Red Scarf 2009.2

December 7, 2009 By Carole

I finished my second red scarf on Friday. The yarn is the same as the yarn in my first red scarf, Berrocco Ultra Alpaca but this time the pattern is mistake rib. It’s a simple pattern, maybe a little boring to knit, but it produces great results.

The snow is a bonus that I’m quite happy about it. I just think the white stuff makes a perfect backdrop for the red scarf. Too bad it didn’t arrive in time for our Christmas on the Common celebration. Instead we got soaking rain. Blech.

So how about you? Have you knit a red scarf yet? The deadline is 12/15 so you really need to get cracking!

Red Scarf 2009.1

August 26, 2009 By Carole

You all know about the Red Scarf Project, right? This is Norma’s charity of choice and it’s a fine one. I could try and write great things about this project and why it’s so important but Norma has already said it much better than I could.

The Red Scarf Project, a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org, collects scarves to send in Valentine’s Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. These brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college. The care packages are welcome tokens of encouragement to young people who otherwise receive little to no mail.

I lifted that right off Norma’s Red Scarf Project blog but I don’t think she’ll mind. And I don’t think she’ll mind that this year, instead of sending money as I have for the past 2 years, I’m sending scarves. Here’s the first one.

The pattern is Mabel’s Scarf by Larissa Brown and the yarn is Berrocco Ultra Alpaca in a beautiful tomato red. I only used one skein and it could perhaps be a might bit longer but I’m hopeful it will make a college student warm and happy this Valentine’s Day.

I love the geographical pattern and think that makes it very unisex – something that’s very important for these scarves. Another thing that’s important about these scarves is that they be of excellent quality. Oh hell, I’ll let Norma say it again.

Please remember QUALITY. This is not for beginner knitters or crocheters.

The goal is for gift-worthy tasteful unisex collegiate scarves for middle class American college students — something they would feel proud to wear, just as if they were your own college-age son, daughter, or grandchild — using the following guidelines:

Soft yarns, a drapey gauge, evenly knit or crocheted (but not anything that could be interpreted “lacy”)
Does not have to be machine washable (but please include washing instructions)
DK or light worsted weight is the preferred weight (can be fingering weight doubled)
NO BULKY or SUPER-BULKY (it does not fit in the care package boxes)
5-8 inches wide
60-70 inches long
RED! is the MUCH PREFERRED COLOR. Other tasteful UNISEX colors are acceptable, but RED is PREFERRED. Absolutely NO PINK or LAVENDER, and no colors that the general public might not like. Yellows, oranges, and certain shades of green are examples of what I’m talking about. Some people (me included) love those colors — others really get turned off by them.
NO LACE. NO FRILLS. NO ROTINI SCARVES. NO FUN FUR.
UNISEX, please.
No felted scarves.
No used scarves.

So that’s the deal with the Red Scarf Project 2009. Scarves can be sent from 9/1 – 12/15 and I plan on knitting another scarf or two to go along with this one. I’m hoping that some of you will join me and make a hard-working college student warm and happy.

Charity Hats X 3

December 10, 2008 By Carole

I responded to Jean’s call for hats by knitting 3 hats. This was a great way to try out some patterns I’ve been considering for Dale. The good news is that he loves all three. Or wait – is that the bad news?

Here’s the 3AM Cable Hat

And Norma’s Bulky 2X2 Ribbed Hat

And the Seaman’s Cap

I knit them all with some Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride I had in my stash. They took very little time and I think they turned out pretty well. They will be warm and that’s what really counts.

In conclusion – – –
Money spent? zero dollars
Time spent? a few hours
Great feeling achieved knowing I’m helping someone else? priceless

With a Thankful Spirit

November 26, 2008 By Carole

A few people have asked about Knit Unto Others, the charity knitting blog that Margene and I have promoted for the last two years. You heard it here first: we aren’t doing it in 2008. Of course we still support knitting for charity but the prospect of tracking knitters and their projects and prizes and their distribution, well, we just didn’t have it in us this year.

We know you understand, just as we know that you don’t need a prize to bribe you into knitting for someone less fortunate. You already know that knitting for charity is a wonderful and rewarding thing. You also know that many of us have much while too many of us have very little. Even without Knit Unto Others you know that now is the time to share that abundance with someone less fortunate.

If I’ve convinced you to do some charity knitting then I hope that you’ll consider making a contribution to Jean’s hat drive. You can read all about it on her blog but the quick and dirty version is that she is collecting hand knit hats for the homeless in New York City. It’s cold out there, people, and everyone could use some wool to keep warm.

If we all knit with a thankful spirit I believe we can really make a difference. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends – I’ll be back on Friday for Eye Candy Friday: Thanksgiving Style.

Knitted Unto Others

December 3, 2007 By Carole

A bit of blog business: The 20,000th comment came in on Thursday morning and it was left by my real life friend and fellow blogger,Betty! Watch for a special package from me, Betty. And thanks to all of you who comment. I read and respond to every single one. They really mean a lot to me.

Okay, let’s talk about knitting! Charity knitting. Yeah! So, how did you do with Knit Unto Others? Due to my confinement to the couch for much of last week, I did better than I expected.

That’s 3 pairs of mittens and 4 hats. Yeah me.

Truthfully, I don’t like to make a big deal about charity knitting. It’s something I do now and again and I try to be gracious about it but I do get antsy to get back to my regular knitting. So, for me anyway, Knit Unto Others is perfect. I do it for two weeks and then I’m done. No guilt, no glory.

Now is the time to tell us how you did with your charity knitting. Send an email to knituntoothersATgmailDOTcom and tell us you participated. You don’t have to tell us how many things you knit or where you sent them because you only had to participate to be entered into the random drawing. However, it might be fun to add up all the different items that went out to all the different places so if you want to include that information, go on ahead and do that.

We’ll award prizes next week so get those emails to us by Friday, December 7th, okay? And, thanks to the generosity of Anne, Gale, and Kirsten, they won’t just be from Margene and I.

Let’s hear it for the kindness of knitters everywhere!