Hugs and Kisses

Yes, I'm still working on afghan squares. Expect to see a lot of these little suckers this month. These two squares are again for our charity group. One of our members, Billie Rae, is going to assemble an afghan of all Xs and Os. I think that is such a cute idea, so of course I had to make sure there was a little bit of me in it!


I also finished my mitt/mitten/glove exchange for my partner, but I can't give any more details until she opens it!

Way too many projects....

I have officially overextended myself. This is actually a good thing. I mean it. I am knitting almost non-stop right now on a couple of different projects, almost entirely for charity. I am still working on a mitt exchange and a dishcloth exchange, but I should have those done tomorrow I should think. Oh, and my partner in Australia received my package for our Mystery Skein Exchange. She just refuses to open the package until she completes my project and mails it to me. Meanwhile I'm going crazy wondering if she will like it or not. Since I don't know when she is going to open it, I've decided that it has been there a week already so she has had plenty of time. I'm posting the photos of what I have made for her.



Isn't it beautiful. Well, it's beautiful because of the yarn that Joy spun and dyed herself. She told me that the colors reminded her of an Australian desert. I wish I had a bit more yarn to make the shrug just a little big longer, but I think it came out well despite that fact.

Now I can't show the picture of the mitts I am working on yet or the dishcloth as my partners need to receive them prior to my showing them. However, I can show what else I've been working on. In my charity group, this month's focus is on a Title 1 Elementary School. I made two pairs of mittens shown previously, and a hat and scarf. That's it. Not nearly as much as I would have liked, but it has been a busy month for me too what with directing an all-school musical at my daughters' school.


I've also been working on state squares and an alphabet square for some afghans we are putting together for Warm Up America, Project Linus, and Afghans for Afghans.



Finally, a member in my group has had the sad news that a young man in her community was killed in the line of action in Iraq, and the whole community is mourning his loss. She is putting together a couple of prayer shawls for the mother and grandmother (I believe), so I made a Liberty Bell cloth to send. I hope to have time to send another one.


Okay, back to my afghan squares, mitts and dishcloth!

A Third State Square for a Third Afghan....

We are just going gangbusters on these afghans. It is so exciting. We now have a third knitted afghan going and being assembled by Patty in Vermont. All of these large state blankets will eventually make their way to Warm Up America. I think we have some members who are now going to head up sewing up some smaller blocked blankets to go to Project Linus. I'll admit, I'm not sure what the qualifications required are for Afghans for Afghans, so I'll have to do a little research. But as many blankets as we seem to be putting together, surely we can send some that way as well. Can you tell how proud I am of our group. Oh, and in case you can't tell, this afghan square is of Wyoming!

Created another State square

Our March focus -- afghans and afghan squares has taken off before February has even ended. I've even jumped on the excitement of making state squares. I've completed my second state square to send off to California to be sewn into a second afghan being collected there.

Can you tell its Idaho? Now I have also signed up to do a crocheted square, but I'm a bit nervous since my crochet skills are not all that strong. I'll give it a go though.

Monthly Dishcloth Swap

Wow! Look at the wonderful surprise I had waiting for me when I got home today from my Monthly Dishcloth surprise partner, Laura Lundy. Isn't the cloth just beautiful! I absolutely love it and the detail is just gorgeous. This is going to be used in my bathroom for my face! She also sent a cute, tiny candle holder and a package full of the most awesome smelling Vanilla candles. I haven't even lit them yet and I'm enjoying their scent. I love Vanilla. And then, a beautiful card. Bless her heart she has been ill, but she sure took the time to write me the lovliest note. I love learning about other people through these knitting groups. And this is my first swap with anyone in Georgia!

World Wide Swap

It's here, it's here! I received a wonderful surprise from my world wide swap partner, Dana, in Aschaffenburg, Germany. She made me socks. No one has ever made socks for me before, and they fit perfectly. I can't wait to wear them tomorrow, they are so cute on. She also sent the remaining yarn in case I have any repairs. I thought that was such a clever thing to do. Then she sent me a lovely picture book that was partly in English of her city. What a beautiful city to live in. An absolute jewel! You can see part of a picture of it on the book. You can bet that someday when I travel to Germany, I will definitely be going to Aschaffenburg! Finally, she sent me three adorable little sheep. Unfortunately, two of them were crushed, but one survived! Yeah!. He is just so cute and the beginning of my new sheep collection. Of course, my two teenage daughters wanted to steal him. He is made out of some type of pottery, terra cotta like material and covered with adorable sheep skin. I love it. Swapping knitted items is just so much fun. I love receiving goodies in the mail.

A U.S. Blanket for the U.S. - one square at a time.

One of the ladies in my charity knitting/crocheting group, FROM THE HEART OF TEXAS, came up with a fabulous idea. Knit a square of each state and make an afghan with it. Thanks to the fabulous designer, Rhonda White, who has written a pattern for a square representing each state in the U.S. (and many other countries too!) at http://www.knittingknonsense.com/people_places.html, these patterns are already available for free!

So, I asked the members of our group if there were enough people willing to make a square, mail it in (since most of our members live out-of-state), and I will put together an afghan to donate to Warm Up America -- our March service focus. Not only did we have an overwhelming response, we now have a second afghan going with another wonderful member in California volunteering to sew it together. Now a third afghan is also started for those who crochet. Here is the link for the crocheted state patterns: http://www.online-angels.org/statesquares.html

I waited until all the states in the first blanket were selected so as to pick up any slack. I guess we have no members in South Dakota, because that was the only state unclaimed. I finished it quickly and now am awaiting its brothers from all over the U.S. to assemble into a warm, wonderful blanket for some person who is in need. Talk about a hug from all of us!

If you are reading this and have any interest in joining us in our endeavor, we still need more state squares knitted and crocheted, then please go over to the bar at the right and sign up to join FROM THE HEART OF TEXAS. We will help you select a state from there!

Piggy Mittens

I'm really in the animal mode now. I had so much fun with the frog mittens that I had to try these piggy mittens. Now that I've made this pattern a couple of times, I think I'm going to try and design my own skunk mittens. If I take a pattern that is already created and I change a few elements, at what point is it then my pattern to distribute as I please? I am trying to contact the owner of the frog/piggy mitten design to ask permission to distribute the pattern amongst my charity knitter members, but haven't had much luck in reaching her yet. I certainly don't want to run into any copyright problems. But as my group is focusing on an underprivileged elementary school right now, these adorable little mittens would be perfect.

As much as I would like to attempt making another pair of animal mittens right now, I must start my afghan square design for the next month's KAL. Then, back to my socks....

Frog Mittens

This month my charity group is focusing on an elementary school in Baytown. That entails making hats, mittens, scarves, gloves, sweaters and vests for elementary school children of all shapes and sizes. I remember having a pair of chipmunk mittens when I was a kid and LOVED them. My mom is still looking to see if she might have the pattern. In the meantime, I found an old magazine that has patterns for various animals, including these frog mittens. ARN'T THEY CUTE! I just love them and hope that some child will love them too. The pattern was from an August 1989 Knitting World magazine. I'm going to see if I can contact the publisher to see if they will release the pattern for my charity group to use.

I finished one of my socks that I designed, but am now working on the second sock to be sure that I wrote the pattern correctly. As soon as I complete the socks I will post both the pattern and the picture. Until then, I am off to try making another pair of animal mittens -- perhaps little piggys this time.

Yet, another exchange....

This exchanging knitting items is really addicting. Granted, it is really fun to make something for someone that you know nothing about other that they are a knitter and probably a just as crazy about knitting as you are! I joined a new knit exchange group called oddly enough, the Knit Exchange Group. If you would like to join here is the site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnitExchange/

This is my first exchange with them and I joined just in time to vote on gloves, mittens or mitts. Here is what I am sending to my partner tomorrow!



Once again I have my oldest daughter to thank for modeling them. Just wish she didn't have that hideous green nail polish. UGH! Oh, and good news. I finally finished my Mystery Skein partner's project. I just can't show it until she receives it. Then I'll post it. For one skein of yarn, I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I also finished one of my socks that I am designing. I am going to write up the pattern, then knit the second sock from the pattern to make sure it works and that I haven't made a mistake in it. I'll then post it for anyone who is interested. This is just so much fun!

A Monkey for my Monkey!

My goodness! I can't believe its been a week since I've last blogged. It is not because I haven't been knitting. Oh no. In fact, it is killing me that I can't show what I've been knitting most on because it is a surprise for my mystery skein partner. You can see the yarn we exchanged in previous posts. But, I did set aside a little time to make this hat for my 12 yo who has been pestering me for weeks and weeks now to make it. Talk about a fast knit.



I have also been working on my first sock design. So although I've started them (mainly due to the "design your own sock" class I was taking, I have set them aside until I finish my partner's project. As soon as I finish her project and she receives it, then I will post a picture! Its the waiting that is hard. Then I will continue working on this sock.



Okay, back to my mystery skein partner's project.

From the Heart of Texas - January

Can I brag about my charity knit/crochet group called FROM THE HEART OF TEXAS? I am just so proud of these ladies. This charity group focuses on one charity a month (because we couldn't choose just one). January's focus was on The Star of Hope, a homeless shelter for families. Not only did these ladies fill a huge bag full of handknitted and hand crocheted items ranging from a blanket, to hats, vests, scarves, etc., but they also cleaned out their closets and donated coats, clothing, baby blankets and toiletries. Here is a photo of the hand made items.



February's focus is on a Title 1 Elementary School. For those of you not in Texas, that means a disadvantaged school. We are going to make hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, etc. for the teachers to give to the students. Well, we will actually give them to the principal, but you get the idea. Every little bit helps that's for sure!