Charity Knitting Request
Oh my goodness, we watched Captain Phillips the other night and it was SO much better than we expected! There were a few moments where the Tom Hanks we know and love came through, but I was pretty captivated with the rest of it. I have to admit that I never really thought about the shipping industry, which is embarrassing as we live near the Port of Seattle (which I have since learned is the fourth busiest port in the US). I am so much more interested in the Port now and want to take a tour.
On another note, I received an email that Afghans for Afghanistan is in great need of donations of hand knit, wool or alpaca baby hats for newborn to 1 years old as well as 7 years old to adult sizes. The organization collects items for those in need and sends them to a hospital in Afghanistan. If you are looking for something easy to make this weekend or have a bunch of wool scrap yarn laying around, this is the project for you. The deadline for them to receive donations for the current shipment is currently July 3, 2014, but they are requesting an extension. More specifics on the rules and regulations is on their website here.
The hat above is an easy baby hat pattern. I recommend the following:
Materials: Double pointed needles of a size to get 5 stitches per inch (I used size 6) and 1 ball (or scraps that equal a ball) Cascade 220 Superwash. For the hat above, I used two colors of leftover scrap yarn and changed colors every three rows.
Cast on 64 stitches, put a marker and join to knit in the round. Be careful not to twist the yarn as you join it. If you do twist the yarn, you won't be able to fix it and will have to start over.
Work in stockinette stitch (knit every round) until the hat measures 5 inches from the edge. Decrease as follows:
Rnd 1: *k6, k2 tog,* repeat from * to * around (56 sts remain)
Rnd 2: knit
Rnd 3:*k5, k2 tog,* repeat from * to * around (48 sts remain)
Rnd 4: knit
Rnd 5: *k4, k2 tog,* repeat from * to * around (40 sts remain)
Rnd 6: knit
Rnd 7: *k3, k2 tog,* repeat from * to * around (32 sts remain)
Rnd 8: *k2, k2 tog,* repeat from * to * around (24 sts remain)
Rnd 9: *k1, k2 tog,* repeat from * to * around (16 sts remain)
Rnd 10: k2 tog all the way around (8 sts remain)
Cut the yarn leaving approximately an 8 inch tail and thread it through the remaining 8 stitches. Pull it tightly and secure the end by pulling yarn to the inside of the hat through the center of those stitches. Weave in the ends. The hat should be approximately 5.5 to 6 inches tall and at least 11 inches around.
Happy knitting!
