The Knit Before Christmas

As I mentioned in my previous post, I participated in the Ravelympics, aka the fiber olympics on Ravelry. I decided to make my challenge be to design a new hat pattern for CAS that folks could use during Knit 4 Lent this year. I knew I wanted to make a pattern that was a little more challenging. We already have so many patterns for beginners.

I tried knit and purl patterns, I tried cables, I tried colorwork, but nothing really clicked. Finally I decided the best pattern would be one that coordinates with our Seafarer’s Scarf. I had my heart set on a folded brim, and from there the hat seemed to design itself. I will be publishing this pattern in our upcoming newsletter and should have the pdf up tomorrow, but for now, enjoy a picture. I took it myself, so please forgive the close up.

Two years ago CAS asked you to make knitting part of your Lenten discipline by knitting hats for the 4000 mariners SCI serves in the Gulf Region of the United States. Although we didn’t complete the 4000 hats in the 40 days of Lent, for two years now we have collected 4000 hats and distributed them on Christmas day. Thanks!

This year has been especially cold and those gifts have been more useful and more valued than ever. I’ve written a bit about the outpouring of gratitude for our gifts on our website. Please take a look.

For those of you who are participating this year, come and find us in the Christmas at Sea knitters group on Ravelry. Ravelry is a social networking site for knitters where you can find patterns, information about yarns and share pictures of your work. The Christmas at Sea group needs your participation! Although I love finding new folks to join needles with us, I’d love to have the participation of the many knitters that have been working along side this program for years. If you have any questions about how to join Ravelry, or how to find CAS once you are there, please send me a message. I’ll gladly walk you through it.

Also on Ravelry, Christmas at Sea is competing in the 2010 Ravelympics. Knit along with the Winter Olympics by challenging yourself to a knitting or crochet goal. Since it’s hat season here, I’ve challenged myself to write a new free pattern for CAS which will be published in our upcoming newsletter. Since we have so many great patterns for beginners, this pattern will be a bit more difficult.   I’ll be knitting that pattern throughout Lent and come Easter it will thoroughly tested and ready for publication.

What are your knitting goals this year? How do you challenge yourself?

If you’re participating in Knit 4 Lent this year, please label your items Knit4Lent and have them mailed by April 19.

I just saw a copy of Debbie Macomber’s newest publication Knit along with Debbie Macomber A Charity Guide for Knitters, and it’s great!

It’s short stories about 14 different charities including our very own Christmas at Sea. Then there are 18 patterns; each of which can be used for donations to several different volunteer projects. Each pattern page lists the groups that will accept items made from that pattern.

Leisure Arts interviewed me for this project and I’m really thrilled at the product they created.

Here it is on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Knit-Along-Debbie-Macomber-Knitters…

For most of us, good patterns are easy to come by because of Ravelry, but this would be a great gift for the knitter in your life who doesn’t use the internet. It would also be a great resource for a church groups who have members knitting for several different charities at once.

I’d love to hear what you think about it.

Hi all,

Well, we are all hussle and bustle in the Christmas Room these days. So far we have collected 15,057 gifts and we’ve packed 13,557 of them as of today. So, the cupboards are starting to look a little bare, but we’re still receiving lots of packages every day.

Here’s a breakdown of our current inventory:

Mariners Scarves: 4506
We need: 494 more!
Mariners Caps: 3205
We need: 895 more!
Seafarer’s Sets: 5604
We need only 411 more!!!!
Socks, Vests & Helmets: 1774
We need 761 more!

We received a generous donation of handknit afghans, which are not easy for us to distribute to seafarers–its hard enough for our chaplains to make their way up the gangway bearing caps and scarves.   We have decided to gift these items to retired seafarers living at Snug Harbor in Nelson Bay, NC.

Snug Harbor was founded in New York and 1801 with the mission:

to always provide a home for “aged, decrepit and worn out seamen”

We’ve never given gifts to these mariners before and I am excited to have the opportunity to reach out to them this year.

If you’re in the New York City area, please join me for our annual volunteer holiday party on December 16th from 3-7pm. It’s an open house, so please bring your knitting and join us for whatever part of the evening you can. Hope to see you then!

A hearty thanks to Lion Brand Yarn for featuring Christmas at Sea in their newsletter and big Hello to anyone visiting through that link. We’re so happy you’re here!

What are you doing on your summer vacation?

My knitter friend Martha and I have been thinking about this l-o-n-g green season after Pentecost, and about how far away the mariners are from home… and how l-o-n-g they go without seeing loved ones. It can be a very lonely time.

While you’re here, check out the progress meters–we’re doing great, but we’re not there yet…so please, keep knitting!!!

This is one of Christmas at Sea’s most frequently asked question, and I appreciate why.

Let’s take a look at the math:

A hat uses 3 ounces of yarn, a skein weighs  3.5 ounces, leaving a balll of leftover yarn weighing .5 ounces. 

A scarf uses 5 ounces of wool, 2 skeins make up 7 ounces, which leaves 2 ounces of left over yarn.

A frugal knitter will want to use up those leftover bits of yarn, so what’s she to do?

STRIPES! Stripes are a great way to use up leftover balls of yarn, while adding a little design interest to your finished garment. Knitter Mary Evans Downs from South Dennis, Massachusetts, knits up the most charming vests, and incorporates all of her leftovers.

In years past, Christmas at Sea has asked that knitters use only one color in each garment.

Here is an example illustrating why this request has been made:

This scarf is knit neatly and evenly, but it is clearly made out of leftover scraps of yarn. As nicely as this item is knit, it will not be used. Our volunteers here will rip back and attempt to finish the scarf in all one color, or incorporating the beige and the red as stripes throughout the entire garment.

A little planninng can help you turn your leftover balls of yarn into attractive stripes and beautiful, dignified and personalized seafarer’s garments.

Have you seen our Knit 4 Lent Gallery? Take a peek and see pictures of hats from all around the country. Please send in a picture of your hat to have it added to the gallery. Extra points for creative pictures.

Happy stitching!

Jeanette

Hello knitters,

I would like to introduce you to our Lenten Knitting & Crochet project: 4,000 Hats in 40 Days.

The idea for this project spun out of a wonderful Episcopal knitters community I found on Ravelry. If you aren’t already a member of Ravelry…well, what are you waiting for?!? It is a great resource for knitters and crocheters; and, you’ll be able to join our 4,000 hats in 40 days group.

Many of the knitters I’ve met on the site are Christmas at Sea knitters, and I was asked to lead a Christmas at Sea knit a long. 

That got me dreaming big…I had been wondering how Christmas at Sea could possibly raise an additional 4,000 hats this year to give as gifts to the mariners working in the Gulf. In previous years our gifts to those mariners have been homemade cookies, cards and bandanas. The KAL and the need for hats seemed like a (challenging!) match made in heaven.

So we started a group. As of today we have 77 knitters committed to knitting for this project, and many of those knitters are taking the project to their parish.

I hope you’ll join us too. Here are the participation guidelines:

• Hats should be made in colors appropriate for both men and women.
• Hats should be made from machine washable yarn. If the yarn is not machine washable, please stick a note in it that says "Hand wash only"
• Hats can be made from our Seafarer’s Cap pattern, but can also be made from any pattern appropriate for both men and women.  You can find lots of great (and free!) patterns on the internet. Here are three suggestions that have been submitted by group members:

Stockinette Seamen’s Cap

Marsan Watchcap

Chunky Ribbed Cap

• Hats knitted for this project should be received by March 30

Lent begins on Wednesday, February 6. I hope you will join us! Please let me know if you have any questions at all. And please send any pictures of completed hats that you’d like to share.

Let the knitting begin!

Look what I found under the Christmas at Sea tree: 17,651 gifts for mariners!

Take a look at who received your handmade gifts: