Swatches Swatches Swatches More ideas

After a lot of swatching and a lot of new techniques, the swatches have been piling up.  Here's some more ideas for you.

A use for 5 more swatches is a plant hanger.  Create just like the beanie, join 4 into a ring and put the 5th on a side to close it in.  Now add 4 straps, set at the juncture of 2 squares, keeping the open side of the block facing up.  The straps need to be the same length.  Tie a knot or otherwise fasten them together at the loose ends to allow it to be hung.  Sew around a large ring at this end to facilitate hanging.  The straps can be small 2 round granny squares joined into a long line, macramé, or heavy twisted cording.

A use for another dozen or so is a tea cozy.  Pick some of the larger swatches for the outside and smaller ones for the inside.  Outside first:  Starting with the larger swatches.  Seam 5 together into a ring.  Seam another 3 together into a ring.  Now seam the two rings together to create a type of open cone shape.  Put a single swatch on the small end of the cone.  Now repeat this with smaller swatches for the inside without the single swatch on the small end of the cone.  Instead run a line of stitching around the small end of the cone and pull tight.  Line with quilting batt or fiberfil thickly and seam the bottom edges together.

Another use for some is to create dresser scarves.  This is dependent more on the size you want and the size of the piece of furniture.  For those who don't understand, think placemat, except larger.  I might hesitate to put this on my fine wood furniture if I'm using coarse yarn.  But this is a great way to hide the scars on a well loved chest or dresser.  This might be an old fashioned idea but it can come in handy.  Perhaps this is not one of the greatest ideas for those swatches with a lot of high profile texture.  Things can tip over on bobbles.

As you can see, the uses are limitless and not just for afghans.  The key to keeping it from looking like a paint display exploded is color choice.  To a lesser extent the choice of patterns is also important.  By this I mean, choose 1 to 3 colors that coordinate by sitting next to each other on the color wheel or are the same color just a shade darker or a hue lighter.  I might also pair laces with laces, textures that are all close in the amount of "lumpiness", cables with cables.

November is National Alzheimer's month

National Alzheimer's disease month.  We all know someone who is affected by this disease. In the early stages,  it gets passed off as general forgetfulness,  things like I forgot to mark my calendar.

When it reaches the end stages,  the people probably won't recognize family members or be able to live safely at home even with round the clock supervision. 

No matter how far down the line this disease has progressed,  people have tactile memories.  Smell is one of the first things to go as we get older with or without Alzheimer's, as is the sense of taste.  These go hand in hand.  Sight may go.  Hearing may go.  We don't know completely how the brain interprets these senses as the disease progresses.  One thing that doesn't change much is the sense of feel.   This can show itself as fidgeting, a love for touch or a fear of human touch.  It depends on how the individual's brain interprets these and what latent memories from earliest life are available.  Others lose their sense of touch in places.  They lose the ability to feel pain, to feel hunger, to feel thirst.  In many cases the victims of Alzheimer's will lose the muscle memory for swallowing as the disease enters its end stage.

A way to help these people to stay safe instead of up and wandering around to get lost or to fall is to create a fidget cloth.  Before I knew about these and could make one for my maternal grandmother, she would shred a box of facial tissues a day, one tissue at a time.  However, a fidget cloth is something like a lap robe or smaller like the size of a napkin.  It uses texture instead of color to create interest.  It uses pockets, ties, zippers, buttons and other things to create tactile interest.

Crochet textures can include front post and back post stitches, lace stitches, cables, heavy seams on patch pockets, beaded strings to feel and fiddle with, crochet chains for tying or wrapping around fingers and unwrapping, buttons to do and undo, snaps to feel snapping, zippers to zip.  Be sure to make these embellishments stay firmly attached.  Choking is not something we want.

National Knit Month is November

November is National Knit Month.  So awe inspiring. So daunting.  If I choose to knit all month, what should I do???  Things for me?  Things that are gifts?  Things for charity?  Something completely different?

Well, since January is selfish knitting month in response to the gift knitting that has been taking place, I guess things for me can wait.  Charity items and gifts seem to be at the top of my list.

Gift items this year will be including...…  Well I don't have that exactly figured out yet.  I know I want to do a pair of monster pants for my newest granddaughter.  I thought a pair for her older brother might be interesting.  Different sizes and different colors are a given.  Her oldest brother?  A dinosaur sweater?  Some toys?  I don't know.  For my oldest granddaughters I have no real clue.  Sizing is difficult from across the country.  I've been kicking around the idea of ruffled skirts for them paired with legggings.  I also wondered about a cardigan for each.

I have 2 sons, a daughter in law and a prospective daughter in law.  I have no ideas for these adults.