Red is the color of giving.

My first shipment of red items is out the door.

My maternal grandmother’s favorite color was red. Even her kitchen was decorated in red and white. She was a very generous person who taught me that regardless of how much or how little you have, you can always help others and spread kindness. I think of her often when I am working on the red scarves and hats because of the color association, but also because she taught me to give to others. I prepared the scarves and added notes of encouragement.

The next project that I have is to finish a scarf to accompany a hat for a project for the homeless. As I like to say, if you make it they will come. Since I have been making hats for adults, I have been looking at other people in my local coffee shop and on the bus and train to see how adults wear their hats. Not just when it is super cold (and all fashion sense or pretense of fashion sense, goes out the window) but when it is moderately cold and you wear a hat to be more comfortable, not just as a necessity. There are skull caps, toques, slouchy hats and dozens of styles of hats. It’s interesting to see how other people wear hats and I have tried my hand at a few different styles. The same style can look dramatically different with heavier or lighter yarn. I’ve tried all of them and they are warm. I hope the recipients enjoy them as well.

Sticking to the plan of making the hat first and then make the scarf, so I don’t shortchange the hat in length (also to ensure that it will cover the wearer’s ears), I found that I made a mistake in one of the scarves. I left the hat at home because it was already done, so I started what I thought was the same pattern. Nearly a third of the scarf was complete when I compared it with the pattern in the hat, then I discovered that it wasn’t the same. The yarn is the same and the pattern is similar, but it’s a beautiful happenstance, I didn’t rip it out because I like it. Next time, I will look at a picture of the hat before I start working on the scarf.

Crocheting is a fun an enjoyable pastime, so I do it for fun. When I was in my local coffee shop today, the barista asked me if someone made my hat and scarf for me. I said I did. Oh, it’s nice, do you make them to sell? No, I made a lot of things, but most of the things I make to give away. It was refreshing to say that. Though I set lots of deadlines and crochet goals for myself, it’s nice to have something that I don’t HAVE to do, but rather, I want to do it. Even when I make something in the wrong stitch pattern, I still have progress that I can mark. Plus, after each project, I gain new experience and can share what I have learned with other crafters.

Give, because you want to, not because you HAVE to…

In my quest to use up my working stash and the request from my best friend’s mom for hats and scarves, I did some stash shopping and found that I have some hat and scarf kits. When I bought these I just liked the yarn and thought that I could at least make a scarf and have some left over, but with the addition of a neutral or coordinating yarn, I can make a matching set. Many times I don’t plan projects. I just buy what I like in amounts that will be enough for an afghan or be incorporated into an afghan or enough for a scarf. There are not many variations in the amounts that I buy because I want to be able to make “something” regardless of what that something will be, unless it’s baby hats for the American Heart Association, the amount that I purchase is in scarf quantities minimum.

Many yarn of the month clubs have a project in mind such as a shawl or other item. I’m a scarf person and for most of the winter coats that I have, I have made two or three matching hat and scarf sets for myself. Yet, most of the hats that I make are little red hats for the Little Hats Big Hearts campaign. It doesn’t take much more effort to make an adult sized hat and there are fewer restrictions for materials. I tend to stick with neutrals or darker colors that won’t show dirt as much – though I do like the look of natural yarn, which is basically an ecru shade and already has a creamy color.

For many years I used the same yarns to make scarves and just went by weight which worked for me. It just happened that the yarns had similar yardages and that helped when I was planning items. Now that I am using up my working stash and want to make some matching or coordinating hat and scarf sets, I needed to have an idea how much yarn an adult hat requires. My online research gave a range of about 750 to a simple pattern to more than 800 for more detail, not to mention if the scarf is wider than 6 inches or longer. What I have learned form making previous hat and scarf sets for myself is to make the hat first, you may swatch, or do whatever you need to do to get gauge or know your gauge and just dive right in. Either way, if you start your project, make your hat and then do not have enough to make a scarf as wide as you would like, that works, but you can always alter the pattern of the scarf or make it a wee bit narrower. Not having enough yarn to make a hat can leave your head cold or you get to the point where it is beyond an ear warmer and just an unfinished hat. Besides you may decide when you are working on your hat that you may need to alter the pattern (especially if it is for yourself – e.g. you want it to be longer than the pattern calls for, or you have a bigger head, or want a roomier chapeau).

Recommended finished sizes in patterns are just that – recommendations. Patterns are like recipes, they give me inspiration, this doesn’t mean that I have to follow the directions to the letter, especially after making something a few times (or a dozen times).

When I started using better quality yarns I realized that there was no consistent yardage for worsted weight yarns even with a similar weight. By trial and error I learned to make a hat first, especially for adult males whose heads don’t always fit into the approximate or suggested size ranges on the charts. Many men are fine with a shorter scarf, even for a tall guy  or even anyone who doesn’t like to wear a “lot of scarf.” In that case, I make a variety of styles and I’m planning on doing that with the hats that I make as well. I have made one set already and stretched the yarn by adding a little black to make the yarn go farther. The bag just said 14 ounces and 400 grams no yardage given. There are ways to determine how many yards per ounce, but it wasn’t that important to me for this project. I did play a bit of yarn chicken but I made it to the last stitch of the last row on the first set I made. This is a slouchy hat, so if I made a skull cap, beanie or toque then it would take less yarn. The slouchy hat with long scarf about 7 inches wide and 65 inches long took a 14 ounce bag of unmarked worsted with a few rows in the hat and scarf of black acrylic.

Hats and scarves allow for a bit of creativity, especially if you know the basic dimensions of an adult hat – 21-23 inches in circumference and a scarf can be anywhere between 5 – 8 inches wide and at least 60 inches long. Using the basic measurements as your guide there is a lot of creativity that can take place.

Happy crocheting!

Some of the items that I made have specific organizations in mind that I will donate items to, while there are people who will just ask if I can make something for the organization or cause. Sometimes I will and sometimes I won’t. That’s the privilege of being an adult and crocheting for pleasure. Many people will say, you should sell your things. The cost of the materials that I would want to use, not to mention labor makes this difficult.

I have 24 scarves already spoken for this year and I was planning to donate them to my local shelter and my best friend’s mom asked for hats and scarves for the homeless. This will be a great opportunity to help me use up the yarn that I have.

This may not be a sexy picture, but it represents warmth. Between the two bags (which are technically log carriers) there are 24 scarves. This photo does not include the two already given away or the red scarves which are in a different bag – so they won’t be given away by mistake. As I mentioned that I was planning to use up the yarn that I have in my working stash another project comes along. I actually thought I had made more than I had but I did have three scarves that I gave up on and two that I ave away as gifts. That’s pretty cool. Working with yarn that I like makes a project go by quickly. I finished a hat this afternoon because once you get through that tedious beginning band part (I do bottom up) it’s smooth sailing, especially when you are working on a baby hat. Many books have been written about mindful projects. It is nice to have projects where you are really concentrating on what you are doing and focusing on the stitches and the recipient. Most of the time, I like to zone out since crocheting is a relaxing pastime for me. The deadlines that I have are imposed by me, so if a group is requesting winter items, I can donate… or not. That is the most wonderful thing about crocheting for pleasure.

I suppose mindfulness comes in when I realize what yarns I like and don’t like to work with, which makes the process enjoyable or abysmal. Relaxing while being productive is what is the best part of crocheting. I look forward to spending time during the week relaxing and adding to my cache of finished projects. People who know me will ask where I donate items to or if I have some items to add to their group’s project. I earmark some items for specific groups and then just make things, because there is always a need and if I make them (scarves, hats, etc.) they will go to someone in need.

I have decided to only buy necessary “working yarn” that is yarn that will match or coordinate with a project. I have a lot of working yarn and as many projects that I have completed and complete on a weekly basis, I’m ready to use up most of this and give the working yarns a new fresh look. In the past month, I have purchased two lots of neutral yarns – navy and black – both Red Heart and undyelotted which will coordinate with many yarns I already have. These are mainly for afghans which I try to plan or tie together with a neutral – hence the large quantities of black and navy that I purchased. Many yarns that I have are purchased in scarf quantities so I can try a color in a yarn that I am already familiar with or to try a new stitch pattern. Even with the projects that I plan to complete by the end of the year, I have more than enough yarn.

There is a blend of new and old yarn in my working stash, mainly because there are yarns that caught my eye and I bought them. Because of the novelty of the yarns, I am so anxious to try them that I forget about what I already have. There are lots of interesting yarns in my working yarn stash. Some unused still banded wool that I purchased at a thrift store, novelty colors [well novel for me, because they are in colors I would rarely wear myself, like fuchsia or a magenta blend, but they would be wonderful for a scarf]. Several years ago I did this and worked with just the yarn that I had. It took about a year to use up all of the yarn that I had. I want to replenish my working stash with yarn that I really want to work with. As tempting as new yarns (and sales) are I’m ready to use up the yarn that I have and then let loose and buy new yarn in the new year. I may need something for a special gift but I am ready for the challenge of using up my working yarn. I still plan on going to a local shop and buying some yarn – just for me before the end of the year, but the bags and totes of yarn are going to be used up.

This year, I set a goal of a certain number of scarves which I am on pace to meet, I started the final afghan that I want to make for my church group and when I use up the yarn that I purchased for the red hats, that’s the number of hats that I will donate. Then I’m going to go through the working yarn and take stock of what I have left and dive in, instead of just skimming off the top.
There are many times that the last yarn that I purchase until something else catches my eye is what gets used up first. Instead, I’m going to use it up and give the completed items away. My goal is to have just one tote with my [actual] stash yarn remaining.

I am on a mission… and I will succeed!

Last Saturday was I love yarn day. I don’t know how I managed to overlook that. I love yarn every day and I really love working with it too. I appreciate yarns that I may not like to use, but touching, feeling and working with yarns of a variety of types is fun.

One of the things that makes me sad is that there is nowhere within walking distance of my house to buy yarn any longer. There was a fabric store that had a small selection of yarn when I first moved in, and another yarn shop that was about a mile away. I drove to that yarn shop because it was open late one evening each week when I first discovered it and it was easier to just go, drive and park. Then there was a shop that I passed on the way to and from work when I worked in the neighborhood, which closed. Then there was another yarn shop that was across from the location where fabric store was and it closed as well. I love yarn day makes me lament the small shops where you can get to know the knitters (more often than not) and crocheters who are there. Some shops used to be knit friendly and crochet tolerant but many small shops welcome both equally.

I do purchase yarn online and when buying non-dyelotted yarn it’s easy to go with what you know and easy to coordinate colors. What I miss however is going into a yarn shop with a project in mind and no particular yarn other than weight, yardage and color in mind and discovering something new. When you know and trust the people in your local yarn shp they can tell you about new yarns, and most importantly you can touch them and possibly see a swatch.

I love yarn. I crochet (almost) everyday and I want to find a new local yarn shop – which doesn’t have to be in my neighborhood, but it would be awesome if it were so I can fondle yarns in person and talk about them with other people I actually know. I have a car and before the end of the year, I want to find a yarn shop that I haven’t been to, fondle and buy some yarn from an independent shop.

I’m working on a scarf with some trial yarn that I bought several weeks ago. I like the way that it is working up, but this is another one that I will likely never buy again. There are four strands of loosely spun four ply yarn which has a very pleasing effect from a natural to natural and light blue and then will end up as a royal blue. The problem is that the plies don’t always want to cooperate and even though I have a hook that a larger size than recommended, it’s not fun to work on.  I generally increase my hook size based on the manufacturer’s suggestion. The portion of the scarf that I completed as show in the photo above, took me two sittings or a total of about 80-90 minutes. That’s pretty slow for a third of a scarf.

Another yarn that I bought in the same batch, also loosely spun but in cotton and bamboo, has made me dislike the project so much that I gave up on it and made me reconsider giving up on the four ply natural to royal gradient one. I crochet quickly. It is a productive hobby which I look forward to and I like making things to give away generally for charity but also for gifts. I like to try yarns but when I dislike a yarn so much that I can’t even finish a “gateway” project – a scarf, then I feel as though the negative energy and feelings that I have are being transferred to the item. When I make a hat, scarf, afghan or other handcrafted item, I think of the person being warm and feeling that someone in the world that he or she may never meet cared enough to make something special and handmade. When I am fighting with the yarn and it takes twice the amount of time that it would with a comparable weight yarn, and I want to chuck it out, then I don’t want that negative energy going into my work.

It does take time to decide whether or not you like a yarn but after what could be considered a swatch – the width of a regular scarf (six inches or so) and eight inches in length – I should have a good idea of whether or not I like working with a yarn. At that point it’s about 15% of a scarf. It was slow going through the beginning chain and then slow through the first single crochet row. The beginning steps are always the slowest, but I disliked having to go back every few stitches because one of the strands didn’t catch on the hook or I noticed it too late and then had to rip it out or loop it through so it wouldn’t just hang out like it was already worn.

As I was working on the orange scarf, I also thought of my mother who could tell whether or not I liked a book, by the speed that I would read it. If I really didn’t like a book it would take longer and she would say, “I can tell you don’t like that book.” I would ask her how she knew and she said because you are taking too long to read it. Even considering that there are some texts that I needed to digest more or think about; it wouldn’t take me as long. This is what I thought of these two projects. So instead of slogging through two scarves that I didn’t really like working on, they are both going into the donation bag.  Another person may love working with these. I don’t. I’ve gotten some great yarns at thrift stores [partially competed projects tossed into a bag with full skeins] that may have met with the same fate from previous owners.

Have you ever disliked a yarn so much that you just took the entire project and tossed it out? That’s what is going to happen to both of these scarves. I’m still on track to meet my goal for the year, but these will not be included in the count. On the bright side, I did discover a newfound appreciation for #3 yarn, The drape on both of these #3 yarns is quite nice, though I didn’t like working with them. The upside of this is that I will expand my horizons when trying out new yarns and add light worsted and DK yarns to the fold (that are single ply or have a better twist).

My working yarn supply will not suffer. I have many other yarns that I know I will enjoy working with. This will not deter me from trying new ones.

I was talking to a friend about crocheting and donating things and she said – “you don’t sell things, you give them away? Do the groups give you yarn? I mean yarn can be expensive.”

Yes, yarn can be expensive, even the easy care yarns that I use for donations. I never think about the dollar amount of the value of afghans, scarves and hats that I make, because it is something I like to do. Though at times I minimize the “cost” – my time effort and materials that I put into my work. I just think about it being a useful item for a recipient who may not have a warm item to wear in the inclement weather or a blanket to make their space more home-y. I like projects where I can see progress, which is why traditional crocheting with thread never appealed to me. That’s fine. There are more than enough projects for everyone. I’ve made stuffed animals before, but they are not my favorite things, though I thoroughly admire the creations my friends make and that I see posted on crochet group boards.

As I was browsing through my email yesterday, I saw an ad for kits for baby blankets ranging from $70 to $85 close to $200 for kits for knitted blankets. Crochet takes more yarn, so the price would increase a bit. Then today, I saw an ad online offering a kit for a granny square afghan in a high-end wool at a discounted price of just over $200 for a 50 inch x 50 inch finished product. Wow!

The cost of yarn isn’t a big consideration when I’m making something for others. On the rare occasion that I make something for myself, I buy what I like and don’t put a lot of thought into the laundering process, which is something I’m very aware of when I make something for a shelter. I have a wool and mohair blanket on my bed from yarn that was bought as part of an estate sale. It is delightfully warm. I know buying all of the yarn that I used would be expensive, but I don’t put a price on the items I make. When considering cost, I just think of the ease of cleaning for the yarn that I use and not the hours of labor.

Yes, yarn can be quite expensive, but when you are doing something that you love and giving to others, you make a way. There are sales and coupons that I take advantage of when I making a gang of afghans. When I am making an item for a gift and I know the recipient, I may spend more for the yarn and consider it a “cheap” gift because I only had to purchase the yarn. That’s not a good way of thinking of things either, because the time that it takes for me to make something, even at my hourly wage from my 9 to 5 job added to the cost of the materials would make a hat much more expensive than the cost of the yarn.

Many people who make things for charity are doing it because they care and don’t consider the “cost” of their donation. We do it out of love.