Knitting with Schnapps

Kozy Kovers for Kids

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Week 8 - Goal Met & a Blanket Bonanza!

I can hardly believe that this is already Week 8 of 2012! Although it's already Saturday, I completed my second hat for the week! I still haven't finished the blanket I'm working on, but it's getting there. It's been a busy week with other commitments, but at least I'm getting some knitting done every day.

The most amazing thing this week was the 33 blankets that came in for Kozy Kovers for Kids! My library called and said they had a lot of donations, but I was not expecting all this!

This brings the grand total for blankets to 693 with more coming in every week. We'll be giving 40 or so to the local Emergency Department to have on hand for any little patients who come in suffering from abuse or neglect. I only wish you could see all the details of these beautiful blankets. Our Facebook page has more photos with more details!

Along with the enormous number of blankets, I received another 17 hats this week, bringing Delaware Head Huggers to a whopping 5,991 hats! A few boxes will be shipping out this week, bringing warmth to those who need it.

Delaware Head Huggers

Kozy Kovers for Kids

Happy Knitting!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Goal Met - Week 7! Fundraiser Begins!

Week 7 is not yet over, but I know I will be working on my blanket this weekend. I did manage to finish 2 hats this week though.........the gray one is the Cozy Cobblestone Cap found in my previous post and the multicolored one is just a toasty loom knit one. Amazingly, 70 more hats came in this week so far, bringing our total to a whopping 5,974! We'll soon be over 6,000! And they keep on coming in. As always I am in awe of the talent of all donors and the beautiful items they so lovingly donate to Delaware Head Huggers!

We began our first impromptu fundraiser this week too. Some craft items; mostly cross stitch, are posted on our Facebook page with prices starting at $1 and the highest being $5. These are unopened kits and other items. More to come too. If you'd like to do some shopping, where ALL proceeds go to Delaware Head Huggers and Kozy Kovers for Kids, stop by the Craft Item Fundraiser. All items were donated, so all money collected will be proceeds! We're PayPal friendly too! The money goes towards postage costs and the cost of printing the tags needed for the hats and blankets.

I've got lots of ideas for new hat patterns and hopefully I will have another one or two to add soon.

In the meantime, please join us if you can. We love to find new friends on Facebook, have new visitors to our website and have new crafters send in items. Both websites have easy donation buttons and directions for where to drop items off if you live in Delaware and where to send them if you live in other states.

Delaware Head Huggers

Kozy Kovers for Kids

Happy Knitting!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Cozy Cobblestone Cap!

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Cozy Cobblestone Cap

I love browsing through knit stitch dictionaries for inspiration. I recently came across the “Garter Stitch Cobblestones” stitch and loved it. It had texture, yet was a simple pattern. It was easy to visualize knit in a hat for both men and women. And it was just different looking.

So, I started planning a hat using this stitch. I made more mistakes than usual on this one and ripped out plenty of stitches before I completed it, but I really like the look of it. It is stretchy enough to fit most adults and it is made with a worsted weight yarn. This hat will make a perfect chemo cap to wear to bed, in the warmer weather or just anytime a really heavy hat is not needed.

There is an edge stitch on either side of this pattern that will make seaming the hat very easy without breaking up the pattern. The pattern is working on a multiple of 12 plus two edge stitches, so if you would like to alter it for a different size, just keep that in mind.

The pattern is free of course, although anyone who wishes to support Delaware Head Huggers with a monetary donation is welcome to do so, of course. Our website, www.delawareheadhuggers.org has an easy donate button and all money is used to pay for shipping costs and tags for each hat. I hope many of you will make one, or two or twenty and donate them to Delaware Head Huggers or your local cancer center!

If anyone has trouble printing this pattern, you can try the copy of Scribd: Cozy Cobblestone PDF. If you highlight the text of the pattern and then paste it in a Word document, it works.

Size 7 knitting needles

Worsted weight yarn – I used stash yarn that did not have a label, so I honestly don’t know how many yards I used.

Cast on 86 stitches.

Knit garter stitch (knit every row) for 10 rows.

Begin Garter Stitch Cobblestone pattern:

Row 1 and every alternate (odd) row: Knit all stitches.

Rows 2, 10, 12, 14, 22 and 24: Purl all stitches.

Rows 4, 6 and 8: K1, *P3, K6, P3*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1.

Rows 16, 18 and 20: K1, *P6, K6*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1.

Knit Rows 1 through 24.

Repeat Rows 1 through 22.

Decrease Crown:

Row 1: K1, *K5, SSK*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1. (74 stitches)

Row 2 and all even rows: Purl all stitches.

Row 3: K1, *K4, SSK*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1. (62 stitches)

Row 5: K1, *K3, SSK*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1. (50 stitches)

Row 7: K1, *K2, SSK*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1. (38 stitches)

Row 9: K1, *K1, SSK*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. K1. (26 stitches)

Row 11: K1, SSK to last stitch, K1. (14 stitches)

Cut working yarn leaving a long tail.

Draw yarn through live stitches left on your needle.

Cinch closed and sew the seam.

Weave in ends and enjoy!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Goal Met - Week 6!

I've been working on a blanket for Kozy Kovers for Kids, but I can't neglect Delaware Head Huggers, so I've been splitting my knitting time between the two. I made 3 hats this week.....all on a loom. The pink fuzzy one is a bit funkier than I usually make, but the yarn was donated, so I wanted to try it out. Hopefully someone will find it to be the perfect accessory!

This week there was some major miscommunication with a hospital about them accepting hats, but luckily I was able to get that all straightened out and hats will be headed there shortly.

Each individual hat is tagged with a card that states it is a gift from Delaware Head Huggers......I'm not sure how anyone would think another group made our hats...............but, as long as patients are getting the caps they need, it will all work out just fine! Sometimes I think anyone who answers a telephone should have to take a basic courtesy class before being allowed to say "hello". If people would just think before they spoke, so many unpleasant situations would just never happen!

On a much more positive note, this is an excerpt from an email I received from a center which had received hats recently:

I can’t tell you how much the patients appreciate these. They are so touched when we offer it to them and they like to choose their own style. The assortment is so nice, one is lovelier than the next---so thanks again to you and all the busy hands that make these wonderful hats. I hope the volunteers know how appreciated these little gifts are and that our patients are very grateful.

Now that makes us all smile. It's nice to know that we are able to make a difference. I shipped a box of 110 hats out to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's pediatrics ward this week too. Hopefully we will be able to send as many caps as they need. Schnapps is ready to help by keeping watch as I tag each hat!

Hats of all sizes are needed! Please join us if you are able! I love to see how this organization grows all the time.

On the blanket side of life, I am putting together blankets for the local Emergency Department to have on hand to give to any child who is brought in suffering from abuse or neglect. The staff say that the blankets are able to give a little security during a traumatic time. Please join us here as well if you can. Both websites have easy donation buttons and directions for where to drop items off if you live in Delaware and where to send them if you live in other states.

Delaware Head Huggers

Kozy Kovers for Kids

Happy Knitting!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Introducing the Happy Hat!

I decided to put together a hat using the stamen stitch. I like the symmetry of the stitch and the bit of a lacy look that you get from it, but it’s still a nice, warm cap. I made this one using worsted weight yarn and size 11 needles. I called it the Happy Hat, since I want all our hats to cheer up the people who receive them. Feel free to use this pattern if you would like and feel free to join us at Delaware Head Huggers of Kozy Kovers for Kids!

The Happy Hat

You will need:

Size 11 knitting needles

Worsted or 4-weight yarn (Vanna’s Choice used, less than one skein)

PATTERN:

Cast on 55 stitches.

Work K3, P2 ribbing for 2 inches. K3, P2 across each row.

(Feel free to use a different rib stitch if you prefer, or use a garter stitch pattern for the brim if you would like).

Begin Stamen Stitch Pattern:

Row 1: Knit across

Row 2: K1, K1, *slip 1 purl-wise (yarn at back), K1*; repeat from * to * to last stitch. End with a K1

Row 3: Knit across

Row 4: *K1, slip 1 purl-wise (yarn at back)*; Repeat from * to * across the row

Continue pattern Rows 1 – 4 until the piece measures 8 inches.

Decrease the crown as follows:

Row 1: *K3, K2tog*; Repeat from * to * across row

Row 2: K1, *K1, slip 1 purl-wise* ; repeat from * to * across row, ending with a K1

Row 3: *K2, K2tog*; Repeat from * to * across row

Row 4: *K1, slip 1 purl-wise (yarn to the back)*; Repeat from * to * across row

Row 5: *K1, K2tog*; Repeat from * to * across row

Row 6: K1, *slip 1 purl-wise (yarn to the back), K1*; Repeat from * to * to last stitch, K1

Row 7: K2tog across row

Cut working yarn leaving a 12-inch tail. Thread yarn through live stitches on the needle and cinch closed. Sew seam, weave in loose ends and enjoy. Or better yet, pass it along to someone who needs it.

Delaware Head Huggers

Kozy Kovers for Kids

Happy Knitting!

Week 5 - Goal Met!

Well, it’s Thursday and I’ve got 2 new hats finished and tagged, so Week 5's goal is met! This was a great week for hats (89 new ones in!) and blankets (8 new ones!) and I am so excited about all we are able to do with these beautiful items. Our totals so far are: 5,869 hats and 656 blankets! Growing every week!

Some little children got Kozy Kovers for Kids at their adoption ceremony and the staff said that the little ones loved the blankets and clutched them tight throughout. We gave 24 more blankets to Delaware State social workers for Milford and I’m starting another batch for Pressley Ridge and one for Kind to Kids as well.

I cast on a blanket for Kozy Kovers for Kids, but I’ve just started it, so it’s got quite a ways to go. I also knit 2 new hat patterns this week. The first hat is here:

I should have used a lighter weight yarn. I used a 6-weight and size 13 needles, but the pattern just isn’t defined enough. It is supposed to have boxes easily visible….I thought I was imagining a nice masculine looking hat, but the yarn just isn’t working well. I’ll try something else and see how that turns out.

Then I decided to put together a hat using the stamen stitch. I like the symmetry of the stitch and the bit of a lacy look that you get from it, but it’s still a nice, warm cap. I made this one using worsted weight yarn and size 11 needles. I called it the Happy Hat, since I want all our hats to cheer up the people who receive them. I'm posting the pattern in a separate post so it's easier to find.

Join us if you can - all are welcome!

Delaware Head Huggers

Kozy Kovers for Kids