Knitting - Please don't blame me for the weather

 Knitting - Please don't blame me for the weather

Oops. We have suddenly had a brief cold snap this week including snow on Friday. I have felt slightly guilty about this due to the fact I happened to comment the other day about it might be getting a little late in the year for knitting Scarves. - Sorry my bad : (

I was unexpectedly given some more yarn so along with what I had left I thought I might as well make a few more knitted items for The Salvation Army.

Garter Stitch Knitted Scarves Continuous

 

Theses scarves are knitted in the same fashion as the previous ones with short pieces of yarn adding together to make one continuous and colourful mixture.

You probably cannot tell from the photographs but third one is slightly different from the rest. Whereas most of scarves have been 30 stitches cast on 5 mm needle (I am still using a circular needle for easy of knitting on the go) the last was only 25 stitches. This was because otherwise I may have not enough yarn to have knitted a sufficient length,

Garter Stitch Knitted Scarves Square

These Scarves are made in a different fashion. They are knitted in Garter Stitch but instead of being knitted continuously from start to finish they are made up of rough squares sewn together. I know they look a bit lopsided but that is because I was rushing to take a photo and didn't lay them out properly.

The cast on is 30 stitches on a 5 mm needle. Each square is roughly 50 rows (25 each side) not including casting on and off, though I have to admit that I did it more by eye than ticking off each row.

The reason I made the Scarves in this fashion is because they were the remains of another project - a blog for another time. I photographed them together so you could see that if desired they could changed from scarves to a blanket simply by sewing them together. 

Winter Warmers for the Sally Army.

Last year I decided to make items of knitwear for The Canaan Trust a Christian Charity for Local Homeless Men. This year I am knitting for the Ladies.

A suggestion was made that I try asking if the Salvation Army would be interested in said items. So I went along to their weekly Friday Coffee Morning and asked.

They said they would be delighted to have some items. They do have both a table top and a local shop but these items are being taken when they go visiting the elderly and infirm in their homes.

Therefore last Friday (5^th Feb 2016) I took in the items I had knitted so far including one I finished at the Coffee Morning.

Ladies Scarves

 

The above scarves were knitted in a variety of stitches which accounts for the undulating shape. The stitches used were Plain, Purl, Moss and Rib.

Large Blankets for Back or Legs

The Blankets pictured were all knitted in Garter Stitch (Plain)

Foot Blanket

And finally last but not least a…

Hand Blanket

The above mini blanket was the one I finished on site with barely 10 minutes to spare. I am still knitting but at a less hectic pace. I have a huge craft project to do which is going to take a great deal of concentration and work. However I am sure I will find something that will whet your appetite long before that is ready : )

Hats for the Homeless

Hats for the Homeless

First of all let me apologise for the lack of blogs but I have been struggling with life in general. Therefore events are happening quicker than I can cope with so my blog posts will be out of chronological order for awhile.

I have recently met a lady whose attitude has inspired me to focus more on the positive things. After meeting her I had an idea for a new project and you all know what my little ideas turn into!

Due to poor health I have had in recent years had to scale back any kind of voluntary work. However this idea allows me to work when I feel able to. Anybody that has read any of my previous blogs knows that I like to try my hand at crafting albeit in my own particular Blue Peter style.

As any good crafter knows that at the end of a project there are often surplus materials left. In my case this odds and sods of wool. In addition to these remnants I also have acquired over the years balls of yarn I cannot use as they do not suit my skin.

With this in mind I decided to put these resources to good use. I began to work on making scarves. This is my first effort.

Red, White, Black and Russet Brown Scarf

As you can see I have used varying colours. The target audience are males so I tried to use more bold colours rather than pastels. The style is somewhat reminiscent of a football scarf.  As you can see the red appears to be larger than the rest. This is due to the fact it is a thicker gauge of yarn hence the reason for placing it at both ends rather than in the middle.

The scarf was knitted in a simple garter or plain stitch. I used a 5mm needle and the red, white and black yarn is acrylic. The brown yarn is reclaimed wool (wool that has been previously used and unwound) and is 75% wool and 25% acrylic. This means it is warmer than the acrylic which is why I placed it in the middle of the scarf.

This simple design is perfect for knitting quick items without having to concentrate and therefore ideal for beginners. Here is another scarf I knitted with a slightly different colour scheme.

Red, White, Blue and Russet Brown Scarf

Next I decided to make some hats to accompany the scarves. I used an alternative striped pattern. The yarn used was a mixture of wool and acrylic and again on 5mm knitting needles. I used a circular needle for ease. Since I was not certain of the size I was knitting for I estimated the number of stitches. I decided to cast on 120 stitches and knit in a loose garter stitch.

Russet Brown and Oatmeal Striped Hat

This design was knitted by eye rather than following a pattern. Roughly I knitted half a dozen rows then decreased every 11 stitches by slipping a knitted stitch over. I did this for the first few stripes then after testing I steadily increased the amount of decreasing the stitches. 

Russet Brown, Oatmeal and Purple Hat

This is the last piece I have knitted for this project to date. I added some more colours to this hat for a bit of variation.  I cast on 5 less stitches and made the length a touch longer.

Hopefully I will be able to continue making various other coloured items by time the winter period arrives. I will let you know how I get on.