Do you ever get tired of knitting?

In a word? NO! I had a good friend say that to me earlier this week. I almost didn't take her seriously for a moment because I know my thought processes and what I daydream about, and it's usually something to do with yard after yard of alpaca, wool, merino, you name it. I just love yarn. I love the colors. I love the smell. I love the way it feels when it's running through my fingers. I love watching the various colors of self striping yarn as it is being pulled over and around my knitting needles. Even if I'm not making anything big, or if I'm just practicing a new stitch or pattern, I am content when I have my hands working on a knitting project no matter what it is.
In some non knitting related news, there is a new member of the Suiter family! We are fostering a beautiful little pomeranian named Little Foot. We brought him home this afternoon and the kids are so joyful. It fills my heart to see them so happy! And giving this beautiful pup a nice home is so fulfilling. How this will tie in to knitting of course is that I will be making sweaters and blankies for him.
Knitting guild meets on Wednesday! I love guild weeks. The ladies at the rescue were also knitters so I think I have recruited them for joining as well. The love of dogs and cats and knitting seems to go hand in hand. I can't wait to show examples of the comfort hugs for foster kids on Wednesday. I have had a couple donations and I just finished a beautiful feather and fan shall in Aruba Sea from Red Heart Super Saver.  I hate that kids have to be in the situations that require our comfort hugs, but I am so joyful that we can reach out to them with these little blankets and let them know they are thought of and prayed for.
Well, off to Wal Mart to get our new little companion a soft doggy bed to lay on. Share the joy, share the peace.

Bittersweet Inspriation

Even though I have been staying really busy with the comfort wraps for foster kids program, I heard about another project yesterday that touched my heart. A little girl in the community is battling leukemia, and my friends daughter thought it would be a great idea to knit 365 chemo caps so she has one for each day of the year while she waits for her hair to grow back. I was so inspired! I hastily agreed to help out and started casting on with a beautiful verigated skein of cascade that I had been waiting to pull out for an occasion just like this one. I used a basic recipe thanks to Stephanie Pearl McPhee (love her!) and cast on about 70 stitches since I was using a size 11 circular, joined in the round and did about 2 inches of 2x2 ribbing and the rest stockinette. When I wanted to start shaping the crown, I just divided by 10 and did a knit 8, knit 2 together decrease until I was in a good place to break the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches. I looked at what I had done when it was all done and I was pleased with it, but I knew for sure that I did not want to make all of may hats this way. I guess this was just kind of a kick off to what I hoped would be a huge amount of hats to help this great cause. So I started on a quest to find more fun caps that she could wear and have fun with. The hope is that her spirits will be brightened and in doing that her body will be better able to fight. So I found another pattern from the wonderfully talented Staci Perry at verypink.com that was intended for a baby, but I played around a little bit with the needle size and I came out with a great hat that is a lot of fun! It has tassels on each side and instead of decreasing, it's just ended with a three needle bind off. This was the first project I have used that bind of technique with and I really liked it! It made for a very cool hat, but I forgot to turn the right sides out so the small ridge made by the technique is on the outside but it looks really cool anyways.
Next I referenced "Knitting for Peace" by Betty Christiansen and found a great chemo eyelet cap and I am just beginning the decrease rounds on that one and I am loving it so far.

Well, I can't knit and type at the same time, so off I go.



Share the peace and click some sticks!