NON QUID PRO QUO

     "Non-Quid Pro Quo" - Giving and not expecting something in return.  

     Here are two organizations for knitters and crocheters to share their talents: Red Scarf Project and Knit Your Bit. Their web pages provide information and patterns, too. See if you can help. This might be the time to learn to knit or crochet.  Creating a scarf is a good place to start.  I try to donate to these two organizations every year. 

     The Red Scarf Project does have a window of time when they accept scarves: Between September 1 and December 15 annually. My red scarves went in the mail a few days ago just in the nick of time.  

https://www.fc2success.org/programsmentoring-and-support/red-scarf-project/

         Knit Your Bit accepts scarves year round and distributes them to veteran's homes and hospitals nationwide.  There will never be a shortage of veterans that could use a warm scarf as a way of saying "Thank you for your service." 

                http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/knit-your-bit/

            

     Many more charitable organizations accept knitted and crochet items, from blankets to hats to prayer shawls and scarves and more. Martha Stewart and Lion Brand have a list of charities for knitters where you might find a place for your talents. 

8 Ways to Knit or Crochet for Charity

https://www.marthastewart.com/1515746/ways-knit-or-crochet-charity

10 Charities for Knitters and Crocheters

http://www.lionbrand.com/blog/10-charities-for-knitters-and-crocheters/

Or you could knit or crochet for special people in your life. 

      Kingston-Axel's journey through life on Facebook 

KBG Foundation 

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KINGSTON-AXEL SUPER HERO

     This blog is dedicated to my favorite knitwear model, Kingston-Axel.  It's  gratifying to knit for someone as special as he is.  I've written about him in an earlier blog telling about KBG syndrome which is a rare genetic disorder that affects children in a variety of ways. When he was born, not much was known about KBG syndrome.  But in the past two years more families have shared information about KBG and their children which has helped everyone to learn more about this rare condition. For more information, the KBG Foundation can be found here: http://www.kbgfoundation.com/

    Kingston-Axel's grandmother recently wrote: He will soon be two has 15 doctors now isn’t talking yet has some upcoming surgery he finally got his special walker called a gait trainer he loves it and is now mobile he is is eating thicker baby foods however they still want to evaluate him for a feeding tube hoping he doesn’t have to go that route and is successful eating on his own

   Kingston just turned two, and I'm happy to share that he is beginning to successfully eating on his own and is mobile with his gait trainer.  He regularly has physical therapy and many doctor's visits in Sacramento. He also has his own Facebook page: Kingston-Axel's Journey Through Life.  He is a super hero.  Last year I sewed a weighted blanket (4 pounds) with the Captain America - super hero theme.  Look for the buttons on the vest.  Some people, children and adults, sleep more comfortably with the extra weight of a weighted blanket. This blanket helped Kingston to sleep securely yet he was strong enough to kick it off. 

     So here's the knitting - a French Toddler Body Warmer fitting Kingston-Axel perfectly. He's looking so handsome.  Pattern and yarn info below.  

    Notice the Super-Hero buttons found at Joanne's.

Simple French Style Toddler Body Warmer 

by bebeknits
Purchased at bebeknits Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/208359076/bebeknits-simple-french-style-toddler?ref=pla_similar_listing_top-1

     I had enough yarn left over to make a sweater for Sophia.  I mistakenly thought her name was Zeena, consequently a giant Z is embroidered on the sweater. She'll always be Zeena, Queen of the Jungle to me even though she's smaller than my cat, minipurl. 

Here's where you can find the pattern for Sophia Zeena's sweater:
Pink is the New Puppy Sweater!

http://web.archive.org/web/20070818215833/http://www.theirishewe.com/mt-static/free_patterns/

     I used Lion Brand Yarn - Acrylic & Wool Yarn for Knitting & Crocheting.  

Soft Yarn Bulky #5.  This yarn is warm and machine washable and dryable. Perfect for kid's wear. 

 

     Looking good, little music man.  Kingston-Axel, you can model my knitting any time. 

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PASSION

     Passion: the emotion a carpenter bee exhibits as it buries itself into the passion flowers growing on our front porch arbor.  Bees and orange butterflies find these flowers irresistible. The vines are thick with buds and when they open I'll have more pictures to share.  I'm amazed by the complex structure of this flower. 

      As much as I enjoy knitting, I'd say it's my passion.  I also enjoy thrift store shopping and when I find some lovely yarn I get excited about its possibilities.  Last week at Goodwill I found two big bags of wool and wool blend yarns some in whole skeins others in smaller bundles. SCORE! as the clerk said.  Traditionally, the pattern comes first then the yarn to make the pattern.  But starting with the yarn and finding a pattern or creating one yourself is a challenge I enjoy.  In this bag of yarn, I found three skeins of Berroco Duo (now discontinued) 98% wool, 2% nylon.  So I made a scarf - a long one in garter stitch which is knit every row.  The color change is in the yarn and to show it off I kept the stitches simple. So cool. 

    The scarf is about 5 x 65 inches. Had enough for fringe.  

      Yellow iris popped up in the middle of the garden.  Not sure how she got there since other irises are in the back against the fence.  She must be a rebel and found a place where she could be the center of attention. 

     "Kingston-Axel’s journey through life" on Facebook

KBG Foundation

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MAKING

      Even though I haven't been Blogging these past two years, I have been knitting and crocheting. Always.  Often my knitting is for a cause like the Special Olympics or the Red Scarf Project. But knitting for this little person, Kingston-Axel Hodge has given me the best reason to knit. The pilot's cap keeps his head warm but also holds his hearing aid and glasses in place.  The booties are just to keep toes warm. 

     Kingston-Axel has a genetic disorder calle KBG syndrome, a rare disorder that affects several body systems.  "KBG" represents the surname initials of the first families diagnosed with the disorder.  Common signs and symptoms in individuals with this condition include facial features, skeletal abnormalities, and intellectual disability.   

     Kingston-Axel is a sweet little boy with a large loving family.  You can see his progress first hand on Facebook. Look for: Kingston-Axel’s journey through life   

     

     I also saw the call for wildlife rescue nests - knit or crochet.  I chose crochet - so much easier than trying to knit round things.  Enjoyable to make.  I made a dozen and sent them off to The Carolina Waterfowl Rescue Group.  Thinking about making some larger baskets for myself now that I know I can.

     I've also been making a few baby blankets.  I had two large skeins of blue and white yarn so I worked about a design using "grandma's favorite wash cloth pattern" that starts at a corner increasing to a preferred size, then decreasing to the opposite corner.  I like the way I worked the stripe pattern.  Had enough yarn to crochet a border. 

More knitting to come.  Will try to include the sources of patterns I used.  It's important to give credit to knitting designers who often share patterns for free.  

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JANUARY 2017

        I'm publishing this post two years after I created it.  I'm returning to my blog after a long lay off.  I had some trouble getting back in, but as usual, reading the instructions in Blogger Help, I'm back and so happy to have found all that I had published.  It's a record of much of my knitting and our gardening. I'm still knitting, the garden is flourishing, and I plan to post more.  So here's a little about Christmas knitting 2017.

 Christmas knitting for little girl gift baskets for the Eagles Aerie Auxiliary kept me busy for a few weeks.  Knitting hats and scarves can take time that I didn't have, until I found bulky yarn in my stash and a knit-flat pattern for the hats.  I can knit in the round, but find knitting with double-point size 13 needles to be frustrating.  I took the projects with me while being a substitute at Elk Creek Jr/Sr High School in order to keep up the work.  Kids there now expect to see knitting in progress when I'm there and some have asked that I teach them how to knit. The scarves came together easily using an easy rib pattern or just knitting every row adding a few stripes or by letting the variegated yarn do its thing.  

You can find the hat pattern here: 

http://www.gina-michele.com/2015/01/3-hour-chunky-ribbed-hat-knitting.html

I've been told the hats and scarves were a hit and appreciated by parents and kids both.  Now that I know about this Christmas tradition, I will add this knitting to my list of projects.