FOs and Toads

I have a few FOs (Finished Objects) to show off. These are projects I've finished since mid-April.

To start off, here's another scarf for OFA's Red Scarf Project. Nothing fancy - just seed stitch. Very pleasant knitting! The yarn is Patons Classic Wool, in the color Cognac Heather.

I bought this yarn (Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarters, in the color Clearwater) several years ago, when I stumbled across a yarn store in Toledo, going out of business and selling everything at 40% off. The skein sat in my stash for a while, but I finally knit it up into Susan Lawrence's Forest Canopy Shawl. It is a small shawl, but should serve to ward off air conditioning chill. (I gave it away, so of course it will ward off someone else's AC chill.) It was my first "real" lace project, and I confess that I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (and it was great fun to knit).

Here is another of Ysolda Teague's Elijah the Elephant, knit with Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk Hand Paint. I use about 1/2 skein for each elephant; this finished my skein in the color Four Elements.

This Elijah is made with the same yarn, but in the color Apple Tree green (I love the names of these colorways!)

Mittens without thumbs...

And with thumbs

This hat and mittens will be donated to Seita Scholars (there's a scarf in the works also). You can read about the Seita Scholars here. The hat is pretty basic stockinette, with standard decreases at the top. I  knit a facing, so, if the brim is rolled up, there are four thicknesses of yarn; the ears should be toasty warm! The mittens are from Ann Budd's book, The Knitter's Handy Book of  Patterns.

No, I didn't knit this fellow. He's just one of the many toads that live in our window well. Last year, I counted 10 toads one day.

I really would like to bid adieu to these fellows, but I'm not sure how to go about it! I'd like to clean the leaves out of those wells, but I confess to an irrational fear of being startled by toads suddenly leaping about...

Elephant, Sweater, Scarf, Hat

This past weekend, I finished knitting another "Elijah" elephant.

I bought this yarn back in August 2009, and it's been lurking in my stash, waiting for just the right project. I originally thought it would make a cute baby sweater, and considered it for several other projects, but it worked out well for this elephant. (This was the "4 Elements" color. I see on the website there is a "Neptune" color that would make a really cute elephant...)

I love all the details in this elephant. For instance, the ears are knit in the round, using short row shaping to create the 'wave' in the ear. And then, they are closed using Kitchener Stitch, so that you really can't see a seam - it just looks like more knitting. The technique is a little tricky, and I don't use it often, so I always grab one of my books for the instructions. When I reached this part of the ear, I was not at home, but no problem: I was at our local knitting store, surrounded by knitters who remembered how to do it - and one women who carries the instructions with her knitting at all times, so I was in good hands!

An interesting tidbit: the Kitchener Stitch was developed by Lord Herbert Kitchener, during World War I. His seamless graft was more comfortable for soldiers, and for sock wearers today.

I really need to knit an Elijah Elephant for myself, and experiment with washing it, so I know what to recommend when I give it to a new mother - because you know it will need washing, probably sooner rather than later! But I'm resisting the urge to start another, until I finish up my other projects.

Such as...

 The green sweater is nearly nearly finished. I added to the length, and am happy with it. I've ripped out the collar, and will bind off again, with larger needles - so maybe it will go over my head more easily. With any luck, this project will be finished today or tomorrow.

 I'm making good progress on a scarf for OFA's Red Scarf Project. The pattern is my old stand-by, the Corrugator. And I love the yarn. It's nothing fancy - Paton's Classic Wool, sort of a workhorse yarn. The color I'm working with, cognac heather, changes subtly as I knit - very nice!

Finally, the double knit hat is coming along nicely. I feel like I'm getting used to handling the two colors, and knitting faster. I don't know if I'll ever be a real fan of double knitting, but this hat will be very warm to wear, and reversible to boot.

Oh, I guess I have one more work in process,  the Forest Canopy Shawl. All I've done so far is swatch, so I know which needles to use. I'm not doing anything else on it until I finish the hat.

Really.

Seita Scholars

 For youth who age out of the foster care system, the transition to adulthood and college (for those who go on to college) is fraught with anxiety, stress, and confusion. I remember my college years, and how much I depended on my parents and family, for both moral and monetary support. I can't imagine being 18, in college, and on my own.

I've learned of two groups who offer help to these kids. One is the Orphan Foundation of America. They provide scholarships, grants, mentoring, moral support, internships, and advocacy. One of their programs is the Red Scarf Project, where they assemble Valentine's Day care packages, the highlight being hand-knit red scarves. I've contributed a few red scarves to their effort.

A more local effort is Western Michigan University's Foster Youth and Higher Education Initiative. (The abbreviation seems to be FYIT - I'm not sure how that correlates with the name...!) The program focuses on outreach and recruitment; retention and well-being; and career transition and graduation. One facet of this program is The John Seita Scholars Program. This includes a tuition scholarship, as well as support to promote student well-being and academic success. Students who receive the scholarship are known as Seita Scholars.

I recently learned of an effort to knit hats, scarves, and mittens for these students. I like some of my charity knitting to have a local impact, so although I'd already sent a couple scarves to the Red Scarf Project, I knitted a scarf and hat for the Seita Scholars as well. These are pictured here. I think they both turned out well, don't you? Hopefully they'll find their way to students who agree!

(And maybe the scarf will be imbued with extra wisdom, having briefly graced this wise owl...)