Mitten Monday (5)

Another pair, this one in gold.

Mitten Monday (4)

Here is the photo of my fourth pair of mittens, this pair in orange. I like bright colors.

Mitten Monday (4)

The mittens are done, but there's not enough sunlight to get a good photo. I'll post one tomorrow.

Mitten Monday (3)

My third set of mittens. The band says it's khaki, but it looks more like just a light green to me.

Mitten Monday (2)

My second pair of mittens, this pair classic red. Perhaps the title of this post should be "Mitten Madness" as the temperature is supposed to be almost 100 degrees today.

What's the Point?

This blog post began with a comment I've heard before:

I just don’t think that knitting is the right response for every problem. For one thing, it’s slow. Do you know how long it takes to knit even a preemie cap? If handknits were really the solution to a problem, there would be a serious imbalance between supply and demand. That’s a bit facetious, but I wonder if all that knitting time wouldn’t be better spent lobbying or protesting for change, and whether knitted donations aren’t more about gratifying the the donor than fulfilling a need.

She continued:
I had these doubts in mind when I approached the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center and asked if they needed a knitting teacher. I suspected my own motives and wondered whether I was offering something frivolous. But the volunteer coordinator assured me that to teach knitting to homeless and low-income women was to give them something of value –that the center’s clients needed more than just food, clothing, and shelter. I was reminded by this that homeless women and children are whole people; by offering a knitting class I would be honoring their creative impulses.

Yes! It might make more sense from a practical point of view to buy items or just send money, but there is an emotional gift being given as well as an item made of yarn. Little preemie hats keep those tiny baby heads warm, but they're also meant to make the parents see how lovely and special their babies are and to remind them that there are people, strangers, in the world who care about them and their babies. I've received thank you letters from parents and know that is true. And it's the same with hats and mittens made for children. I want them to know that there is someone they don't know who is thinking about them and wants them to be warm and has spent time and money making something beautiful as well as useful. It's that connection that makes the difference. It's that connection that is the point of knitting for others.

Mitten Monday

I've finished the first pair of mittens for Mittnz 2009. I'd posted about this several months ago, but as I delayed my start I'm now dedicating Mondays to knitting mittens.

In EZ's Knitter's Almanac, she writes:

It is better not to make mittens in a hurry. When snow flies and small frozen hands beg for warmth (sob), the actual knitting tends to be perfunctory and possibly scamped; one economies on the number of stitches; one does not make the cuffs sufficiently long. The main object then is to turn out scads of mittens to appease the demand, and the enjoyment of production is not what it might be. (page 53)

Now, true, she did write this for the month of May and it is now mid-July with a mid-September deadline and yet still I'm certain I can knit nine pairs of mittens in that time and do them well.

The pattern I'm using can be found here. I'm using Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight and size 3 and 7 dpns and I'm not scrimping on the cuffs either.

And Another

A Pink One

A Yellow Hat

Mock Rib and Eyelet

I wanted to make a hat using this mock rib and eyelet stitch pattern:
Rnds 1 and 2: K3, P2
Rnd 3: S1, K2, psso, P2
Rnd 4: K1, YO, K1, P2

This is how it turned out:



I didn't like it very much.

Then I tried this pattern. and I like this hat much better.

Baby Hat and Sweater Set Patterns

I love this pattern for a baby sweater. There's a matching hat too. I've added them to my list.

Beanstalk Preemie Hat Pattern

I thought the pattern for this little hat was really cute and I've added it to my list of preemie hats to make this month.

Blue and White Striped Hat and Booties

Pink and White Striped Hat and Booties

I'm working on a blue set now.

Preemie Hat with Simple Fair Isle

I'm looking at using some very simple fair isle patterns for preemie hats. Here's the first one.

Distracted

I've been distracted by my determination to catch up with my personal sock-of-the month club and now I am. See Only Socks. I also attended a four day conference, graded information literacy assignments on Blackboard, worked both main and archives ref desk shifts, did a bit of studying for the Certified Archivists Exam which I'll be taking in August, and started writing a rough draft of a book chapter. I'm hoping the weather will get a bit nicer so I can plant my garden. Then next weekend is our church's annual quilt show and I'll be working on that, but I hope to have a few minutes here and there to knit some preemie hats and, hopefully, there will be some photos posted here in the next week or so.

Mittnz 2009

The goal of Mittnz 2009 is to knit nine pairs of mittens for the Cheyenne River Reservation between April 15, 2009 and September 15, 2009.

Here are the rules:
1) Make nine pairs of mittens
2) Use warm materials, like wool
3) Take photos of the mittens and email them to Ann or send her the link to your photos
4) Mail mittens to the Cheyenne River Reservation (CRYP P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625) during the last week in September so that the Youth Project (the YP in the address) is blitzed with hand covers the first week in October when the weather starts its evil descent into winter.

This will fit in very well with my summer knitting for the Pine Indian Reservation.

The Tiniest Lives in the DNCC

Here is a link to a blog post written by a volunteer at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland. The Tiniest Lives in the DNCC

This blogger has written a number of posts about her experiences as a NICU volunteer so you may wish to bookmark her blog.

Easter Hat

This is the pattern stitch:
Rnd 1: *P3, K1. Repeat from * around
Rnd 2: *P1, YO, P2tog, K1. Repeat from *
Rnds 3, 4, and 5: Knit around