are by Knitting Ewe on the Go, and you can order one here, although I see on her site that she is taking a little break after pumping out a ton of these bags. She made these in conjunction with Sockapalooza 4, but having actually participated in Sockapalooza 4 is entirely optional. I didn't, as it happens.

Knitting Ewe gave great service! First of all, everyone gets to pick all four fabrics that go into these bags, and she has a great selection, all either sock monkey themed or colorful dots.

Then, when my bag didn't come out to her satisfaction, she ripped it all out and did it over, and emailed me to explain the delay and give me the option of picking a different fabric (she had to get some more in of one of the ones I had selected).

I love this -- she really cares about the quality of the bags she's pumping out for $15, and communicated with me every step of the way if there were any hitches at all. Go, Knitting Ewe!

What's in the sock project bag, you ask? Why, my current sock project, of course. This is a great bag to carry what you need for your sock project and is still small enough to go everywhere with you.



This is my second Coriolis Sock. If you're following along at home, in the book this is actually Sock 1. Yes, I knit Sock 2 first. I had some delusion that the direction of the whirlpool toe would match Sock 2 better, and that when I knit Sock 1, I would figure out how to reverse the whirlpool. That plan is out the window. But in this pic you can actually see the beginning of the spiral, which goes in the opposite direction of the other sock. I love it.

What else? Well, my knitting notions that I need for a sock, of course. To which I have recently added these:



They are from J.L. Yarnworks. Love them! I have yet to actually use them, though.

Cat Bordhi's new sock book has started a craze for lettered stitch markers, since she makes liberal use of stitch markers that she refers to by letter in her instructions. Now, it has been pointed out to me that a Sharpie and some openable stitch markers are all you really need. Or you could hang some cardstock on your regular stitch markers using some yarn. All this is quite true. In fact, I made my first Coriolis Sock (which is actually Sock 2, if you'll remember) without benefit of lettering my stitch markers at all, because I didn't find it necessary. But these are purdy, and I gave in.

While I was there, I happened across this:




She even winds it up for you if you just ask. At first I mis-read the gauge specs as "7.9", which freaked me out because it was so darn precise. "7-9", that I can deal with.

Purple sock yarn. Somehow a lot of it is ending up in this house. Couldn't be me.

I even won some purple sock yarn at Now Norma Knits from a drawing she had for people who donated to the Red Scarf Fund for Foster Youth. Yep, purple sock yarn. Thank you, Norma! Thank you, Ronni, for donating the yarn.

So you see, it isn't me. Really.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . .

When we left our story, I was expecting some prize yarn that I won in connection with the Red Scarf Project. Yay!

The yarn was generously donated by Ronni, who spoiled me a little in addition to sending me the yarn. This is why I don't do swaps, people -- I just can't keep up!

Me, I'd have just stuck the yarn in the box and figured I was lucky just to make it to the post office with it. Ronni wrapped it up in very pretty tissue paper, with a yarn bow, of course, and even a card:





And what's that tied in the bow?

It's a beautiful stitch marker that she made especially to go with the yarn:



And the yarn itself is so lovely:



It's Dream in Color Smooshy, colorway "Wisterious". I'm looking forward to knitting with this, let me tell you.

Thanks again, Norma and Ronni!

Stitches Haul

Stitches haul -- part 1:


I have been putting off posting these because of having to mouse to do it. After yesterday's treatment I felt better enough to go ahead and post these. But I am not imagining my need to avoid the mouse -- just the few clicks needed to do this made my hand tingle. I should try just moving DH's mouse over to the left. Because I do miss posting my pix.

So, what are my favorite colors? Anyone? Bueller?

Those are sock yarns, from top to bottom:
50/50 wool/Tencel blend, 4 oz./475 yds., from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm, via the Full Thread Ahead booth.

80/20 wool/nylon blend, 4 oz./500yds., from the same sources.

100% Merino, 354 yd., Fleece Artist.

The wool/Tencel blend is very soft and silky. Almost too much so. And very shiny. Would I really make this into something to hide in my shoes? I'm re-thinking this, and thinking it might be better as a simple lacy, skinny scarf. Because I just love the colors and the sheen.

Just to confuse the question of favorite colors, here's part 2 of the haul:


I'm afraid this doesn't do justice to the color. It's a beautiful red, just the way I like it, with no shades of orange, peach or tomato red to be found. 10 skeins of lovely DK merino, color "garnet", in search of a project.

Maybe with these?


But the best part of Stitches West for me was spending the day with DD and seeing her learn more about knitting. We took two of the "market sessions" (1-hour classes) together, and she learned to do cables, yarn-overs, the skp decrease, and slip-stitch color knitting. Priceless.