Knits For Sanity

Update

Hey All!  I made it back to my blog!  This is a very good sign.  lol!

In my last post I mentioned that I had the chance to meet a certain knitting blogger from Texas last weekend.  Tracy over at Wool Windings and her husband John, spent last weekend in Iowa.  It was so wonderful to finally meet them.  Even though we had never met in person, I felt as if I had know both of them forever.  I've been reading Tracy's blog ever since she has been volunteering for The Preemie Project, which I believe is just a little over one year.  It is really interesting to know so many stories about someone's life, even though you have never met in person. 

Tracy made the trip up to Iowa in order to take part in the Volunteer Work Group Weekend.  It was a great weekend for her to visit, except for a few things:
#1 It was the hottest weekend of the summer
#2 We were told on Friday night that the roofers would be at our house at 7am on Saturday morning to reshingle the roof.  Needless to say our house was definitely louder than usual.  Not to mention the fact that it was nearly impossible to get up to the front door with all of the stuff being thrown off of the roof and the various heavy equipment all over the front yard.  It was like the demolition scene from The Money Pit.  I am surprised that Tracy and the other volunteers didn't turn around and head home for fear of not making it back out alive!

It did turn out to be a great weekend though!  We had a wonderful group of volunteers who braved the commotion and we accomplished so much.  Check out this HUGE pile of blankets we finished!

(All of these blankets will be donated to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.) 

That is a WHOOPING 97 FINISHED blankets!!  97 is a new record for a Preemie Project Work Group weekend.  The most we've ever finished was around 50, and half of those still needed top stitching by the end of the weekend.  This time, every single blanket was completely finished by 5pm on Sunday.  YEA!!!!

Check out Tracy's Post for an in depth look at how Preemie Project work group meetings are run.  (It is an assembly line of sorts.)

I have to thank all of the volunteers who helped out last weekend.  They all worked so hard and many of them never took a break.  One thing you won't see in Tracy's Post is one of my favorite things about work groups.  THE FOOD!

As you can see we did have some healthy alternatives, but that didn't stop me from living on cookies and the other goodies the entire weekend.   Many of our volunteers can bake a mean cookie and a yummy cupcake as well!  They're so multi-talented!

All in all it was a great weekend, and I am so happy that Tracy was able to be a part of it.  My parents and I took Tracy and her husband out for dinner on Saturday night.  It was great to be able to sit down and chat without distractions.  I know that the local volunteers enjoyed getting to know them as well.  Hopefully we didn't scare them off and they will come back soon!  Here is a picture of me, mom and Tracy at the end of the day on Sunday.  We were pooped!

BY the way, for those of you who haven't heard "Little Babies", please go to The Preemie Project's website now and listen.  "Little Babies" was written and sung by John Batchelder, Tracy's husband.  My mom, Linda, and I like to call "Little Babies" The Preemie Project's anthem.  It touched our hearts and I know it will touch yours too.

I will be back soon with some more updates about The Preemie Project, my life, and of course some knitting content.  Thank you to my wonderful readers for not forgetting about me and coming back to visit again.  It means SO SO much! 

I will leave you with a group picture from last Sunday.  Thank you to each and every volunteer, local AND national, for all of the work you do everyday.  Each one of you play and important role in this organization.  Never forget it!

(From left to right, STANDING: ME, My mom (Linda), Carla, Darlene, Libby, Jane, Megan, Hazel, SITTING: Judy, Pat, Heather)

Remember Me?!

Well I am back!  I have been wanting to get back to my blog for so long.  After having dinner tonight with a blogger from Texas, I decided that it is time to get back to it.  I've missed my blog so much!

I just wanted to stop in, say hello, and let everyone know that I am doing well.  I will give an update, including info on the person I had dinner with tonight, tomorrow evening.  Right now I am sleepy from a Preemie Project volunteer work group meeting earlier today and I am doing it all over again tomorrow.  It is so much fun!  I have to be sure to get enough rest so that I can enjoy the day.  I'll be back with an update tomorrow!  Hope you are all doing well!

Still Alive and Kickin'
Laura at Knits for Sanity

Last FO of 2005

So I'm back, again.  I've spent the last two weeks on a couple different projects for The Preemie Project.  We've been lucky enough to have assistance from the Cedar Rapids Iowa Embroidery Guild.  They are working on Mother's Tears Hankie's as well as adding the faces to stuffed bears and bunnies.  I would like to have at least 35 stuffed animals for our 2/24/2006 bereavement donation.  So I've been cutting, sewing, turning, clipping, pinning, pressing, stuffing and sewing up bears and bunnies.

After all of that work I think I ended up with between 50-60 animals ready to send to the embroidery guild.  Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them before they were picked up.  To show what they look like, here is some that were made by Preemie Project volunteer Tracy Batchelder.  (Mine are in pastels.)

Next I finally have a picture of my last Finished Object of 2005.  Yea!  It is a sweater I made for my baby cousin, Emma.  I just adore her!  She'll be a year old in April.  So I made the 12-24 month size.  That way she'll be able to wear it next year too.  (She is a tiny thing.) 

Once I had sewn all of the seams and weaved in the stragglers I was pretty unhappy with the way it turned out.  It just wasn't what I had pictured in my head.  I decided to block it to see if it would improve.  I had NEVER blocked a FO before and had NO idea what I was doing.  So my mom helped me.  We washed it in the kitchen sink, wrapped it in a towel, squeezed the water out and spread it out on the ironing board.  A little light stretching and many pins later, the sweater looked much better.  I left it to dry:

Pattern: Debbie Bliss- Special Knits: Ribbed Jacket

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora (3-4 balls)

On the Needles:
Thanksgiving-Christmas

I really enjoyed knitting this sweater.  It was a quick easy knit that turned out really cute.  I'm trying to decide what to add as a closure.  Help me!  Do I add a flower, ribbon on each end to tie in a bow or two?  Any suggestions?

Now I'm off to prepare for a Preemie Project event on Friday.  We've been invited to attend the University of Iowa, Day of Action event and the Iowa Memorial Union.  I'm really excited!  I hope that we gain a lot of interest and spread the word about premature birth and neonatal death.

Next time I'll have my first FO of 2006 to show as well as everything that is currently on the needles.  I have SO much to finish up!  Yes, my mom's Clapotis is STILL on the needles!  SORRY MOM!  It's next on the list.

2005 Wrap Up Part 2

I did a lot of knitting in 2005.  I'm sure that I would have done more if I could.  I learned something new with each item.

#1 The first item I finished after starting my blog on 1/28/2005:
Fiber Trends Felted Clogs
Lesson Learned: Learned how to knit in the round.  This was also my first experience with felting.

I LOVE these clogs.  They really helped to keep my feet warm last winter.  My bad foot was SOOO cold b/c of the the nerve damage.  Sometimes it would get 3-4 degrees colder than my good foot.  To warm it up I would put on 2 pairs of socks and my clogs.  Then I would wrap a heating pad around it and sit for an hour while it warmed up.  These clogs helped SO much.  I'm not having such a problem with my foot being cold this winter.  It is more of a nuisance now.  I still wear my clogs around the house everyday.  I'm wearing them right now!

Item #2:
Black Scarf
Lesson Learned: I really hate fun fur and most novelty yarn.

I tried to sell this scarf on ebay but it never sold.  It was nearly impossible to make a profit anyway.  I ended up giving it to a friend who liked it.  I'm glad that someone did!

Item #3:
Sirdar Raglan Sweater
Lesson Learned: This was my second sweater and my first attempt at raglan sleeves.  I learned that I don't like to wear scratchy sweaters much.  Even though, I still really love this sweater.  I probably won't ever use Lopi again.

Item #4:
Laines Plassard Sweater
Lesson Learned: How to pick up stitches and frog an item OVER and OVER and OVER.  I can't believe that I actually got this finished.

I love this sweater just b/c I actually finished it.  I can't believe that I stuck with it and ripped it out SO many times.  It is so warm and cozy.

Item #5:
Emma's Baby Blanket
Lesson Learned: Hmmmm, Sometimes it is okay to leave a flaw in an item if you're the only one who will notice it.  Oh well!

Item #6:
Emma's Baby Set
Lesson Learned: I discovered Plymouth Dreambaby.  It is SOO soft!

Item #7:
Gift Sachets
Lesson Learned: How to change colors.  It's easier than I thought it would be.  What was I SO scared of?!

Item #8:
My First Pair of Socks
Lesson Learned:  This one is obvious...how to knit a pair of socks.  I was really hooked.  I was so proud of my very first sock that I walked around all day with just one sock on.  I couldn't knit fast enough!  Sometime last year I somehow placed these socks in the back of a drawer in my dresser.  Thankfully I discovered them this week and put them on right away.  I like them even better now!

Item #9:
Rainbow Bear
Lesson Learned: I didn't learn any lessons about knitting, except how to knit a teddy bear.  I did learn about a little girl who had just lost her leg in a lawn mower accident.  I felt for her so much that I gave this bear to my brother to give to her.  I later learned that it is the only teddy bear she owns and that she carries it everywhere with her.  Makes me want to cry my eyes out.  I pray that she is doing well.

Items #10 and #11:
Emma's Bonnet and Booties
No lessons learned here.  I was just really missing my baby cousin and wanted to send her a gift.  She is just gorgeous.

Item #12:
The Softest Baby Blanket
This was a gift for my boyfriend's newborn nephew, Will.  It was a very simple pattern

Item #13:
Purple Felted Tote
LOVE this!

Item #14:
Sockapal-2-za Socks
Lesson Learned: How to turn a heel properly.  I also learned how important a gauge swatch is.  I had to frog the first one b/c of that mistake.  Hopefully I won't ever forget this one.

Item #15:
Pink BamBoo Scarf
Lesson Learned: I discovered reversible mistake rib stitches.  I love the way this scarf looks and I wear it all the time.  I just wish that it was longer.

Item #16:
Last Finished item of 2005.  I am going to save this item for tomorrow's post.

Thank you for sharing the past year with me.  This year is going to be a lot of fun.  I have a lot of new project's to share very soon. 

I was ROAKed!!

Yesterday I received the sweetest gift in the mail.  It's so cute and even better, someone knit it for me.  What's better than that?! 

Thank you Caitlyn for the very sweet gift.  I immediately tried it on and had a picture taken for you.

I love it!  It fits perfectly too.  This hat will keep me so warm during this cold Iowa winter.  I will wear it often.

Thank you for being so thoughtful.  I was so surprised! 

2005 Preemie Project Items Wrap Up

With a few exceptions, 2005 really was a good year for me.  It pretty much consisted of starting The Preemie Project and watching it grow.  Actually the best thing about the past year is the success of the project.  I still can't believe it.  TPP was just a thought I had at this time last year.  I never would have dreamed that it would get this big.  The yahoo group actually has 80 members!!  Plus I have a list of 50 local volunteers and most of them are not a part of the yahoo group.  Craziness!!!

Here are most of the items that I made and donated to the project in 2005:

3 burial gown sets (SEPT '05)       


30 Hat and Bootie Sets. (SEPT '05) Some of these were knit by my mom.  We also donated 27 fleece and flannel sewn blankets.  We forgot to get a picture of those.

Pumpkin Push Items 
Booties to be paired up with misc hats donated by other volunteers. Pumpkin hat and bootie sets.  Halloween themed blankets.

Blankets for the 12-5-05 UIHC Donation (4 not pictured)


Some bereavement Items donated in November '05


Finally, the items for Winter Holiday 2005 Donation: 20 Blankets that mom and I sewed together on her vacation.  !5 Santa Hats, some with booties and some without.

Mom's Santa Hat Sets:

I believe that those are all of the items I made and donated in 2005.  It was really a lot of fun.  I learned a lot about knitting this past year.  I also learned how to use a sewing machine.  I can even sew a straight line now!

After all of those santa hats I have become a little sick of hats and booties.  Because of that, I've decided to spend the first months of 2006 knitting misc booties to pair of with hats.  I also want to put some time into sewing bereavement mementos, like teddy bears.  I'm just finishing up some pink ones and plan to cut out some blue bears this evening.

Part of the reason I stopped blogging in October was due to a feeling that my blog was getting boring.  I was spending so much time working on administrative duties for TPP that I didn't have a lot of time to knit.  What knitting time I did have was spent on hats and booties and sewn blankets.  I felt like I kept showing and talking about the same thing over and over.  It seemed like posting wasn't even worth it anymore.  I really want that to change this year.

Don't get me wrong, TPP IS my life.  I definitely won't stop talking about it.  I just want to make room in my life, and my blog for other knitting projects.  That's the plan!  I suppose you could call that a New Years resolution.  Hopefully I will remember that one in a couple of months.

Happy New Year!!!

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
hmmm...I don't know?  I guess that I learned some new knitting techniques.  Oh and I learned to crochet too!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any next year that I can remember.  I guess that means that I didn't keep them, huh?  I am making more for this year.  Let's see if I still remember them in a couple of months.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yep!  My boyfriend's Sister In Law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, William Charles Farnsworth.  He was a gift and a blessing.

My aunt Vicky gave birth to my baby cousin, Emma.  She's the most gorgeous baby!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
My Freedom and my whole Life.  I feel the need to run wild!  With patience things will be much better at this time next year.

6. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
One of them is 9/2/2005.  That's the day that The Preemie Project made the very first hospital donation.  We even made our goals!!!

7. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes, an injury.  I've been recovering from a nerve injury in my left leg.

 8. Where did most of your money go?
The Preemie Project, Yarn  (That's what happens when you have no job, no money, no apartment)

 9. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?: MUCH happier
ii. thinner or fatter?: thinner
iii. richer or poorer?: Same, just plain poor

10. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it with my boyfriend and family.  It was really wonderful this year.

11. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Does deeper in love count?

12. What was your favorite TV program?
24, The Shield, LOST, Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy, The Apprentice, etc.  That's a lot of shows, I know.  Again, that's what happens when you have no life.  Really!  I'm serious!

 13. What did you want and get?
Relief

14. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 23 this year.  My little cousins were in town and they threw my a really cute princess party.  It was a lot of fun.

15. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Since I spend a lot of time at home I mostly wear anything that is really comfortable for my leg.  Pajama pants are my fav!

16. What kept you sane? 
Did you even have to ask?! KNITTING!  The Preemie Project, my family

17. Who was the best new person you met?

The wonderful people I have "met" through The Preemie Project.  I've "met
people from all over the country who continue to amaze me with their generosity.  I'm blessed.

18. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Patience.  I earned that your life is only what you make it.  It may not be exactly what you had hoped, but that's okay/  Sometimes your path in life changes unexpectedly.  There is always a reason for it, even if you don't realize it at the time.  The reason will be revealed when you're ready to see it.  Then things seem to fall into place.  Even though my life isn't what I wanted 2 years ago, I still feel as if I've found my place in a way.

Five things that 2005 taught me:
1. Family is SO important.
2. Remember to recognize your own faults not just those of others. 
3. Your Happiness is up to you. 
4.
5.

I'm Back!

It's unbelievable, I know, but I am really back!  One of my New Year resolutions is to get back to my blog.  I thought I would take the little bit of time before the new year to get caught up!  So what's kept me so busy that I didn't have time to blog?!

I have been knitting, of course, but not as much as I would like to.  I've spent the past two months mostly working on items for The Preemie Project.  This project really expanded in the past two months.  I've had many additional volunteers from my area join in as well as many additional national volunteers.  We had our first local event on 10/28/05 at the Iowa City Senior Center.  Seniors from my community joined myself and other volunteers for a presentation about the project.  We gained many great volunteers that day.

We had our second Iowa Chapter meeting the following weekend, on 10/30.  It was a lot of fun.  We were joined by many new local volunteers.  We spent the afternoon chatting about knitting and making beaded Memento Bracelets for our Angel Program. 

Recently we have been lucky to have the help of two local girl scout troops.  One of the troops is made up of 8th graders and the other of high schoolers.  They've been a huge help and I'm looking forward to working with them in the future.

Here is a picture of Girl Scout Troop #2019.  I attended their meeting in November.  They spent the evening making beaded Memento Bracelets and cutting out flannel teddy bears and bunnies.  Thanks girls!

Some other groups that we've teamed up with locally are the following:
-Cedar Rapids Embroidery Guild
-Iowa Smocking Guild
-Story City FCCLA
-Saint Thomas Moore Knitting Ministry

I hope that this list will continue to grow in the coming months.

The Iowa Chapter has made a couple of donations since October too.  We made our Pumpkin Push donation on 10/21/2005.  It consisted of pumpkin hats with matching booties and pumpkin themed blankets.  I was told that the nurses and families really appreciate these items.  The donation was picked over, by the nurses, in 20 minutes!  Here's a picture of the whole donation.  These items were just too cute! 

Included:

80 Hat and Bootie Sets

57 Blankets

Then in November we made a donation to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) Touching Hearts Program.  We made our regular bi-monthly donation to the UIHC NICY on 12/5/05.  We donated hats, booties and blankets. 

Finally last wednesday, 12/21/05, we made our Winter Holidays donation to the UIHC NICU.  We donated winter and Christmas themed items, including santa hats.  Here is a picture of that donation.

Included:

112 Hat and Bootie Sets

62 Blankets

Next year we plan to start making items for the holiday donations as early as June or July.  Hopefully this will put less pressure on everyone and make the donation totals larger too.  We want to bring a little piece of happiness to as many families as possible during the holidays.

That pretty much sums up everything that has happened with The Preemie Project.  I've also been working quite a bit on the new website.  It still needs quite a bit of work, but it is coming along.  I am still looking for pictures of premature and healthy babies for the site.  Please contact me by email if you're interested.  Any pictures will have to be sent to me in email.

www.thepreemieproject.com

If you have a link to the old website on your blog, you can now change it to the new site above.  It's the one that will be kept up to date.

I'm working on some upcoming events, meetings and donations for The Preemie Project as well.  Here's a list of what is going on:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Donation:

Iowa Chapter Donation- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics NICU and Touching Hearts Program.  (February 1, 2006)

Upcoming Events:

-Martin Luther King Day of Action
The University of Iowa, Iowa Memorial Union
Friday, 1/20/2006
10am to 4pm

-Spring Semester Volunteer Fair
The University of Iowa, Iowa Memorial Union
Wednesday 1/25/2006
11am to 4pm

(Our Organization is now signed up with the 10,000 Hours Show through the University of Iowa.  We hope to team up with many students to continue our mission throughout Iowa.  I know there are a lot of college students who knit!)

-Knittin' 4 Preemies: A Community Knit On 
Beads and Beyond
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Saturday 2/4/2006
10am to 4pm

Upcoming Meeting(s):

Iowa Chapter Meeting, my home
Date and Time TBA (end of January to beginning of Feb)

Iowa Chapter Work Group Meetings
Place TBA
Date and Time TBA

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If you're interested in making items for the project, or becoming involved in local events, please feel free to contact me.  You can also take a look at The Preemie Project's yahoo group for more information:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thepreemieproject/

We are ALWAYS looking for more volunteers to help us with our mission.  Please join us!

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Well, that's pretty much what I've been up to.  Things have definitely kept me pretty busy, but I am really enjoying it.  I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year!  I'm looking forward to posting often again.  I haven't forgotten about anyone.  I still read all of your blogs even if I don't get a chance to leave a comment.  I'll be sure to post an update later on about my knitting and everything else.
 

A little Sewing Here...A little Knitting There

I've been sitting at my computer trying to decide where to begin.  I'm still not sure.  There are so many finished objects and so many things in the works.  I'm busy with so many things.  It seems that lately every free minute is used to sew a blanket or knit a hat for The Preemie Project.  The great thing is that I'm spending my time doing something I enjoy.  It doesn't get much better than that.

Anyhow, this is what my computer room looks like this evening.  "Disclaimer-This is my mess and not my parents.  I take FULL responsibility"

First is a picture of the corner of the room, which is next to my computer desk.  Pictured is donations to The Preemie Project that I have already organized.  Yes, this is what you would call organized chaos.

The next picture of the room is off to the left of the picture above.  More organized chaos.  This is where I sit on the floor to organize donations as the come in.  That really ugly doll is used to size newborn hats.

Then as you turn left again you will see an even bigger mess than above.  All along that back wall I have the donations lined up. 

On the other half of the wall you will see more donations lined up, more chaos.

All in all I think that I have at least 15 boxes to get through.  So what's holding me up?  I don't have a color printer.  NO, scratch that.  I have a color printer, but it doesn't have a power cord.  I need a power cord to be able to print donation tags.  Anyhow I will have enough tags tomorrow to finally be able to get through this mess.

Why so many donations at once?  The Preemie Project's Iowa Chapter is making a donation to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics NICU on Friday morning.  For the past two months the volunteers have been knitting and crocheting pumpkin hats and booties.  Some of them, including me, have been sewing pumpkin themed blankets as well.  We're donating these items for the babies to wear the week of Halloween.  We've created a pumpkin patch!

The volunteers have been sending in their pumpkin items the past couple of weeks.  They have done such a fantastic job.  I can't wait to see what the final totals will be.  Here is a last-minute pumpkin hat, which I just finished this evening.  I used Becky's Fruit Hat pattern.  It is so easy and really quick.  The best part is that it is done on double points.  No seams!

My mom and I have also been knitting up some last-minute pumpkin booties.  They will be matched up with hats that don't have a pair.  We're a little bootied out at the moment. 

I've also been working on finishing up my 12 pumpkin/Halloween themed blankets.  Here are 10 out of hat dozen.  Missing are 2 that I'm going to blanket stitch this evening.

Check out the Donation Photo Album to see the hats, booties and blankets the volunteers have made.  They did a fantastic job!  Stay tuned for a picture of everything to be donated on Friday.

I've also been working on some items for the November first bi-monthly donation to the UIHC.  Here are some examples:

Jester Hats with Booties and Large Blankets

To give you a better idea of how these items actually look with a baby, Hope will model some.

 

A closer look at the hat and booties.  They are so cute!

Well I'm off to blanket stitch my last 2 Halloween blankets.  I've leave you with a very cute picture of my babies.  Don't they look innocent?

It's Been TOO Long!

It has been way too long since my last post.  Frankly I haven't been posting enough lately.  I'm turning over a new leaf starting Monday.  I am going to post more often again.  Well I hope I will anyway.

I have a finished object to share!  Remember the gorgeous pink Bam Boo yarn I purchased at Beads and Beyond awhile back?  This week I turned that yarn into a new fall scarf pour moi!

As you can see, it is not really long.  That's okay though because it's supposed to be more of a fashion statement than something to keep you warm.  Here is a better pic after blocking.

The yarn was a little difficult to get used to knitting with.  It split A LOT at first.  After awhile I no longer had a problem.  This yarn is so soft and silky.  I just love it!

While purchasing the Bam Boo, I saw a similar scarf made out of it at Beads and Beyond.  I liked it so much that I asked the owner, Dawn Kress, for the stitch pattern that was used.  She emailed me a link to different rib stitches.  Thanks again Dawn!  I tried a couple different stitch patterns but ended up using the Mistake Rib Stitch for this scarf.  What I like most about it is that it's reversible and 3-dimensional.  It's very neat.

Here is a closer look at stitch pattern.  You end up with a column of knit stitches, a column of moss stitches, a column of purl sitches, and another column of knit stitches.  Look closely!

I finished the scarf last night and spent the day working on blankets for The Preemie Project.  (Go check out the new website.  Click on the link!  It's almost finished so go easy on me.  It still needs a ton of work.)  We have an upcoming donation of pumpkin hats with matching booties along with Pumpkin themed blankets for Halloween.  This donation will be made to The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) on 10/21/2005.  Then we have a donation of regular items around 11/1 to the UIHC.

With the upcoming donations I'm going to be very busy cranking out as many pumpkin themed blankets and regular hats, booties and blankets as I can.  I'm also trying to get some bereavement items done too.  First on the list is the dozen small Pumpkin Themed Blankets I've planned.  If need be I'll be sewing more to fill in the gap.

My mom and I stumbled onto some great craft sales last weekend.  What's better than a sale?!  Ohhh I L-O-V-E a good sale.  YES I do!  We found flannel to make the blankets below at 50% off.  great deal!  The best part about this is that a sale allows us to be able to purchase more and thus support more families and infants.

The blanket in the front was blanket stitched all the way around.  I hope to use the blanket stitch on most of the blankets I make.  I think that it adds a nice "special" touch to them.  That will have to do until we get a decent sewing machine with decorative stitches.  It's amazing how easy the blanket stitch is.  I looked at it once and picked it up earlier this week.  It's SO simple.

We also picked up all of this at 10 for $1.00.  Regularly they are $.29 a piece.  Looks like I'll be doing a ton of blanket stitch!  This should last awhile.

Here's one other blanket that I finished up today.  It's for the 11/1 donation.  I love this flannel print.  It's just so sweet.  This flannel was purchased with a gift card donated by Jennifer Casa.  Thanks Jennifer! 

Lastly, after working on a few more Pumpkin Blanket I plan to cast on a Jester Hat with this Bernat Softee.

This is my favorite yarn to use for the preemie items.  It's so cost effective and extremely soft.  This colorway is so cute too.  I'll post a pic of the finished hat tonight.  Have a great Saturday Night!