A Hat and a Scarf and a Beagle

I've been knitting for the Seita Scholars, and recently finished a hat.

A Dorky Hat

Unfortunately, I'm not very happy with it. I used this Lined Beanie pattern, but my hat came out rather large, and not nearly as handsome as the picture in the pattern. Still, it fits Jim, so hopefully it will fit some young Seita Scholar as well.

Also, I closed the top using the Kitchener stitch, instead of just drawing the stitches together, which gives the top a nice, clean finish.

It is self-lined, which will make it snug and warm, which is another plus:

With the lining pulled out

I've started a matching scarf, which I like much better:

The more satisfying scarf

The colors in this photo are off, so you can't tell that one of the colors matches the stripes in the hat. Trust me, it does, and hopefully my photo of the finished product will reflect that. Really, the colors are much nicer than these.

The pattern is a simple 1x1 ribbing, as in the Noro Striped Scarf. I'm using three colors of yarn, and I set up the stripe pattern using the Random Stripe Generator found here. I asked for three colors; widths of 2, 4, and 6; and 100 rows (which I am repeating as needed). It's very satisfying to see it unfold, and it's knitting up fairly quickly (it's half finished).

This last photo is not knitting. This is Bonnie the Beagle, hoping hoping hoping for a treat from Jim.

Gratuitous beagle picture

Yikes! I Need to Blog!

Sharing random bits and pieces of life...

1. Two Saturdays ago, I went with Lori T & Angi E & Pam E up to East Lansing, to attend Relief Society leadership training with Barbara Thompson. The Lansing Stake provided dinner, and then we attended a fireside with Cheryl Esplin (Primary) and Barbara Thompson. Lots of good information and instruction.

I liked Sister Thompson's comment regarding Moses 6:18:

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

She reminded us that we can be poor in many ways - not just temporally, but also spiritually. We need to strengthen each other spiritually, through our friendships and visiting teaching and our assignments at church. And, of course, we need to strengthen ourselves.

2. I started running again. I'm following the couch-to-5k program (again - I stick with it a little longer each time, it seems). Last week I did week 1, and apparently I've lived to tell the tale. Aside from the back pain that seems to accompany most upright activity, I'm feeling pretty good.

I'm working with a PT on that back pain, mostly strengthening exercises. I now have a contraption (a TENS device) to stimulate the muscles with electric pulses, which is supposed to alleviate the pain. I'm still a bit skeptical, but am giving it a try. Today I wore it while walking Bonnie, turning it on when it seemed the pain was starting. I got home without feeling overwhelmed with the ache, so maybe it did help. Tomorrow I'll wear it when I run; that should be a good test.

I'm also planning to sign up for a yoga class - more on that once I've actually registered and started a class...

3. Marian Hawkins is the volunteer coordinator for the Seita Program at Western Michigan University. She attended our knitting guild meeting last Monday, and talked to us about the program. From the literature she shared:

The goal of the John Seita Scholarship program at Western Michigan University is to increase opportunities for foster youth to access a college education and to provide supports that promote success and well-being throughout the undergraduate experience. Western welcomes students who grew up in foster care to campus and through the Seita Scholars program aims to promote a sense of belonging in our campus community. Financial obstacles that often prevent foster youth from continuing their education are lessened through a full tuition scholarship. Year-round campus living eliminates any worry of homelessness during periods when residence halls are closed for school breaks. Other benefits such as 24 hour support from clinically trained campus coaches, mentoring, academic tutoring, student networking, counseling, and advocacy are all a part of this program to help the students succeed at Western and to make a smooth transition into adulthood.

At the beginning of the year, one thing they do is to provide laundry baskets full of supplies for the students - sheets, towels, laundry supplies, etc. I've seen students arriving at college, armed with carloads of supplies. Foster students aren't quite as prepared; Marian told of one foster youth who arrived at college with a drawstring backpack, and that was everything he brought.

Along those lines, I finally finished my scarf for the Seita Scholars.

This is the Shale Pleated Scarf, from Webs. I don't know why it seemed to take so long to finish. It was an easy knit, but not particularly quick or interesting, so I kept setting it aside. But in the end, it turned out pretty well. This scarf, along with the matching hat and mittens, will be gifts at the students' Christmas party in December.

4. I'm making progress on my scarf and rabbit projects; the lace shawl is growing much more slowly. And for variety (!), I bought yarn Friday night, to start a fourth project, an owl baby blanket.

Isn't this yummy?!? It's Dream in Color Classy, in the color "Happy Forest." On Saturday I cast on and started knitting the blanket; I'll post a picture when there's something to see...!

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...

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...)