Hey friends!

Just wanted to let you know that there will be a YarnFest get together Monday Night, November 23rd at Karen Hunter’s home at 7:00 pm.

Karen’s contact info can be found in the church directory. If you don’t have access to the church directory – email, text, or phone me, okay? (Dina – dinacmcb@comcast.net, 503-887-6147 – cell).

Bring along your own project to work on, or join us on working on the Ministry Focus (Hearthstone). (Details are on the blog.) Or, if you want to learn a new skill – come on over, and we’ll do our best to get you mastering it! If you have a friend who wants to learn – bring your friend!

Can you do me a favor and spread the word? My computer is sitting in pieces on my desk – it’s a sad, horrible story – my email list is in that computer, and it’s been a really crazy week, so I’ve had a hard time trying to recreate it (from memory!).

If you can, RSVP to Karen or myself so we know how many chairs to have set up, okay? Also – just for future reference – we’ve got another date scheduled at Linda Taylor’s house – Friday, December 4th. Make sure to check here at the blog – the Events tab at the top of the page – for any scheduled events, okay?

Looking forward to seeing you soon! J

Hugs,

 

dina

Hello everyone,

Tuesday several of you were asking about my knitting needles & other questions so here are the links I was talking about:

Knit Picks needles:  www.knitpicks.com

Ravelry knit and crochet community:  ravelry.com.  On this site you can search on your yarn name and there will be lists of people who have used this yarn for projects.  You can see what it looks like made up by real people, and many of the patterns are free to download.  Also, if you have a pattern & can’t find the yarn (or afford it!) you can do a search on the pattern and find projects people have done and find one with yarn available in a store near you at a price you can afford.  Wonderful site!  You also can list your projects as a helpful tool to yourself and others.  You have to create a profile in order to use the site, but they don’t sell their lists, and you will not get spam as a result of using Ravelry.

Have fun!

 

Linda T.

Last night was great fun at Jo’s house – there were – I think – 16 ladies there – the youngest one was 8 years old – and she can knit without even looking at her needles! It was wonderful getting to know new people – and there was all sorts of excitement about continuing to meet throughout the year.

I just got some great information from Nancy about the residents at Hearthstone. It’s their color preferences. Of course – we’ll do our best on these – but it’s fun to see what they like!

First Choice	Second Choice
Blue	XXX
Red	XXX
Green	Red
Any	XXX
Red	Yellow or any
Any	XXX
Red	Any
Blue	Pink
Blue	Red
Gray	Black
White	Red
Blue	Gray
Purple	XXX
Blue	Tan
Blue	Pink
Purple	Blue
Red	Blue
Red	XXX
Black/Blue	ç Humor, I think! Any
Blue	White, pink, red
Blue	Any
Any	(wears a lot of browns)
Seasonal!
All	XXX
Peach	XXX
Lavendar	Purple
Red	Blue
Purple – shades of	Reds, blues
Green only	XXX
Blue	Any
Lavendar	All
Blue	Blues/purples
Rose/pink	XXX
Blue	Red
All	XXX
Any	XXX
Aqua	Shades of blues/purples
Blue	XXX
Green	Red
Red	Brown
Blue	Red or All
Any	XXX
Blue	XXX
Any	XXX
Any	XXX
Blue	Tan
Brown	XXX
Blue/Brown	Forest Green
Purple	Blues/Reds
Mauve	Red

 

Also exciting – we have two ladies who have offered their homes for future gatherings, and as soon as I have details, I’ll let you know. Someone else was talking about potentially opening her home for a daytime gathering. Great news, right?!

So that’s the latest. I’ll share more as I have information available.

Our first get together of the Fall – woo hoo!

Tuesday night! November 10^th, 2009 at 7:00 pm.

We’re meeting at Jo Reimer’s home. You can find her address in the church directory, drop her an email, or give her a call if you’d prefer. Her phone number is 503-643-1968 and her email address is joreimer@comcast.net.

We will be helping people get established with the Ministry Focus – crafting shawls and wraps for the ladies at Hearthstone of Beaverton. However, if you’re not able to participate in that project, bring your own project and come and join us. A lot of us are working on Christmas projects – we’d love to have you come and join us – regardless of what you’re working on!

Jo wanted me to pass on to you, “If you find at the last minute that you can come knit with us Tuesday evening, please do. The more the merrier.”

Looking forward to seeing you!

It’s time to meet up again! Many have asked when we’ll get together again for a YarnFest gathering and we’ve got a date for you. We will be meeting Tuesday, November 10^th, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Jo Reimer’s lovely home. Her contact information is in the church directory, and her email address is joreimer@comcast.net – it would be nice if you’d give either Jo or me a heads’ up if you plan on joining us. That way we know how many chairs to set up.

This meeting is a great opportunity refresh your memory if you learned how to knit or crochet last year and want to solidify that skill some. If you’re interested in starting out brand new as a knitter or crocheter – come and join us! We have experienced crafters who are happy to help you get established with either skill.

Please bring yarn and needles to Jo’s. If you have a pattern that you’re interested in starting, bring it along, as well. I will bring print offs of some of the projects we worked on last year as well. If you have questions on what supplies to bring, how to choose, or the like – give me a call, email me, or text me, okay?

Now – for the ministry opportunity!

Have I got an idea for you! It’s not mine, actually – it came from Pauline and Kathleen O. at church – and honestly, it’s brilliant!

Many of you know Nancy A. from church, and that she works for Hearthstone of Beaverton – a lovely retirement/assisted living facility in Beaverton. There are about sixty residents there – and Pauline and Kathleen thought it would be wonderful if we could gift them with hand crafted shawls, lap robes, wraps, or the like.

Isn’t that a brilliant idea?

Nancy has communicated to me that there will be a holiday gift exchange for the residents on December 11^th, 2009 – wouldn’t it be great if we could gift each resident with a hand crafted item at that event?

Pauline and Kathleen have been hard at work and have the lap robes completed for the 12 gentlemen, but there are still 48 women whom we need to craft shawls or wraps for.

That gives us five weeks to get this project up, running, and wrapped up! Please join us! I’d like to collect everything on Sunday, December 6^th – so that there’s enough lead time for coordinating what goes to whom.

I’ve been collecting patterns for consideration – and the possibilities are nearly endless. These can be as simple and basic as can be – or really complex and intricate. The great thing about this type of garment is that it really helps reinforce your skills, and maybe can even help you graduate to the next level of difficulty in your skill set if you choose to take that challenge.

This is also a GREAT opportunity to learn how to knit or crochet – this is the perfect type of project to get your feet wet with. It’s also a wonderful chance to venture out with a mother/daughter endeavor, as well. Earlier in the year when we first started out, we had girls as young as 8 years old not only picking up knitting – but mastering it! We had a few crocheters in there, too – and they did beautifully!

Linda G. and I spoke recently, and we’re hoping to schedule some get togethers in homes where we can help reinforce skills, teach those who weren’t able to join in previously how to knit or crochet and get them started, and connect with one another once again. I’ve got access to quite a few crochet patterns, as well – so if you’re wanting to focus your energy there, we can definitely get you moving in that direction! I’m so excited!

Right now – what we need is a place to meet. We have our first meeting scheduled for Jo’s of course, but it would be great if we could get a couple more get togethers on the calendar for the coming weeks. Is anyone willing to open their home for a group? It would be nice if we could arrange for two or three gatherings over the course of the next few weeks. If so – will you contact me at dinacmcb@comcast.net?

Below are some web sites that give some patterns to consider. Don’t worry if you don’t understand how to read them – that’s why we’ll be getting together. Pay more attention to the rating on the pattern – is it rated for a Beginner? Someone with a little more experience? An expert? And, of course, look at the picture of the item – you want to choose something you’ll enjoy making.

Pat P. and I spoke about this project, as well – and she recommended a pattern that would be excellent for ANYONE at any level of knitting. It happens to be a free download from Lion Brand Yarns – and knits up so quickly. Here’s the link: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80442AD.html?r=1

It’s a very simple garter stitch on a large size needle – it nearly flies off your needles, it’s so easy to knit. I’ve got one on needles right now – and the lovely open texture the large sized needles give is luscious.

If you’d like to make this pattern – you’ll need Size 11 knitting needles. You can purchase either straight needles or circulars. I like knitting this on circulars – so that’s what I’m using. You’ll also need about 370 yards of yarn. Lion Brand recommends Homespun – it’s a bulky yarn in an acrylic/polyester mix. I’m happier to work with natural fibers – so I’m knitting it with just some regular worsted weight Cascade wool. Our favorite local yarn store is The Knitting Bee – you can see their web site here: http://www.theknittingbee.com/ (they’re located in Bethany, right at the 185^th & West Union intersection). They’ve got a list of their newly arrived yarns on their web page. If you’ve never been – stopping by The Knitting Bee is a must. They have supported us (the YarnFest group) significantly in the past, and if you shop around, you’ll find that their prices are excellent. They also offer a truly lovely array of yarn choices in just about every fiber imaginable. They are GREAT about helping shoppers find exactly what they need – regardless of skill or experience level.

We do still have some yarn that was donated for projects. Unfortunately, it typically is single skein amounts of colors/types – which wouldn’t work so well with this project. If you have or know of someone who has yarn that could be donated to our project, we’d gladly accept it. Keep in mind that the recipients are older ladies with sensitive skin – so we’re going for the SOFT factor on the yarn!

Looking forward to partnering in ministry with you, and getting together soon!

Blessings,

Dina McBride
www.yarnfest.wordpress.com

Cell: 503-887-6147 (I text!)
dinacmcb@comcast.net

 

Pattern ideas:    

Alabaster Shawl – Knit/Beginner

Allegro Shawl – Knit/Intermediate

Ashford Shawl – Knit/Easy

Autumn Comfort Prayer Shawl – Knit/Easy

Broome Street Shawl – Knit/Easy

Comfort Shawl – Knit/Beginner

Concerto Shawl – Crochet/Experienced

Country Club Shawl – Knit/Easy

Crescendo Shawl – Knit/Intermediate

Crochet Shawl – Crochet/Beginner

Crystal Lake Shawl – Knit/Easy+

Elegant Comfort Shawl – Crochet/Easy

Fantasy Shawl – Crochet/Moderate

Have it Your Way Shawl – Crochet/Easy

Kinetic Shawl – Knit/Intermediate

Simply Sublime Shawl – Crochet/Easy

Sonata Shawl – Knit/Intermediate

Then & Now Shawl – Crochet/Intermediate

Wheelchair Wrap – Crochet/Beginner

Wilshire Shawl – Crochet/Intermediate

Free Crochet Pattern 80744AD Tom Turkey : Lion Brand Yarn Company.

Free Crochet Pattern 90536AD Harvest Bowl : Lion Brand Yarn Company.

Free Crochet Pattern 80746AD Cornucopia : Lion Brand Yarn Company.

Hilarious and adorable all at once!  If you want a fun little project to try your hand at crochet at – these would be a great way to start!

Phew! What a year! I simply can’t believe it’s nearly the end of October already! Wow!

Now that the weather has turned and people are starting to pull out their knitting and want something to work on.

Have I got an idea for you! It’s not mine, actually – it came from Pauline and Kathleen O. at church – and honestly, it’s brilliant!

Many of you know Nancy A. from church, and that she works for Hearthstone of Beaverton – a lovely retirement/assisted living facility in Beaverton. There are about sixty residents there – and Pauline and Kathleen thought it would be wonderful if we could gift them with hand crafted shawls, lap robes, wraps, or the like.

Isn’t that a wonderful idea?

Nancy has communicated to me that there will be a holiday gift exchange for the residents on December 11^th, 2009 – wouldn’t it be great if we could gift each resident with a hand crafted item at that event?

I’ve been collecting patterns for consideration – and the possibilities are nearly endless. These can be as simple and basic as can be – or really complex and intricate. The great thing about this type of garment is that it really helps reinforce your skills, and maybe can even help you graduate to the next level of difficulty in your skill set.

Linda G. and I spoke yesterday, and we’re hoping to schedule some get togethers where we can help reinforce skills, teach those who weren’t able to join in previously how to knit and get them started, and connect with one another once again. I’ve got access to quite a few crochet patterns, as well – so if you’re wanting to focus your energy there, we can definitely get you moving in that direction! I’m so excited!

We’ll be putting together an email to send out to everyone in the next couple of days. It will include first meeting details – so keep an eye open for that!

I’ll put together a list of patterns to consider, too. So check back here soon to peruse through those soon.

Looking forward to getting together again soon!

The yarn I won is here!

Look!

Isn’t it pretty?

There are 5 skeins.

I love the color.

Now all I have to do is figure out what I’m going to do with it!

Such a wonderful problem to have! J

Do you subscribe to Lion Brand Yarn’s weekly newsletter?

Did you see this little blurb?

• Congratulations to Dina M., from Portland, OR: winner of our random drawing of the “What Pattern Do You Make Again & Again?” survey in last week’s newsletter!

THAT’S ME!

I won!

I’m so excited!

I’ve been feeling – well, kind of in a knitting funk. I’ve thought about doing some crocheting for a change of pace, but in my heart, I really want to knit some stuff!

I’ve been knitting potholders galore – I love them, they’re quick, easy, fun. But, well, kind of boring.

So I’ve been eyeing other options.

Like this one… Mr. Greenjeans.

Or this one… Shadow Scarf.

I’ve tried my hand at lace in the past – with okay results – just nothing I wanted to sing the Hallelujah Chorus over, you know?

But – regardless – $50 to spend at Lion Brand Yarn! Woo Hoo!

I’ve chosen this: LB Collection Superwash Merino

Weight Category: 3 –   Light: DK, Light Worsted Yarn
3.50 oz./100 g (306 yd/280 m)
100% Superwash Merino
Gauge: Knit: 22 stitches x 30 rows = 4″ (10 cm) with size 6 (4 mm) needles Crochet: 16 single crochet x 20 rows = 4″ (10 cm) with size H-8 (5 mm) hook     Fabric Care Instructions Machine wash, lay flat to dry; do not machine dry or bleach.More about yarn care symbols…

 

Only, I think I’d prefer the color option Sky – it’s a powder blue. I love this green, but for a scarf or sweater, I think I want the blue… But that Wild Berry is pretty fabulous, too…

All I have to do now is make up my mind for sure on color, and then I’m on my way!

I’m so excited!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve got bins of yarn. Not just one. I know – there are people who have ROOMS of yarn. (I wouldn’t mind being one of those people, by the way! J) I work hard to make sure that every skein of yarn is wound beautifully into a lovely ball. When I have some leftovers, I tidy them up and put them in a bin.

So how does THIS happen? One big huge tangle of yarn – wool, cotton, nothing too terribly exotic. One day it was nice and neatly organized, then the other day when I went to hunt up some cotton for potholders – THIS!

UGH!

I used to pride myself on my ability to detangle knotted up messes.

Used to.

Right now – frankly – I’m feeling a little overwhelmed!

So, I’ve got my work cut out for me. Yep – I’m sitting on the chaise when there are a few spare moments, and extracting part of the tangle, and working it out – and rewinding.

As you can see – I’m not making overwhelming proress!

Do you have any secrets to bin yarn storage? Cause if you do, I think I need to know them!