Hand Knit mask for times of Quarantine

I don't know what made me decide that I had to knit a mask for the covid epidemic.  But finally the right mask came across pinterest and I started,  First I found crochet cotton upstairs from my grandmother's box of cotton crochet supplies.  Then I decided on what size knitting needles to use.  I chose size three needles because the pattern called for 2.5 to 3mm needles.  

I had a bit of trouble getting started and figuring it all out.  I had knitted from charts very little.  And that was part of the fun:  learning how to knit from a chart.  The designer had a you tube presentation to help with interpreting the symbols on the chart....but the You tube was in her native language ....and she is oriental.  However there were English prompts and also the symbols that she was illustrating were shown on the screen,  The pattern is called a Seed Mask and her version is made out of  AGA organic cotton.  The You tube video (in her native language) can be found at:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nR6qtAkzGQ

And here are the photos of my mask:





Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing.  I had decided to use the elastic hair ties to go over my ears instead of tying the masks on with cords.  So I did not do the first step of chaining stitches.  Instead I cast on 20 stitches and started the chart.  I left a long enough tail to sew the elastic hair ties in place.

Decorating with Yarn

I found myself chatting via e-mail with a young woman who thinks she would like to learn to knit.  After explaining to her that You Tube is the very best way to learn to knit,  our conversation turned to yarn.  She already knows how to crochet so she has a bit of it on hand.  I took a few photos to send to her and when I got ready to discard the photos, I thought that I would like to put them on my blog site.  Here is what she wrote to me:

How kind of you to offer to send me a knitting needle and yarn

I will pick one up a knitting needle soon and I have plenty of yarn from crocheting

I always have such a hard time making a decision on yarn ..what color to get etc

I could stand there for hours looking at it and sometimes do

And here is what I wrote back that prompted my photos:

 It is a fun hobby.  I definitely know about looking at yarn for hours….I have some yarn that I love so much I can not seem to find a project worthy of it….it sits in a bowl in my house…and I have looked at it for years…..not hours.  To get even more nerdy, I put winter yarn up from these bowls and get summer yarn out just as I do with my clothes.  I get pleasure just from looking at my yarn.  Don’t hesitate to get back with me if you have any questions.  marsha

Socks and my grandkids

I started another project yesterday.  I turned my dining room table into a blocking station.

It seemed the perfect time.  The table and dining room were all cleaned up after the Easter dinner.  I have Jason and his kids for a few days.  They leave today after lunch.  And Eowyn wanted to know what the heck was going on in my dining room.   I explained about blocking, and told Eowyn if she ever saw anything that I had made that she really liked and might wear, I would give it to her!  Just let me know!

Then Jackson asked had I ever made anything for him.  And, of course, that led to what he might want....and after a minute's thought he said: Socks!  So I sent him upstairs to grandmother's sewing machine on which I have a basketful of socks and told them both to pick any socks out that they wanted.  One of those serendipity moments!  They both chose some socks!

Jackson chose a plain gray pair:



And the pair of blue socks below.  These socks were not made with self-striping yarn....I did all of the color work myself.



And Eowyn chose two pairs of white:





Yes, these are different from each other...she has the mates in her hands.  The cabled socks are wool and the other pair are cotton.

I am very thrilled to have someone wearing my socks!

Scrap knitting

Somehow one Christmas I wrote a blog post that was about knitting with scraps on the wrong blog.  I am too lazy/busy to move the blog post today.  So I will just post the link to the blog post here:

https://marshahawkinsmoses.blogspot.com/2018/12/scrap-knitting.html

knitting project for kids

Love crafts sent an e-mail during the March Pandemic 2020 that had a great article about teaching kids to knit.  What makes this article better than articles I have read before is that there are at least three very easy projects that Kya, Mia, and Norah were excited about.  So here is the link to the article:

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/c/article/pass-it-on-teaching-children-to-knit?om_campaign=omme_6657f2b4-ad0_14840_14168&om_send=be7e57002eab48b8b25e2f7841f1336c&omhide=true&utm_campaign=240320_na_pbclose_35_upto_broadcast_daily&utm_content=LC_NA&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Loveknitting

I decided to make kits for each of the children to make the first project in the list:  the bracelet.

I thought the suggestion to have the stitches already cast on ready to knit to be a good one.  I also knitted the first row to make sure that the cast on stitches were not too tight.

First step in making the kits was to choose yarn that I already had on hand.  I found the perfect yarn and colors, but there was no indication of what size needles I might use.  So I found the following information on the Fiber Gypsy site:

Start by measuring the yarn by wrapping it around a ruler firmly, but not stretching it or packing the wraps. Find the number of wraps in the left column, then start knitting with the suggested needle size. Of course, this chart is only a guide -- your personal knitting tension may create a different gauge from that shown.

and second method on that site:

Method 2

This method originated in an article by Ginny Norris that appeared in a 1995 issue of Spin Off magazine, published by Interweave Press.

• Wrap yarn around 2" of a ruler to *feel* what you're after, based on the density of the finished piece. Crowd the yarn for a more dense knitted fabric, wrap loosely for a soft fabric.
• Then count the number of wraps in the 2", which gives an approximate number of stitches in a 4" swatch.
• Divide the number of wraps by 4 to get the number of stitches per inch.
• Choose a knitting needle that approximates the diameter of the yarn to start.
• Then measure 3" of yarn and wrap the yarn around the needle. Count the number of full wraps plus any partials.
• The number of full and partial wraps should match the number of stitches per inch calculated above. Change needle sizes until you get this match.
• Sample after this to double check and make sure the fabric is what you want.

And here are my kits ready to use:  

I found that I had 13 wraps on 2 inches of the ruler....so I knew that I could use a size 10 or larger needle.  Lucky for me, I had three very short circular needles in these big sizes.

I found that the rhyme helps the kids keep the order of how to do the stitch;

In through the front door
Around to the back
Out through the window
Off jumps Jack.

Your slip is showing by Casapinka

I have been telling my knitting buddies that I need a wrap or two for my daughter's wedding in June.  And Carla kept saying....wait until I bring my shawl for you to see.  And she is right!  It looks like a wrap to wear at a beach event!



So I am starting this project tonight!  Something fun in the midst of craziness and uncertainty!

And now it is July and I have just finished my project.  I really love this one.  However, the yarn that I chose makes it a bit heavier and a bit less drape than that of Carla's.  I just took it off the blocking table in time to wear it for our zoom knitting group:

tassels

Kristine, Betsy, and Joyce have all made very different versions of a shawl called Downtown line.  Gayle has now started it as well.  I hope to make it.  I had thought that I might make it with my beautiful Panda Pearl yarn.  The colors are wonderful for it.  But the yarn is too heavy to use the pattern as it is written and I worry that I will have trouble figuring the short rows if I try to change the gauge.  But I wanted to put a few ideas in place for when the time comes that I do make this shawl.
The first is Joyce's wonderful tassels.  They are such a pretty finishing touch.  Done in the fingering weight yarn and made long, they really finish the shawl and make it hang prettier.


  



The shawl Joyce is wearing is not Downtown line.  I was thinking it was Cosmo Girl, but I can't find that pattern anywhere.  So I'll put the name at a later date.  Joyce said she made it with fingering weight yarn and size 5 needles.  The day that Joyce wore it, I was thinking I might use some of my linen yarn to make this shawl.  But then I liked the colors of my Panda Pearl yarn so much for the shawl, that I might change my mind.