More scarves for the Knit Wits

The Braham Knit Wits have been knitting for charity for a long time – since 1998.  We’ve knit and donated a lot of scarves, hats, mittens, baby blankets and more.  Last week at our meeting I brought a bunch of scarves that I knit.

Eight scarves

They are all knit on my knitting machine, so they took very little of my time. 

Different widths

Some are wider than others, but all are the same simple seed stitch.  All have fringe the same length and with some white yarn added to the color of the scarf. 

Purple scarf

Since they are so similar, I could move from one to the next with little thought.  My goal was just to crank out some scarves and use up some acrylic yarn.  I did end up with a couple empty cones – like when I ran out of the peach yarn!

Peach and white scarf

Since the peach was enough to make just half the scarf, I finished it with white and used both colors in the fringe. I’ve got a lot more acrylic yarn and I see a bunch more scarves heading to the Knit Wits in the near future.  They will probably be kept until this fall when there will be more need of scarves, but it is good to get a jump the stock pile of goodies to be donated.

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A bit for charity

Over the last month or so, I’ve made a few baby blankets with acrylic yarn to give to charity.

In pink and blue

Each has a different stitch pattern, so it was a bit of learning for me.

All different

They are rather light weight, but will make a good blanket for little ones to carry around and hug. 

Scarf in green

And one wide scarf is also ready to go on a mitten tree or other local charity. 

My last craft show of the year is this Saturday, December 8 in Zimmerman at the United Methodist Church.  Come join in the shopping fun.

Day 3 at Camp

Saturday was the last of Knitting Machine Camp at Rocking Horse Farm.  Three days of knitting, learning, laughing and eating!  What could be more fun!

I tried an experiment.  I knit a little swatch, increasing on one side, decreasing on the other side on every other row.  In essence, simulating my loop scarf design.  But it didn’t work.  The decrease edge rolled, the increase edge did not roll.  Neither edge rolls on my hand knit version.  No one could really explain why the machine decrease behaved differently than the version knit by hand.  It is still a mystery. 

Then I knit a scarf / shawlette.

A little too big

This was a pattern from last year’s camp.   But my yarn was a little thick, so I used the loosest tension.  Thus my scarf is a little big to be worn as intended. 

Works as a shawl

But it is nice size for shawl.  This is some of my charity yarn – I think it is a cotton acrylic blend.  It feels pretty nice and has a bit of a thick/thin texture.  This shawl will also go to our church’s festival next month, too.  Feels good to check that task off my list.

So Camp is complete for another year and I have a year to put to use the new things I learned. 

On the baby front – Annie is still holding out.

Finished Object

I showed you a new baby blanket that I started here.  Last weekend, I had some car-time and finished the knitting. 

Finished!

 

As you may remember the white yarn was dirty.  It even had a rather stickiness to it when I was knitting.  After all the ends were woven in, I tossed the blanket in my washing machine with nice sudsy warm water.  After a rinse and a spin, I plunked it into the dryer.  It came out grandly!  It was all clean, stains gone, stickiness gone, nice and soft.  It is over 2 feet square and quite heavy.  It will certainly keep a little one warm and cozy when it gets donated later in the year. 

 

Rollin’ along

Remember those 3 red balls of yarn?

Mittens

Now, 3 pair of red mittens.  Still need sewing, but progress was made.  And that yellow dye bath?

Yellow yarn

It is in the queue to be knit into mittens.  Orange is in the dye pot now!

Felted Soap

This is my second batch of felted soap.   Two more felting sessions and the lavender scented soap will be done.

Scarf for charity

This is my latest scarf made with acrylic yarn.  I’m really loving this pattern.  I didn’t steam it and the edges lay really flat.

Scarf pattern

And the stitch pattern is pretty, too.  The reverse side is almost a mirror image.  Very nice together.  Tomorrow, I’m going to try this pattern 3 wide to see how it works for a wrap.  The scarf is a little over 6 inches wide.  Will 18 inches be wide enough for a wrap?  First acrylic, then if all goes well, I’ll have an alpaca wrap pretty soon! 

Must be the spring-like weather!  It is scaring me into super speed mode as I feel like festivals and markets are just around the corner.   Oh Yikes!  Seven weeks until Shepherd’s Harvest! 

 

Manly wrist warmers

I’ve been knitting some manly-man wrist warmers. 

8 pairs to sew

These will be felted after I get them sewn together.  I’m planning a nice long session with my sewing needle to get these all sewn together.  I have more yarn drying that I just dyed today that is also destined to be knit and felted into wrist warmers.  This time I even have some colors that might appeal the outdoorsy gal, too.  Great for hunting or ice fishing or shoveling snow.

Here’s another scarf for charity.

Another scarf

This is a new pattern and I really like it.  It lays very flat without being blocked, which tends to flatten the texture.  Looks like my knitting group will have a nice stash of scarves to donate by next fall.

New beginnings

I’ve started a new baby blanket / lap robe using acrylic yarn from my charity stash.  I found 4 skeins of matching white yarn that should be enough for a blanket.  Actually it will be enough.  When half the yarn is knit, I’ll be half done with the blanket – no matter how big it is! 

Beginning a blanket

 

I also found some small amounts of pastel yarn left over from knitting machine projects.  I’ll knit using one strand of white and one strand of a pastel.  I’m hoping to use up the pastels.  As you can probably see, the white yarn is dirty on one end of the skeins.  I’ll need to wash the blanket after it is finished. Should be a nice blanket for someone in need. 

I also started the front of my topper.  The left front and right front are identical rectangles, which together are the same size as the back.

Left or right - both the same

 

So far the gauge seems to be very close. I have 2 knitting group meetings coming
up this week, so I’m hoping having these 2 projects ‘needle-ready’ will help keep
me productive!

More progress on my ‘me time’ projects

So far, I’ve been doing pretty good at carving out a little knitting time for non-business projects.  I finished the blanket / lap robe. 

Finished

 

It is about 2 foot square.  It is rather wild for a baby, but I think it would be appreciated by a chemo patient or an elderly person who isn’t very active.  I hope it brightens someone’s day.   It will find its way to someone through my knitting group.  And I’ll start on another. 

And I’ve made progress on my topper, too.   

The back is finished.

 

This the back of my topper.  I think the fit is looking good so far.   The bottom curls up a little, but blocking and side seams will fix that.  There is also a crocheted edge – that should be interesting, since I don’t crochet.  I’m excited to get started on the next piece.  The goal for completion:  Beginning of May! 

Happy 2012 to all

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had wonderful Holidays with family and friends.  Life has been very good at Hollyhock Farm Alpacas and we’re looking forward to a great new year, too.

I usually don’t make resolutions at the beginning of a year.  If, during the year, I think of something that is worth doing, or not doing, or changing, I attempt to make that happen right then.  I usually don’t wait for a certain day on the calendar.  But sometimes, it just happens to work out that me and the calendar are in synch.

At one of my fiber group meetings last month I was sewing up seams on wrist warmers.  Someone asked what I was doing.  My reply included that ‘Somewhere I had lost my hobby in the quest for a business’.  I have thought about that statement a lot over the weeks since then.  And now that the gift-giving rush is over and my sales and shows are at a minimum, I’m resolving to reclaim my hobby.

Back to the basics

So yesterday, I found some acrylic yarn from my charity stash and a circular needle and spent most of the day knitting on this blanket.  It is just a little over half done.  While I knit, I listened to an audio book.  I didn’t think of inventory or marketing or even alpacas for most of the day.  It was a nice break.  I hope to carve out some time each week to knit for pleasure.  I have a few things I would like to make for me.  And some days, it is nice to just knit and listen to a story!

 

What are your resolutions for 2012? 

Rocking at Rocking Horse Farm

Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday was Knitting Machine Camp at Rocking Horse Farm.   Yes, I went again.  Yes, the food was great again.  Yes, I learned new things again. 

One lesson this year was on dyeing sock blanks and knitting socks.  Though this yarn wasn’t dyed during camp, here are socks just off the knitting machine:

Ready to be sewn

Socks made on a flat bed knitting machine (as opposed to a circular sock knitting machine) need to have a seam. 

All sewn up

They look great after the seam is sewn and the seam is said to not be a problem when wearing.  I think I may have to try this.  I love my manufactured alpacas socks.  About time I made my own?

Knitted pillow

Another industrious camper was making pillows.  She made bunch of them during camp.  The outside is knit, stuffed with a pillow form and finished on the machine.  Very elegant. 

My projects?

Two more scarves

I made these two scarves for charity to continue to perfect my cast on and bind off.  The purple was first and the coral is a little improved, but not perfect yet. 

Shawlette

One of the class projects was to make these scarves / shawlettes.   We learned to do ‘short-rowing’ – a technique to create shaping.  Short-rowing is also used in the socks to shape the heel and toe. 

Purple shawl

I made a second shawl – this one for my favorite Red Hat Lady!  (that’s you, Mom!)  The fringe can either be unraveled – as on this purple one, or left connected to the edge, as on the coral one.  Which do you like better?

I also learned a very nifty (though rather time-consuming) way to make a lacy panel.   I have plans for using that.  You’ll have to wait to see it.