more trip mitts and a year end knit reconciliation

It struck me that a pair of Trip Mitts would be just the thing for a gift I needed to give last week.

There aren't many patterns I feel sure I 'll finish within 2 days. Have to admit, while I was publishing and writing about the Trip Mitts pattern here, I got a jones to knit more of them, just for funs this time.  My eyes lit on a skein of handspun I've been hoarding   saving. I had me a plan.

These are knit in a springy handspun BFL wool  in a denim colorway. The construction suits the lovely handspun colors, and the fit is pretty fab. It was a frenetic few days, last week, so I cast on early in the morning, left them on the table and whenever I had a couple of minutes or was cruising by,  I knit a few rows. Poof, by the end of the evening, the first one was done. I hadn't even thought through the contrast color /yarn for the three needle bindoff finish.

I'm  pretty suggestible when it comes to color. I walked out the front door and saw these last golden leaves fallen on a row of stones on the porch railing. I have goldy yarn leftovers aplenty here. Contrast color solved!

For a hot minute, I considered joining 12 Days of Casting On.  It appeals in that throw caution to the wind, say Yes, go wild, just do it way... but I have a pretty good amount of, let's say, abandon, in my life already.  I'm turning my attention to other projects that I'm pretty psyched about: a partially finished shawl that'll be a gift, and more yarn for a second shawl I'll keep, a lopapeysa  I am twitchy to swatch, and then maybe a lopapeysa for Dave, a partially finished bulky scarf from last winter that's got some appeal again, and I'll confess, I need some new mitts with fingers 'cause you just know it really will turn into winter one of these days.  Zoe's agitating for a new sweater too, and how can I resist that? All worthy and interesting , all knitting I am looking forward to.   

But then I was contemplating the fabulous Noro Silk Garden Solo Trip Mitts that Mason Dixon Knitting Kay Gardiner whisked out...and I thought of a dear friend who I want to gift at the New Years Eve bonfire, and I thought of at least one partial skeins of Noro Sillk Garden in my tote bags of mysterious leftovers,  ...and I know I can knit these Trip Mitts in a couple days, I have proof..so I'm casting on for them last thing tonight, and probably my last cast on for 2015.

Happy New Year to all.  What're your knitting  plans as the year flips over?

trip mitts

Fingerless mitts, knit flat and joined by a 3 needle bindoff in a contrasting color.  Fun, quick, and a perfect distraction from serious pursuits. Also really excellent on a chilly day.  As soon as you complete this entertaining maneuver that is a three needle bindoff, they're done. Boom! Just like that. Trip Mitts.

Available now on Ravelry from me  5$ us 

My list of why you might like the pattern
- if you like to knit flat instead of in the round
- if you always wanted to try a 3 needle bindoff
- if you need a quick gift
- if you hate lots of finishing on a project
- if you need some travel knitting
- if you need a quick little instant gratification knit
- if your hands are cold (had to say that, right?)
- if you like rustic or simple style
- if you happen to have an odd or leftover skein of Dk (or close) yarn around (what? you don't???shutthefrontdoor!)
- if you want a distraction from those attention-needing children family cleaning deadlines knits....

The pattern includes links to written and video tutorials for 3 needle bindoff, if the technique is new to you and you'd like some backup. It's  satisfying to have this trick in your knitting arsenal.  Done on the right side, in a contrast yarn as in the case of these mitts,the three needle bindoff  leaves a neat little stripe as a graphic element that I designed to land offset on each mitt.

I like a loose fitting mitt, so I chose Anzula Oasis, a camel/silk blend that is gorgeous to touch but nicely durable. You can knit these in almost any fiber-- a plied wool will give you more spring and more fit.

And Trip Mitts go well with seawall sitting in the mist, too.

Many thanks to the lovely Sofie for modeling these, to Kirsten Kapur for her help in fine tuning the design and to Ellen Silva of Twinset for tech editing (she's a wizard).  

Hey- if you knit any of these, send me a shout when you put them up on your Ravelry project page- I LOVE seeing what knitters do with patterns. I am SheShootsSheep on Ravelry.

fr makers to makers: the gift idea list

Welcome if you've come over from other Makers to Makers Gift Lists that preceded me. Links at the end. Definitely go click on them- they beat me to many fab gift ideas.  Let's get down to business:

a skein of Dragonfly Fibers yarn in Admiral Benbow

For the Knitters & Knitters Who Stitch on Your List: Obviously a gift certificate to your LYS is always excellent, especially if you are lucky enough to have ones like Knit New Haven or The Yarnery in Minnesota or TheYarnSpot in Maryland in your backyard*. If you can't get there in person, I bet you can call over the phone, and get personal help. Or maybe, like me, your giftee admires indie yarn shops from afar, that she/he can't get to. Or, heaven forbid, you don't have a local yarn store? Why not gift someone with a virtual, yet tangible, visit?
Start with a project or tote bag from the shop of your choice, add  a couple of skeins ofyarn that's particular to the geography, toss in a notion that they'd never treat themselves to and presto changeo--excellent gift.  (Can I also say? Feel free to just take this and mail it to someone who wants to know what to get you. Right?)
A few suggestions for starters:

peeking into Fibre Space in Old Town Alexandria VA

- Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA/Washington DC metro area. Danielle does it up right. Get one of her Knitting Space Girl totes (mine is well-used). One of the delightful aspects of the shop is they have sections dedicated to local yarn companies. I'd recommend a couple of gorgeous skeins from the talented local folks at Dragonfly Fibers like the one up top on this post or others they carry.  Top it off with a pair of little fun scissors or measuring tape.

-Other side of the USA, other Washington - Tolt Yarn & Wool is on my list of LYS to visit, someday.  Until then, their holiday tote bag filled with - well, pretty much anything they sell, you can't go wrong there. Personally, I'd put in a copy of the new book they produced with Kathy Cadigan's black and white  photos, Farm to Needle, and  a Salish Toque Kit, keeping it regional and stylish.

- If your giftee is into sewing and knitting, you must order them a gift bag of goodies from Clementine in Rockland Maine. Leah's shop selection is a sewist's dream come true- flannels, knits, wools, cottons, the best notions, patterns from the indies, dry goods, trims, and when she mails things to you, they are lovingly packaged and wrapped just so. If you need an idea of what to buy, consider some of the projects on her Pinterest board and order the makings for someone crafty. (Or, make it yourself. Do you love the flannel blankets with pompom edging?) She's also the go-to purveyor of Starcroft Yarn, grown, spun and dyed by her mom, Jani Estell.  This yarn, in itself, is never ever a bad choice.

Yarn in a Box Club/Kits !
A few years back, I listed yarn CSA's and Sock Clubs to give as gifts. The Yarn and Fiber CSA's  have all but disappeared. Clubs come and go. Do not use my old lists as a resource,  I'll save you by not linking to them. But never fear, the Yarn Box Kits is here!

a little stack of items knit with Zen Yarn Garden yarns

The purveyors of stunningly dyed yarns, Zen Yarn Garden have a fabulous subscription Zen Knit Box, it's available in shawl boxes or as the blanket club. Or you could get one of each for your giftee.

Another gift series of yarn+pattern, with lots of customization options is YarnBox . Looks delish.

Buy Ready to Wear from an Indie Maker
I truly do not enjoy shopping in big stores,  I'm  better in neighborhood small shops and oooohh baby give me a souk or market with haggling and I am so there (seriously, you probably hate dickering but I totally dig it. Take me to Morocco with you and I'll show you my stuff).  The one kind of shopping I'll go for locally is Pop Up Shops or makers markets and craft shows...but sometimes the timing isn't right. Luckily, we've got online.
Two of my faves, that I shop at
 Peterson Sweater Company - Hand loomed fine gauge knits, beautifully crafted, and excellent fitting. (If you're local, Chelsea's got a pop up shop at The Haven Collective in New Haven CT this month, too).
 

Naturwrk shirts  I know, there are so many places for screened tshirts but these, I can personally testify,  are the very best. First off, they're illustrated and screened by hand in Nashville by an indie artist.  The quality is crazy good- soft, well made and they hold up. I'm on year 4 with mine and they haven't faded or stretched out or fallen apart at the seams.  I'm kind of loving his takeoff on the xmas sweater--and the tea towels (I already have that bee on a shirt, its a summer fave). Full disclsure, the artist behind this is a cousin, but that's just icing on the cake.

And I can't leave off
ex libris anonymous -  book journals--recycled books that are recycled/upcycled into bound blank paper journals.  I love mine so much I can't bring myself to write in them (I know, that's nuts). Shopping their etsy shop is a hoot- it's  fun to legit be judging a book by its cover ;-).

The Mason-Dixon Coloring Book - in case you've been under a rock and haven't witnessed the adult coloring book phenomena this year...now we have one we can call our own. Lots of peeks inside on their blog, and ample linkage to purchase, too. Brilliant!

All around genius with color and design,  Kristin Nicholas has  many great gifts you could give in her online shops, from books and cards ,to embroidery kits to her colorful pottery. Don't wait too long thinking about that last one, it's all going to get snapped up as she refills her etsy shop!

Craft Activism  --Lastly, my book with Joan Tapper, in which we are all about making for a reason--whether you're knitting a group blanket like Fussy Cuts , upcycling and repurposing T-shirts into fabulous dresses with instructions by crispina ffrench, or discovering the granny square for its modern contribution to the world of fashion..and beyond. For makers who enjoy all the media, not just yarn.

Happy gifting! For more ideas, go to some of my maker friends who also participated in this chain of gift ideas, they beat me to many I would have included!
Beverly Army Williams / Po Mo Go Lightly
Mary Lou Egan / Yarnerinas
Cal Patch/ Hodge Podge Farm

* Apologies to all the other wonderful LYS I left off- just included a smattering of those I am in contact with most regularly.

holiday greetings of all kinds

Happy Chanukah (or Hanukah, or Hannukah - you gotta love a holiday that can't be spelled wrong in English). The Festival of Lights is on, now.  We are the house that still has pumpkins on the front porch, and a hand traced turkey drawing on the front door. But step inside and it is full blown winter holiday time. It's hard to focus on All The Things, like work, and making gifts and seeing friends and playing with dreidls and exchanging gifts and lighting candles...and because this weekend we'll have a party, instead of getting up on the food prep,  I have decided to rehab and paint a tiny bathroom that's stuck in 1995. Back when stamping brass painted fish and stars all over the dark purpley-blue walls actually seemed -and looked -cool.  Anyway, come Sunday, I will fry lotsa latkes. We make up our annual per captita potato consumption all in one weekend. And it is oily and delicious.

what I am knitting this week. The L'Arbre hat on the right is finished. The indigo yarn on the left is on the needles, to be a shawl. Yes, I seem to be into that particular color--though the shawl  is a gift.

All the added activity makes my focus fragment into a zillion pieces. Yesterday, I gave myself an hour to choose words for a new years card I was designing. The imagery was no prob. Should words that take long? Yup. It took pretty much all day. I started out looking at other cards,  googling new years wishes and new years toasts and quotes on renewal and...after three many hours, there I was reading every single post on a really sappy Pinterest board. Note to self: in 2016, when you hear a thoughtful  quote, save it to use for your new years card.

Overthink much?? Probably should have gone with this:
Life is really simple but we insist on complicating it.- Confucius

Hope the rest of your week is uncomplicated! To help simplify your gift giving , you can follow this thread of Indie Gift Ideas, starting with my friend Beverly Army Williams at PoMoGo Lightly.
Wednesday (today) is Mary Lou Egan and Thursday will be  Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm.  I have Friday, come back and check it out!

november post 16: in which we go on about colorwork

My new grey sweater is blocking, and my head is turned by colorwork. I love me a colorful project, and I'm thrilled that the lopapeysa/scandanavian/fair isle designs are popping up fresh like mushrooms after a good rain. Just looking through sweaters I've been up-close-and-personal with on photoshoots gives me crazy good options to consider..

clockwise: Bridget Pullover by Michele Rose Orne from Swans Island Yarn, Asymptote (womens version) from Modern Lopi by Lars Rains, Gulfoss by Cap Sease, from Green Mountain Spinnery

I like to always have a sweater on the needles and I am, for the moment, unfinished sweater- free. No way! We'll ignore the other UFO's that aren't sweaters and return to the sweater-starting task at hand.... here's even more color-y colorwork:

Phoebe Hat from Swans Island Yarn and Hildur by Lars Rains, Modern Lopi

Or graphic and modern and monochromatic-ish.... both below, on my to-do-list-for sure (I mean, c'mon, they are hats, they'll be done before I notice I'm knitting them)

Contrariwise by Elizabeth Elliott, and Trig, by Mary Lou Egan.

And that is not even looking at the patterns I didn't photograph.......or the mitts. 

So while I stew in my indecision juices for a day or two, I cast on another L'Arbre Hat. Solid.

november post 15: craft friday report

My friend Beverly PoMoGoLightly has good ideas. Like Craft Friday: her movement to subvert the consumer-y bummer of Black Friday. It's a day that you cruise on, in the afterglow of Thanksgiving, making stuff. And eating leftovers. (I am not entirely sure the eating of leftovers is required, but it works very well here.)

The sweater is a not-yet-released pattern by Mary Lou Egan, knit in Berroco Fiora. I am crazy about both the pattern and this yarn. More on the gilded gourds, below.

My hands-on handmade/DIY efforts this year have been heavy on ideas and light on time. Do I have ideas? oh yeah. So, here with a full day that I put aside to craft,  I was paralyzed by indecision. Knit? Stitch? Crack out the sewing machine? Crochet? Recycle/upcycle old sweaters into mittens and cowls? Beading?  In the end, beautiful weather made it impossible to stay inside all day, crafting was put off till the afternoon. Add the lure of being able to finish the sweater I've been working on (slooowwwwwly) for weeks, and clearly, knitting was irresistible. Done!

Before the fog burned off--it was already unseasonably warm by 8 am.

I realized that it was the mindset that made it an absolutely lovely day. Once I'd mentally committed to Craft Friday and staying out of the scrum of retail or anything errand related, the day became a gift. 

And the leftovers were delicious, too.

PS Wishing you all--if you are in the US- a belated happy thanksgiving At the 11th hour, as is our style, we got into it and painted anything we found in the yard gold-- leaves, twigs, little tiny pumpkin-y gourds. Scatter with some votive candles and dayum we looked swanky.

november post 14: aristida shawl

To distract from the daily blogging month fail last week, I'll show my Aristida Shawl.

Finished since May--and yet, somehow, never a good shot of it. I adore it, I wear it often, but it remains a photo enigma. This attempt, above, photo credit to  Ellen Mason, when we were on Nash Island for the sheep roundup in early June. Wet weather delayed shearing, so we spent the day just being there. It was heavenly. And...windy. You can see two delightful aspects of this shawl: bobble and fringe. In fact, these are the  two reasons I had to knit it.

I'm a lousy model,and pairing my drapey, lovely, watery blue shawl with several layers of loose fitting shirts and a baggy, sheep-drooly sweater is crazy. But I have the best reason- it was chilly and the day started at dawn in the rain, on a lobster boat. The lambs are adorable, though. I think we can all agree on that. The shawl was knit in Manos Fino, a 70/30 wool /silk single spun yarn that made every stitch of this a joy. It's a two skein shawl, it took well into the 2nd skein to complete the fringe. Fringe, I love you, but you're a yardage hog.

 

Another odd styling view of my Aristida Shawl, this shot from Kirsten Kapur Through the Loops. When temperatures plummeted while in Ohio for the TNNA show, Kirsten offered me a skein of The Fibre Company Cumbria to warm my neck. I kind of love this look, to be honest. So effortless! Also , take this moment to once again admire my bobbles.

Nash  sheep parade around the island in first light of the day, before 5 am. It's magical.

november post 13: circular reasoning saves the day

I am only barely scraping by my NaPoBloMo  attempt with a post today,  by the good grace of designer Elizabeth Elliott aka The Cusser Knits  releasing her wonderful new pattern Circular Reasoning.  It's the same geometrics that I love in her Contrariwise hat, but in a cushy cowl,  knit as a tube. 

When I photographed it for her in late August, I went out scouting for a location with no hint of the season...aka an urban plaza that was light on the nature. My good luck to find this bench, thoughtfully painted and then distressed by time and weather, to match the cowl's colorway.

It's  knit in   Spincycle Dyed in the Wool yarn, and it feels pretty amazing. The shifting colorways of the contrast color--well, I'm just going to warn you now that if you click over to their page, it is going  to be hardto leave without a purchase. Don't say I didn't warn you. 
OTOH--your holiday shopping for a knitter you love might get accomplished. Silver lining! One skein for them, one for you!

You can really see how the yarn plays here. The design features both texture and colorwork, which means it'll require some attention but won't be boring.  The stranding and ends all end up inside the tube, so not much to finish. That's a win all around.
Thanks to the brains & beauty of Josephine, my model, who once again made it all look effortless.

november post 12: old town alexandria VA

As you might have noticed, I get around. It's not like I'm well traveled globally, I have missed Marrakesh and Tuscany and England and many of the places you'd expect me to have been.  But I'm excellent in the Nook & Cranny Travel Department. Through working on photo assignments for magazines or business, or by my own curious wandering, I've spent time in so many  charming/beautiful/fascinating or quirky pockets of our continent. Add Old Town Alexandria,Virginia to the list.

I was there to teach at Fibre Space, the wonderful yarn shop in the lower left, above. It's just across the river from Washington DC, an easy Metro ride and well worth it. The neighborhood is colorful and so stroll-worthy Also...delicious. Hard to choose where to take snack breaks.  I had a roasted fall vegetable salad with brown butter vinaigrette. Need I say more?  Well, yeah actually I do:

All these photos were taken with my phone on Thursday, the day I taught two rounds of Phone Camera Workshops. The first was to a group of Old Town boutique owners/managers, and the second was to a group of knitters. That's a little stack of Miss Babs yarn held by a local jewelry designer, in the upper right.  Fibre Space is an incredibly well-run and well-stocked--aka TEMPTING and lovely place to hang out for a couple of days, it took extreme self-disclipline not to spend all my earnings on the spot. I held it to a tote bag and a couple of skeins of yarn for my mom. And many many new ideas.

november post 11: modern lopi one launches

Two days of teaching at Fibre Space in Old Town Alexandria was a blast.  Great store and great students. I am already plotting a return. But, nary moment to blog. Or even knit. Oh, the irony.

Fortunately I have some good hearty Knitting News to share with you:

 The release of this new book, Modern Lopi.  Do yourself a favor and pre-order now. Lopapeysas (and more) for all. Info and just a few more photos on Lars' site, about the book and patterns.

You can see my name on the cover. This was a memorable photo shoot, on a jungle steamy hot summer day last year. The lag time-- or as it is known in the publishing world, production- makes an instant gratification-type person like me  twitchy. And then one day, there it is, all put together and beautiful, like a little party bursting out. All the particular challenges of the work are faded from memory and all the very best parts are shining there in the photos. I'm looking forward to having my nice fresh copy soon.

Sjáumst!*

*I really hope this means see you later in Icelandic. I mean, I looked it up on the internets, it has to be true...

Nov post 10: TRIP MITTS sneak peek

See you tomorrow night or Friday at Fibre Space? Hope so!

I brought these mitts with me,in fact I brought a ton of knits with me for my trip to teach at Fibre Space. Next to a fiber festival, teaching at a yarn shop is THE place to wear multiple handknits, right? It was chilly when I left Connecticut. So happy to get off the train in DC in warmer weather! The mitts are perfect in the early morning but my sweaters and cowls may not get much of an outing, after all. Anyway,  these are the Trip Mitts, a new pattern that I'll publish next week. Blogging every day and publishing a pattern? who am I????

The Trip Mitts, knit in Anzula Oasis. Details to come!

november post 9: phone photos phorever

I resisted my phone camera for a long time, but when I finally fell for it, I fell hard.  The basic quality is quite good, and I don't need to tell you how easy it is to just hold it in your palm, take a picture and slide it back into your pocket.  Add some free and powerful apps and I'm amazed at what photos I can create.  You can, too. Join me at Fibre Space in Alexandria VA  on Thursday night 6-9 and we'll make iphone/smartphone masterpieces, together. Go grab one of the last seats, now!*

My Instagram looks like this. The class will cover making images that jump out on the social media. You can see I included work, play, family, knit-related content...life.  I pretty much stay away from looking down at my lunch plate and shooting it although if you like to, we can cover that too. I won't judge ;-)  We'll talk about how to make the best , strongest images, how to quickly edit them in your phone, and some apps that help you create a signature look, or add depth of field to mimic a DSLR shot ( as in my fortune cookie image,  and in the shot of Zoe with the dog--you can see how the chairs are defocussed--by me).

* this is a fun class to bring along a friend , whether they are knitters or not. Who knows. they may succumb to the charms of Fibre Space and become one of us.

november post 8: when in doubt, show sheep shots

an old favorite, from Autumn House Farm

• • •  Teaching at Fibre Space in Alexandria VA in just a couple of days! 

 The workshops are close to full- jump on in!• • • •

 

• Thursday Evening 6-9 Smartphone Masterpieces - hands on & fun class to take with a non-knitter  

• Friday - 10-5 Photography for Knitters & Makers- soup to nuts, Shooting to Editing & review - get up close and personal with your camera. 
________________________________________________________ 

november post 7: who knows where the time goes?

I was too busy doodling the day away on Saturday to remember to do a post. ooops! Perfection is boring, right? I'll keep plugging away for the month of November.

Time - or the lack of it--is serious business around here. And I mean that, literally. When you are self-employed, it's all one big blob of time- there's not timesheet to fill out, no hours you are expected to keep. On the one hand, there's ultimate freedom. I'm not complaining!  On the other hand: no work=no pay.  I've been working as a freelance photographer full-time most of my adult life. It suits me.  But it means my job depends on me figuring out how to make the most of my time , whether I'm on a photo shoot somewhere, editing images and  doing paperwork in my office, or planning an afternoon outing with my family. Or knitting and making stuff. If I wait to fit in, it ain't happening. The best thing is to make time for making. 

Wait, does that sound like a bumper sticker & t-shirt?

I got into working for myself because I wanted to avoid corporate/institutionalized structure--but guess what? Joke's on me! Time management theory, that organizational tool dear to the hearts of corporations, is now one of my favorite subjects. Have I found the ultimate fit-all theory? Nope, I don;t think there is one. But I had already worked out my own little semi-effective system when I heard this interview with Jule Sheranosher on the Beyond the To Do List  business podcast.  I don't listen to biz podcasts often, once in a while I remember it may be good for me-and I had this one in a set of links I'd saved.  After I heard it, I started following her Time Hackers blog & podcast snips. That link gives you some idea of her approach.Even if you just use one or two of her ideas, you'll be doing yourself a favor.

Warning: There's no woowoo factor. You won't see any hands gently cupping a seedling on her website, or little flowery curlicues. But that's what I like. Get'er done and you have plenty of time to find your own woowoo. Wait--is that a bumper sticker?..........
_______________________________________________________

november post 6: gyre- and 1 week till Fibre Space

Less than a week till I'm at Fibre Space in Alexandria VA, Nov 12 & 13th 

Thurs evening 6-9 : SmartPhone Photoclass . Not just for knitters, it's a fast, fun, phone photo class.Bring a friend!

Fri 10-5  Photo for Knitters & Makers - Tips, tricks, shooting, editing, critiquing - we'll do it all, click links for both classes' details. Limited spaces left! See you there.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

 Last month, I photographed Gyre by Elizabeth Elliott.  If you love it as much as I do, you'll be glad to know she's got it on sale on Ravelry till November 10th. This is the same person who brought you Contrariwise, by the way. She's good.

It's lined, not some kind of insane double knitting.  There is something so playful-or maybe slightly subversive-about the simple stripes paired with the baroque curlicues. Added bonus- no exposed floats of yarn or ends to weave in. They are hidden between the layers. Gotta love that.

If you want to keep it simple--or lighter weight--the pattern is also written for just the swirly side , no lining. 

In a perfect world, I'd finish my gray sweater and cast on for this tomorrow. I have some dark red and pumpkin-y orange yarn that're begging me to pair them up. What?  Doesn't your yarn talk to you? I've got several skeins that all but scream at me for attention when I walk by them......

Many thanks to Ariana for stepping in and modeling again.





  

november post 5: TBT red scarf project- returns

On the Throw Back Thursday bandwagon - back to Nov 2010..... I was going to post about the Red Scarf Project today, anyway. It's  time to knit or crochet this year's donation to support foster kids going it on their own in college. But I said it well before. The need hasn't changed at all. Only links have been updated, for accuracy........................so back we go 5 years this week.....

How convenient !I needed something to show,

and last week's pitstop near DC caught my mom with three scarves she & her buddy Claire knit for this year's Foster Care to Success (formerly the Orphan Foundation)  Red Scarf Project, (linked to guideline) which sends a handknit red scarf to approximately  2500 former foster kids now attending college. FYI:  The scarves should be sent to the FOSTER CARE TO SUCCESS (FCTS) office by December 15th, they get sorted and mailed on Valentine's Day.*

 This one is knit from the same Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worsted in Wine Splash I showed last week, she can't remember which scarf pattern,  it was a 2 or 4 row repeat she downloaded. The red tweed one was Claire's; Claire said she had trouble following her directions, so the stitch is not  as it was supposed to  be but it looks pretty good in a different way. 

 

The last one is Wavy, from Knitty 06, in Cascade 220 superwash.  Although Leo is a  Miami-based college student who doesn't need a woolly scarf and, anyway, eschews handknits (I know!? let's not go there!) he modeled it  to prove that it looks pretty good on a guy even if he's making faces..

*All  Red Scarf Project details here .
Essentials:

• red or non-gender color yarn, any weight except super bulky (it mails in a fed ex box)

• any knit , crocheted or woven pattern that suits either gender. Lacy, not so much.

• 5-8" wide, about 60" or so long

The folks at the FC2S offices  are not weighing and measuring with scientific instruments, it's guidelines, don't fret! Send them by December 15 and feel good. Or, you can feel just as good by sending a donation of gift cards or money to suport the kids who have no "home" to call for reinforcements. Go, cast on for one. Or send. Today.

 

A few remaining red leaves. Just for inspiration. Doncha love red with light blue?

november post 4: that granny square hat

In which I share two topics dear to my heart: granny squares and the virtue of having an ongoing series photo project (ha! You thought I was going to say Zoe and Bobo, two topics also dear tomy heart. OBVIOUSLY).

The usual suspects. She put the plastic rats, shown under her arm, on his head after the hat came off.

A while back I saw this granny square hat on Pinterest, called the Rainbow Beanie, which linked to a tutorial. I love me a granny square project on the side of the knitting, it is all about playing with scraps of color. I figured why not use leftover yarns from Zoe's blanket to make her one.The tutorial itself comes down on the super chatty side of things, but it'll get you going.  Sometimes less is more, in the instructions, if you know what I mean. The hat itself is a keeper- and gets pulled out of the  basket by the front door with some regularity.  Year round, whether she needs a hat or not (I am sure many would agree with her, that you always need a hat).  I am tempted to make a less Grateful Dead-ish one for myself, like Fiorella by Courtney Kelley. Though I suspect it'll still have that hippiechick look on me.(Even worse, aging stuck in time hippiechick. Not a pretty category).

This photo was  in my Instagram feed (I am @galezucker on Instagram), it's part of a series I started 18 months ago  #dailyzoe   Zoe, the easiest kid on earth has one thing she is particular about. It began as soon as she could point and grunt. She likes to put together her own clothing. She has opinions.  Since I care not at all what people think of her outfits, and she's been dressing herself since she 2, this works out well for us all.

It's more than a little overindulgent, I get that. But just as I always have a granny square project going on, I like to have a little photo series underway, something that I can keep adding to, that can be a signature of sorts, and a little bit of a challenge, trying to keep it from getting too repeititve . It's all shot on my phone cam,so it's short and sweet and easy to upload to Instagram and FB.It's a creative doodle, who doesn't love a creative doodle? You can see more at #dailyzoe  on Instagram.