Donating Hats

During the winter months I spend a lot of time spinning and dying wool from my sheep.  Just last week I attended our annual winter spinning festival.  Our spinning guild gets together for 3 wonderful days filled with spinning, workshops, trading ideas, and digging through the many bins of roving (wool prepared and dyed ready to spin) supplied by several of the guild members.  I generally purchase fibers from several of the ladies who bring beautiful products from their animals.( Thanks Jenny for the alpaca).  After turning the mountains of wool into yarn, I needed a project to utilize the yarn.  I have previously spent many years knitting hundreds of baby booties to donate to local hospitals and humanitarian projects.  Then several years ago I also began making these hats to donate to cancer centers, or local homeless shelters.  I scour thrift stores and craft stores for unique yarn to mix with my hand spun yarn to make one of a kind, warm hats.  I have included a simple pattern and hope you will be inspired to make some hats this winter to help others,( while you are keeping warm by the fire).  I package each hat separately along with a hand written note of well wishes, prayers, and hugs. These hats work up very quickly.  I hope to donate over 100 this year! 

HAT PATTERN  medium size

use size I crochet hook and 2 strands of 4 ply yarn

Row 1- chain 8, join with slip stitch.  Chain 3 to begin each new row, count as one double crochet.

Row 2-2 double crochet in each stitch (16 stitches) join

Row 3-*2 double crochet, 1 double crochet, repeat from* (24 stitches) join

Row 4-*2 double crochet, 1 double crochet, 1 double crochet, repeat from*(32 stitches) join

Row 5- repeat above row (44 stitches)

Row 6 -repeat row 4 adding in 3 additional double crochets, should have about 56 stitches (add in more for a larger size)

Row 7-Double crochet in each stitch. (This will begin the sides of the hat) join.

Repeat row 7 until desired length is reached.

BRIM-  if you desire to add a brim, single crochet in each stitch for several rows.  After desired length is reached decrease 3 or 4 stitches by skipping over a stitch.

Add flowers or other embellishments. 

SPINNING RETREAT

SPINNING RETREAT AT CRICKET SONG FARM

AUGUST 13th and 14th

EVERYONE IS INVITED

you do not need to be a CSA member

a $20.00 donation  would be appreciated and will be donated to infant heart research

come when you can or come stay the 2 days

bring your camper or tents

and make em' purty cause

an award will be given to the best camp

we are goin' to have a GREAT time----

learning to spin, and  knit, making (easy) booties for the

babies at Primary Children's Hospital

( would each of you please bring a skein or two of yarn to donate for the booties)

AGENDA

Aug. 13th

2:00- 4:00 arrive and set up camp

.

4:00  wool preparation demo:  picking, washing, carding

5:00 FARM WALK---meet the sheep

6:00  supper----please bring your own and a dessert to share with everyone

camp judging

7:00-9:00 drop spindle spinning and instruction

DROP SPINDLES  will cost $25.00 if you would like to purchase one ( I need to know asap so they can be ordered)  EMAIL me  cricketsongfarm@hotmail.com

 a couple of spindles and some wool will be available for use/share

please bring your own equipment and wool roving if you are already a spinner

Aug 14th

6:00 morning chores if you would like to participate----or sleep in lazybones!

9:00  Breakfast-provided-  Spinach Quiche and fruit

10:00 Learn to knit

11:30  we will be making home-made cards to go with the booties

 

1:00  Lunch-- provided--- 

2:00  use your newly acquired knitting skills to make a pair  or two

 of baby booties

6:00 break camp and hit the trail

This is my friend LINDA.  She has a wonderful little store that is stuffed full of spinning and knitting supplies.  It is located at the Cottonwood Store in Enterprise.  Stop by and see her for supplies before you come out to the farm.  Look her up on the Internet....www.rewespinning.com

WE WILL ALSO BE HAVING AN EXCHANGE TABLE FOR THOSE INTERESTED, PLEASE BRING 3 ITEMS TO PLACE ON THE TABLE.    What is an exchange table?  Bring NICE items that are related to spinning or knitting or just fun girly stuff----books, bath salts etc.  Those who bring items will have their names placed in a bowl and then names are drawn out and the person drawn is allowed to pick something from the table.  This is a lot of fun.  My spinning guild does it up north and everyone really enjoys it.

PLEASE R.S.V.P.

just let me know at market

 

DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMP CHAIRS, SUNSCREEN, HATS, JACKETS

Spinning with the fiber OUTLAWS

One Saturday a month the Outlaws get together and ---------SPIN, laugh, tell  TALLLLLL  tales, eat yummy food, knit, read favorite passages from a book, and  this month a few of us swapped WHIMZY JARS.

Darci gave me an old vintage canning jar with a pink glass  lid, she also stained the inside of the jar red with food coloring.  It has the old metal ring and she decorated the top with a dragonfly and flowers.

                                      



                                                   Here are a few of the items in my jar.

Lots of fun ribbons, rick-rack,  tassels and trinkets to put on my GYPSY BAGS

A hand cross-stitched bit of wisdom

I had one just like this as a kid

An old skeleton key tyed with spun wool hangs off  the side of the jar

Loved this!   I am going to pin it onto one of my straw farm hats I wear to Farmers Market.

Lots of other cool stuff

THANKS   DARCI

I will see you all again in October after the CSA season is over. 

Jacob Sheep

We purchased our Jacob Sheep in 1996.  I am a hand spinner and weaver, and was always intrigued with the Jacob Sheep.  As a spinner you have a large variety of yarn you can spin from the sheep's fleeces.   Black, brown, lavender, white, plied 1 strand white 1 strand colored, or while carding just card all colors together for a variegated yarn.  The crimp count is about average, meaning the yarn is not itchy nor is it real soft like Merino.  It makes great mittens, hats and socks.  When my kids were little I knitted them tube socks from the wool.  The socks repelled the farm dirt and didn't wear out very easily.  

                                  Hand Spun, Home Made,Tube Socks

Size 8 knitting needle cast on multiples of 2 long enough to go around the calf circumference. For the stretchy cuff, Knit 2 plural 2 ribbing for 2 inches.  Knit right side, plural wrong until desired leg and foot length.  Decrease 2 every row for toes, until 6 stitches remain on needle.  Cut yarn leaving about 1 yard in length, draw yarn through  remaining stitches and tie off.  Use remaining yarn to sew seam. Hand wash in cold water.
    HINT: I would make them larger than needed and felt them by putting them in a pan of hat water and a tablespoon of dish soap.  Agitate for several minutes and then rinse in cold water.  Repeat this process until you achieve the desired results.  After the socks are felted they can be washed in the regular wash.

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