What do Friends look like?

What DOES a friend look like? Ever thought of how you would define yourself using a Skein of Yarn? This month i've started my Birthday Blanket AND received my traveling scarf. Both examples of friendship have left me with much to ponder ..... my birthday blanket has been started and i have a basket full of yarn still waiting to be knit. With each row or 2 that is added i'm reminded of the friend that took the time to find the yarn - their choice of color/texture, the memories that each relationship brings to mind, the many ways their love has impacted my life and that of my family!

I started by laying all the yarns out and arranging them in a way that makes me smile - it may not be the most conventional according to the color wheel, but i think it's going to be a precious keepsake to mark and remind me of the blessings of my 1st 50 years! :) I left a 9" tail (for fringe) and cast on 300 stitches and then cut another 9" tail (for fringe). I am KNITTING every single row using this formula - 3 rows of green (me), 2 rows of red bamboo (rachael's choice), 1 row of black Whirligig (Lisa), etc. Rather than just knit a single row with each color i am varying the width of each band of color. Some will be thick, some will be single rows but all rows are knitted and go rather quickly. So far i've got 10" knitted in the width .... and still can't wait to see how it's going to end ..

and as if THAT were not enough to keep me going, i received my traveling scarf that was started 6 months ago and has had a journey and life all it's own! There was a group of knitters formed on Ravelry that worked on a Traveling Lace Scarf .... 5" of a lace pattern added to the previous contributor and before long (ie, 6 months) you have a beautiful lace scarf that will mark adventures from around the world - Australia, Canada, New Jersey, California, Nevada, South Carolina. What a fun project and way to make NEW friends ... or an inspiration for a reunion with some old friends who need to be reconnected! All types of yarns were used - bamboo silk, wool blends, camel/silk hand spun .... log into Ravelry and check out the many posts and pictures .... not a member yet? Check out http://www.ravelry.com/ and see how easy it is to find inspiration!

This month i have learned that knitting is a gift that keeps surprising you .... making things with my hands continues to enrich my life just like the unexplainable ways that my friends touch my every day. My friends, and my knitting, have given me so much MORE than they've taken .. and have opened my eyes to the many blessings that i may have never known. Each day ... and each new yarn ... hold endless possibilities just waiting to be knit together!

Happy St. Patricks Day

Sometimes it's those simple pleasures that capture our hearts and bring memories of long ago right back to the front ... recalling younger days when the priority for the afternoon was which jar was 'adequate' for catching the bees that buzzed through the clover patches that were scattered throughout the front yards of our neighborhood.
Remember those little white flowers that would pop up in the midst of the clover ... we'd collect them during recess at school and string them together to make a necklace.... we'd sneak up on those little bees flitting around those blooms and we were convinced that once in the jar they'd be happy to be there ... of course, we included clover and flowers for their accommodations ... we were very thoughtful!

March memories have to include clover .... the 3 leaf kind because we seldom 'encountered' a 4 leaf one .... so why not capture that in an easy month of lace .... those little Yarn Over's, Knit 2 Together's and Slip, Slip, Knits will soon reveal your very own patch of clover to scatter on your scarf .... Click Here to take a peek in the Pattern Drawer - look for 2010 Lace Calendar Scarf and get started on your own field of clover

I love March ... it's Green!

The older i get the more i realize that there really are some things that will always make me happy.
The month of March is one such thing ... it's green.... everything about the month is green ... and green is my all time favorite color. I don't believe in luck but i do like clover .. 3 leaf clover, 4 leaf clover ... they're green! i've traveled to ireland .. it's green! i have fallen in love with the Celtic knots and braids from past days ... they remind me of Irish traditions ... Irish = green = me smiling!

So this month i've decided to explore more the Irish/Celtic knots and braids, the color green and perhaps a few fun thing in between. So are you ready to tackle knitting and CABLES yet. If you can knit and you can purl then YOU CAN CABLE! Why not start with some worsted weight yarn and appropriate needles and then .... grab a cable needle (or a straw, or a pencil, or a chop stick - or anything that could be used to hold a few extra stitches along the way!) ... Don't panic, small steps and i promise it will all make sense!

Not ready yet? Well, how about a small scarf to get you atleast thinking about cables .... but i promise no extra needles! PROMISE!!!!

I'm using 1 skein of Moda Dea Washable Wool and i simply love this yarn. Did i mention that it's GREEN also :)

With size 9 needles, cast on 38 stitches using a Cable Cast On.

Row 1: *P3, K2*, repeat to last 3 stitches, P.

Row 2 (WS): *K3, P2*, repeat to last 3 stitches, K3.

Row 3: *P3, K2tog, pulling new stitch back through but don't take the 2 stitches off the left needle, next insert right needle BETWEEN the 2 knit stitches and knit the 1st stitch again, now slipping both stitches off left needle *, repeat to last 3 stitches, P3.

Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

(can you see how the rows have a slight twist in the knit stitches, mimicking a cable but with no extra needle to use.... yet!) Repeat Rows 1 -4 for desired length. End with a WS row. I'm sticking with just one skein and am going to make mine more of a cowl/neck warmer length .. and i've got an amazing celtic stone pin that i'll be using as a shawl pin to keep the scarf closed and my neck nice and toasty.

need more help? Visit the Pattern Drawer for more specifics and help with cast ons, cable techniques and more fun ideas for March.