Scrap Blanket Confession

I recently purchased a knitting book that had a beautiful blanket knitted from your scrap yarn.

The idea was to knit each row with a different string of yarn to use up your scraps.   Because each row was different you could use any weight of yarn, just alternate the weights to keep a flat blanket.

If you had enough scrap yard you could do a theme like cool colors only or warm colors. Or you could group the cool colors together and gradually work towards the warm colors.  Whatever your scraps allowed you to do.

Well being a new knitter and only having completed a few projects, I have a no scraps.

So I created my own version of scraps…  I’m buying different skeins of yarn that are on sale.   I’ll probably have enough “scraps” to knit many lap blankets for my chemo ministry.   And I am leaning towards cool colors for calming blankets.

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Thrift Store Rescue!

Another cute bag rescued from the thrift store.  I wash these and give them to new members in our knit and crochet for charity group for their projects.

Yikes! I didn’t notice it was reversible with a nice pocket for row counter, stitch markers, etc.

 

Welcome Renee!

Knitting and Crochet for Charity, Getting Ready for Winter

Our church group does a lot of knitting and crochet for charity.  We need to start now to have enough items for all our favorite charities this fall.

These cutie pies are toppers for hats for children.  The kit comes with enough yarn for a hat or scarf for a child and an adorable topper (the scarf cleverly has a slot where the little animal gets pushed through-no struggling by a small child to wrap a scarf around the neck).  These were on sale because… well… who wants to knit warm hats during the summer?  We have two grade schools with disadvantaged children who come to school without hats, scarves or mittens.  The ladies are excited to get a head start on providing them some warmth.

Charity Networking

Arvada Christian Church recently filled up my truck with goodies for Arvada The Rising Church’s ministry for the disadvantaged and homeless.

Extreme networking!

Thank you to both churches!

Finally Done! Knitting for Charity.

Finally completed a knitting project! Two sets of mittens and one scarf for little girls who are in need. At least I got them done before summer!

Knitting in Public for Charity!

Knitting at tire store waiting for my snow tires.  Scarf to go with girl’s mittens knitted for disadvantaged child.

A woman was intrigued and is going to join our knit and crochet for charity group in January, yay!

Update on Knitting for Charity

These are my first mittens!  They are a lot smaller than they look, for a first grader’s itty bitty hands.

I am also making a matching scarf.  This is also my first scarf.

They will be given to a grade school child (I am sure a girl because of the bright pink!) at one of the two schools our church knitting and crocheting group is making mittens and scarves for disadvantaged children.

This project is rewarding.  Another blogger told me that to receive something someone put time and effort into was a huge gift emotionally.  Next up are some boys’ mittens in an appropriate boy color.

I am leaving the little strings for my teacher to make sure I finished properly and that these mittens don’t unravel away….

Finally a Real Knitting Project

So after months and months of practicing knitting squares, trying to learn stitches and get some tension control, I am finally starting a real project.

Our knit and crochet for charity group is making mittens for underprivileged children at two elementary schools.  I am making mittens with a matching scarf.

I am also learning how to knit in the round, yay – no seam to sew!

Can’t tell how my tension is because I have only done a few rows:)

I’ll let you know if I can figure out the pattern when I get to the thumb, sigh.

Anyway, wish me luck……

Fidget Quilts by Sandy and Anna

 

Sandy and Anna, master quilters, have been busy with a project I suggested to them.

My mom suffered from a type of dementia at the end of her life. The doctor said it wasn’t really Alzheimer’s and I was grateful for that.

She always remembered who I was, and every weekend we worked on a flower arrangement and  a jigsaw puzzle.

She sometimes got confused or forgot things. She and I discussed her memory loss and she knew that she needed to be kept safe for when she did get confused.   She was living in a memory care center with other people that suffered from different kinds of dementia or Alzheimer’s. 

There was a condition that most of the people she lived with suffered from called sundowners. At the end of the day a terrible confusion would spread through the residents.

My mom didn’t usually catch the confusion but it would make her anxious.  She usually went to her room to take a nap or read.  When  sundowner time came, she insisted that I leave as it was just too unsettling to be around during this time.

The anxiety and confusion these poor folks felt each and every day has stayed with me. These quilts are designed to be small, lap sized. All the little items on them  offer a distraction to the confused mind.

All the amazing textures, buttons and zippers, little pockets are wonderful at sundown.   The quilt on the left here has a plastic sleeve where you can insert a picture, too clever huh?

Thank you Sandy and Anna for all you do this is really going to make a difference  and I know it’s going to help relieve a lot of the anxiety these people suffer from.

It is also shown that using your brain in creative new ways helps keep your memory active so not only are Sandy and Anna doing a wonderful thing for others but their brains are getting the benefit of creating this amazing art!

P.S.   I hope they are also using up some of their quilt stash and scrap materials!

 

Knitting Itty Bitty Miniscule Socks

The knitting and crochet for charity group is making these itty-bitty infant socks!

Not only are they using tiny needles and delicate yarn but they are also using four needles at one time!!

Yikes!  They are fast and their tension is perfect (have you figured out I have tension envy).

The group discussed newborn kits for those in need. Homemade socks, hats, blankets plus baby lotions, diapers and all the stuff new moms need for their new babes.