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I work on Fridays at Interim House, a drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation center. Friday is the day I teach the women how to knit. Some of them have become very proficient and bored with knitting scarves. The volunteers are always looking for new projects for the women to make, using a variety of yarn and simple techniques. Thanks to Momogus, I tried the Vintage tea towel pattern. It takes two balls of cotton yarn, with plenty of the accent color left over. It's all garter stitch with decreases to make the bias square shape. I think it's adorable. I probably finished it in two days, with time off for good behavior. We'll see if any of the rehab ladies show an interest.
I went to a wonderful yarn shop, Yarns on First, in Napa CA this summer with my cousin Maren. She and I both fell in love with patterns put out by Churchmouse Classics, out of Bainbridge Island WA. I bought at least three of their patterns! The following beret is made from one skein of Koigu and I learned how to add beads for three of the rows. Doesn't Alice look adorable in her new hat? True to my style I knit the hat twice. My tension is very loose and the first attempt was humongous. Because I was already using size 1 needles I knit the child's size and it fits mom, just right. I got my money's worth out of this yarn!
While at Yarns on First, it occurred to me that I would love to knit Maren a birthday gift. So, I gave her the choice of several Churchmouse patterns. She chose their "Mohair Bias Loop". She wasn't wild about the kid mohair that the sample was made from so she chose an Alpaca Silk blend which feels really yummy. Well, I've been knitting on that dang loop since July. It goes on and on. I've long missed Maren's birthday and I hope I can send it to her for Christmas. Here it is, about 2/3s of the way done. If I ever finish it she can wear it as a shawl, or wrap it around her neck several times for a cowl. It's quite versatile - that is, if it's ever done.
That's the knitting news for now. The next post, I hope, will have a bulky cardigan that is almost finished - I've got one sleeve to go!