Hey, there, everybody --
I have a bunch of friends who are knitting socks and mittens right now for A4A. They're not on this blog, but -- they've asked questions we haven't answered, and I thought maybe I should just post the answers.
Any weight is fine, but worsted weight is thicker -- making a faster knit, and a warmer garment.
For socks, you should probably use just a single strand, and they must be real socks, not slippers, with tall cuffs and proper heels. And, even though I'm sure many of you have crocheted gloriously comfortable, beautiful, and wearable socks, the Basement crew can attest to the fact that most of the crocheted socks they've received were not made by you. Hoping not to offend anybody, they've requested that socks be knitted only.
For mittens, you can knit or crochet with one strand or two strands together. Just remember to use your brain! Your mittens should be comfortable, wearable, and flexible -- if it feels like a cast, you're working too tight.
And finally -- eyeball your mitten or sock. Does it look like it's the right shape? No big holes at thumb or heel? Somebody once gave me a pair of mittens to donate to A4A that never got there. The hand was too big for me (I wear a women's XL mitten), and the thumb was about 1 inch long, and too skinny for most 4-year-olds. Kids in Afghanistan are shaped like any other human! If you have or can borrow a kid of the approximate age, ask that kid to try them on. If not, just use your good sense.
Wow, this post sure seems to be full of "thou shalt nots"! My intent was only to answer some questions that keep coming up. . .
Can't wait to see pictures! I have 2 pairs finished, and 3 pairs half-finished. I know, that seems awfully inefficient. But after I'd started the third pair I found two more pairs-in-progress that had been put aside last time I missed an A4A mitten deadline. I have vowed not to cast on any more mittens until the halfways are done. (You have no idea how difficult this is for me!) Hoping for a productive weekend, and a good drying day after I wash them.
Hope you're all having fun and accomplishing great and wonderful things!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Time for Mittens!
It's time for a break from my day after day knitting a baby blanket! It is knit in stockinette and for the life of me I can't seem to make much progress. Perhaps a new project of mittens will give me the needed break from knit one row, purl the next!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Some basic patterns for mittens and socks
I'm so excited that the Youth Campaign is on!
I'll be focusing on mittens and socks for this youth campaign -- in worsted weight, they're fast and easy, and you can make more individual items, ensuring that more children will have at least one warm thing. And worsted is thicker than, for example, sock yarn, so those socks will be that much warmer. Use any pattern you like. I've compiled this list of very basic patterns for those of you who might need a starting point, but that's all they're meant to be. The Internet is full of free patterns -- be aware that not all are very well written. Those on this list should be reliable. I checked all the links and they are "live" as of this writing.
Remember, 14-year-old boys and girls often have adult-sized hands and feet. An adult medium would certainly be appropriate for many of the older kids in this campaign. Also, remember to use wool (or other animal fiber). Some of these patterns call for Woolease or Encore; those yarns have only a very small percentage of wool, so they're not suitable for this project. It's not a "wool snob" issue! Wool is just plain warmer. For the same reason, don't use lacy patterns.
Do not feel that your contribution won't count if you can only make one pair. That's a very important kid who wouldn't have had those mittens or socks without you.
Mittens
Mittens should be the kind that cover the hand fully, closed at the top, and cover the entire thumb. Handwarmers and wristers are not acceptable -- it's COLD there, and this is likely the only pair of mittens your kid will have. Mittens can be either knitted or crocheted.
Basic children's mittens. This is my own basic pattern, so I know it works. Use the larger size for this campaign. Worked in the round. Use the same instructions with bulky yarn and appropriate needles to make a larger size. Because you count rows, not inches, the mittens will stay proportional.
Kris Percival's worsted weight mittens Plain, warm mittens.
mittens for women and girls, from a book my mom used when I was growing up (scroll down on page)
Classic mittens, to knit on 4 or 2 needles, in many sizes. Scroll down for 2-needle directions if you prefer to work flat and then sew up. Be sure to sew up firmly and neatly if you do that.
Never made mittens before? Here's a step-by-step class from Claudia Krisniski. The small or medium size would be best for this campaign.
crocheted mittens I do not crochet much, and have never made mittens, but here's a pattern from a reliable source. Use the larger size. If you crocheters out there have road-tested, free patterns to recommend, please do so!
Socks
Socks should come well up the leg -- 5 to 8 inches, depending on size, and should have a heel. Remember, this may be your kid's only pair of winter socks. Leave long ends and weave them in securely. Knitters only for socks, please! A foot length anywhere from, oh, about 6 inches (15 cm) to 9 inches (23 cm) would be suitable for this age range. And there are probably some boys whose feet are bigger than that, so if you find your sock came to 10 inches, do not despair. Bigger than that? You should probably rip back a bit and make it a little shorter.
All of these patterns are knit from the top down. If you prefer to knit toe-up, I'm guessing you're already an experienced sock knitter, with favorite patterns of your own.
Easy worsted socks, with stripes Folk-art stripes
Socks for "regular" worsted (e.g., Paton's Classic, Cascade 220, Galway) from Canadian Living. They know about cold!
Very basic pattern, with contrast heel and toe. Please fasten your ends very firmly, avoiding lumpy knots
Basic socks, again from Canadian Living, in Peace Fleece. This pattern also works for Bartlett, Briggs & Little, and other more "rustic" worsteds
I hope these are helpful! If you find a wonderful free on-line pattern, feel free to post the link. Knit fast!! Knit often! Use bright colors! But, on the other hand, if you love natural sheep's gray, knit naturals! We want warm hands and feet.
Finally, when you've finished your items, post a picture. And, unless you're very shy, we encourage you to get in the picture with them. I know, I know -- I hate to have my picture taken. But I am meeting a friend later this week, camera in hand, to see what she can do. . .
I'll be focusing on mittens and socks for this youth campaign -- in worsted weight, they're fast and easy, and you can make more individual items, ensuring that more children will have at least one warm thing. And worsted is thicker than, for example, sock yarn, so those socks will be that much warmer. Use any pattern you like. I've compiled this list of very basic patterns for those of you who might need a starting point, but that's all they're meant to be. The Internet is full of free patterns -- be aware that not all are very well written. Those on this list should be reliable. I checked all the links and they are "live" as of this writing.
Remember, 14-year-old boys and girls often have adult-sized hands and feet. An adult medium would certainly be appropriate for many of the older kids in this campaign. Also, remember to use wool (or other animal fiber). Some of these patterns call for Woolease or Encore; those yarns have only a very small percentage of wool, so they're not suitable for this project. It's not a "wool snob" issue! Wool is just plain warmer. For the same reason, don't use lacy patterns.
Do not feel that your contribution won't count if you can only make one pair. That's a very important kid who wouldn't have had those mittens or socks without you.
Mittens
Mittens should be the kind that cover the hand fully, closed at the top, and cover the entire thumb. Handwarmers and wristers are not acceptable -- it's COLD there, and this is likely the only pair of mittens your kid will have. Mittens can be either knitted or crocheted.
Basic children's mittens. This is my own basic pattern, so I know it works. Use the larger size for this campaign. Worked in the round. Use the same instructions with bulky yarn and appropriate needles to make a larger size. Because you count rows, not inches, the mittens will stay proportional.
Kris Percival's worsted weight mittens Plain, warm mittens.
mittens for women and girls, from a book my mom used when I was growing up (scroll down on page)
Classic mittens, to knit on 4 or 2 needles, in many sizes. Scroll down for 2-needle directions if you prefer to work flat and then sew up. Be sure to sew up firmly and neatly if you do that.
Never made mittens before? Here's a step-by-step class from Claudia Krisniski. The small or medium size would be best for this campaign.
crocheted mittens I do not crochet much, and have never made mittens, but here's a pattern from a reliable source. Use the larger size. If you crocheters out there have road-tested, free patterns to recommend, please do so!
Socks
Socks should come well up the leg -- 5 to 8 inches, depending on size, and should have a heel. Remember, this may be your kid's only pair of winter socks. Leave long ends and weave them in securely. Knitters only for socks, please! A foot length anywhere from, oh, about 6 inches (15 cm) to 9 inches (23 cm) would be suitable for this age range. And there are probably some boys whose feet are bigger than that, so if you find your sock came to 10 inches, do not despair. Bigger than that? You should probably rip back a bit and make it a little shorter.
All of these patterns are knit from the top down. If you prefer to knit toe-up, I'm guessing you're already an experienced sock knitter, with favorite patterns of your own.
Easy worsted socks, with stripes Folk-art stripes
Socks for "regular" worsted (e.g., Paton's Classic, Cascade 220, Galway) from Canadian Living. They know about cold!
Very basic pattern, with contrast heel and toe. Please fasten your ends very firmly, avoiding lumpy knots
Basic socks, again from Canadian Living, in Peace Fleece. This pattern also works for Bartlett, Briggs & Little, and other more "rustic" worsteds
I hope these are helpful! If you find a wonderful free on-line pattern, feel free to post the link. Knit fast!! Knit often! Use bright colors! But, on the other hand, if you love natural sheep's gray, knit naturals! We want warm hands and feet.
Finally, when you've finished your items, post a picture. And, unless you're very shy, we encourage you to get in the picture with them. I know, I know -- I hate to have my picture taken. But I am meeting a friend later this week, camera in hand, to see what she can do. . .
Youth Campaign is a Go
For those of you who don't receive emails from A4A (you should! sign up!), here's what Ann sent out today:
Dear Knitters and Crocheters for Afghanistan,
This is a follow up to our September 26 heads-up notice about the possible youth campaign for kids 7-14 years -- for this winter.
We just got confirmation from Kabul about what items are needed for their youth. This is a go!
(Wouldn't you know it -- we had an email problem getting their response. This can absolutely happen, here and even more so when working in a country without reliable electricity and difficult conditions.)
This is only a short message now because we wanted to let you know ASAP.
As soon as we get a webpage going on our site, we will write again with a link to more detals on what is needed and the due date.
We are supplying Church World Service (CWS) with our wool gifts for *this* winter for their kids.
We are collecting wool blankets and garments (sweaters, vests, socks, mittens, and hats) for youth, ages 7-14 years. You may want to focus on socks (knitters only, please) and mittens given the short timeframe. Hats, too, but we don't want a hugely disproportionate amount of hats, which can happen -- so go easy here. We'll explain more in our detailed webpage soon.
This also means that the due date for the baby blanket campaign for CURE Hospital will move to middle of November. We must first ship the CWS cartons -- as CWS cartons absolutely cannot miss the boat. We have a little more wiggle room for CURE Hospital. If you are working on a baby blanket for CURE -- you may want to consider enlarging the dimensions to suit a child, age 7-14 years, for the CWS campaign.
Even with such short notice, we hope you are game to rally for this youth campaign -- for this winter. We are so glad and grateful that we have this opportunity to pitch in to help these kids be a little more comfortable in the coming cold.
[Please note: Canadians will need to send their packages directly to our AFSC Collection Center in San Francisco. We do no have time to send to elann.com in BC at this point.]
Most of your questions will be answered in an upcoming email/webpage update, so you may want to hold questions for now.
Can't tell you how much we appreciative your support. Our volunteers are wonderful!
More soon,
Ann and colleagues
afghansforAfghans.org
Dear Knitters and Crocheters for Afghanistan,
This is a follow up to our September 26 heads-up notice about the possible youth campaign for kids 7-14 years -- for this winter.
We just got confirmation from Kabul about what items are needed for their youth. This is a go!
(Wouldn't you know it -- we had an email problem getting their response. This can absolutely happen, here and even more so when working in a country without reliable electricity and difficult conditions.)
This is only a short message now because we wanted to let you know ASAP.
As soon as we get a webpage going on our site, we will write again with a link to more detals on what is needed and the due date.
We are supplying Church World Service (CWS) with our wool gifts for *this* winter for their kids.
We are collecting wool blankets and garments (sweaters, vests, socks, mittens, and hats) for youth, ages 7-14 years. You may want to focus on socks (knitters only, please) and mittens given the short timeframe. Hats, too, but we don't want a hugely disproportionate amount of hats, which can happen -- so go easy here. We'll explain more in our detailed webpage soon.
This also means that the due date for the baby blanket campaign for CURE Hospital will move to middle of November. We must first ship the CWS cartons -- as CWS cartons absolutely cannot miss the boat. We have a little more wiggle room for CURE Hospital. If you are working on a baby blanket for CURE -- you may want to consider enlarging the dimensions to suit a child, age 7-14 years, for the CWS campaign.
Even with such short notice, we hope you are game to rally for this youth campaign -- for this winter. We are so glad and grateful that we have this opportunity to pitch in to help these kids be a little more comfortable in the coming cold.
[Please note: Canadians will need to send their packages directly to our AFSC Collection Center in San Francisco. We do no have time to send to elann.com in BC at this point.]
Most of your questions will be answered in an upcoming email/webpage update, so you may want to hold questions for now.
Can't tell you how much we appreciative your support. Our volunteers are wonderful!
More soon,
Ann and colleagues
afghansforAfghans.org
Yay, Youth Campaign!
I'm so excited to get Ann's email about the new Youth Campaign! In the late summer (before the blanket campaign was announced) I made 5 pairs of mittens, and my mother contributed a wool sweater she knit, sized for an older child. I was holding on to them in hopes that they would be needed and now they can be put to good use instead of waiting patiently on my shelf (I also made 3 pairs of baby socks, but those will have to wait!).
I will look through my stash and see what else I can make in the time we have. This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and as I take advantage of the long weekend to work on things for the youth campaign, I'll also give thanks for all we have here that is so easy to take for granted. And I'm also thankful that I have the opportunity to do something tangible for people in Afghanistan through a4A. Thanks, Ann!
I will look through my stash and see what else I can make in the time we have. This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and as I take advantage of the long weekend to work on things for the youth campaign, I'll also give thanks for all we have here that is so easy to take for granted. And I'm also thankful that I have the opportunity to do something tangible for people in Afghanistan through a4A. Thanks, Ann!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Stash bustiing baby blanket
This used up a lot of wool stash -- two strands of worsted -- but it should be warm. It isn't fancy but it will be cozy.
Finished!
This is the inexpensive yarn I bought from that Herschner's sale. I planned to just buy a couple skeins of colors I liked to add to my overall stash. Then when they were sitting on the bed next to me, I decided that they looked nice enough together to make into a blanket. It was kind of fun to just run out of one ball, then change to another color. I'm going to start on a sweater now, in case it's needed for the mini campaign.
The Bartlett yarn donated recently by Elizabeth is fantastic! The color is a tall pine tree on a cool winter day. The strand is thick - like cotton candy. An unlikely image: dark green cotton candy. After knitting for awhile, my fingers have the scent and feel of the lanolin-y wool. Feels like I'm knitting it right from a sheep (albeit a green sheep). By measurement, I am a third of the way towards completion. Cyndy
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Is this Stitch Too Open?
Here's the stitch I learned to crochet with help from Pearl & Sue. (Thanks again!) Is it too open? I tried another sample with a smaller hook. I'll try to post that too if I can. (My 'puter's in the shop and I'm borrowing the hubby's laptop.)I put it on a piece of notebook paper to give you and idea of the size.
What do you think? Too open? Start over? Use two strands?
Thanks in advance!
Shirley
Handwoven Baby Blankets - Most Welcomed!
Kate joined us for packing today and donated 3 beautiful handwoven blankets. That prompts me to mention that weavers are most welcomed to contribute to our call for baby blankets. We are happy to accept woven blankets that conform to our fiber guidelines and that are not too lacy or thin or light in color (same as with hand-knit and crocheted gifts). And, best to avoid fringe, which can be more difficult to use/keep clean in a hospital environment. Kate said she used up her oddballs. Exquisite blending of shades and lovely texture. Kate said that preparing the loom took the most time vs. the weaving action. I am going to try to post a detail photo in the hopes you can get a close-up of the fabric structure. Meet Kate ...
PS: Glad you like seeing faces from the Basement (no one tells tales from the Basement, though; we all take an oath). How about including you in your photos, too? Don't be shy. We all enjoy seeing the people that make this project happen.
PS: Glad you like seeing faces from the Basement (no one tells tales from the Basement, though; we all take an oath). How about including you in your photos, too? Don't be shy. We all enjoy seeing the people that make this project happen.
Khaled Hosseini visits his homeland
Quiet Goodwill In a Homeland The Writer Knows Too Well from 9-20-09 Washington Post. Catching up on some reading and thought you would like to read this article, too.
-- Ann
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