Another Free Charity Crafting Pattern Suggestion

Our Friday morning charity crafters have only two rules. Oooops, make that three rules. First, we only use our leftovers or donated yarn. Second, we are not obligated to work on any charity projects except those two hours on Friday mornings. And, third, we only use patterns we each like and find to be stress-free and a delight for each member to work with.

Now, Rule #1 is constantly broken because we often use yarn from our own stash or buy some to finish something off. Rule #2 is often broken because many times, we work on charity projects throughout the week at home. However, Rule #3 is one that we try never to break.

As for the patterns, the photos here will show how the "average" or "intermediate" level crocheter can use up their leftovers for everything from baby blankies to lapghans and even scarfs.

I'm giving you one link for the diagonal stitch here, and another over here. You can choose which one is easier for you to use. One of them has absolutely great photos in the tutorial and the other is brief and to the point. I'd suggest you browse both.

Now, what we love about this one is that we can easily use up our leftovers. These photos show a baby blankie about 34" square. I even used different weights - some sport, some a lightweight worsted. I was careful to keep a "drape" so baby could be wrapped easily.

One close-up shows that I even changed colors part way into a row. For this type of "blanket of many colors," creativity is allowed.

Another thing we like about this one is that, unlike a granny, it only increases so far, and then it decreases, which makes it less stressful and less tiring.

I hope some of you find this one useful. We love it. Tomorrow, I hope to post some photos of some scarves I've made for the homeless, using this stitch.

Oh, for each of our group, our first try gave us headaches. We had funny protrusions after the first couple blocks, but then, we didn't have the benefit of the photos in that tutorial.

Now you know what to do with those little balls of this and that which you have tossed into a container, hoping to use them in something other than a granny square.

Using What's on Hand

I haven't picked up a hook in two days, until an hour ago. After my usual Friday morning charity crafting session, I left the ladies, came home, and finished edging a baby blanket for the needy moms we supply. I wasn't sure what I wanted to start next.

Meanwhile, I had begun to get tied up with some work I've just begun doing - writing brief online articles for a service who supplies people who order them for web content. I've been a writer half my 70 years, and then some. This is a new type of writing and I've been on a slight learning curve. I've also been enjoying it. So, my time is being absorbed by yet another task. This one is a little different because I desperately need the income from it, no matter that it is very small.

So, tonight, I needed to clear my head before tackling my next web-content article-for-hire. I noticed a little container where I had been tossing scraps of cotton worsted from a while back when I worked up several sets of my beverage cozies. I have them in my Etsy shop, plus I have the free pattern here.

I gathered the smallest of the scraps, anywhere from 6" to a foot or more, and started tying them together, and winding the strand into a ball. Then I began a corner-to-corner square that I will use for a dishcloth, just for me. I love using scrap cotton worsted for dishcloths and little dish scrubbies. I purposely tie them with about 1/4" to 1/2" showing. These knots give the piece a shaggy look, plus they are great for scrubbing. When I've finished this one, I'll post a photo. I have to find a few more scraps. If I don't find any small ones, I'll take some that are still too small for major projects and I'll cut them to 12" lengths, and use those to tie, just so I have more scrubby bumps in the cloth.

A Tip on Tips (Crochet and Knit)

One site that I visit often is CrochetnMore. I especially love their Tips. This site has plenty of tips, all from people like you and me. Don't let the site name fool you. They cover knitting, too.

The tip that made me post about them tonight is one that caught my eye in a recent email newsletter. You can sign up for it when you visit their site.

Anyhow, this tip works for both crocheters and knitters. It is for anyone who has WIPs scattered all over the place, some without their hooks or needles. These are the WIPs that will probably never get finished because we have no clue which size, hooks or needles, we are supposed to use. Click here for the tip. It is great!

To see the rest of their tips, too many to even count, go to their Home Page (click here), and scroll down the right side, way to the bottom of the list, for Tips (or click here).

One other thing I love is their page with tips for uses for Scrap Yarn (click here). They list 73 ways to use it up!

They even have some crochet-related products on CafePress (mugs, tee shirts, totes, more) with crochet themes and sayings - very cute.

It's worth a visit for the Scrap Yarn ideas alone.

Free Crochet Scarf Pattern for Homeless

We have a charity crafting group in our senior mobile home community and among other things, we are trying to accumulate some items for the homeless. My climate is very hot in the summer and a rather mild winter - rarely below 30 at night except when desert breezes can make the wind chill 25 or so. So, fingerless gloves are sufficient and very easy to make. We have dozens of those. Hats and caps are also easy.

The biggest problem we've had is finding a decent, quick-and-easy, but suitable, scarf for the homeless. Their needs are different from ours. They cannot launder them often. They must be able to use them for neck protection, or have them wide enough to also pull up around the ears against the wind, possibly wind them up over their heads, and/or tuck them into a jacket. So, I figured we need at least 3 to 4 foot long scarves. Longer than that, and they'll get caught in things. Complicated patterns take forever to make. We also did not want fringe just to make the length because the fringes are too easily tangled out on the street.

I finally took a stitch idea from the fingerless gloves we make, and adapted it, hook size and all, and started making these. They end up lightweight but cozy and nice looking, a ribbed look. The slightly airy feel acts as a thermal barrier against the cold, and they are soft and flexible because of the large hook size.

I realize there are tons of sites and patterns for the homeless but I just didn't have time to test every one of them, although I'll pass some along when I find some.

This pattern is free for you to use for the homeless. If you use it to sell the item(s) you make, you must give credit to me (Pattern by Evelyn Mayfield). It is a very simple pattern.

Hook - J
Yarn: Knitting Worsted
Amount of yarn: about 5 oz. for a 36" scarf.
Width: 8-1/2" (gauge isn't terribly important)

R 1 - Ch 32, turn
R 2 - HDC in "back loop" of each chain across; ch 2, turn.
R 3 onward - Repeat R 2 in each stitch across for 36 to 48 inches; fasten off.

This is a great way to use up scraps, also. Tomorrow, I'll post a quick and easy way to keep track of how long the scarf is, as you move along.

If you find it difficult to print from a blog post, you can now get a .pdf file for only $.99 by clicking here.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this pattern or to suggest other patterns you'd like to see. I tend to specialize in quick and easy projects.

Balls of Scrap Yarn

I have been spending some odd moments this past week or two by tying small scraps of yarn together and winding them into knotted-yarn balls. Sometimes I group them into color families (reds, pinks burgundy, orange; or white, cream, tan, yellow; or black, gray, etc.) and other balls are random. On the random ones, sometimes I alternate a bright color with a dim, dull color, and other balls, I just let them happen.

Any scraps too small to be tied at both ends, usually under 3 inches, I poke into an empty facial tissue box. I have a friend who uses small pieces as stuffing for her projects.

I have found that most of what I make requires at least 6 feet of yarn, even the starting square of a crocheted granny square, so anything smaller ends up as a scrap.

Eventually, I’ll make these into squares and then join the squares into blankies for the homeless. I hope to post photos, soon, showing how nice these can look with a little creativity. God willing, I might be able to do that this week.<\ItemPage>