Portable Projects with a Cause!

It's been so hot and humid here that it feels like we are in mid August and not June.  We've had temps in the high 90's and triple digits, with humidity percentages climbing right up there too! That means we are miserable.  Hot, sweaty, miserable. Ugh.   Helloooo Mother Nature!?  Did someone forget to set their clock?  Summer has just started and already it's icky and drippy!   It's even been too hot to knit.
Yeah. You heard me right.  It's been too hot to work on my current project, stupid big wad of yarn  the Wallaby sweater for Boy Wonder.  I'm still working on it, but I can't take it outside, I can't take it anywhere!  It's too hot!
I've been racking my brain since I posted  'Trip Knitting' way back in May and I think I've finally came up with something that not only will keep me interested, BUT it should help my friends and I do a project together! How about a portable project?  A portable project for a cause? Sounds like fun right?   I needed something small, not feltable (for poolside of course) and just enough of a challenge to keep even me interested? AND something that would be useful to someone at the end. Yeah.. that's a tough order to fill I know, but I think I found it!
I found a pattern on the  Knit and Crochet Now website.  *it was a public television program that doesn't seem to be on anymore*.  It's an afghan made up of  12 squares, 2 different patterns (2 of each pattern)that is approximately 30x40" when it's completed. Perfect for a baby.   Each square is knit individually *where my friends come in* and then seamed together and finished with an I-cord border! Peaking your interest yet?  Don't worry crochet friends..... you can make some 10inch squares in your favorite worsted weight yarn too!
It's made with #4 yarn (worsted weight) *thanks to my friend V  I've even got some extra worsted weight yarn if you're interested...........
This little afghan could of course be made by one person but what's the fun in that? I've got a group of friends in mind who I'm hoping can be convinced to make one little square (c'mon it's 10 inches!) and together we can knit it up and give it to a local charity. How about one of the many local crisis pregnancy centers? We'll see.... for now... let's get moving!
I'm totally assuming you are interested......... The afghan was part of a square of the week program.  Each week a different pattern would be demonstrated all the way up until it was time for the I-cord edging.  It looks pretty simple, but also has some patterns that require just a bit of extra effort... cables, some color work and a lace.
How about it folks?  Anyone up for a challenge?  A small, easily portable project that we can all pitch in and work together?  I've got a particular charity in mind, but am open to taking suggestions!
Like I said before... I've even got some yarn you can use....
Here is the first pattern..........
Size 8 needles
Worsted Weight (4) yarn
Gauge 16 1/2 sts =4inches/10cm over patterns
*each square may vary slightly but that's okay!
BIG BAMBOO
multiple of 12 sts + 4
Cast on 40 sts
Row 1 (right side) : K2, *P2, K4; repeat from * to last 2 sts, K2
Row 2: K2, *P4, K2; rep from * to last 2 sts, K2
Rows 3 & 4: Repeat Rows 1 and 2
Row 5:  K2, *K8, P4; repeat from *to last 2 sts, K2
Row 6: K2, *P4, K8; repeat from * to last 2 sts, K2
Row 7-10: Repeat Rows 1-4
Row 11: K2, P2, K4, *P8, k4; repeat from * to last 8 sts, P6, K2
Row 12: K8, P4, *K8, P4, repeat from last 4 sts, K4.
Repeat Rows 1-12 until piece measures 10inches (25.5 cm) from beginning, bind off

If you ARE interested, I have the whole pattern and will copy it for you! You can go to the website link above and check it all out too!  I also have that extra yarn I'm willing to share!  Once you make one (or two, or several) squares you can send them to me!
Look out Fort Belvoir Knitting and Crochet Club because I'm hitting you all up next!

Baby Hat KAL

My friend Christen is making this hat as a baby shower present and invited us (the KAL group over on FB) to join her. So I did. Shhh... I haven't started yet!

I'm also inviting you.....without clearing it first... tee hee! She won't mind! She likes a little competition and I just know this is her way of getting out of finishing her sweater!

Christen is using a cream colored Shine Sport  that she bought from KnitPicks.com

and I think she's making a navy colored hat too for yet another baby shower!

There seems to be babies popping up all over the place!

I have a friend who is having a baby, my grandson isn't even a month old yet, Christen's cousin is having a baby and yesterday I made a new friend having twins! Yikes! They are everywhere!!

So in honor of those babies and to get our year off to a bang with a KAL ~ here we go!

This is an extremely adorable hat ~ I've seen it on a very cute little baby the day she was born! See? Isn't she adorable?  This isn't a good picture of the hat but it sure is a good one of Ms. Butter!

The pattern looks very simple ~look it only has 54 rows! It's not knit in the round so that means some seaming; which will be good practice for those of us who don't seam that well!

All right... practice for me who doesn't seam very well.

I'm not sure what the book is, or what the hat is named other than 'cap' just as it's shown on the picture above, but it does look like a fairly fast knit.

I don't know the yardages you will need - as you can see that info isn't listed on the pattern page, but I do know this............

It's  made with straight needles and seemed together. 

 Needle Size 3 & 5 for Newborn  and  4 & 6 for 3-6 mo.

It's a baby hat so it shouldn't take more than 50g of any sort of yarn!

I'm going to make twinsy hats out of Sean Sheep 'little grins' using the color Violet.

This stuff right here.....

I love the violet color and can you see that price tag? Oh yeah! I bought this stuff a while ago & have been saving it!

Did I tell you that I haven't started yet... well.. I haven't, but Christen did and is done! This is a super fast knit so I better get cranking!

This is what the top looks like! You start at the top of this hat & make the leaves first.... I'm already thinking about how I can change it up!

Here is what Christen's hat looks like all done - posted the same day as the above picture... sigh... oh well! Guess I really will have to get my knit on!

KAL -Day 2 of the Baby Sweater

What a boring name! IF You can come up with a better one I will definitely give you a prize! You must log in and leave a comment for me to see it and I will pick the winner on Friday, November 4th!!

Day 2 of our KAL - the Baby Sweater (totally submit a new name please!) brings me to the end of my hood and on to the yoke! That part that starts at the bottom of the hood and makes room for the shoulders!
After you are done knitting the hood to it's required length, you need to decrease a certain amount of stitches all the way around - evenly! That just means to not bunch them up all in one spot! Space them out and make sure you do some on each side. I just did a simple decrease by knitting two together (K2tog) and it looks fine!
Next row......... now you have to increase! What?! Why did I decrease!? Geez! Oh well... it makes the hood look really nice! Increases are pretty simple too - especially with the way this pattern is written! After you've placed your markers where you are told too, you knit up to one stitch before the marker and increase, slip the marker and increase again! This way there is an increase on each side of the marker! It will make it look really cool later - you'll see! Oh wait.. you want to see now?

See those lines? (blue on top) running from top to bottom, by the markers? That's the rows where I've increased.

The pic on the bottom (yellow) is the same sweater.  I finished a while ago - you can really see the increase lines running from shoulder to underarm! I think it looks pretty cool!

With this pattern, look on first page in the paragraph "abbreviations", the writer has written ............

"inc - knit into front and back of next stitch".

Now, I know this means to increase and if I knit into the front and back of a stitch, it magically becomes two! How simple is that! I was a little worried that both stitches that I've increased (one on each side of marker) would then lean the same way.... but.... the first time I made this sweater I really didn't know that so I just followed directions and I was happy! The next time I made it I tried a different increase, making sure each side of the marker  leaned in toward the marker.  Well.... that was okay and required a bit more thought, but like I said the results were okay. Just okay.  Now I'm just going to follow those increase directions just like they are written! The results were the best if I followed the directions... imagine that?!

Following the directions;  knit to within 1 stitch of the marker, k into the front back of the marker (increase made), slip marker, inc~! Easy enough!

Just to make it a little more clear............Each stitch has two "legs" of the yarn hanging on the needle - those little loops that wrap around it! To kfb (knit front and back) you do just that. Knit into the front leg *without taking it off needle* and then knit into the back leg *now slip it off* this makes the one stitch 2! Magic!  I tried to upload a video of me showing you how, but..... you don't see it?! Right. You don't. It's not there! Grrrrr

This is what we are shooting for!! A simple little hooded sweater! No button holes, no zippers and knit in one piece from the top down! I've already made some changes to mine... I'm doing the Provisional Cast on at the beginning of the hood (the center of the hood) so I can Kitchener stitch it together later for an almost invisible seam... and I'm thinking about how I can add button holes to the front. Hmmm.....

First I have to get to the point where I can make those buttonholes! Right now this is where I am! Finished with the hood and increased to the number of stitches my directions have listed. I'm pretty sure if (IF- ha!) I mess up, I can correct it by just decreasing or increasing to make sure I have the right number of stitches between the markers.

     Next up is dividing for the sleeves! You can see on the picture (from right to left) there are 4 markers...... when you divide for the sleeves you take the first marker off, k1 and then put all the stitches that were between the 1st & 2nd markers onto a stitch holder ~ a piece of scrap yarn works better! It's easier to manipulate! Do that for the other side and now you get to work on the body stitches! You will come back to those sleeve stitches later and work them into the round (as tubes) down to the wrists!

If you have a problem kfb'ing....

try watching this video *ignore her pattern stuff, just pay attention to the kfb part*

http://youtu.be/iMETY1AlIyI

It's simple! It really is. Just looks a lot harder than it really is!

Have fun & I'll see you tomorrow!