Ravelympics and US Olympic CommitteeRead all about it!

Am I the last to know about this big news story? Thanks to Candace for alerting me!

What a doozy --

Knitters Outraged After U.S. Olympic Committee Squashes Knitting Olympics—and Disses Knitters

a4A volunteers have formed Ravelympic teams in past years. And, how about this 2008 photo of long-time, devoted (and fun) volunteers Ellen, Sarah, Judith, and Keiko at Stash in Berkeley!



Stash is sadly gone. However, the 4 of you under those rings might have put you at risk! Your defense could have been that this was for the good of The Cause.

This and That

A small collection ready to go. I'm also using stash yarn, but I miss knitting the sweaters. Actually I have 4 of my own sweater projects waiting in the wings. Since July is our deadline this year, maybe several of these will get finished. Just started another hat and then anything else I can accomplish before the final date.

May was for Mittens

The new campaign is just perfect for a knitter saddled with too many orphan skeins; I have been playing match-maker, combining one strand of mohair (or in the case of the pink mittens on the left, angora) with a smoother wool and turning those various combos into mittens. When I don't have enough yarn leftover to make another pair, I use it up in a hat. Elizabeth's wonderful mitten pattern is by now engraved in my brain; I dropped these off in the AFSC basement this week, but I have a few more items in various stages of progress: another pair of mittens, another hat, and a pair of socks. It feels so good to turn my neglected stash wools into warm and cozy pieces of knitwear. I am going away on vacation soon and plan to focus on more socks. Stay tuned!

Socks made with 2 strands sock yarn

I have a box ready to send with two pair of kids socks (including those pictured),  one pair of socks that would fit me,

and two pair of mittens (one pair pictured here earlier)  for a 10-12 year old.  

Monday Mitten Mailing

These mittens will head west to San Francisco on Monday:

From the top down: Lopi, Takhi (have to find the ball band), Brown Sheep Bulky green, Brown Sheep Bulky red, Brown Sheep Bulky purple, Lion Brand Fisherman's wool held double, Elann Peruvian Highland Wool held double, and a discontinued Knitpicks Wool of the Andes held double. All except pair #2 were made following this pattern, using the instructions that start with you casting on 28 stitches. Use whatever needles work for you with bulky weight yarn -- I used 7s (4.5 mm) or 8s (5.0 mm), but most people would prefer a 10 (6.0 mm) or a 10.5 (7.0 mm) -- I knit very loosely.

There is still plenty of time to make a pair for this campaign. I know it's getting hot outside, but mittens don't sit on your lap, so they're not too bad for summer knitting, and think how good it will feel next winter to know you've made some kid in miserable circumstances just that tiny bit less miserable.