Paula's Blog

Two More Afghans From My Mother

2009-01-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

My mother has completed two more afghans for donation to the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. These afghans were made entirely with yarn that was donated to me through my website. The afghans measure about 35 x 40 inches.

The first one is called "The Little Family Farm."

The second one is called "Comfy Cozy Winter."

Thanks again to everyone who donated yarn to me through my website.

Knit Sweaters

2008-11-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have recently been working on designing and knitting Fair Isle and Norwegian type sweaters. But since we live in Southern California, it's not cold enough most of the time to wear a traditional Norwegian type sweater with sport weight yarn, so I designed a few sweaters that are knit with Knit Picks Essential sock yarn. It's fingering weight yarn that is 75% superwash Merino wool/25% nylon. The colors I used are bare (undyed yarn) and Sarge. This yarn is heavenly to knit with. I used size 2 needles (2.75 mm) and got about 7.5 stitches per inch on this sweater. I call it Glacier Bay after the beautiful place in Alaska. I've designed a few sweaters and I'm currently working on one called Kenai Fjords, another gorgeous place in Alaska. Those names sound great.

These pictures show my handsome husband, David, wearing the sweater. It fits him perfectly, and he absolutely loves it. Anyone who doesn't like wool would love this yarn because it's very soft.

I also knit a few sweaters for our new dog, Oliver. He is a rescue dog who is 13 pounds. He's a poodle/terrier mix. He and our Rottweiler, Hansi, have become best friends. It's so cute to see our 100-pound dog play so gently with the little 13-pound guy.

This particular sweater is Patons Merino Classic wool yarn in Retro. I got the pattern from this website. This lady has designed some gorgeous dog sweaters. I highly recommend the patterns from this website.

So far I have made four sweaters for Oliver, but he was not very cooperative today with taking lots of pictures, so I will just show one sweater.

A Thank You Note

2008-09-14T15:11:00.001-07:00

My mother has received a lovely thank you note for all the gorgeous afghans she has donated to the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. The note reads as follows:

Dear Myrna---

We welcomed your latest "load" of baby afghans with a big smile!

Your continued generosity to Project Linus makes it possible for us to continue to provide "security blankets" to the children who need them. Thank you so much.

Judy Gunderson
for Project Linus - Anaheim

I also wish to thank all the generous people who have donated yarn to me through my website to make it possible for me and my mother to make all these afghans to donate to Project Linus.

Most Recent Project Linus Afghans

2008-08-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

My mother has finished three more gorgeous afghans all with yarn that was donated to me through my website. They are all about 35 x 40 inches in size. All of these afghans will be donated to the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus.

The first one is called Joy in the Morning.

The second one is called Sun, Surf, and Sand.

The third one is called Canadian Rockies (with "Mountie Bear").

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-07-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Here are three more Project Linus afghans made by my mother for the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. These are all made with yarn donated to me through my website. They are all approximately 35 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Sleepy Time.

The second one is called Candy Stripes.

The third one is called Amish Amethyst.

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-06-24T10:04:00.001-07:00

My mother has completed three more lovely afghans with yarn donated to me through my website. The afghans are all about 35 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Granny's Crazy Quilt.

The second one is called Earth Tones.

The third one is called Rose Trellis.

Knit Baby Bunting

2008-06-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

I just finished this adorable knit baby bunting. I made it with this free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. The pattern was extremely easy and fun to do. I used Red Heart Soft Baby yarn. I love the colors. I'm going to make another one in boy colors. I love the Lion Brand Yarn website because there are so many excellent free patterns.

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-06-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here are three more afghans my mother made for the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. All three are made with yarn that was donated to me through my website. All the afghans are about 30 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Party Time afghan (with Vickie and friends).

The second one is called Foggy Day in London Town (with Nina the cat).

The third one is called Medieval Pageantry.

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-05-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

My mother has recently compled three more Project Linus afghans for donation to the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. They are all about 35 x 40 inches and are made from yarn donated to me through my website.

The first afghan is called Singin' the Blues.

The second afghan is called English Flower Garden.

The third afghan is called Vickie.

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-05-03T10:25:00.001-07:00

My mother has made three more gorgeous afghans for the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. They are all with yarn that was donated to me through my website, and they measure about 30 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Beyond Our Galaxy.

The second one is called Farmhouse Breakfast.

The third one is called Fruit Salad.

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-04-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

My mother has made three more afghans for the Anaheim, California Project Linus chapter. They are all made with donated yarn and are about 30 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Paso Doble.

The second one is called Granny's Yarn Basket. I like this one because it is so colorful.

The third one is called Picnic Grounds. Most of the yarn in this one is worsted weight, but some of it is bulky weight yarn, Lion Brand Homespun yarn.

Two More Afghans From My Mother

2008-04-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here are two recent afghans made by my mother for the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. They are both made entirely with donated yarn, and they are about 35 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Tuscan Villa.

The second one is called Ring of Fire.

Two More Project Linus Afghans

2008-03-28T11:34:00.001-07:00

My mother has made two more Project Linus afghans for the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. These are both 35 x 40 inches, made with donated worsted weight yarn.

The first one is called Wintertime.

The second one is called Pretty Baby. This one is really gorgeous.

Two More Project Linus Afghans

2008-03-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

My mother has completed two more beautiful Project Linus afghans for the Anaheim, California chapter. They are all with donated yarn and are about 35 x 40 inches.

The first one is called Sherwood Forest.

The second one is called Piñata.

Two New Project Linus Afghans

2008-03-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

My mother has completed two more beautiful afghans for Project Linus. Once again they are about 35 x 40 inches and all with donated yarn.

The first afghan is called "Leftovers Du Jour."

The second afghan is called "The Four Seasons."

Two More Project Linus Afghans

2008-02-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here are two more afghans from my mother. They are all with donated yarn and are about 35 x 40 inches.

This one is called Spilled Crayola Box.

This one is called Back Yard Wading Pool.

Mom's "Tuolumne Meadows" Afghan

2008-02-25T09:44:00.001-08:00

Here's another beautiful afghan my mother made with donated yarn. Tuolumne Meadows is a place in Yosemite National Park. This afghan is about 35 x 40 inches.

Mom's "Sunrise" Afghan

2008-02-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here's another afghan by my mother. It's all donated yarn and she says this one is one of her favorites. It's about 35 x 40 inches.

Mom's "Indian Blanket" Afghan

2008-02-17T10:51:00.001-08:00

Here's another gorgeous afghan by my mother. It's mostly donated yarn and some yarn from me (Caron Simply Soft). I just love the colors in this one! The green section almost looks like it's glowing. This one's another favorite. The size is approximately 35 x 40 inches.

Three More Project Linus Afghans

2008-02-14T12:10:00.001-08:00

My mother has completed three more beautiful afghans to be donated to the Anaheim, California chapter of Project Linus. These were all made entirely with donated yarn and they are about 30 x 40 inches.

This afghan is called Summer Skies.

This afghan is called Magic Carpet. It's one of my favorites.

This afghan is called Rose Garden.

Mom's "Peaches and Cream" Afghan

2008-02-09T14:01:00.001-08:00

Here's another afghan my mother made. It is 30 x 40 inches, all donated yarn.

Mom's "Big Bang" Afghan

2008-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here's another afghan made by my mother with donated yarn. She calls it the "Big Bang" afghan. It looks like a sun. The size is about 30 x 40 inches.

Two More Project Linus Afghans

2008-01-29T10:51:00.001-08:00

Here are two more afghans from my mother for Project Linus. They are made with donated yarn and they measure about 30 x 40 inches. My mother is such a fast crocheter! All her afghans will be donated to the Anaheim, California chapter.

The first afghan is called Gemstones.

The second afghan is called Dusty Roses. I think this one is my favorite so far.

Mom's "Easter Eggs" Afghan

2008-01-23T12:43:00.001-08:00

Here's another beautiful afghan by my mother. She's so fast. Again it's about 30 x 40 inches, all donated yarn.

Two More Afghans From My Mother

2008-01-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Here are two more afghans my mother made for the local Project Linus with donated yarn. The first one is called Mixed Nuts. The second one is called Strawberry Patch. My mother enjoys giving her afghans names. Both of them are about 30 x 40 inches, which is a great size for Project Linus afghans. These afghans work up quickly for my mother as she uses worsted weight yarn and the afghans are basically large granny squares that are made in a rectangular shape.

Slippers For Soldiers and Socks For Me

2008-01-16T04:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of the type of slippers I made for the troops on Any Soldier. These slippers are modified from this pattern. I modified it by making the cuff much longer so it would stay down better when folded.

These slippers are 100% wool. I used what I had in my personal stash (not donated stash). I used Cascade 220 and Wool of the Andes. The slippers I made for the troops are exactly this pattern, except I used donated wool yarn, as well as some of my own wool yarn. My husband has a pair of slippers like these and he says they are the best slippers he's ever worn in his life.

So far I've made three pairs of men's size slippers and one pair of women's size slippers for the troops. The shipment went to a U.S. Navy unit stationed in Afghanistan, where it's very cold right now.

Here's a picture of some socks I knitted for myself. This is a basic sock pattern with a French (round) heel. The pattern on it is from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker. The pattern is called Quatrefoil. The yarn is the bare superwash merino/nylon fingering weight yarn (75% superwash merino wool/25% nylon) from Knit Picks. I love these socks, except I made them a tad too short in the length of the foot. The heel sort of pulls down underneath my foot a little bit. Next time I'll add a few more rows.

Mom's "Peppermint Pattie" Afghan

2008-01-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

My mother finished another afghan for our local Project Linus. She is donating them to the Anaheim, California chapter, since she lives close to that city. She is a very fast crocheter and these afghans work up quickly as they are all 30 x 40 inches and in worsted weight yarn.

This lovely afghan is made entirely from donated yarn.

I'm still working on slippers and socks for soldiers in the Middle East, and I'm also working on a lovely poncho for myself with some yarn I bought.

It's really great that my mother is making these afghans while I work on other projects.

Mom's "Blueberry Pie" Afghan

2008-01-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

My mother completed another afghan for Project Linus. This is again with all donated yarn. It is about 30 x 40 inches. It's very helpful that my mother is using the donated yarn to make afghans for our local Project Linus.

Right now I am working on knitting "big black socks" for soldiers abroad.

Mom's "Chili Peppers" Afghan

2008-01-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

My mother crocheted another afghan entirely with donated yarn through my website. This one is called "Chili Peppers" and it's again about 30 x 40 inches. This one will be donated to a local Project Linus.

I'm very excited because I'm crocheting some slippers for military personnel abroad. I found this great website called Any Soldier where people can send letters and packages to servicemen and women abroad. I'm crocheting the slippers using some 100% wool yarn that someone donated. I had no idea what to do with wool yarn as it needs hand washing, but it's perfect for the military folks since they can wash the slippers by hand with no problem. Wool is perfect for slippers because it allows the feet to breathe while still providing plenty of warmth. I'll have pictures of the slippers soon.

Mom's "Lemon Drops" Afghan

2007-12-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Here's another beautiful afghan crocheted by my mother for our local Project Linus. She calls this one "Lemon Drops." It's made with all donated yarn and is approximately 30 x 40 inches. She is such a fast crocheter and is helping me out tremendously. Thanks, Mom!

For the last couple of months, I have been knitting socks, slippers, hats, and sweaters with some lovely superwash wool yarn that I purchased at Knit Picks. I love buying yarn from them and I'm very happy with it. It's extremely soft. I encourage knitters to try their hand at knitting socks because it is not difficult if you just follow the directions. Socks are fun to make, easy, and work up quickly.

Mom's "Lotsa Berries" Afghan

2007-12-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

My mother finished another beautiful afghan for Project Linus. She calls this one "Lotsa Berries" because of all of the beautiful berry colors. She used all donated yarn again. The afghan is about 30 x 40 inches. Another beautiful one, Mom. Thanks again for the help!

Mom's "Jelly Beans" Afghan

2007-12-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

My mother finished another afghan for Project Linus. She is a very fast crocheter! This afghan uses all donated yarn again. This one has a lot of a very pretty variegated color. Mom calls this one "Jelly Beans." Notice the beautiful lacy edging on this one. The afghan is about 30 x 40 inches.

It's really helpful to me that my mother is continuing to make Project Linus afghans while I'm busy working on some other projects. She's choosing wonderful colors for the children.

Mom's Second Project Linus Afghan

2007-11-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

Here's another afghan my mother made. It's made entirely with Caron Simply Soft yarn, some of which was donated. It is 30 x 40 inches. It's a really great pattern because it goes so fast. Mom calls this afghan "Sherbet Flavors."

Thanks, Mom, for helping out with the Project Linus afghans.

Mom's Project Linus Afghan

2007-11-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

I have received so much yarn from generous people that I asked my mother (Myrna M.) if she would like to help in assembling afghans. She was very excited about it. She crocheted this colorful afghan entirely with donated yarn. I am donating it to my local Project Linus chapter. It is approximately 30 x 40 inches and uses all worsted weight yarn.

I am still slowly working my way through making one afghan for every state. Any afghans my mother makes to help me out will go on my blog, and the afghans that I actually make myself will go on the Project Linus Photos section of my website.

Thanks again, Mom, for helping out. And thanks again to all of you who sent in yarn donations.

Ponchos and Hats

2007-10-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

For the last several months, I have been knitting and crocheting hats for the military and ponchos for Children of the Night.

The knit hats were made with Patons Merino wool and I used this free pattern. The colors used were chestnut, treebark, and cream. For the cream cap, I used mistake rib pattern. For the chestnut and treebark colors, I used a simple 2 x 2 rib. I sent all the caps to The Ships Project. (Click on the pictures for a larger image.)

For the ponchos, I crocheted this adorable pattern with bulky yarn. I used mostly Lion Brand Jiffy yarn and some Lion Brand Homespun yarn. I used this free pattern from Lion Brand yarn, but I omitted the fringe at the bottom and crocheted a simple reverse single crochet stitch.

This teal poncho was knitted on a knitting loom. I used Lion Brand Jiffy yarn in teal (which I bought for half price on a clearance sale at Michael's for $1.00 per skein!), and Lion Brand Microspun yarn in French Vanilla. The knitting loom is super simple to use and makes gorgeous items. No knitting skills are needed - anyone can make a lovely garment like this!

This lacy crocheted poncho used Red Heart Super Saver yarn and just a basic crochet pattern. I made a chain about 18 inches long and joined. Then I did one round of half-double crochet. Then I did a chain 5, skip 3 chains, and sc in the next stitch around. For the next and subsequent rows, I slip stitched into the center of the next ch-5, then I did ch-5, sc in the center of the next ch-5 around until it was as long as I wanted it. For the bottom I did some simple shells.

Sweaters

2007-06-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy the past several months making sweaters for charity and for family. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

I made this sweater for Guideposts Knit for Kids. I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn and I made it to fit an older child according to the patterns on their website. This is the crocheted pattern.

I also knitted this lovely layette set with this pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. This yarn is Red Heart Soft Baby in blue, but I used two different skeins that were donated and they were not the same dye lot, so the cap and booties are a little darker. I modified this pattern to give it a shallow V-neck and I added extra buttons down the front. I made the 6-month size. This layette will be donated, along with several other baby items that were donated to me, to a maternity home or a crisis pregnancy center for Miracles Happen charity.

Finally, I knitted the cutest sweater for my adorable niece with the Lion Brand pattern above, but I modified the pattern and used the rosebud pattern from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker. I used Red Heart Soft Baby yarn in white and I made the 24-month size. My niece is just 2 years old and it appears to fit her well. Isn't she just a little doll?

Easy Knit Scarf Pattern

2006-08-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple pattern (garter stitch, which is a joy to knit) using larger needles and Lion Brand Jiffy yarn. Jiffy is one of my favorite yarns because it's a bulky yarn that is soft with a mohair look to it, and it works up quickly and is a pleasure to knit because it feels soft in your hand. The colors are also excellent. I like to make this scarf for charity, and these two scarves and several others are for Threads of Compassion. It's durable, functional, and very nice looking, in my opinion. I love the texture and look of garter stitch. The scarf is warm, soft, and stretchy. It's also perfect for either a man or a woman, depending on the color you choose. This is the perfect scarf for a beginner, yet also suitable for an advanced knitter.

First, you will be cutting the fringe before you actually start knitting. This is so you can knit until you get to about the last yard of yarn, which you will use for binding off. You will be using exactly two skeins of Jiffy yarn for this scarf. Note that the variegated Jiffy yarn is 2½ ounces and solid color Jiffy is 3 ounces. You will end up with a scarf that is about 6 to 6½ inches wide (depending on your tension) by about 5 to 5½ feet long, depending on which color you use.

Materials:

· Exactly 2 skeins Lion Brand Jiffy yarn
· Size #11 (8 mm) straight knitting needles
· Size K crochet hook (for adding fringe)

Instructions:

Before beginning to knit, cut 36 strands of yarn approximately 18 inches long (exact length is not important – shorter is also fine). Set aside.

Cast on 18 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit every row) until you have about 36 inches of yarn left. Bind off in knit.

Using two strands of the fringe you cut earlier, use crochet hook to place 9 sets of fringe on each short end of the scarf. Space the fringe evenly (in every other stitch). Trim fringe so it is even. Then tie a very tight single knot close to the end of each strand of yarn. You will need to add the knot because it's not a pretty sight when your lovely fringe is all frayed when it comes out of the dryer.

After you have trimmed the yarn and added the knot, the fringe should be about 8 to 8½ inches (again, exact length is not important here). If you cut the fringe a little shorter, it doesn't matter because you will still be using the remainder of the yarn to make the scarf, and you will get a will get a slightly longer scarf. You can also be creative and knit with another simple stitch that is the same on both sides, such as seed stitch, moss stitch, etc.