Boulder Community Knitting

Great job knitting hats this past month! The hat bingo game (details in  this post ) provided some extra knitting motivation, and we collected a whopping 145 hats in a variety of sizes, colors, and patterns (and a sweet little blue sweater too). If you haven't gotten that bingo yet, don't worry! We're extending it another month. If you do get your 5-hat bingo, just drop me an email at amysantamaria@gmail.com so I can send you your free pattern prizes and enter you in the drawing for donated prizes. And of course, you can always skip the bingo game altogether and pick whatever you like from the list of patterns (or your own old standbys) to make.  Keep knitting and know that you are making a difference to people in your community. My heart is so warmed by the generosity of our group. You're all in my thoughts as we make our way through this long Colorado winter. 

Have you been busy knitting your bingo hats? Our next dropoff is Wednesday, February 10, from 2-3 at Harlow Platts park. Let's gather a great big pile of hats to give to Clinica. We have plenty of winter left in Colorado and lots of people to keep warm! Remember to snap a photo of your hats before you donate them. When you complete a bingo, let me know by leaving a comment here or by sending an email to amysantamaria@gmail.com. I mentioned prizes, so here's what I have so far: I will give anyone who gets a bingo a free copy of my worsted-weight socks e-book (5 patterns) and a scarf pattern I wrote last month. If anyone else has any prizes they'd like to donate (things knitters would like), please let me know. Possibilities: special yarn, knitting notions, knitting books or patterns. For any physical items, I will use a random number generator to select a winner. If it's electronic (a pdf of a pattern you wrote, for example), let me know if you'd like to offer a cert...

Hello knitters, Clinica needs more hats! Our contact there told us that they handed out the last batch of hats we gave her in a matter of hours! So we need to make some more hats. To make this a fun challenge, I thought we could try a game of Hat BINGO.  Click here for your card: GET A BINGO CARD You'll see 24 squares, each with a pattern name, and one free space in the middle. To get a bingo, knit 5 hats - all the patterns in a row (across, down, or diagonal). If you use the free space, you still need to knit 5 hats, but one can be any pattern you like - on the card, a duplicate, or some other pattern or improvisation you like. Snap a photo of your 5 hats for proof of your bingo - there will be prizes!  I've included a few patterns we've shared on the website, and the rest are all free patterns on Ravelry. Many of them are adult size, but you can usually size down for a kid's hat (leave a comment if you need guidance on sizing a pattern down). Or just make an adult siz...

Our next collection will be this Wednesday, January 13, from 2-3 PM at Harlow Platts Park (by Viele Lake in South Boulder). We will have printed copies of December/January's short-row hat to pick up if you would like one. If you have finished items to drop off, come on by! 

Hoping everyone has a happy holiday season and a joyful New Year. Despite facing a lot of obstacles this year, our group was able to make and donate an impressive number of items to warm the hearts and bodies of people who are struggling this year. We donated to Clinica and Sister Carmen:  259 hats 43 scarves and cowls 38 pairs of mittens 17 vests 11 sweaters and 67 bears! Thank you for your generosity and dedication. May 2021 bring healing, joy, and togetherness to all of you. 

I hope this post finds everyone well and getting some downtime over the holidays. For December and January, we have a hat pattern from Roxana featuring short rows. Please click here for the free pattern: Short-Row Hat pattern The short row technique may be a new challenge for you. Give it a go, and here's some advice on simplifying: I've found that with garter stitch, you can eliminate the wraps and just turn the work where it says "w/t". There may be some small holes but they are pretty hard to see in garter stitch. If you're still struggling, please feel free to substitute a hat pattern from one of the older posts here or any hat pattern you like. There are so many free and inexpensive hat patterns on Ravelry - it can be a fun treasure hunt to discover a new one.  Happy holidays, and happy knitting!

Volunteers have been busy packing up our finished projects for donation!