A Report From the Trip to Wise and Hazard

Pattern: random stitch I saw on Instagram - Yarn: unknown donation - Hooks: 6mm and 5.5mm

  I saw this stitch randomly on Instagram and wanted to give it a try.  It looked different from the post when I used it to make the scarf, so I decided to make a hat out of it as well.  I used the linen stitch to make the brim with the 6mm hook so that it wouldn't flare out too much when I switched stitches.

  Here is how I worked the scarf, for the hat I didn't have to worry about needing an extra place to get a loop from.

  Chain one more than the number of stitches you want.  Chain 2, turn and start row.

  Pull a loop through the third and also fourth chains from the hook so you have three loops on the hook.  Pull the last loop on the hook through the middle loop, yarn over the hook and pull through the two loops.  Put hook into the fourth chain again, pull a loop through, put the hook into the fifth chain and pull a loop through.  Pull the last loop on the hook, yarn over the hook and pull through the two loops.  Repeat until you run out of loops.  Chain two before turning.  Repeat using the chain 2 from the beginning of the previous row so you keep the same number of stitches.

  Here is the report we got back from the most recent trip out to Wise, VA/Hazard, KY:

  We had a great trip (although it did pour rain the whole day of unloading). The teachers/staff at Viper Elementary were astonished at all the school supplies, socks, underwear & comforts, and just kept saying over & over “I can’t believe that people in Northern Virginia care about us”. The Hindman Settlement School (who lost every thing they had in the floods last July) were just over the moon with the weaving looms, art supplies, weaving books, etc. These supplies will enable them to get right back into class teaching. The Care Cottage was absolutely thrilled with all the lap-size blankets we brought them. The teen center could not get over the feminine hygiene products, the toiletries, the socks, underwear. The teens came out & helped us unload their items, then they walked right up the hill to the church that takes our clothing & household goods for distribution, unloaded all in the pouring rain, courteously & so helpful & strong (4 LARGE, BIG older teen guys) – they were such a blessing as we were so tired by then – and when finished they each wrapped us in huge bear hugs & one said “it is so nice to know someone cares”. I have been so struck ever since by them and the teachers using “care” so openly.

  The church that has always accepted the clothing & household goods has asked us to please stop bringing items to them. They have lined up volunteer groups to come and help with re-building/re-habbing homes. They have to have their Fellowship Hall to put cots in for volunteers to sleep on, they have to have their kitchen for the volunteers to prepare their meals. I completely get this – getting people back into housing & out of tents & FEMA trailers has to be a priority as cold weather is coming and these people have been out of their housing for over a year. SO, if you have already collected clothing & household items & can hold them until we find another place to deliver to (we are working on this) that would be great. if you can’t hold on to them, please find a good place locally to donate – we are out of storage space at our house. 

  We are in communication with Wise about the Angel Tree for Christmas – they expect approximately 200 foster children again this year to be on the Angel Tree. I have sewing groups working on making Christmas Stockings, we have some knitting blankets, we have some hand-made quilts, a group is working on toys. Hats & scarves will be worked on.

  We will continue to collect & take to The Care Cottage, The Teen Center, Viper Elementary, etc., we just need to let the church in Hazard prioritize the volunteer groups to work on housing.

  We delivered 360+ hand-knit/crocheted comforts to Viper Elementary – one for each student (about 200) for 1st day, and the rest the school counsellor has for new students, students who have a trauma or some other special circumstance in their lives throughout the year. The school counsellor just cried when she received them.

Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Retro Stripe: Is It the Best?

Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Retro Stripe 

Overall ratings: 4.6/5 from 441 votes (Amazon) - 4.5/5 from 79 votes (Jo-Ann) - 4.2/5 from 989 votes (Ravelry)

Average Cost: $6.31

  I am taking a slight variance with this challenge and picking out a specific color of yarn.  At one point this colorway was so popular that whenever anyone saw it, they cleaned the shelf of it.  Most of the people I saw doing this were the ones making the double thick knitting machine hats, but I decided to try it out for myself.

 

Pattern: Side To Side Ribbed Hat by Sally L.M. - Hook: 5.5 mm

Good grief, why is this so popular?

This yarn is wildly popular on Tik Tok so I decided to give it a try. I've never used Super Saver, but I enjoy a good acrylic yarn. This is weird, like spun plastic. There are 100% acrylic yarns that don't feel like this does. I really wanted it to work on my circular knitting machine, but it seems to be impossible. I make a lot of hats on my knitting machine, but I cannot get this to work without slipped stitches. So disappointing. At least it was on sale so I don't feel too bad about donating to someone who might like it.

Angela (7 months ago) 1/5 stars

  I had seen it in stores a few times and thought the colors looked alright, but nothing amazing.  I had even considered buying the four skeins I saw on the shelf to try and resell online.  Though knowing my luck, the craze would have died right before I got them listed.

Pattern: Lucky Bamboo Hat - Needles: US 8

not so good

Some of this yarn is nice and some is rough and not well colored. I wish the ppl who filled these orders would take notice of dye lots. And there seems to be a big difference on quality depending where the fiber is spun. Those lots made in India are nicely colored and soft, those spun in Turkey are a weird tone and rough and almost feel like you could get a splinter from them. I had to re-order several times just to get the same consistency in the skeins to finish a project.

Kind of disappointing. Beware of ordering Aran I ordered Aran and received a dye lot that originally said Soft White and had an Aran sticker over it. It was not Aran.

~ 55 years of crochet (a month ago) 2/5 stars

  The colors you see in pictures and seeing it wrapped in the skein don't do it justice.  I can see why people like it so much.  All of the colors flow smoothly into each other, except for the cool pink, that one is a rather abrupt change.  Though I do think I prefer it in the crochet hat versus the knit.  I don't think I'm going to go crazy over it and buy 34 skeins for my stash, but I might consider buying it again.  Like Angela said, it feels nice for a Red Heart Super Saver, which means that while there are nicer acrylic yarns out there, I don't want to use this to get dried food off of my dishes.  It is also very interesting what 55 Years of Crochet noticed about manufacturing location.  I will have to check the ones I have and see if I notice a difference.

Worm on a Berm

Pattern: random stitch I saw on Instagram - Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable in Earth Ombre dye lots ??, 2019-02-WL 198782, 2019-08-WL205401 - Hooks: 8mm for chain and 5.5mm for body

  This scarf now has three different colorways on it.  The last one was different than the other two and it even had some extra dye and got purple toned dye on my fingers as I was working with it.  I do like how it goes from lightest to darkest.

Worm on a Berm

  Last weekend was the Frankie's Invited Guests yearly showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Maysville.  Since it would cut a bit of time off of the trip, we stayed at the cabin before heading over there.  While there I finished making the sample for my Worm on a Berm I plan to list online, and we had a little photoshoot.

  We were "greeted" by an older lady when we got to the hotel.  It sounds like her son and herself have been here a while.  This Holiday Inn wasn't as fancy as the place we stayed at last year, but it was nice that some of the people who traveled to help with the show stayed there also.

  It was interesting how the shows were run this year.  Last year everyone played the same parts, and we just did the whole thing twice.  This year we had two different crews casting each show.  My plan had been to just be moral support, but I got roped into bringing out a chair for the throne during Sweet-T and being the tank with a red sheet for Toucha.  I also grabbed things off the stage and lower area so no one would risk tripping and falling.

  We decided to do some adventuring before leaving town and headed to the New Riff distillery.  We waited too long to book a tour, but we decided to visit, look around the gift shop.  Bill found some new things he's interested in trying and I found some honey that sounded good.  We got a better discount than we normally would have because the person working the register thought we had been part of the tour.

  We saw a sign for Braxton Labs Taproom and Brewery with an arrow telling us it was to the left of the parking area.  We went that way so I could try a beer, but even though we found the electric car charging area, we didn't find anything that looked like an entrance to the taproom.  When I checked a map, it looks like the actual taproom was almost two miles away.

  I hadn't thought to check for any, but we weren't far from a Skyline Chili.  If we had thought about it before, we wouldn't have stopped for lunch before leaving Maysville.  I'll have to remember to keep an eye out for them more when we are out that way again.

It Turned Out to be Opening Weekend

   The reason Bill really wanted to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival last weekend was because Jacques Ze Whipper was preforming and that was going to be his only weekend so close to us.  If you haven't heard of him, he used to be a radio journalist who missed the performing life he knew when he was a kid.  His father was a clown in the circus who used a whip in his performances.  If you are too far away to see him in person, he has videos posted on various social media platforms, they are really funny, and he even does tricks sometimes.  In the picture he was showing off how he had already been gifted so much Old Bay in such a short time, there was even a keychain!  We didn't realize it was opening weekend at first, and this is the first time I've been to it so early in the season.  Usually I've gone more mid-season, when it's cooler out.

  We saw two of his shows that day and I got a pin each time.  For the second show we got there earlier because he was on one of the smaller stages and standing room filled up quickly.  The shows were both great and I'd love to see him in person again someday.  We also went to both jousts that day.  The first time we picked a spot with shade where we could see, then later we wanted to be loyal to our knight, Sir Keegan.  I got my giant turkey leg and Felicity (mead and raspberry wine).  I didn't get to check out the venders as much as I did the other time, but there was nothing I was looking to buy this trip anyway.  I'm hoping to get a few things made for myself to wear.  Last time I had the same plan but forgot what I wanted to make.  This year I've made a list of projects I hope to work on for myself.

   You can see the color differences between the first and second skein of yarn.  I've been working on the new skein for a few days now, but I only just noticed the differences at K&CC get together.  Until this outing, I thought the colors were dark brown, copper, and tan.  I didn't even know there was green or blue!  I guess that's what I get for starting a new project in low lighting.

  I had put a poll up to see what shape I should use for my Christmas themed worms and the round shape won.  I then looked online and ordered some 6mm beads.  I also found out that Amazon can fulfill their two day delivery promise out to the cabin.  When they arrived I thought they looked too small for some reason.  I did a quick search and was reminded that pony beads are 6x9mm.  So now I've ordered new beads and will return the ones I got before.