The Season of Giving and Sharing

Just about every week I see a new face during Stitch In. Sue P. is fairly new and she has thoroughly enjoyed coming to our meetings. This week she brought along her friend Sharon. Sue continues to work on scarfs as she tries new techniques. The garter stitch scarf made in the Panther colors pleased her and she decided to learn how to work cables by making another scarf.
Here's a link I found online showing a beginning cables technique.

Sue's garter stitch scarf

Speaking of scarves, Neily completed the multi directional she was working on. She also brought another short row scarf she made following a Lion Brand Pattern. On the latter she used Tweedly Dee chunky yarn from Moda Dea. She is also using left over yarn from other projects to make the Flame Stitch afghan.

Neily's Multidirectional Scarf

Short Rows and Garter Stitch makes Neily's stylish scarf

Anna is working on her own afghan design. When finished she will give her creation to Project Linus.

This year sure has gone fast. Just like last year Janet was seeing working on a beautiful cross stitch winter scene.

The refreshments were not only tasty but beautiful.

Holiday Ornament Exchange

This year's Holiday Gathering will bring smiles to all those who participate in the ornament exchange. I'm excited and already planning on my creation. There are a great number of patterns available online. Here are some links:

You'll love this cow ornament, Shelia.

Santa Hat Ornament

Snowman ornament

Mini Sweater ornament

Mitten and stocking ornaments

Christmas lights

Snowman Ornament

Knitted ball ornament

Snowflake Star ornament

Candy Cane Cozy

Hope everyone has fun making their ornaments.

Fall and Holiday Stitching

The terrific fall weather we have been having brought a good crowd to this month's last meeting. Twenty happy ladies in attendance worked on their projects. All those present received a knitted candy corn made by Shelia.


Neily, Mint Hill's Branch Manager who just retired joined us. She has begun a multi directional scarf and is using the pattern Donna V gave her. Here is Karen Baumer's version of this neat pattern.

Phyllis purchased a pattern called Tropical Tee from Cottage Yarn. Phyllis's speed crocheting is a skill I'm working on. She can crochet a hat in 2 hours.

Jeanne's raglan pullover knitted on the round for one of her grandchildren turned out nice. She shared that the pattern she used was thirty years old and back then she had paid $2.00. This was quite expensive but she has made countless sweaters and is glad she owns a copy.

Julie completed the birth sampler for Gabriel. She will be taking it to Michigan next week. She is also working on christmas knitted stockings.
Janet who also loves to cross stitch also finished her project which she worked on during the cruise to Alaska.

Delores is currently working on a sweater with a penguin motif. The yarn she is using, called Comfort felt wonderful and she shared she bought it at the Peace of Yarn for $5.95.


Sue P. is a beginner knitter and is excited about the scarf she is knitting for her husband using the Panther's colors.

Anna brought the album which shows the Pysanky eggs she had entered to compete in the 2008 North Carolina State Fair. Pysanky is the Ukrainian art of egg decorating. She used goose eggs and won 3rd and 4th place in this category. She is currently working on the Treenah scarf which she will give to her mom this Christmas.

Nisa Knits Update and More...

We are quickly approaching the Nisa
Knits Hats goal of 100. The response is really something to brag about. A heart felt thanks goes out to all the wonderful ladies who have taken the time to make them.





Barb found a neat pattern for flip flop socks in the book Knitted Socks by Anna Tillman. She is making a pair for her granddaughter who wears flip flops year round.


Phyllis worked on her Knit Stitch Cloche. The Dictionary Site defines a cloche as a woman's close fitting hat with a deep, bell shaped crown and often narrow turned brim. She found her pattern in the website a Crystal Palace Yarns website This site is an excellent source of free patterns in all categories. Crystal Palace yarns can also be purchased at this site.

Anna who crochets and donates her creations to Project Linus is currently crocheting a pineapple doily which she would like to enter on the North Carolina State Fair next month. The fair runs from October 16 through October 26. We wish Anna good luck.

Sarah stopped by to tell everyone about the GuidePosts Knit for Kids charity program. She has made kids' crochet pullovers using the pattern provided by this organization. Once you donate an item to this cause you will receive their newsletter.

Rainy Days and Tuesdays

Rainy days and Tuesdays never keep anyone from coming to our scheduled Stitch In meetings. We even were under a tornado watch an we had a great turn out. Seventeen cheerful ladies came to stitch and have a good time. The refreshments were delicious and contributed to everyone's good mood.

Julie finished a baked potato pouch made with the whimsical potato fabric she got from her friend, Janet. The instructions claim that using this pouch will enhance the quality and taste of a potato cooked in the microwave. The cooked potato will come out as one that has been baked in the oven. Janet shared that the potato fabric was purchased online at: Keepsake Quilting

Here are the instructions I found to make one.

Several of the ladies present worked on hats for the NISA service projects. The hat total has gone up to 82. The hats collected will be sent to benefit children in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iola combined yarns and used the loom to make one her hats. You can get better results using a loom to knit if you use bulky weight yarns otherwise the hat will be loopy.

Claire worked on the Carnaby Street Jacket found in Annie's Attic book using sport weight Red Heart yarn and size H hook. The neat thing about her pattern is that the jacket is crocheted in one piece and joined at the sides and sleeves. Claire plans to keep this one for herself.

Shelia has been working on something different. She cut out 1" strips from black and white plastic trash bags to make a unique hand bag. Similar bags can be made using plastic grocery bags. I tried to make one crocheting plastic shopping bags and found it a little tricky. She said that the advantage of using the trash bags is that you end up with longer strips.

Janet was seeing working on a new cross stitch projects.

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Summer Knitting

The hot summer days have not slowed down the ladies who are participating in the service project NISA Knit Hats to benefit the children from the mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Fifty eight caps have been collected so far. Different techniques have been used; crochet, knitting and loom knitting. Sewn or store bought hats will also be accepted. Nisa is a non-profit organization in the state of North Carolina which states Education is their mission. Their goal is to collect 2,000 hats. The collection dates run from May 1 through September 2008.

Hats should be sent to: Nisa Knits Hats!
PO Box 481444
Charlotte, NC 28269
Their telephone Number is: 704-819-3076

Our Stitch In Group has been contacted by Geocities to knit more helmet liners and knit or crochet more scarves for our service men and women in Iraq. Crocheted helmet liners are no longer accepted. The revised helmet liner pattern is pretty much the same; some minor changes were made. A new pattern for the knitted or crocheted scarves is also now available on the website. The new requirements state that the yarn label which specifies the type of yarn used must be submitted. Only 100% soft wool (worsted weight) in black, charcoal, brown, tan, olive drab can be used. No blue or green camo will be accepted.

On a recent visit a young lady by the name of Anna who donates crocheted afghans to the Project Linus brought a beautiful star afghan she's been working on. She puts so many hours on her work and finds joy giving them away.

A Very Happy Granddaughter

Julie shared this picture of her granddaughter wearing the sweater she knitted this summer.

The original pattern was crochet but Julie modified it until she was pleased with the pattern.

Sample Projects From Library Books

I have completed the crochet tablecloth which I found in the book Vintage Crochet: 30 Gorgeous Designs for Home, Garden, Fashion, Gifts by Susan Cropper. I fell in love with most of the projects in this book so I ended up purchasing my own copy.

I enjoyed very much making the Picot Tablecloth. I did get a little help from a friend but once I figured out the pattern, it was not hard to memorize it. Paton's Grace mercerized yarn worked very well. One skein yielded 6 crochet squares. This yarn is available at Michaels Arts & Crafts.

One of my favorite books for projects that require one skein or less is 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. I found the blanket buddy pattern on page 207 and learned a new technique while knitting the bunny's head. To create the pocket which will be stuffed with fiberfill stuffing you will purl as follows: *P1, slip 1 purlwise; repeat from *. I recommend any type of chunky weight acrylic yarn if this buddy blanket will be given to a child to love. I used Bernat Softee Chunky.

Summer Stitch In - in Full Swing

The summer months have arrived and some crafters will put their knitting or crochet projects on hold due to the heat. Consider working on small projects such as dishcloths, facecloths, market bags or baby items. Our group will continue to meet during the summer on our normal schedule of the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

Here is a link for the Baby fern stitch cloth.

http://dishclothboutique.20m.com/kpatterns/babyfernstitch.html

Update on the Baby Fern Stitch Cloth:
Neily decided to make the Baby fern stitch cloth and she shared that the pattern is asymmetrical which means that the borders are not identical. The pattern that follows results in even borders:

Baby Fern Stitch Dishcloth
multiple of 12 stitches plus 9

Using size 6 or 7 needles and one ball cotton yarn, cast on 45 stitches

Row 1 K3, p across, k3
Row 2 K3, p1, k1, p1, *k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl1, k1, psso, p1, k1, p1, end k3
Row 3 K3, p across, k3
Row 4 K3, p1, k1, p1, *k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, k1, sl1, k1, psso, p1, k1, p1, end k3
Row 5 k3, p across, k3
Row 6 K3, p1, k1, p1, *k2tog, yo, k5, yo, sl1, k1, psso, p1, k1, p1, end k3

Repeat these 6 rows to desired length
Knit 4 row, bind off, weave in ends.

The Mint Hill Stitch In group is currently working on sewing, crocheting, or knitting hats to benefit children of the mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.





Pat has been busy working on this service project and has already donated several hats. The hats are for boys and girls in sizes from newborn to young adult. Knitted or crochet hats can be made of any color or yarn. The hats will be collected from now until September 2008.




I was thrilled to see the crewel embroidery girl Jill has been working on completed. It turned out beautiful!














Nancy is almost finished with a beautiful baby cardigan which she worked on a circular needle.

Hook Rugs, Flip Flops and good Food

I met Dolores during the first May meeting. She had a good time and talked her friend Ann into coming with her. Dolores who started knitting as a child is teaching Ann to knit. It's always nice to see new faces join in and share their stitching knowledge and projects. Dolores knits beautiful children's sweaters and she shared pictures of some she has made.






Two new faces working on very unique hook rugs attended this meeting, Bonnie and Cass. Cass showed me the machine she uses to cut the wool strips that she uses on her rugs. They both designed their own rugs. The picture shows Bonnie working on hers.




Nancy who usually knits for babies worked on the shawl that stays in place. She made a few modifications on the edge and used what she calls vintage yarn from her stash. Nancy also shared a scarf pattern for veterans. You can find the link here.

I fell in love with Nancy's knitting bag which she got last summer on clearance at Harris Teeter.

Shelia's daughter Ashley modeled one her completed flip flops. She used a crochet hook to attach
eyelash yarn.

The refreshment table done in red, white and blue offered a delicious selection of food.

Knitting & Crocheting Warm Projects

The ladies I met during this month's first meeting are all working on projects which will warm a little one's body and a mother's heart.


Jeanne has been busy working on a nice size baby blanket. She is knitting it for her husband's future great niece or nephew who lives up north. I loved the blanket's border which consists of a checker board pattern. The body of the blanket is also made up of knit and purl blocks.

Detail of checkerboard edge.

Tina continues to enjoy prayer shawls and she was working on her fourth.

Julie's original pattern for granddaughter Anna's sweater was supposed to be done in crochet. She tried and tried to follow the pattern but was not happy with the result. Finally she gave up and worked on her own pattern stitch to achieve the look. She was happy with the result and I'm sure the choice of yarn color will win Anna's heart.
Anna will be delighted when she receives this sweater from Julie.

Granddaughters are special and Nancy finds joy knitting for hers. She was working on her second sun dress using 100% cotton yarn.

A Dedicated Group

April Fool's has come and gone and our Ladies have been busy knitting/crocheting, cross-stitching, embroidering, etc..etc...They don't fool around and are very committed and determined to complete their projects.

Julie finished her knitted lacy baby blanket. she will have time to make other unique gifts for her future grandson who is due at the end of May. She shared with me that this pattern was a challenge and she found herself undoing some rows to correct mistakes. We love the result of her hard work.

Barb brought along a quilt which was a group effort. She said that the participants each pieced six of the same block to share one with each lady in the group. What makes this quilt so special is the personalization and the sentiment expressed in the written message.

Claire likes to crochet and she is doing a super job on her Via Condotti jacket, using an F hook.

Jill B is taking a break from crochet and working on crewel embroidery.

Pat is currently involved knitting baby blankets to be donated for charity. She also contributes knitted baby pockets. The organization which distributes these donated baby items is called Julie's Mission.


Donna V. is well known for her knitted scarves. She shared with the group two neat patterns: the braided cable scarf and the reversible cable scarf. The latter one looks the same on both sides.

An interesting visitor stopped by the April 22nd meeting. His name is Flat Nathan who was created by Nathan Munsch a student at Quail Run School located in Inverness Lawrence in Kansas. Jan S. has been taking it everywhere she goes.

A Record Breaker Stitching Meeting

The parking lot at the Mint Hill Library was nearly full this past Tuesday. One borrower made a comment to me and said, "Pretty soon you'll need a valet service." The community room was packed, 21 in attendance including me.





I was glad to see Martha who joined us for her second time. She was working on a beautiful pineapple afghan and at the same time instructing a first time attendee. Martha brought several issues of crochet and crafts magazines that date back to the 50's. Some of the titles included: Coats & Clark's Quick Tricks, The Workbasket, Crochet Digest and Pack-O-Fun.

We are still receiving red scarves to be donated to children in the community. The response of all who have participated has been inspiring. There is still time to turn those in during the month of April.

There was some wonderful stitching going on during this meeting as you can appreciate in the following pictures. Click on the colored text to view the picture.

Janet has been working on a beautiful butterfly quilt for her daughter's birthday on April 5th. Janet also worked on her cross stitch lighthouse scene.

Brenda, a newcomer, brought a crochet pillow she was working on. Her friend is a basketball fan, so she cross stitched his name on the pillow.

Barb completed her crochet market bag.

Busy Crafters Celebrate National Craft Month

March has been declared National Craft Month. Our terrific ladies came to celebrate and learn from one another. One of the questions that people ask me every now and then is: "Do you have to know how to crochet or knit to come to Stitch In?" My answer is always the same: "No, not at all." Books are a big help, but there is nothing like getting one on one training. I see this happen quite often during our meetings.


Phyllis, one of our regulars brought her own projects to work on and she also took time to teach Pam how to crochet. Pam learned about Mint Hill Stitch In while shopping at Michaels for the book Vanna's Choice, Color it Beautiful Afghans. Deidre, another new face will bring something to work on next meeting.

I spotted Chris working on a garter stitch scarf . Garter stitch is created by knitting all rows. Chris used a large knitting needle to create a lacy effect.




Jill B. continued to work on her Paint the Town Red scarf which she will donate to children in the community. Speaking of red scarves, several more were turned in. Mine has been completed but requires blocking due to the zig zag pattern I chose.











Julie shared the system she uses to organize the DMC floss by project. She purchased this system at Hobby Lobby at a great price.


The refreshments served were delicious and included a grasshopper cake, pistachios, green cupcakes made with Shelia's Amish Friendship starter.

Everyone made progress in their current projects as you can see by the pictures that follow:

Shelia worked on a baby blanket for charity.

Here's a sample of crochet scarfs for our Service men and women.

A basket weave scarf pattern in progress.

More red scarves.

A wool scarf for a service man or woman.

Paint the Town Read Service Project Takes Off

Several and one of a kind scarves have been turned in by the ladies who are participating in the Paint the Town Read reading program. I'm amazed by the creativity of all who have put their skills to work. The scarves collected will be donated to children in the community.

Jill, who knitted one of the red scarves showed me she had checked off five books she had read on the painter's chip and was excited to receive the Paint the Town Read sign. She will also receive a ticket to attend the party which will take place at Imaginon on April 18, 2008 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.



These beautiful scarves will make children in a Charlotte community feel very special.

Click on the sentences to view pictures.

Jill's Paint the Town Read painter's chip.
Jan's lacy red scarf in progress.
Phylli's Novelty Yarn scarf.