Day 4 a year of stitches

Sorry to be a day late.  I'm a bit sick.

Today's stitches will be

American moss stitch and moss stitch

American moss stitch

Even number of stitches

R1: *k1, p1. Rep from * to the end of the row.
R2: *k1, p1. Rep from * to the end of the row.
R3: *p1, k1. Rep from * to the end of the row.
R4: *p1, k1. Rep from * to the end of the row.

Rep these 4 rows until you have a square. Bind off.

Moss stitch in crochet

You need an odd number of stitches plus 1.

R1: single crochet into the 2nd chain from the hook, chain one, skip the next chain, single crochet into the stitch after that. Chain one. Skip a st. Continue to the end of the row.  End with sc in the last st. Ch1, turn.

R2: sc in sc, * sc in ch 1 space,  ch 1, skip sc.  End with 2 sc in last 2 sts. Ch1, turn.

R3: sc in sc, * ch1,  skip sc, sc in ch 1 space.  Rep from *. Ch1,  turn.

Rep r2 and r3 until you have a square.

Day 3 a year of stitches

Today's stitches will be

American seed stitch and seed stitch.

Yarn is worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles or size G hook.

American seed stitch in knit.

Even number of stitches
R1: k1, p1 across
R2: p1, k1 across
Repeat these two rows until you have a square.

Odd number of stitches
K1, p1 across,  end with k1.  Repeat this last row until you have a square.

Crochet seed stitch

A multiple of 2 +1

Ch the number needed for 4 inches plus 1 more.

R1: sc in 2nd ch from hook,  dc in next ch, *sc in next ch,  dc in next. Repeat from * across.  Ch 1, turn.

R2: *sc in 1st st,  dc in 2nd st. Repeat from * across.  Ch 1, turn.

Repeat r 2 until you have a square.

Day 2 a year of stitches

Today's stitches will be

Garter stitch and Double crochet.

Again 4x4 inches is the goal using worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles or size G hook.

This is an easy day.

A year of stitches

This year, I have been seeing a hashtag called a year of stitches.   It appears to be all about embroidery.   I really like the idea.  I have an idea to corrupt it here, but with knit and crochet stitches.   It will be kind of like the popular temperature afghans that are using colors and temperature  (either high or low for the day).

This idea will start today and run through the end of the year.  I plan to make a 4x4 swatch in the stitch of the day in both knit and crochet.   I will use worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles or size G hook.

The stitches will be named and if needed directions given.  To start the year, today will be stockinette stitch and single crochet.  Cast on or chain enough for 4 inches.  Work each until you have a square.  Bind off or fasten off.

Choose your colors or use stash or whatever remnants are laying around.   Keep the fibers the same throughout.  If you're making a blanket that is to be washable,  stay with machine washable yarns.

At the end of the month, I will post a picture of the month's squares. 

My current works in progress and others

I've been debating with myself about wips.  I have a cedar chest full of them.  I have more in totes and baskets dotting the house like pats of butter on a casserole.  The big question is should I finish or frog?  Smaller questions that have been running around my mind are things like: do I really like this, do I really want this, why did I start it in the first place, why did I abandon/put into hibernation this project.

Current wips include things for my new classes (moebius shawl/cowl + samples, diamonds in the rough shawl), things for my granddaughters (pillows, purses, dresses), things that were to be gifts for Christmas (Advent scarves from 2009 - 2014 give or take), projects that are samples to be submitted for publication.  The new class patterns and projects I will keep at least in swatch form.  I don't know if I will ever finish all of them.  Things for my granddaughters and a new baby will be finished.  These are small and quick.  Items destined to be gifts may need some redoing.  I have discovered a few things over the year about myself and the recipients and the choices I made.  1) I hate laceweight yarn all by itself.  2) While I made good color choices, the patterns may have been not quite right for the recipients.  3) I'm planning to simplify life even more and knit more for me than others.  Items for publication, to be frank, unless they are accepted, will remain swatches with their proposals until I get around to them.  I might find something in this stack that will be wonderful for a gift or me and that will be great.  I won't hold my breath on this.

What am I currently actively working on???  Well let me tell you.  I have a moebius shawl/cowl similar to the tan one I made a couple of years ago.  The yarn is Bernat Alpaca blends, since discontinued.  A great substitute is Ella Rae Alpaca Chunky.  Both are a size 5 (Craft Yarn Council standard) and an alpaca/acrylic mix.  Both machine wash gentle and lay flat or hang to dry.  I hang my Moebius' on a skirt hanger to dry by folding in half  after laying flat.  I arrange the cross to hang on one side and clip on the skirt hanger.  4 layers thick and the weight keeps things from curling.  I have also hung it by laying over an ironing board and letting hang.  Bad idea as my cat likes to rub it.

I have an adult surprise jacket on the go for close to 10 years.  I really want to get that done.  It's a fuzzy purple bulky weight yarn that will be a very nice late autumn "coat" weight.

I have socks on the go and if they get put away, they get forgot.  I have 3 pairs in varying wool sock yarns.  I have counted up my sock yarn stash.  I could knit socks and have a new pair for every 4 days for a year. If I use them all for socks.

I have a bunch of projects for my knitting guild (information found here) and crochet guild (information found here).  Some I really want to finish for me.  Some I really want to finish for sale or donation.  Others I just wanted to learn or hone a technique.  I have been adding to my technique bases.  One thing I really want done is a series of blankets for my crochet guild to donate to Project Night Night(There's a Ravelry group here with more information).  I'm doing a Tunisian Sampler and a series of granny alternatives using bulky weight yarns.  Stash busting and doing a good deed. Double the brownie points.

Things I will be frogging or dismantling?  Who knows.  I don't.  I'd like to have a clue.  I'd like to know that these orphans will be done and homed or at least done.  I'll keep you posted.

Won't You Wear a Sweater Day

I've never heard of this day.  You would think that a knitter would know about sweater day.   Won't You Wear a Sweater Day is March 20.  It's a day to wear your favorite sweater.

Why am I telling you about this?   Better still where did I find out about it?   What is this day about?

Recently my husband and I were watching a cartoon on PBS, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, while waiting for the show we wanted to watch to come on.  We commented back and forth as married couples do in those little half sentences how this cartoon reminded us of Mr. Rogers and his long running show for kids.

Being the more curious of the two,  I hopped on Google and zoomed in on Wikipedia.   I had known he died of cancer.  But his wiki page had much more information about this man.  My husband was amazed he was a Pennsylvania native.  But we both agreed he did pretty great things for preschool kids and wondered if there was a memorial to him.  There is.  It's in Pittsburgh.

Picture of the Fred Rogers Memorial Statue located near Heinz Field on the North Shore in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 8, 2009. 

Wikipedia has this to say about Won't You Wear a Sweater Day: Mr. Rogers production company planned and hosted several events to commemorate what would have been his 80th birthday.   Wear a Sweater Day is one.  It is still celebrated.  The date of March 20 is Mr. Rogers birthday. 

As you might be able to tell,  I'm a big fan of his.  He offered something special to children, beyond a calm interlude in the fast paved world children are living in these days.   I watched his show as a little girl.   My children watched him when they were little. 

At least some of the reasoning behind the day is Mrs. Rogers, Fred Rogers mom.  She knit all the sweaters he wore on the show.  She did an amazing job with the zipper installations, not a wrinkle to be seen if memory serves.   Wearing a sweater knit or crocheted by a loved one is like receiving a hug from that person even if they are far away. 

So remember March 20 and wear a sweater.   

A Year of Knitting and Crocheting by KAL/CAL

It's been a while since I posted.  I'm sorry about that.  I had a church bazaar to work on and company for Thanksgiving.  The church Christmas bazaar is something I have been working on for the last 10 or so years at the chance booth.  My hardest part is what to choose to put there.  Luckily, I have some standards that are guaranteed to draw.  Everything else is usually hit or miss.  Our company came at the same time as the bazaar and happily they could help me and the ladies with the end of the chance booth chaos.  I also have not posted a new calendar for a while.  I'm looking into other ideas for classes. 

And now back to the regularly scheduled content.

I listen to many podcasts.  They keep my mind learning while I do the mundane chores needed for daily life.  They provide background noise when I'm working on patterns or classes.  I'm not much for the video podcasts, but the audio do a lot for me.  They sometimes inspire a pattern idea based on a half-heard project someone is talking about.  Mine never look like what the inspiration was.

One thing that is almost a staple among them all are the periodic KAL and CAL.  Some are a specific time of the year.  Below is a partial year list of what I have heard being done, I'm sure there are more but they didn't stand out in my mind while I was writing.  Others are when the podcaster gets requests to do one or has an interest in doing a certain designer's work (Big Bad Berg A Long) or a specific pattern and are not done during a pre-determined time of year.  This post will be a year long look at how you can participate in many different KALs and CALs.  For those who don't know, KAL is Knit A Long and CAL is Crochet A Long.  If I have missed your favorite KAL/CAL that is held at a specific time of year, please let me know.

An ongoing KAL/CAL is the SwAMo, Sweater A Month.  There is the 16-or-12-sweaters-in-2016 group.  Others are held as Instagram or twitter KAL/CAL and use hashtags like #operationsweaterchest and #operationsockdrawer. 

A quick search of Ravelry shows there are KAL/CAL opportunities galore throughout the year.  Some are dishcloth/blanket square related.  There are cowls and sweaters being done.

January:  Typically January is selfish knitting/crocheting month.  Many have spent December and probably November knitting for everyone else for gifts.  Thus is born the idea to spend a month on yourself. 

February:

March:

April:

May:  This month is the start of Stash Dash as proposed by the Knit Girllls.   This starts when the school year ends mid-May and ends when the new school year starts mid-August.  Can you tell one is a teacher?  The object is to finish as many things as possible during the summer vacation from school.  The rules can be found here.
 
June:

July:  This month sees something a little different, a SPAL, spin a long.  It's Tour de Fleece and follows the Tour de France bicycle race.  There's a Ravelry group for this here.

August:

September:  Those who go to wool shows or yarn conventions, Rhinebeck leaps to mind.  This is the month many knit their Rhinebeck sweater.

October:  This month is called by some Socktober.  There is a Ravelry group for this.  They love to see your socks year round.

November:

December:  This is the month that the Knitmore girls run their yearly KAL named the Grinch a long.  This is named because they have seen or heard for many years the "complaints" of having to do X big present for so and so or so many small presents for this group and always with a deadline.  They are having none of that.  December is for enjoying the season and the activities that bring you joy.  You can't do that if you are working to a deadline according to them.  And to a point I can see it.  So December is for working on the things you enjoy and taking time out to go to the parties of all kinds, children's functions (who doesn't enjoy a pageant when your child or grandchild is participating), and the activities you enjoy.