Hot weather and crafting

I really don't think hot, humid weather and crafting go too well together.  This week the weather has been extremely hot and humid so my crafting has been down a bit.  I have to say I haven't got much done of anything because every time I thought of doing something it involved moving and it was just too hot to do anything except try and stay cool.

I am still working on the various small projects like mittens and hats so should be able to post some good results by the end of next weekend.  At least I am hoping that I have got quite a few done in July.  I am working hard at reducing my stash of yarn because I know that I have way too much and last weekend I picked up more so it needs to disappear soon into projects.

This week I am hoping that I can get caught up with the work that is outstanding and then I should be able to relax and craft over the weekend.

Well it's a bit cooler today so I think I am going to try and pick up a crochet hook for a little while and work on either a baby hat or the scarf.  I want to get the scarf done by next weekend as I would like to give it as a gift to a friend of ours.

Stitch 'N Pitch 2011

Gitta's Gang

Last night a bunch of us from Gitta's went to Stitch 'N Pitch 2011 at the Blue Jays game.

It was a lot of fun and have to admit that I think a lot of the stitchers got some of their stitching done but considering the heat (32C) it was a little difficult to concentrate on what you were doing.

Our view

This is an annual event with the Blue Jays but this is the first time that I attended and have to admit that I am already looking forward to going next year.  Yes I am a baseball fan so maybe that has something to do with it.  Also being able to sit and stitch during the game was great and of course no one complained about someone stitching while waiting the game.

Some of the teasing ended up on me because I took a scarf to work on that I can do without looking at the work so was able to watch the game while also getting some of my scarf done.  One of the girls asked me if I could stitch any faster and of course we joked around about that because with the heat I was a little slower than I normally am.

There were also some prizes given away for those attending and the lady beside me won one of the prizes and Kathrin also won a prize which was great.

  My scarf did grow in size from when I took it out at the game.  I had 5 inches done before the game and by the time the game was over I had completed 26 inches.  I still have 34 more inches to go on the scarf but am happy with what I was able to do.  Now to see when I finish this scarf because it is hotter today than it was yesterday and it is really hard to even think of doing anything.


Hope everyone is staying cool.

Time is going too fast

I just looked at my blog and noticed that I have been missing for almost two weeks.

Part of the reason is I have been attending some work conferences and also been trying to get some work stuff off my plate so that has been keeping me busy.

Another hat on the needles

When I have had a chance to knit I have been working on some hats and mittens for the winter.  Yes with temperatures of around 30C I have been knitting stuff for winter.  At least these items are relatively small so that is another reason I have been working on them. 

I am also determined to make a dent in my yarn stash so now to see what I actually accomplish.  I figure that this month is a good month to see what I can make for the charity near me, so that when they need something I will have some stuff ready for them. 

I am really trying to get some sweaters, hats, mittens and scarves completed before September so will try and post the results at the end of July and August so that I can see what I have done.

June is gone already

It is hard to believe but June is gone and it is now July.

As I write this I am sitting outside trying to enjoy some of this weather. I have been knitting quite a bit lately but don't have lots to show unless you want to see parts of things. I have been working on quite a few projects but not completing any. Currently I have half a children's swather knit and two mittens but of course the mittens are different colours still waiting for their mates.

I think I need to sit and focus on these projects for a little while and maybe make some progress on getting them done. Oh, did I mention I have also started crocheting a lapghan together so it is a UFO as well.

Maybe it's time for me to get off the computer and spend some time knitting. Oh, does anyone know a simple toe-up sock pattern? I have some yarn and want to try some toe-up socks.

Well off to knit for a while and enjoy the quite of my area while it lates.

5 Fridays went too fast

 It's hard to believe but the five Friday's that I spent with the Homework Club are now over.

I went into the teaching of the children figuring that they weren't going to take my heart but boy was I wrong.  I had such a good time spending an hour each week with the group of children that I was not happy to see it end on the 24th.

I taught 26 children the basic knitting skills in groups of 6 or 7 over 4 weeks and then this last week was just spending some time with some of the children making sure they understood. The children ranged from grade 1 to grade 5 and most weeks I had a mixture of the grades so that made it a little more fun.  Some of the group caught on quickly and others took a bit longer but after three weeks I had a couple of the previous students helping me with the younger ones.

This last Friday I had 10 of the group in the room with me just knitting and going over the simple problems they were having.  The card you see is large and I love it as it was signed by a lot of the group that I taught and it was presented to me by the group.

The roses were given to me by the two ladies that run the Homework Club as a Thank You from them.  Their comment was "I took a child, handed them a pencil and get them to write a paragraph in one day".  I guess that is true because I got the child to cast on, and knit garter stitch within an hour most weeks.

The boys and girls did extremely well in their knitting and seeing their faces meant more than words could say.  Yes, hearing "Thank You, I really appreciated you teaching me to knit" was great but seeing the smile and look of satisfaction was even better.  The hugs I got also showed me that they had a great time.

I hope that I will be able to go back in the fall to the Homework Club but at least I know that I will be seeing the children around the neighbourhood over the summer.

Knitting with Kids

Last Friday I finished teaching the group of children how to knit and again had a wonderful time.  I had 6 in the group and 4 of them were boys so it made for an interesting bit of training for me.

I did help one boy finish the scarf that he had knit.  He just needed the ends sewing in so I helped him get that done so now his scarf is ready to be given to his teacher before the end of the school year.  Another boy had been working on his scarf and needed a bit of help so got him going again as well.

I am going back to the group this week to see how the scarves are going and help anyone that needs it before the group breaks up due to school finishing.  It is going to be fun to see how many of the scarves have actually been finished because so far I have seen 2 completed and a bunch more being worked on so Friday is the big day.

What I didn't realize is how  much these children were going to effect me.  I went in figuring I was just going to help them learn to knit but I have figured out that I am also teaching them patience and understanding.  Last Friday when I walked into the room I was greeted with a huge scream of "Miss Darlene is here" and most of the kids running over to tell me about their progress.  I am going to miss these kids after this week but at least I should see them in the neighbourhood.

Crown of Squares Progress

I know that I have been missing the last week or so and that is because I have been busy working on knitting hats again for the school readiness program and also learning together so haven't had much to show.

Saturday June 11

This weekend I did sit down and took most of Sunday to myself so here is what the results are.

Sunday June 12th

I have been working a little bit on crown of squares when I have taken a few minutes to myself but Sunday I decided that I was only going to work on it and let everything else wait.  I am so excited that I am now just one colour away from finishing this piece as I already have the next piece ready to go.

The next piece has a butterfly on it so that is why I want to get it started as soon as I can.  I am hoping that if I can sit and work on this piece one more long stretch I should b able to have it finished so maybe this weekend I will try and finish it.

As for the knitting classes I am having lots of fun with the children and now just have 6 more children to teach.  So far some have been making good progress on their scarves and others I am not sure as they haven't brought their knitting back to show me.  I hope that I can at least get 6 scarves out of 26 done but only time will tell.

Now to get some work done so that I can work on hats and crown of square later.