Knit Hat for Donation

The "Knitting Hens" as member D is referring to us now, have taken on a project to knit/crochet hats and scarves to send as part of a new clothing/shoebox drive being done by East Lanier Community Church. These collected items will be going to a very depressed and rural part of West Virginia. I have finished my first hat. It's hard to tell, due to how the flash washed out the colors, but the yarn here is Hobby Lobby's Baby Bee Sweet Delight Twist in the color dawn, which is white and pale pink with the black twist. The pattern is one for Knit Hat & Mits from Red Heart which is configured for a number of sizes. The one in the picture is adult women sized (based on the fact that it's on my head in that last picture. :) I'll be making more in in the smaller sizes. The matching scarf to this hat is about half done and will be pictured later.

01/07/2009 Update: I'm behind I know, but I wanted to take a minute and say that between my daughter K and I, we contributed 2 hat/scarf sets and 3 scarves. Overall, our little group of knitting hens sent something like 1 dozen hats and 4 dozen scarves to West Virginia to keep people warm. What a great feeling!!

The Awesome Bone

This is a cross-over post with my other blog My Adventures in Wonderland, because it's doggie and crafty. Isn't this truly an awesome bone? I found the pattern at the KrisKnits blog. I think hers came out a little smaller than the ones she has pictured. The one pictured above is the first completed of 4. I found small squeaks to put inside either end of the bone when I stuffed it. I used the recommended size 6 needles (in my beloved bamboo) and ombre Lily Sugar & Cream worsted weight cotton yarn. The stripes came out awesome. I figured the bone would be something cute that my friend J would appreciate the sentiment of more than Archimedes would appreciate the entertainment of, but I must admit I was wrong. Archimedes loved the bone. I'm not sure if it was the size, the texture, or the fact that it was light enough for him to pick up and carry around. Whatever it (or the combination) was, it was a roaring success. More pictures and video of Archimedes with the bone are at this Picasa album. One thing to note, if you are making them for puppies you know: I don't expect it to hold up well to harsh treatment. I would not give this to any animal who will not have direct supervision or to a large animal who will tear it up rapidly. I would be fearful of choking hazard from the stuffing or the squeaks or the cotton yarn if (when) it ravels.

More Recycling

A couple of weeks ago I spent a little while cutting up several hundred plastic bags and throwing them into this bin. Last night I rolled 4 balls of "plarn" out of the Kroger bags. I hope to make myself several grocery shopping bags, as soon as I find (or design) a pattern I like. I've got plenty more plastic bags too.

I finished the bag!!

I finished the bag today. It came out very cool! I even tested it by putting 2 - 12 packs of Diet Dr. Pepper into it and it held them with no problem whatsoever. I can hardly wait to show everybody who've been waiting for the finished product!!

Recycling Revisited

So, last night I finally got enough of the "plarn" rolled up to start a project. Here's where I left off when I went to bed. The project is the Green Shopping Bag. Obviously mine's not green, because bags from Publix and Ingles are tan. :) I've finished one side and started the second. I don't know if I have enough "plarn" to finish it. I may have to cut up a few more bags. What you see is all of the tan bags I had flattened. Each of these projects takes a lot of bags. So that I would have plenty, I sent out an officewide e-mail at work requesting they bring me all of their bags, no matter the color. I've had a great turnout! DH's response has been to not look into the crafts room because he really doesn't want to know.

Yellow & White Afghan

Last Friday night I finished the yellow and white afghan I was making for my friends C & C's second baby, which was due Sunday (Mother's Day). Cut that one close didn't I? Well, even delivering the blanket on Sunday did not result in the delivery of the baby. She didn't make her entrance until Thursday night. The blanket is made out of my favorite Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn. This one is Sweet Stripes - Sunshine Stripes. I love how pretty it came out. The pattern came out of an old issue of Crochet with Red Heart Magazine. (I'll figure out which one that was again and post an update to this later.) The blanket came out huge. At the knitting group, we were joking about the fact that it was getting so big it would fit a twin bed. Naturally, C & C loved it. It'll be something they treasure I'm sure.

Recycling

I'm behind on my blogging due to computer problems, so bear with the whole bunch of posts to follow. I'll start with my "recycling". You've all seen my post about the cute little purses the lady in the waiting room was making when I was at the hospital with DH. Well, I decided that I wanted to do something with the leftover grocery sacks I had around the house, which continue to accumulate. I tried several different methods for cutting them into strips including a photographic mat cutter and folding them up and just cutting them into small chunks which I then unrolled into the loops (DH's suggestion). Nothing worked so well as the rotary cutter, mat, and straight-edge that quilters use (that I had laying around and had never used). I tried as many as 8 neatly flattened out bags without difficulty. I could get even width strips. Weaving the loops through each other and then rolling into the ball of "plarn" was not at all difficult.