But It Was On SALE

A fabulous sale and my resolve to produce one blanket/afghan per year withered and melted away.  Yes, Ida was finished quite early in the year because I cheated and started it in late 2013 and I loved how it was evolving and I wanted to take it to its new home. 

So really, I should have been thrilled  patted my self on the back for months while planning for next year.

But then these very nice folks had a sale.  Not just a sale, but certain yarns that were taking up shelf space were put in the back corner for $3.00 per ball.

Three dollars!   How could I leave the stuff there.   I bought eleven balls of a DK acrylic and figured that I could use it for charity work when machine washable/dryable fiber is required.

This is very easy single crochet with FPDC spaced evenly across the width.  It is working up very fast and requires no pattern reading. 

There is enough yarn to make at least two baby blankets.  Or maybe a twin size. 

I can't believe that I'll make more than one blanket this year.  A sale combined with a need presented a temptation too great to resist.

With Charity For All

Having finished and blocked the scarf, a new project seemed appropriate. I still have cables -lots of cables - to complete and the mind and fingers were wanting something mindless. When I don't know what to do, doing for others is appropriate.

Thus, the needles are now occupied with a lap robe that will find a home with seniors. This one is an adaptation of my K2Tog Scarf pattern (link is over on the left). The modification is to cast on 140 then k 20 before the YO and K2Tog.

I'm enjoying focusing on "charity" knitting for a bit. Busy hands lead to grateful hearts.

Praise for Acrylic

Sing a song of thanks for acrylic! Join in the chorus - - hit the harmony. Acrylic is totally awesome. Now I know that some of you don't like the feel of the stuff. Go ahead and look it up here. It doesn't even sound like something you want in your hands for hours and hours and hours.

But the same can be said of wool. Every knitter and crocheter knows someone who is allergic and just can't stand to have wool in the hands let alone on the actual body. Can you imagine getting the hives when you come within a whiff of merino? How sad would that be? And then I know a few who eschew cotton. Too harsh; sucks the moisture from the skin; wears out the hand - - no stretch you know. Well, I ask you now, where would a good Granny's dishcloth be if we didn't use cotton? No where! That's where!

Ahh, but acrylic. Baby spittle doesn't harm it, picnics can't mess it up, and childhood memories would be eaten away if acrylic yarn had not entered the local dime store.

Behold:

Twenty-five years old and still a beautiful skirt of poinsettia for the tree. (and no holes or fading!)

Twenty-five years old and still ready for the Man in Red

Be thankful for acrylic. Join in the song. If you can't take the lead with a solo, sing harmony and blend in the background. Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la