Sheep Shots

No photos today, just a quick check in to let my reader know taht I am okay.

Fair came and went. I had 30 entries and got ribbons for 25 of them.

Work is beyond incredibly busy and has been occupying most of my time lately.

There will be pictures and there will be projects. For the moment a reminder that the Mittnz need to be in the mail in another week or so in order to have them arrive at Cheyenne River in time for the Annual October Mittnz Blitz.

Remember that if you make a pair and get them in the mail
CRYP
P.O. Box 410
Eagle Butte, SD 57625

by September 30, AND send an email to me (mcmanusab@gmail.com) I'll put your name in the hat for the prize draw. This is (and always has been) honor system, so don't let me down!

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, mittnz

Now that TPT's Dragaroundghan is finished and mailed (and received and thanked), I turn my attention to the lighter weight ack in the scrap bag.

This one will be donated. It's a combination of Patons Astra, some Red Heart, and some Cervinia plus some unlabeled stuff that I had to bleach-test to ensure that it is synthetic.

Labels: baby things, charity, Cheyenne River

Remember the lap robes I was making for a local rehab hospital?

They were prizes for the annual Casino Night that my Rotray Club provides for the resident patients.

Requested prize list came out sans lap robes.

So I'm thinking that these really could be baby blankets, and so, they are!

Off to the reservation.

The particulars: Red Heart Strata, about 2 5ounce balls.Appropriate needles. Make a big mitered square. I started with 80 stitches, marker, 80 stitches. When that is finished, pick up stitches on one side, knit, thowing in a k2 yo row every so often; I did this for 25 rows. Bind off. Repeat for remaining 3 sides. Then pick up stitches along one of the corner edges (12 stitches, place marker, 12 stitches). Complete a mitered square on those stitches. Repeat for remaining 3 corners.

Add an edging if you want (I didn't). Weave in all ends.

Labels: baby things, charity, Cheyenne River

So, I'm working on this giant mitered square that is destined for Cheyenne River when it suddenly came to me. . .

Now, this one, at 52" along the side is clearly Not Large Enough, but I'm thinking that if I cast on 250 stitches, it would be about 65" on a side, knit until it's down to 150 stitches (100 rows) or about 20" into it and voila shawl!

I'm sure I'm not the first knitter to think of this!

Labels: big people clothes, charity, Cheyenne River

I've been out of the loop. Sorry.

We've been seasonally busy at work and are having some staff (good) shifting, butp eople have been oinkishly sick (if you get my drift) and so, afternoons, I have come home and crashed (and played Farm Town and Farmville) and have neglected to update the blog.

The good news is that while I am still tired and have my lifting restricted temporarily, I am feeling so very much better.

The knitting has been limited to the mindless variety:

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, ship support

Mittnz is nearly over for another year and (for me, at least), it's time to start thinking about Heet the Feet.

I finished these two pairs of slippers (the brown ones fit me) this week. They are just nicely shaped up-sized baby booties.

I used the same pattern for both pairs. The brown ones are 2 strands of some Dazzelaire sort of stuff I got at Goodwill (remember my big haul back in March?) on size 9 needles. The green ones are Sidar Snuggly Aran, single stranded on size 5s.


There's a definite chill in the air today. It's rainy and nasty out here in Eastern Pennsylvania, so I am thinking of warm things to knit and make.

Later today, I'll be rewarping the Flip in hopes of finishing another shawl this week.

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, FOs

Well, that was quite annoying! For 2 days, I have been trying to upload pictures and Blogger has been fighting me!

I chalked it up to "tired" (technical term), and tried again this morning. Still no dice.

So I did what any tech savvy person would do. I rebooted.

Still nothing!

Then I had an ah ha moment. The little box next to "Accept terms of service" wasn't checked.

See, I told you I was tired!

Here's the picture I was trying to post yesterday:


DJ sent me this photo of Mittnz she made and ones she bought (time being short, life getting in the way, some other issues to deal with).

The two pairs bookending the lower row were handmade. The others were purchased.

There are way more than 9 there and a lot of people will have warm hands thanks to DJ.

So, how about it? Magic gloves are making their annual appearance all over. If you haven't been able to "make nine," you could purchase a few pairs before the mailing deadline. It's all about warm hands, after all.





And here's a photo of the last two pairs I made.

The lilac ones were finished a couple of weeks ago. They're Sidar Snuggly DK and Cottage Creations pattern from Projects fof Community Knitting. I've used the patterns in this booklet multiple times and love every one of them!

The blue pair are made from Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky using the pattern found here.




And now, what you've been waiting for (please allow me my fantasy), a photo of all 9 pairs gathered in one spot!

They'll be winging their way to Cheyenne River Reservation) next week.

For those of you preparing to mail, here's the deal. If the ones you are sending are hand-wash-only wool (like my green striped ones, the new blue ones, and the grey ragg ones) put a little tag on them that says something like "wool, hand wash, please." Otherwise, just toss them in an envelope and mail them (last week in September) to:

Cheyenne River Youth Project (CRYP)/P.O. Box 410/ Eagle Butte, SD, 57625.


Remember to send me a photo or a link to your photo (abmcmanusATverizonDOTnet) before October 1 to be included in the prize draw.

Nine lucky crafters will win small but significant prizes.


And in other news, this is only part of what arrived at my door (thank you, UPS) yesterday.

Cones of cotton chenille and other cotton that I will fashion into cuddly shawls for the elder blitz in early 2010.

If you like to knit (or crochet) and are looking for somewhere to place your hand mades, Cheyenne River is a great place.


There are several programs at the Reservation that serve the people.

Like to make itty bitty things? There's WIC (P.O. Box 590) and the Children's Services (P.O. Box 530) program. Are elders more your speed? There's a need for shawls, laprobes, hats, and slippers at the Elder Nutrition Center (P.O. Box 784).

And all that and everything else, including supplies you might be wanting to destash can be sent to the Youth Center (address above), where hundreds of kids gather after school each day, and families come for fellowship and assistance.

I promise, it will warm your heart.

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, mittnz

I can finally show what has occupied my knitting time this week.

A friend (hi, Marilyn) sent me some lovely wool yarns including 5 balls of (discontinued) wool boucle in an amazing mix of slate, burgundy, and gray that begged to be something warm and cushy.
I figured that there might be enough for a large scarf, or a small shoulder shawl and was pleasantly surprised to find that it went further than I expected.

The finished shawl is about 60" (5') across, not quite huge, but definitely not mini!

The ball band called for size 8 (US) needles. I used 10s for a gauge of about 3 stitches/inch.





Here's a better shot of the yarn and the color (it's accurate on my monitor). After the last end was woven, I threw it around my shoulders. Mmmm, warm!

This one is destined for Cheyenne River Elder Nutrition Center. I thought that I had a photo of the other shawl so that I could do the linky thing now that I have figured out how, but I can't find it. Poop!

The particulars: 525 yards of worsted weight boucle (Cleckheaton Nature Wool Boucle). Size 10 (US) needles. Cast on 3, increase 1 stitch every row (I used k2, yo, knit to the end) until almost all the yarn is used up. Bind off very loosely.

How to get picture to me: Readers who would like to submit photos of their Heet the Feet or Blanket Blitz stuff can email them to me: abmcmanusATverizonDOT net.

Labels: blanket blitz, charity, Cheyenne River, FOs, heet the feet

"Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Oscar Wilde


Ah, let the wild(e) casting on begin!

This (2009) will be the year of the Selfish Sunday. No knitting will be done for anyone other than me until/unless, I have first knit at least a little for the First Person, Singular. That means, that the first thing I knit every Sunday will be something I alone will wear or use.

It does not necessarily mean that all of my Sunday knitting will be for me (though it certainly might be), only that I will knit (or weave) for myself first. On Sunday. And any other day I care to.

Regular readers may recognize a breakthrough!


The picture above is from Debbie Bliss Celtic Knits. The yarn is London Tweed by Needful Yarns. Pink, but not "pinque" (that baby girl, bubble gum, mental hospital walls color that makes me gag). This might just be the "go to" sweater of 2009.

There are other possibilities. I need to sort through them. I figure, I have until Sunday.

My Resolutions of the fibery kind are really short and simple: 1) to use up some stash (it's become an embarrassment) 2) to learn a new skill (I'm banking on weaving for that one). There are other resolutions, or rather improvements, in the plot, but they are private, and so I will not spill them here.

Here's what I said on January 1, 2007:

"I, personally, will be bit more conservative in my yarn buying. I will continue to be ultra-liberal in my politics, however. [edit to add: That conservative part didn't happen.]

I'd like to get my stash confined to the cubes I have (and maybe the 3 more that I still have to assemble). [ETA: Through the judicious use of squashing, and the addition of the cubes, that actually did happen despite the huge increase in the stash.]

I'd like to knit up (enjoy, IOW) the wonderful yarns I already have stashed. [ETA: I worked on it, I did it some, but not nearly enough.]

I'd like to share (i.e. give away, donate, sell) the yarns that I no longer consider wonderful. [ETA: I actually did that with some bags and balls of novelty stuff. I don't know why I bought it, or so much of it, in the first place.]

And I'd like to lose 25 pounds. [ETA: Well, we know where that went!]

None of these resolutions will come easy.I absolutely will attempt entrelac this year. [ETA: I did!] I possibly might try spinning.[ETA: I didn't.]

In the meantime, and on another knitting front,



It's time for 2009 Heet the Feet for Cheyenne River Reservation.

Every January, our Yahoo group has a sock/slipper/bootie drive for Cheyenne River Reservation. The object is to provide foot warmth for those in need.

The specifics: All sizes, all color, all kinds. Hand made or purchased. Mail by February 15 to create a "blitz" of warm foot covers.

If you want in, leave me a comment.

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, selfish sunday

If I said that I have had the week from hell, would you believe me?

It's like everyone I come in contact with has taken a "stupid" pill.

Last week, someone stuffed paper towels down the men's room toilet which caused a back-up into the ladies' room. The plumbers got it snaked ($600) but broke the ladies' room toilet in the process (another $700). It's an old building with funky plumbing. What can I say? (If I ever find out who did it, he's dead!)

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Since I don't usually talk about "work stuff" here, I won't break with tradition and spill all; let's talk about knitting instead!

Here's a photo of the current car project:



Car Project= one that requires little or no looking. These are both garter stitch "log cabin" style baby blankies for the current Blanket Blitz for Cheyenne River Reservation.

The recipe is simple. Cast on some stitches. I started with about 10 if I remember correctly(tThe yellow and green center squares).

*Knit every row until it's as long as you want or until you nearly run out of yarn. Bind off. Using another color (or the same one), with right side facing, pick up and knit 1 stitch for every "valley" along the left side of the bit you just completed, or when the time comes, one stitch for every stitch. **Knit back and forth some more. Repeat from * to ** until it's as big as you want it. Add an edging all the way around using the same method, but use the same color on all 4 sides. (I plan to do this with both of them. I have a pristine skein of light blue and another of pink that I plan to use for this. I might add acontrasting I-cord border, too.)

I am aiming for a finished size of 40" square. The blue and yellow one is currently 32" X 36" and too hot and heavy to knit in the car. The pink and purple one is 16" X 18" and still travels with me. They should both be finished by the end of the month.


Here's what's happening to the "bits and bobs" that are left from the bigger blankets.

Mitered squares and center-out squares, all knitted, though in the photo, some of them look a bit like crocheted grannies.

All of the yarn in these projects is various brands of acrylic something or other. Worsted weight.

I've already started planning next year's fair entries (shut up!) and would actually start the actual knitting if I could only find my copy of Domino Knitting.

I've also started planning the Christmas Knitting but have hit a road block. The yarn I planned to use for one of the sweaters won't be enough no matter how I stretch it. ::sigh:: Plus I am still deciding on a pattern. And I can't find the other yarn I bought with a specific project in mind, though I do have that pattern.

Would someone like to come here and help me find my sanity?

Labels: baby things, charity, Cheyenne River, fair entries, silliness

I'm still working on the blue and yellow babyghan, but it's reached an unwieldy size for stoplight car knitting, being big and sweaty-heavy and all, so I started the girl version (all pinks and purples with some minty green thrown in.

Thought I'd try a new configuration at the same time: 3 sides in the same color, then 3 again and again and so forth and so on. Also, dark to light to dark, alternating.

We will give it a fair trial. Then we might frog.


The Tiny Prince, No Longer of Wails, is a very happy baby.

He wants his fans to have the details on the blankie blitz for Cheyenne River Reservation.

Blankies really should be machine washable and (preferably) dryable as well. That means Yarn should be washable wool, a nice wool/ack blend (Encore, Decor, WoolEase, et al) or a nice ack. (For my money, Red Heart Classic and SuperSaver are both good ones! The softer ones don't seem to wear as well and I find them a bit pilly, but as I said, that's my opinion.)

We're shooting for January or so. Blankies can be mailed to the Reservation:

Cheyenne River Youth Project
P.O. Box 410
Eagle Butte, SD 57625

where they will find a home and warm someone nicely, thankyouverymuch.

Colors? What ya gots? There are boys and girls and grown-ups and elders. Color is good. Neutral is good. Knit? Crochet? Sure! Quilt? Of course. Heck, you can even purchase 'em (I have already! Nice fleece ones in good lap robe sizes.)

But please, make it something you'd be proud to give to a face-to-face friend.

Since not everyone wants to make a whole entire blankie, there's also a squares option.

Squares: If you would like to knit or crochet up some squares, go on and do that little thing. Here's what's needed: squares, knit or crochet in the same types of yarns needed for the blankies, all colors in 9" size. If you like to work with baby shades, make those squares 4". (I dunno, that's what they said. And since I don't have to join them, 4" is just fine with me.)

Just a reminder: Squares are 4-sided figures with 4 equal sides.

Mail the finished squares to:

NAS Blanket Blitz
19510 Van Buren Blvd.F3-361
Riverside, Ca. 92508

by January 1, please. Joiners are standing by.

Edited to add: If you send squares because you Saw It Here, please add "Sheepshots" to your return address. Thnx.

Oh, and if you send more than "just a couple," if you can, please include a little postage cash to help get them on their way from CA to SD. (A dollar or two, por favor.)

And if you'd like me to post a photo (or do a linky thing to your blog), let me know!

Here's that address: abmcmanus@verizon.net And yes, that is a new address. And it's live! Right now. The old addy is going away soon. Very soon. (Would have gone away before I paid for this month ::mutters under breath:: if we'd been able to get the *&%$ thing working ::mutters::)

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, Tiny Prince

We are switching Internet providers.

Supposedly, this will be faster and cheaper. So far, it is neither. I will have a new email address. Watch for details.

And Blogger was causing me fits this morning. I couldn't upload photos. It should be obvious that I finally found a "work-around" for that problem.

Gentle Readers may be wondering what knitting would keep me busy now that the fair entries have been dropped off. Would the Sheepie take a break of several weeks? Or what? *

Well, in a sense, I am taking a break. Nothing "competition worthy," just some little things on the needles.

First up: 4" squares in "baby colors" for January's Blanket Blitz for the Reservation. This Blitz is sponsored by the Yahoo Group (Native American Support) and the Ravelry Group (Helping Hearts for Cheyenne River Reservation).

Nine and four inch squares, completed hand crafted blankets (all sizes) and purchased blankets are all needed. Leave me a comment if this interests you and you'd like more information.

In addition to the squares, I am working on a "scrapghan" in some sorta-boy colors--not baby colors exactly, but definitely not "girly girl." I have another collection of girl colors (pinks, lavender, minty green) and will start that one next.

Good old Red Heart (and other ack-rillic) for washability and wearability.

There's some soft, fuzzy stuff (Caron, Whatever That Nasty Stuff Was Called, the name escapes me at the mo') and the last of my Aussie yarn (3rd stripe in from the right side, that creamy beige) that Nanna sent me a while back.

Yesterday, since the Fairgrounds Farmers Market was closed (because of the fair!) for the next couple of weeks, we went on a "shopping expedition" to all of the high spots in the Valley.

A trip to Ollie's (previously described as a "downscale" Big Lots store) yielded these two new books for the collection.
Books at Ollie's are often damaged (didn't see any on either book) or remaindered, or something. They are also (usually) very cheap.

I paid $6.98 for both of them (cover prices were $14.95 and $12.95).

So, both have some interesting ideas--stepping off places, if you will.



They'll be used. . .eventually.





Next stop was Border's (for a slushie coffee drinkie thing for the ride home that I really didn't need--Brain Freeze!) and a quick look on the magazine rack.

I had checked the "usual places" for Knit Simple (don't you know that it will be on the magazine rack at the grocery store the next time I look?). There are some cute mittens and a very basic cardigan and a tea cozy shaped like a pumpkin. Very solid issue. Nothing strange or exotic.

Knitting is a very British magazine and comes sealed in plastic, so gawping first isn't an option. It came with a copy of Beautiful Baby Knits (loved the cover sweater) so I figured that alone made it worth the sticker price ($9.99). There's not a lot in the main mag that I will knit (truthfully, I doubt that there's anything there that I will make. though the article on lace will bear further notice) but the baby supplement. . oh, my! Six lovely sweaters, 4 clearly "girl" with flowers and ruffles, 2 unisex and knitted up in "boy" and photographed on wee laddies, two hats and a pair of booties.

Then, there's Belle Armoire subtitled Art to Wear which is inspiring and fun (and no, I don't think I'll make anything from that one either, but it's fun to look at and fun to imagine with, you know, fun).

Oh, and since Border's is a book store, We bought books for late summer-into-fall reading.

It was Buy-one-get-one (50% off) pile that attracted both the Other Half and me. Before long, I had selected my 2. He had found one, then I added another, then he did and next thing I knew, we had a pile of 6.

I'll probably read all of them. Four are clearly of interest to me mostly (chickish lit, but high quaity "chick lit!") so those will be passed along to the Daughter In Law and (eventually) to her friends.

Even if no food shopping (other than lunch and the Brain-Freeze inducing drinkies) was involved, it was a very productive trip!

* Christmas knitting (couple of sweaters) will be next, and a baby gift that I must finish (but first, I must start it!), and then (shortly after the new year dawns, I think) I will be starting 2009 Fair Knitting. I have no intention of waiting until the last minute to make All Those Projects! (Is there an echo in here?)

Labels: books, charity, Cheyenne River, magazines

they lost their Mittnz!

Boo Hoo! So Sheepie had to make 'em some new 'uns!

I started out with my collection of Free On the 'Net mitten patterns and, like potato chips (or tiny sunhats), I couldn't stop at just one!

The yarn was a bargain--Lion Brand Landscapes (50/50 wool and ack) that is very loosely spun comes in wonderful colors, and knits up soft and lofty. I got it at Ollie's. You can probably find your own at a Big Lots or other close-out place.

All of the patterns call for at least double strands of worsted weight or a single strand of bulky yarn. I chose to use size 10.5s on all three pairs and got a nice fabric. Your Mileage May Vary. Use what gives you a result you like. None of the pairs has a distinct "left" or "right" mitten. (In other words, "make another" is the last line of each pattern--or should be.)



First up, Warm Woolies Thick Mitts which I have heard has an mistake in it. Confession: either I didn't notice, or it's been corrected. I own two printed versions of this pattern. The one linked above is live, the other isn't.

This is a basic mitten that starts with a ribbed cuff and builds the gusset using increases on each side of a central wedge. The thumb is finished, then the hand.

These were quick to knit and come in Child Small, Medium, and Large. I made the Medium.

With minor modifications to the length, these Mittnz would fit an adult.

Knit flat and seamed.



Gifted, by Kate Gilbert, is an engineering marvel. Follow the pattern blindly if you choose this one, because, if you are like me, getting your mind wrapped around What Is Going On will be a challenge until you finish the first one!

Okay, the best part? The shaping, and then the finishing on the thumb and the fact that (at least for me) there was No Hole At the Start Of the Thumb! These are also knit flat and seamed.

Try this one!

The pattern comes in a wide range of sizes from Child Small to Man. I made the Child Medium. Because of the shaping, it's shorter and wider than Warm Woolies, but you could make the cuff longer (I followed the pattern to the letter). I used just one 50 gram ball of the yarn (55 yards) and had just about a yard left over.





Last, but certainly not least, Joan Hamer's Boat Oar Mittens.

Knit in a tube with an afterthought thumb, these start with a smaller (size 9) needle for the cuffs. Joan suggests 3 strands of yarn (my Landscapes subbed in nicely) and size 11 for the hand. (I used my 10.5. It was struggle enough to locate the size 9s for the cuff.)

Boat Oars are a One Size Fits Most (Adults) and they are a comfortable fit for my hands. I think that a creative knitter could easily adapt them to a smaller size.

I'm not overly fond of afterthoughts (pockets, heels, or thumbs) but these were relatively painless (being only 8 stitches around).

So, which one is my favorite? What day is it?


I suspect that I will be going back to all three at least once more during this Mittnz Challenge.

And so, Gentle Reader, I bid you Good Night. Sleep tight and have mittn dreams.

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, mittnz

LizzieK8 has very kindly made this buttin for this years' Mittnz Challenge for Cheyenne River Reservation.

The Roolz are simple:

1) Make. Knit, crochet, sew (yes, fleece counts!) and buy.

2) Document. Send me photos of the ones you hand make that I can post to this blog to inspire us all ( email to amcmanus@ptd.net)

If I see pictures from you of at least 8 pairs, you will be entered into the prize draw for one of 8 fabulous prizes.

3) Mail. Mittnz are to be mailed to Cheyenne River Reservation (CRYP P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625) during the last week in September so that the Youth Project (the YP in the address) is blitzed with hand covers the first week in October when the weather starts its evil descent into winter.

Last year, during the blitz we managed to make and buy 405 pairs that were sent to South Dakota to warm hands there. That was about 60% of all the Mittnz mailed in 2007.

I would dearly love to see 1000 pairs of hands warmed in 2008 which means that Mittnz 2008 needs to generate 600 pairs!

Interpretation of the Roolz: Handcovers need to be warm. And since little kids tend to prefer brighter colors, the small ones should be less conservative than the big ones. They need to fit human hands! Any size. Any color. Mittens, gloves, wristers, fingerless, thumbless. Beyond that, let's not "overthink" this project.

I will post all photos. If you wantt o send me a picture each time you finish a pair, great. Want to wait until you have completed the challenge (8 pairs), fine too. Include the ones you bought if you are so inclined. Send photos! They inspire us all.

History: It started as a Personal Challenge to me to knit X pairs of mittens because I HATED (still do) the fiddly nature of them. Those thumbs! and there are TWO of them, for lord's sake.

Once I announced that I was challenging myself, other members of NAS ::coff:: Mariella ::coff:: Anami ::coff:: one or more of the Debbies ::coff:: jumped on the bandwagon.

I think there was one prize that first year. Last year, there were 7! And this year, I have already received offers/pledges of 2 prizes (including a copy of Morehouse Farms Merino Knits which I would covet if I didn't already own it!). I will make up the difference between what is donated and a total of 8. This project is THAT IMPORTANT to me.

So, are you in? Little kids right here in the Good Ol' U S of A are cold!

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, children's things, mittnz

Following on the heels of 4 Tiny Sweaters



I brainstorned a bit and came up with the Second Draft of the Prototype Vest that I mailed to Children In Common last week.

What you see on the left, there, is the chest part of the vest I was plotting.

It's knit in Lopi-like (not Lopi-Lite) Gjestal Naturgarn wool.

I cast on enough stitches for 7-8" and knit until I had roughly 26" in length. Stockinette with 4-stitch garter border on both sides (I may rethink that on the next one and put the border on one side--the bottom hem--only).



Here's the finished vest.

After I knit the chest part, I joined the ends into a tube (really need work toward a provisional cast on and a grafted seam for the next one). Then I found the center front and back and picked up stitches to make the "yoke" area, leaving 8 rows (4 ridges) on each side for the underarm.

This is about a size 2-4 or so (26" chest). I got the measurements by checking numerous patterns in many books finally settling on Ann Budd's dimensions.

What follows is merely re-stating the obvious:

I worked an intarsia sun (from this OOP book). The rays are embroidered.



I striped the back so that it would match the bottom, though the stripes are horizontal on the top and vertical on the bottom.

I "scooped" the front neck (just like in Prototype 1). I think this makes for a more comfortable fit than a boat neck, especially when the wool is scratchy. The back neck is straight.

I used garter stitch for all of the edgings (neck, armhole, hem).

There were a lot of ends to work in. I did that while surfing blogs this morning. Weave an end, read a blog, rinse, repeat.

This puppy is in serious need of a nice wash and block.

Since my intention (right now at this very Moment In Time) is to enter this one in the fair, I will hold off the wash and block until right before so that it is crisp, fresh, and uncreased.


OMG! It's time to Mittn agin!

Indeed! October 1 will be here before we know it! It's time for those intrepid Mittn Knitters to drag out the bag of odd balls and set to work!

This year's goal is 8 Hand knit pairs.

I figure that there are about 26 more weeks until time to mail the finished Mittnz to Cheyenne River Reservation so that small and large people will have warm hands and hearts.

Won't you join us?

There will be prizes!

Eight of them!

Rules, buttons, and all details will be posted soon, but you can start planning now.

Gloves, mittens, mitts, armwarmers, wristers, call them what you will. If they warm the hands, they put you in the running.

Fiber? Warm! Animal and animal fiber blends are best. Colorful is wonderful, drab and dreary works too! Plain or decorated, knitted or crocheted. Felted and not.

Have at it and have a ball!

Like last year, I will be calling for photos of completed Mittnz and posting them right here. Mailing is scheduled so that they arrive in SD before the onset of winter (by October 1). This is a blitz! So we try to mail the last week in September to shock and awe (awwwww) the volunteers at the Youth Center.

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River, children's things, fair entries, mittnz

Heet the Feet

is over for another year. If you sent socks or other Feet Heeters to Cheyenne River Reservation during February, this is your last chance to get in on a drawing for a fabulous prize package that includes patterns, yarn, and chocolate.

To enter, send a photo of your best sock effort to amcmanus@ptd.net by midnight EST tonight!

Photos will be posted and secret ballot People's Choice voting will commence as soon as I can get my act together.

Labels: Cheyenne River, heet the feet

Using the same pattern as the little green and eggplant sweater (but at a slightly larger gauge) I present the latest sweater for the Tiny Prince.

Regular readers will recognize "Tommy," who has been with me a good long time (oh, about 50 years) and will notice that he's no longer able to serve as model for the Tiny Prince's new sweaters.
The sweater is from Knitting Pure and Simple (and I'm too lazy to link). You can Google it if you don't already have the site bookmarked.

The pattern is free. The yarn is Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I used about 1.5 balls of (discontinued) Cherry Red (about 300 yards).





Expect to see most of the TP's stuff on hangers from here on out.

The buttons are tiny clocks (embiggen by clicking, you might be able to tell).

I didn't make button holes (next time), but rather crocheted loops to go around the buttons.





Heet the Feet 2008 is fast drawing to a close.

Are you entering People's Choice?

If you are, send a photo of your "best" slippers, socks, or booties to me: amcmanus@ptd.net . Be sure to get your stuff in the mail by Friday, February 29.

On or about March 1, I will post the photos and call for a vote. Prizes (besides chocolate) include yarn, patterns, and a book.




Here are the socks and slippers I bought for Heet the Feet.

I mailed them today along with some hot chocolate mix (heet the tummy), a couple of Care Bears (heat the heart) and some nice foot lotion (soften and sweeten the feet).







Here's Sparky picking out her favorite pair of Feet Heeters from the ones I made.

These were mailed today, too.

Here's the address:

Cheyenne River Youth Project
P.O. Box 410
Eagle Butte, SD 57625

Labels: baby things, cats, Cheyenne River, heet the feet

We came back upstairs after watching a night of bad stuff to the sounds of many (dare I say dozens?) of blaring sirens. The Other Half had just taken the trash our and swore he detected a smell of "smoke too strong to be someone's fireplace."

It sounded a lot like they were approaching our 'hood. Then it sounded like they were lost (the sound of circling sirens, ya know?). Then is sorta faded away.

Then the Other Half remembered. League basketball championships. . .

Small town life. Every winning team gets a parade. Even if it's 11 o'clock at night. And even if it's just the team riding on fire trucks and parents waving from the sidewalk.

Afterthought: I just checked the newspaper, and "Our boys" did indeed win the Colonial League Championship.

Unlike the girls' basketball teams which are perennial winners, our high school boys' teams were so terminally bad for so long that this is a nice surprise. (And I had already determined that I would need to rewrite this entry if the town had actually burned to the ground while the firetrucks circled endlessly.)

Way to go, Bulldogs! Keep those wins coming!

The Younger Kid got us a Netflix subscription for Christmas, so we've been exploring a bunch of different genres that we wouldn't couldn't find at our local 48 Hours (in some cases, with very good reason). Many of these movies are so obscure that Netflix is probably the only thing keeping them alive.

One such movie is The Corpse Grinders, an achingly bad B horror movie from the early 70s. The cinematography is reminiscent of the porn of the era (go on, admit you saw some in college) with really bad acting, really bad costuming, really cheap sets, wobbly camera action, no story line. Okay TCG had a story line (silly, unbelievable) but it had all the other features as well. The scary thing is that the producer made a sequel in 2000. (We will not be requesting it!) I can thank Janice for the recommendation, and now you can thank me.

I was directed to this cute pattern and I am giving serious thought to changing the colors and making it for The Tiny Prince of Wails. Discuss. He's a baby for lord's sake! Babies can wear stuff like this no matter what the gender! (Navy, red, white, maybe light blue. I dunno. No pink.--Pink makes me break out in hives.)

I gathered all my Heet the Feet donations into one corner of my "office/studio" this morning for a glamor shot. The big box is the socks and slippers I have purchased, mostly at places like the Dollar Tree where Fruit of the Loom socks with an MSRP of $5 for 2 pairs are 2 pairs for a buck.

The smaller (emptier) box is the slippers I have knit. Clearly, I need to get busy!

My plan is to mail the last week of the month.

For those of you coming late to this Challenge, the goal of Heet the Feet is to provide warm Feet Heeters (socks, slippers, etc. to the Lakota Sioux kids (and adults) living on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota (where it is very, very cold. If you are interested in helping with handmade or purchased Heeters, start knitting (or crocheting) and plan to send me a picture of your Very Best Effort. A People Choice Award hangs in the balance. Very Cool Purchased Socks are eligible. After all, it's People's Choice.

If you'd like to join Native American Support you are very welcome.



And on another knitting note, here are the first (of I hope many) Hugs From Home that I have knit for Ship Support this month.

Lest anyone think I added the pattern because I am cheapfrugal and was running out of yarn, I present the leftovers from each of the hats. There might be slippers!


It's snowing here in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. I have friends in the Southern Hemisphere where it is summer. I wonder how they would feel about houseguest(s).

Labels: baby things, charity, Cheyenne River, heet the feet, movies, ship support, small towns

I've started the 2007 Scrapghan. This one is for the Warm-Up Box for the Reservation.

As with all of them, I started with a cast on of 8 stitches on 4 dpns. Move two stitches to each of 4 needles, join and knit one round.

Increase at each end of each needle every other round. Throw in a purl round for texture or a k2tog/yo round for laciness (I'm not doing this on this one), change colors at will (stagger the changes).

Switch to circs when the dpns are crowded.



I am using 10.5s and two strands. One strand is white baby weight ack. The other is a combo of various odds and ends, mostly worsted weight, including all of the machine washable yarns from my Elann "sample" skeins.

Scissors for scale.

I can get a couple of rounds out of each of them. They add some interest.



And now, I'm heading out the door to go furniture shopping with the Younger Kid. Pray for me.

Shopping with him is never a good experience. He's a Guy Shopper: Get In, Get It, Get Out. I hope that we don't come to blows.

I am flattered that he asked me to help. (I have years of experience in furniture--first job out of college, for 6.5 years before "retiring" to have and raise children.) We've measured and drawn the room to scale. We know what will fit. I suggested moving the TV, but some things are sacred.

Labels: Cheyenne River, current events

The October/November Challenge for Cheyenne River is in. Fill a cubic foot of box (that's 12"X12"X12") or thereabouts with warm woolies and mail them to Cheyenne River (P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625) by December 1.

I mailed a box last week containing some socks and underwear. This one will get filled with scarves and hats and maybe some purchased mittens

There is no cat in the box.




We were away all weekend. It was time for a shower for the soon-to-be grand. His mom got lots of sweet stuff (including bunches you have seen here) and I met another of my readers (Hi, Sandy).

We had a horrid drive down through torrential downpours that slowed us so a snail's pace, or so it seemed. Ate lots of good food, saw the house that the Older Kid and the Not-So-New-Anymore Daughter-in-law are buying, and then we came home.

The Other Half had to go back to work, but I took the day to clean out the flower beds and catch up on my sleep laundry.

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Labels: charity, Cheyenne River