Helping Victims in Boston
Anytime something tragic makes national news, I feel the
urge to do something, anything to help. Yesterday, the bombing at the Boston
Marathon took place. I want to do something to help. I’m not rolling in money,
so a monetary donation is out (and I rarely feel secure that the money I give
is put to the best use). I’d like to find a way to donate some knitting. The trouble
I run into there is knitting and marathon-running don’t usually go together.
Hat & scarf sets for runners training in cool climates? Knit something spectacular
to auction off and donate the proceeds? I’ll come up with something. Maybe even
a security blanket or two for the kids who were injured and are spending a
beautiful spring in a hospital. I’ll mull this over and will come up with
something I deem worthwhile and useful. In the meantime, my thoughts and
prayers will have to suffice.
Precocious Baby Blanket
I’ve changed the name of the baby blanket from Precious to
Precocious. I completed two pattern repeats and hated the way the fabric
looked. It was turning itself into a three-dimensional space ship with clumps
of stitches sticking up away from the surface. It’s nothing I’d ever put my own
baby on, so I don’t imagine anyone else would either. My son said it might make
a cool scarf if it was in a different color (it’s pink). Remember, though, that
I’m not using the yarn or needles called for in the pattern; Red Heart is still
clear of all blame in this fiasco. So, out of frustration, I took it off the
needles, put the knitting in the bag with the other skeins of matching yarn and
put it in time out until it decides it can behave. In order to behave, it must
be frogged and knitted with a completely different pattern. I’m tired of
messing with it, since I’ve frogged it once already. When it gets its act
together, I’ll pull it back out, rewind the yarn and start again with a
different pattern. It’s medium-weight acrylic yarn. Washes and wears
beautifully and is perfect for babies – such easy care makes it a convenient
go-to blanket. I’m thinking something open-work with lots of yarn overs to
improve the drape and aid in the softness of the yarn. I’ll come back to it
eventually. Until then, it can just sit in the bag and think about what its
done.
Anna’s Spring Socks
I cast on a green toe for my daughter’s Spring Socks. They
will be Eucalyptus green and lilac, so they garnered the name Spring Socks. I
spent 10 years in the US Air Force, so I have a tendency to turn phrases into
acronyms; be forewarned if you do the same with Anna’s Spring Socks. Anyway, the
alternating colors for the sock sections will make them a unique pair just for
her. I just finished the toe shaping this morning and am ready to join the
lilac for the foot section. I still have to decide if I want to find a
different leg pattern or use the Cameo Tree pattern I like so much. I thought
about just using 2x2 ribbing (or 4x2), but I’m afraid the socks will stall on
the needles due to boredom. I’ll save the plain ribbing for self-striping yarn.
I’m interested to see what the Cameo Tree pattern will look like in this
monochromatic yarn. I’ll look around to see if I can find any other busy stitch
pattern that suits plain colors. I have some time before I must commit, as
these are toe-up socks. I’m thinking about knitting the two socks at the same
time. That is, I finished the toe shaping in green, so I can either join the
lilac and continue the foot, or I can cast on the toe shaping in lilac and knit
the second sock right along with the first sock. (I’ll just transfer the live
stitches to waste yarn when I switch from one sock to the other with the
needles.) The color joins will occur all at the same spots, so I can complete a
section and cut a 2-ft tail, then use the just-cut color on the other sock. I’m
sure the socks will seem to go by faster that way, even though it will actually
still take the same amount of time.
Cameo Tree Socks
I promised a photo of the Cameo Tree Socks, but I lied. No
photo yet, as I still haven’t washed them. I took a day off from laundry
yesterday, so I’m hoping to get them through the wash & dry cycles today. I
don’t do laundry on the weekends, so they’re in the basket waiting for me; I
just need to muster up the motivation to get it going. Full disclosure: I’m
still in my pajamas after sleeping in today. I was able to get dinner in the
slow cooker while still in my pjs, but my laundry room is in a stand-alone
building in my back yard. I need to put on proper clothes to make the journey.
Maybe after another cup of coffee… And after I cast on the lilac toe…
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