The Halfknits

New Blog

2009-12-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

We are now blogging on our website. Please visit us at http://www.halfknits.com/.

Ellie's Recent Work

2009-07-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

With two small children getting their little hands into my every project, it takes me awhile to complete anything. But I enjoy crocheting with the Halfknits and am proud to share some of my recent work!

This baby blanket was made with Caron's Simply Soft yarn. I started with a pattern from Naturally Caron and then modified it when I realized the Tri-Colored pattern wouldn't really look right with only two colors.

This "Wheelchair Wrap" was made using a pattern from Annie's Attic. The pattern was created for nursing home patients in wheelchairs to have a shawl short enough to not get caught in the wheels. It was so fun to make and very hard to part with!

Halfknits Happenings

2009-03-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy knitting and crocheting that we have neglected our blog!

In February we made 17 shawls for a nursing home in Waxahachie, Texas. This was our first time in 5 years together to make shawls. What a fun project!

knitted by Heather

knitted by Patti

knitted by Cathey

knitted by Karen modeled by Emily

In February we also made 15 lap blankets for a nursing home in Louisa, Virginia.

by Angel, Patti, Heather, Kat

Angel, Vööbe, Kat

crocheted by Linda

This month we are making baby blankets for the First Street Methodist Mission in Fort Worth. I think all of us love working on baby items. It is so sweet to imagine the little ones wrapped up in our blankets.

Head Band /Calorimetry

2008-10-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

One of the girls found a head band pattern in Knitty's site and asked me if it was something we could do as part of our fall hat drive. It helps keep your ears warm while still letting you have a pony tail. I loved the idea but in my usual fashion wanted to make them faster and easier. It already uses simple short rows to create the tapered ends with the added benefit of built in button holes so I only had to changed it to used chunky or double strands of yarn, bigger needles and took out the purling (so I can make one while watching TV).

With 2 strands of yarn or 1 strand of chunky yarn and size 10 ½ needles Cast on 60 stitches

Row 1: Knit all sts

Row 2: Knit to last 2 sts, turn work.

Row 3: Sl 1, knit 3 sts, place marker, work to last 2 sts, turn work.

Row 4: Sl 1, knit 3 sts, place second marker, knit to next marker, turn work.

Row 5: Remove marker, sl 1, knit 3 sts, replace marker, work to next marker, turn work.

Repeat Row 5 seven times more.

Row 6: Do not remove marker. Sl 1, work to next marker, turn work.

Row 7: Sl 1, work to marker, remove marker, work 4 sts, replace marker, turn work.

Repeat Row 7 nine times more. 2 sts remain outside markers at each end of the piece.

Row 8: Sl 1, work to marker, remove marker, work last 2 sts.
Work 1 more row, removing final marker.

Loosely BO all sts.

Summertime

2008-08-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

This summer the Halfknits have been busy making baby blankets for our Baby Love Blanket Drive as well as many other cold weather items.

I thought I would share photos of some of the beautiful items made by some of the girls!

Baby blankets by Cathey

Baby Blankets by Vööbe

Baby Blanket by Angel (ginormous puff granny)

Baby Blanket by Kat

Magic Baby Blanket by Heather

Baby Blankets by Halley and Patti (cat afghan pattern)

Baby Blanket by Ellie

Magic Baby Blanket by Angel

Sweater by JamieJo

Baby Sweater by Halley

Baby Hat by Cathey I can only get it to post sideways, but it is still so incredibly cute!

We surpassed our 50 baby blanket goal this summer. I am not sure of the exact number yet, but it is close to or over 100! Yippee!

Halfknits Rock!

Baby Love Blanket Drive

2008-05-27T09:17:00.004-07:00

We are doing a baby blanket drive throughout the summer. Our goal is to have 50 baby blankets by September.

The picture above is the baby blanket I just finished. It was so fun to make. It is double stranded and done as a magic blanket with a K hook. You basically just keep going around and around with different stitches. These blankets are so fast and easy to make.

Here's another double stranded blanket I just finished. It is done as in the round blocks. This was also a very fast and easy blanket to do and it is so nice and warm. I know some family will love it.

Road Blanket

2008-05-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the child's afghan that I made into a "road" out of gray scrap yarn! Well, it still needs an edge all the way around in black (you can see strings still hanging on the bottom that need to be tucked in) but it's finished enough to see that it really did come out looking somewhat like a road....

Knitterbugs

2008-04-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Last month the Knitterbugs, a charity knitting group from Southlake, joined us at our monthly meeting. The group was started by a mom who teaches school age children to knit 7 x 9 blocks to put together for blankets for the homeless. She has quite a few children involved in her project and it warmed my heart to see all of them busy working on their blocks!

At the meeting we helped the Knitterbugs sort and sew together blanket blocks that were donated to them. Since they are a fairly new group, they don’t have a lot of experience in putting blankets together so this job is left to the group leader Nicole and what a huge job this is! With all of us working together we were able to put together several baby or lap size blankets that day.

We really enjoyed the Knitterbugs and hope they visit us again soon!

Thanks Yvonne!

2008-03-05T08:16:00.001-08:00

Some of the donated yarn.

Thanks to Yvonne, a generous donor in New Mexico we have baby yarn! Yay! We will be able to make quite a few baby hats, sweaters and baby blankets for some sweet little babes in need of some warmth.

Last night Heather, Vööbe and Tina took some to make hats and Patti will be getting some this week to make a baby blanket.

I will post a picture of what we made with Yvonne’s yarn when we are done!

Thanks Yvonne!

Sensational Side Note

2008-02-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

I love working as a team with the Halfknits making a beautiful blanket together and nothing will ever make me tired of doing it but sometimes things pop up that although are for the group are not with the group. Sometimes it’s some yummy yarn, or something someone wears, or a new pattern I found. Sometimes a little change is good for the soul. One of our friends gave us a bag of UFOs (unfinished objects) the other day. It’s always fun to treasure hunt in a big bag of yarn. There was some great chunky yarn that we plan to make hats out of. Next I found a bright granny square blanket that has been passed on to Tiffany to have fun finishing up. Scattered in the bottom was a miscellaneous furry cluster of yarns I added to the “Box of Fur” that we use for edging hat, slippers, hair srunchies and such. And last but the star of this post was a scarf started in Jo-ann’s Sensations yarn using black and white skeins. I was ready to toss it in the back of my closet to spend time with the other donated UFO’s, there to wait until some rainy day when the group blankets didn’t need me (a day that in 4 years has yet to come, but still I plan for it). But when I picked it up and felt its yummy softness running through my fingers I stopped…. pulled out my favorite needles….knit, knit, knit. Finally the next morning while sitting in Star Bucks with the girls the spell wore off leaving me with a scarf and just barely enough yarn left for a matching hat. Thanks friend for thinking of us when you found the bag and providing some little boy with a hat and scarf made from soft angel hair to warmly dream in.

Toddler-sized Scrap Blankets

2008-02-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hi! Since I was given permission to post on this fancy new Halfknits blog, I thought I'd do so. :o) And I wanted to share a photo of the latest blanket that I made for the Halfknits. I usually just make 6" squares that we frame and sew together, but I guess I wanted a little variety this time (and I forgot my scissors at home while I was crocheting out one day) so I just kept going and ended up with a 6" strip instead. Now, the Halfknits as a group have completed many many blankets made from 6" squares, and we've done a few from strips. But, as far as I know, this is the first combo blanket. Turned out kinda nice, if I do say so myself, especially given that it was made from leftover scraps of green yarn. And now we know it can be done if anyone ever gets bored just making squares.

Of course, my daughter, Evelyn, wanted to get in the picture while I had the camera out...

I can't wait to see how my next blanket turns out. I'm hooked on these "toddler-sized" afghans and love using up scraps. It seems I'm still looking for something different to do because when I picked up a skein of gray yarn to start the next blanket, I came out with a 9" block instead of a 6" one. That's ok as long as I see it through to the end of the blanket instead of trying to pass it on to a different group member to piece together! Like I said though, I can't wait to see the finished project because I'm planning to add some narrow yellow pieces in the middle and use strips of some green yarn found on a clearance sale down each side. What little boy wouldn't enjoy his own road blanket? Well, if it turns out like I'm picturing it, that is....

February Meeting

2008-02-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday was our monthly meeting. We had a great turn out and everyone sat around eating, talking, knitting and crocheting. What a perfect evening!

Our Menu
Hot spinach and artichoke dip
Pumpkin spice cake
Thin mints
Assortment of chocolates
Spiced cranberry- pineapple drink and coffee

Halfknits....half eating, half knitting. LOL! Hmmm...

This month Hobby Lobby had some yarn on clearance so we all made 6” blanket blocks out of Red Heart hunter green colored yarn. I have no idea what color we are going to use to frame or if we are going to put it with any other color, I just know it was on sale and needed to be made into something! So green yarn all around!

We had several new people, which was fun! We love having new people join us and always learn something new from them!

Who knew there was a knit and purl rhyme!?! Not me!

Knit Rhyme
"In through the front door,
around the back,
out through the window,
and off jumps Jack".

Purl Rhyme
Under the fence,
Catch the sheep,
Back we come,
Off we leap!

Our next meeting is March 8th starting at 10:00 am at Lonesome Dove Baptist Church.