Answering The Call

Well, I've finally got a new purse project. I'm making a hat for a homeless man in the city as part of a contribution my knitting group is making to President Obamas call to service. Knitters are known for their big hearts and frankly, never has this country needed its big-hearted people more than NOW. It doesn't take much. Just one hat from one person will, collectively, become a heap of hats for lots of people. It's like the slow drip, drip of water dropping from a tap. Before long you have a whole cup and then a whole sink full!

My first hat turned out a bit small. I'm knitting with Red Heart which is 100% acrylic. It's not a wonderful yarn, but it washes well which is what they need at the homeless shelter. I was hoping it would give a little but the combination of yarn and a smaller needle led to gauge issues. My son is thrilled though. Now he gets the hat he's been asking me for since Christmas!



So now I'm casting on more stitches on a larger needle and making another. (The pattern is the Marsan Watchcap by Staceyjoy Elkin.) This one will definitely reach the person its meant for. As it's my new purse project, I'll be working on it wherever I am, serving our community one hat at a time.

Sunday Knitting

It was challenging at church this morning.

The pastor was in fine form as usual, his analogies hitting the mark perfectly. His message was clear and appropriate during our present times, exhorting us all to think deeply about our lives and the lives of others. Even my voice was challenged this morning by the vast range of music that the worship team had chosen for this weeks praise. Yet the most challenging aspect of the service came in the form of a fellow worshipper.

I shared my pew today with a lady who knits. Now, I'm well aware of the fact that our pastor has nothing against people knitting during his sermon, what I wasn't aware of though, was how absolutely, torturously tempting I'd find it!

Out of the corner of my eye I could see her needles flying as she made great headway on a hat for a local mission project. I found my thoughts wandering from the pastors words as I wondered whether she was an English or Continental knitter; a wrapper or a thrower?

I snuck a surreptitious glance to my right and quickly ascertained that, yeah, she was a 'cottage' knitter just like me and she throws her yarn!

As the pastor continued his eloquent sermon, I wrapped my arms around myself to try to contain the movements that my hands were so desperate to indulge in. I could see the rythmic movement of the knitting needles just within my line of vision. I can't tell you how painful this was. In the end I had to position myself very slightly turned towards my left in an effort to ignore my fellow knitter.

Sitting on my hands, it took all my concentration at church this Sunday not to yell out, "Are you knitting top down or bottom up?!"

Small Projects And Time Management

I've finished the Chameleon hat and it looks great! It's a wonderful pattern and can be worn in many different ways. You just choose how you want to fold the brim. I decided that I wanted to create a cloche hat style and so folded the hat up higher on one side than the other before I blocked it. The reversable pattern makes it look so effective folded this way. The Frog Tree yarn is beautifully soft and was fine to work with. I really love the look of this hat and will certainly be making more.

I've also finished another Hope hat just in time for it to go off to Tanzania this weekend. The bright green and gold colours are sure to delight an African child.

Meanwhile I've cast on again for those Reggio sock yarn socks that my son has been asking me to make him for the past year. I think he'll be getting them for Christmas. Yes, time is flying and so my thoughts have turned to all those projects I want to get done for Christmas. To narrow them down (and maintain my focus) I'm just going to knit for those I truely love and who appreciate my handmade items. Otherwise I end up stressed out on projects for others and my nearest and dearest have to wait.

Have a good week everyone and 'Keep Clicking!'

Herbs And Hats

This weeks creative collection started last weekend when I finally put all my dried herbs into jars. I picked them from my containers in the garden about 6 weeks ago and they had been drying on trays in the garage. With colder nights on their way, I needed to get my car back inside and so the herbs had to be sorted out. They smelled lovely as I carefully put them into jars ready for use during the winter.

I also harvested the first of my tomatoes this week. I have to say that I created the most delicious open sandwich yesterday from a slice of good, thick homemade brown bread, some cheese, ham and homegrown tomato to top it off. It was divine and I was so proud of myself! The tastes transported me immediately back to Norway, where a soggy, floppy sandwich is unknown.

I now have a mere 8 rows to go on the baby blanket! Hurrah! I intend to finish it this weekend and get it blocked. Meanwhile I've started out on another hat for the Safi Foundation's annual trip to Tanzania. I know the children will love the bright colours of this hat.

Finally, I have received closure on the Oh My! situation with Plymouth Yarn. They followed up with the owner of my LYS, but would not offer me a credit, just a bag of the same yarn. Not exactly ideal customer relations. However the sweet lady at my LYS decided to test the batch of yarn they sent her and has offered me the credit at her store instead. Yesterday I made the most of it and purchased some gorgeous worsted weight Merino and Alpaca Frog Tree. I feel a Gretel hat by Ysolda Teague coming on!

Small Is Beautiful!

The children went back to school this week (at least they did towards the end of the week) so there was little time for creativity. Sorting out everyones supplies, problems, timetables etc and transporting them too and from events has taken over as we struggle to re-establish some kind of routine. I managed two rows of knitting on the baby blanket while sitting in the car at soccer practice on Tuesday, but then realised I'd made a mistake and had to unpick the work I'd done!



Aside from flinging together a delicious sweet'n'sour chicken dish inbetween chauffeuring commitments, I have managed to make a super little hat this week out of remnants from my stash. It is going to Tanzania to help an African child keep warm. It was hugely satisfying to create something from scratch that could make the difference between life and death for a child living a world away. Small things can mean so much.