Hooray another scarf!

There is so much satisfaction when a project is complete.  For the maker AND for me!

Go Gabby!

Knitting Projects Accomplished in January

Knitting enthusiast Emily, who has knit about 15 hats already,  created a door for the school Holiday Door Decorating Contest.  Technically the knitters are not a “true homeroom” but we entered anyway.

The theme is the service project , WARM UP AMERICA,we are working on- knitting 49 squares to sew together to make an afghan for someone in need.  Informational brochures in a pocket she created on the left wall.  Lots of clues she is going to make a future fabulous librarian!

Jeremy completed the booties for the new nephew

(Thanks to my friend V for the yarn donation)

Gabrielle completed her first hat

Tayjanay completed her first infinity scarf. (

Thanks to my neighbor J for the yarn donation)

Connie completed her first hat.

She wanted to make a rainbow beret.

I helped her make a pom pom using a Starbucks coffee. sleeve

Another hat and friends donated yarn

Emily has made yet another hat with some Noro yarn I gave her.

Sunday afternoon when my friend V came over to knit, she brought a couple of bags of yarn for the students .
Thanks V-and when I went to J’s for breakfast earlier on the day, her daughter M gave me more yarn and needles for the students learning to knit. Thanks M.

Making plans to participate in Warm Up America project, creating afghans for people in need.
Here is some of the donated yarn Unique by Lions brand being knit and a view of the new hat.

From Start to Finish- A One Skein Skinny Scarf

HN learned to knit this week.

She started a skinny scarf.

Two days later she brought it in- FINISHED!  Showed her how to use a big-eyed yarn needle to weave in the ends.

Today she began working on a hat.

Here is the start.  Three of the knitters at lunch time.

Bulky yarn and size 11 needles.

A week ago she learned how to knit

Amazing. EM wasn’t kidding when she said it was already in her. She’s already started at second hat on #9 needles. A 16″ circular. I gave her double pointed needles to decrease this time. Nice work EM!

And thanks Molly for the Noro yarn. It looks terrific as it stripes up.

Next Monday the HS parents’ workshop – there are seven new knitters at school so far.

Knitting Update October 2014

There will be no activity periods at school this year.

But some students wanted to learn to knit.  There is nothing better than teaching something to someone who wants to learn.

Four students these past two weeks!  Two boys and two girls.

One took the knitting home and finished the ski headband the very first night.  When I complimented her she said, “It’s because I already have it inside me from my grandmother.”

Getting started 

Squeezing in a knitting lesson during the homeroom period before lunch.

I have volunteered to teach knitting to parents in three workshops in Nov Dec and January at our school.

Knitting the winter blues away and making myself happy.

I knit a mini sweater for one of my knitting coworkers who turned the big THREE O

And I knit 3 pumpkin hats for some new babies. Pattern  Punkin Head on Ravlery by Tara Thomsen  My mother’s old doll Maybelle is modeling it  Looks much cuter on a real baby.

And I’ve been knitting lots of Horizontal Ribbed Cowls check out their free pattern by Knitty City in New York CIty.

finished a hat I started a year ago, too.

Tracey Learned to Knit Two Weeks Ago

and has already completed her first hat!

Size 11 circular needles and one skein of Thick and Quick Wool Ease yarn by Lion Brand

*the pattern for the bulky knit hat is here

Way to go Tracey

 

 

Update on Student Progress

Next activity period for knitting will be next Friday the 21st.

Two of the girls have completed ski headbands!

                         

 

 

 

and here is progress on a scarf

size 15 needles

Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn         

Thinking About Knitting in My Life or

With a couple of snow days  this week and preparing to teach a class of high school students to knit, I’ve been thinking about knitting and its role in my life.

Activity periods start Friday, January 10th.  More than 600 students have signed up –  Baking, Duct Tape Crafts, Chess, Yoga, Jewelry Making, Basketball, Batik, Dance, Debate, French, German, Guitar to name a few.

There are fourteen students signed up for knitting with me.

Now to prepare.  I’ve taught kids to knit before and lots of adults, but never a teenager. Thought a blog would be a good way to plan and have an online reference for students who may want to watch a video or read instructions when they aren’t with me in the classroom.

Thinking about knitting and how it keeps returning to me in so many ways.

I learned to knit from my grandmother Mary Alta Hendricks in Illinois when I was four years old.  She was a beautiful and accomplished knitter.   Here is an example of her fine knitting, a bit of a shawl we used to wear when we were sick in bed.

I’m pleased that I finally finished this pair of socks last year

Here is the knitting bowl Laura gave me for Christmas last year.

A hat in the works.

Here is a knit pillow one of my student teachers(Sarah F) knit as a surprise gift for me when we were at Greenfield so many years ago.  It was fun knitting together.  I will have to see if she still knits!

My friend Joanne in Omaha knit this little sweater and gave me the pattern.  I have made a lot of these little ornaments over the years.

So many different items to knit and use.

Here is a scarf I knit from one skein of Noro yarn my former coworker Ann gave to me from a sweater she had made and had left over.  We used to knit together at Arlington.

Here is the Manos del Uruguay wool friend Molly gave me for a shawl I wear all winter cause my old house is drafty. Former Student Teacher Sarah F made the pillow in this chair, too!  I have both pillows in my living room.

My coworker Hope knit dozens of cotton dishcloths, all different colors.

I’d buy them as gifts. Wrap them around a bar of fancy soap or put a jar of jelly in them and tie with  a ribbon.

  Hope helped me with the students Warm Up America project at Greenfield School.  I’ll have to find the photos of the afghans the kids put together for the homeless shelter.

And Hope headed up the Knitting for Newborns project where the After School students donated little hats to local hospitals.

When I was a young mother, a long time ago,  I knit a sweater, hat & scarf for Mark (born 1976)

)

I always love to knit with variegated yarn.  It is so forgiving.

Here is  his brother Matthew sporting a sweater and hat I knit for him in Clarion in 1980.

I have to find the photo of  their sister Laura sporting the bunny sweater I made for her in Germany.

And here are my grandsons from Christmas 2011 after they opened their hats that Grandma knit them.  I was so excited.

I decided I’m going to keep a blog about teaching the teenagers to knit. Plus, there will be online references for them to refresh their memory- how to knit, purl, cast on videos.

I found a  knitting bag online with my favorite quote from famous knitter Elizabeth Zimmerman

“Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises.”

(I thought the original quote said adversity but must be updated)

I have cast on 12 stitches for everyone on odds and ends of my own needle collection.  Used an off white yarn so the stitches are easy to see.  I’ve knit a few rows already so they have something to hang onto.  Have just a bit of yarn for each of them as we’ll rip out and learn to cast on after we learn to knit. Then knit again.

HOW TO KNIT THE KNIT STITCH

Ready to teach teenagers to knit.