Christmas Around the World (part 1)

Reading blogs today, I found a recent entry on Christmas in Mongolia, a very Buddhist country. The pictures are priceless:
Dreaming of Danzan Ravjaa

Good intentions

The Yarn Harlot is back! I knew that I looked forward to her daily post - there's just something about her day that is more interesting than mine. But reading about her day through her eyes, helps me look at my life in a different perspective. What a gift she has given us. I meet knitters from all over the country and everyone seems to know about her blog, and the great stories that help to unite us beyond our knitting.

And she's back. With a great idea for sharing. At a time in the year when we try to do good and sometimes slip into excess. Stephanie suggests a donation to Doctors Without Borders -- and then tally our gift over at the Knitters Without Borders page. She's explained it all here.

In the meantime, on my Christmas knitting: I am SOOOOOO done! Well, the grey/rose vest still needs to be finished. But the sweater is done and gone. A parcel went out to AfghansforAfghans. The mitts are done several times over -- mittens, mittens, everywhere. And a parcel will soon go out to Dulaan. And I gave several dishcloths away at Tuesday's nights KnitWits meeting as presents (along with Franklin's mean kitty pins).

And, since the commission on the grey sweater was donated to KWB - I get to add the logo to my page! Good karma all around.

Inspired by Dog-Lovin'-Knitter

Inspired by Dog Lovin' Knitter, I, too, will list the things that I will get done by Christmas 2006.

On the needles now:

• big grey sweater. First sleeve almost completed (maybe tonight), second sleeve and finishing (seams, weaving ends, blocking) to do. My working deadline is Nov. 11. For friend.

• rose/gray vest. Need to finish the edging on second armhole, sew in zipper and add buttons. For charity.

• 2-needle mittens in Noro. This was my easy-to-carry-around knitting for a day when I didn't have any small projects. Have to finish this mitt and do its mate. For charity.

• dish cloth. (Pattern posted earlier.) Another mindless project that I carry with me for found time (waiting in lines, waiting for meetings, waiting). For Christmas stash.

That's not as bad as I thought.

I need to get these done because I want to spend time on my dissertation. It is so much fun! No. Really!

I do want to get more mittens and scarves done, though, both for the Reservations as well as for our local homes.

Red Scarf is due in January. Dulaan isn't due until next summer. And Afghans for Afghans probably won't have another call until summer. So the pressure is off!

They're in the mail!

Thursday night I sent out more than eleven pounds of sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to Afghans4Afghans! Thanks to the wonderful knitters of KnitWits and the collection site at one of our fine LYS. I took pictures - and they'll be up here soon.

In the meantime, I just read the funniest idea for a reality show. The Blogger's charity is Dulaan, and she'd just posted a reader's request to link to AfghansforAfghans. She went on to write:

“The Battle of the Knitting Charities”—a new reality TV show? 10 knitters on a deserted island with one unclad child and the winner is the first person to finish a Kaffe Fassett sweater for him without starving to death?

(the post is from Mossy Cottage Knits)

Too funny. But it strikes a familiar chord in me and probably many other charity knitters. There is so much need. How can we do it all?

Anne Lamott would say, "Bird by bird." :-)

Afghans for Afghans deadline - Nov. 3

The AfghansforAfghans project has announced its formal due date for the sweater collection: Nov. 3rd. KnitWits is sending 7 sweaters, 2 vests, 13 hats, 2 pairs of socks, and 5 pairs of mittens. This week. Every week that I stop by Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe there seems to be more to add. Hooray! I still have to finish off the vest that I've made. Edge around the arm holes. Put in a zipper. (I decided that the vest should have buttons AND a zipper.) This week. I'll get it done! And I've been working on a top down sweater that refuses to end. The Nov. 3 deadline will give me some time.

In the meantime, I've discovered Dulaan 2007. They're trying to get 2007 participants to make and send five items to warm the homeless of Mongolia.

To participate, sign up between between Monday, October 2, 2006, and Tuesday, October 31, 2006.

This makes a nice continual knitting cycle: afghans for Afghans (due Nov. 3), Dulaan (due July 2007), and local (all the time).

URGENT - Afghans for Afghans

The recent e-mail from Afghans for Afghans indicates that less than 300 of the 900 needed sweaters and vests have been received at the San Francisco drop off. Yikes!

So - I've put my Grey's KAL sweater aside to work on a top down raglan pullover done in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride (worsted). Charcoal grey base but with stripes of turqouise and a reddish-orangish variegated color that I hand dyed. My hope is to get it done by this weekend and out in priority mail by Monday. By that timeline I am WAY behind. Pictures when I get it finished.

Grey's [Anatomy] Knitalong

There's a Thursday night knit along starting tonight and what a good idea! We're going to be knitting, and we're going to be watching Grey's Anatomy. Let's form a group and knit together! At this point, my group is virtual, but I'm looking for a local group.

What am I going to work on? I think I'll finish my Afghan vest (afghansforafghans.org) so I can get it sent off along with the other GREAT stuff that the Knitwits Knitting Circle is doing. In addition, though, I'll be working on a special sweater (MS115 - Ribbed Placket Pullover and other designs at this location). (Even better - get the patterns and yarn from Philospher's Wool!)

This will keep me busy for awhile.

Knitted Dishcloth Pattern

The pattern that I've seen and used for nearly 30 years begins with casting on four stitches. This means that the corner is not perfectly square. So here's my variation.

CO 1.

Row 1: Knit into the front and back of the stitch. (2 stitches)

Row 2: Knit into the front and back of the first stitch. Yarn over (YO). Knit into the front and back of the second stitch. (5 stitches)

Increasing Row: Knit 2. YO. Knit to the end of the row.
Repeat this row until the desired width of the dishcloth is reached.

Next row, begin decreasing.
Decreasing Row: Knit 1. Knit 2 together (K2tog), YO, K2tog. Knit to end of row.
Repeat this row until 5 stitches remain.

K1, K2tog, Yo, K2tog. (4 stitches)
Bind off. This gives a fairly good square corner for the last corner.

I want to live back home in North Dakota. Or South Dakota, Minnesota, even Wisconsin or (northern) Illinois would be okay!

But since I can't - I'm going to build my home right here.

Construction begins.