Calling All GC Chicks (Dudes) With Sticks & Happy Hookers To Support Special Olympics
 

As mentioned in another thread that was about something else entirely, the Special Olympics is having another Scarf Project this year where people make scarves for the winter Olympians. The scarves are made from extremely affordable Red Heart yarn, and the colors must be followed but the design is completely your own. Each state has their own dates or requirements so check the following link for either home or school information. If your state is not participating you could always send to another state.

http://www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org/states

If you'd like to learn to knit or crochet this would be a wonderful project and you'd be supporting individuals who will really appreciate it. With winter holidays coming up this could be a nice project to work on that is also giving to others. It could be a fun sisterhood to learn and make scarves, as well as philanthropy.

If you're an Alpha Sigma Alpha or on a campus with a chapter this would be a different way to support their national philanthropy, and even if you aren't crafty you could buy yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, or donate for postage.

Ooh this sounds like fun even if I think I can only do 1 this time around.

Okay so far you, and me. You have to be done by January 18th and have it in the mail, I have until February 25th, but I will be done much sooner. I will probably buy the yarn this weekend and get cracking. Full price it will set me back $6, but methinks there will be sales at Joanns or Michaels and Walmart carries it. I just need a pattern now and can probably knock one out over Thanksgiving.

What a great project. I'm really a beginner with knitting and it's been years since I attempted it last. Maybe I'll give this a try.

Okay, I'll participate! I'm not much of an advanced knitter either! The most interesting pattern I know is k1p2. :p

I'm in Texas and ours is sue by Jan. 20. I think I could do at least one too.

Yay! What's great is that there is a lot of design freedom as long as you stick to the colors and size specified. If you're a beginner it is totally do able with just knit and purl, or even just knit.

I've already got a few people on campus interested so hopefully we can do it en masse as a UI project and get our other campus sites involved. I know a few young women who are fiber artists but none who are Greek so I'd have to network that one.

I think if I do some public knitting it may get people interested in doing their own or donating for materials and postage. We just had a super Walmart open in Pullman ans since they are a sponsor I may be able to get the materials low cost, as well as the two other stores in town. We have a new knitting store opening next week where people plan to teach so maybe the teachers might donate time for this project. Our region is pretty large, but we have two teams in Moscow so I know there is local visibility.

This intrigues me...I am not a knitter, but I crochet. I learned everything from my mom, though, and when I see a pattern, I haven't the slightest idea what it means.

That's my problem! I see the advanced knitting patterns and they are just a jumble of letter codes and numbers!

A couple of years ago I tried to knit socks. I was doing pretty well until I got to 'turning the heel'. Now I have a really nice tube!

DO IT!

What is nice about doing your own chosen scarf design is that you can keep it simple and even a beginner or someone who hasn't hooked or knit for years can still make a scarf. Your k1p2 will make beautiful ribbing and if you've never done color changing it won't be that difficult.

sigmadiva, socks can be really difficult and scary the first time. I've gotten a few different books and gone online to have different explanations and it helped the heel turning a lot. You should check your local public library and see what's there so you can finish your socks. I am a HUGE fan of the two at a time magic loop method and have a great book by Melissa Morgan Oakes called 2-at-a-Time Socks and you can get one on Amazon for under $10. Haven't used her similar book, Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time, but I had a pattern and used the magic loop and her book as guidance and the socks turned out beautifully.

I'm not sure if this is the same for all JoAnn's, but they are having a sale Sun-Wed of next week. They have some items with a % off, and they have coupons for $5 off a purchase of $25-49.99, $10 off $50-$74.99, etc. I didn't get everything I needed there today, because I knew they'd have sales coming up!

That said, it is entirely possible I could do one as well. I have already planned to knit at least to scarves for Christmas, but I could do this after I'm done with those. Ooooh CA has a really late deadline (Feb 25). Sweet!

Btw, I found out today that one of my neighbors growing up is being inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame as Special Olympics athlete of the year. Cool!

ETA: Just told my mom about this, too!

You need to get your Kappa KEYster to the store and get into it!

It could be a good SON/DON thing as well, since winter sports are kind of our thing, especially Nordic skiing. If some miracle happens that allows me to come home we'll go KIP and eat blotkake.

I understood most of those acronyms but not KIP...lol. Oh, and I have blotkake in the fridge right now. ;)

Walmart has the yarn for $2.23 a piece here. And I bought another set of circular needles. (I don't think I know the difference between the Magic Loop and regular circular needles VS)

For the crocheters who don't know how to follow patterns, pick up the "I can crochet" book from Walmart. It usually comes with a few crochet hooks, too. This has the basic stitches with their abbreviations, as well as a few easy to follow patterns. If I'm not mistaken, there is a scarf pattern in it. I have been crocheting for 20 years since my grandmother taught me at 15. She just taught me the basics, and I taught myself how to follow a pattern so I could make those intricate baby blankets for friends who were expecting. It's really not hard...it just looks daunting. Good luck!

I love this idea. I just posted it on my online chapter's email list as a possible service project. I plan to participate either way, so I will have to get started soon. Rhode island's mailing deadline is Jan 29th.

KIP = knitting in public. Blotkake, I had to google.

Hmm, I might be convinced if they don't mind some plain ol' stockinette stitch. I like to knit while watching TV, and I don't think I could watch Fringe and do entrelac at the same time. (Or do entrelac at all, for that matter. :p )

Thanks VS for the book suggestions! I'll have to try them....one day!;)

aephi alum, I like the stockinette stitch too. It is simple and finishes well. Maybe I'll try that stitch.

I'm not a whiz at posting pics on GC, but I was thinking that maybe when we finish our scarves, we can post a pick here before we mail them off. What do you all think?

^^^ I like the idea.

Now, does anyone have a good suggestion for a pattern? I bought the yarn and some size 8s. I don't usually work with two colors.

As long as the right colors are used and it is six inches by 54-60 inches there is no specification on stitches or patterns. I'm considering doing one double stranded and another cabled because I like being fancy without being fancy. My sister suggested doing a double knit which would be a skill I need to hone and with acrylic I won't be as annoyed as with more uh, luxurious yarns.

If someone wants to host via flickr, or photobucket that's cool, or I can make an account and people can email pictures of progress and completed scarves.

There is a whole group on rav. for the project and there's a post full of pattern suggestions. I'm a member of it so you can click through me for ideas. I want to say they are all free patterns so we can share with others, that is for both knit and crochet patterns.

I joined it. I'd really like to try this one but since I don't know how to turn, I'm thinking I'll try something simpler for my first shot :p

For you and everyone else, here is a great website with information, instruction, a forum, and videos for some knitting techniques.

http://www.knittinghelp.com/

As far as I can tell from the pattern, the turn is at the end of the row so you'd just swap the needles in your hands. I may be over simplifying it so I'm going to check with my sister. My turns have always been within a row so I may have to do a swatch and see what's going on.

So I was totally making it more difficult in my head than it had to be... doh. I'm a big fan of watching Youtube videos when there's something I just can't conceptualize, usually the videos will help me figure it out.

Joann has an online sale right now for 30% off all yarn. YAY!

Is anyone else on Ravelry? I know VS is, so I'm going to start a GreekChat group. I just joined the Special Olympics 2011 group!

I am, same user name :D

Yay! My username is Fleur1870 on there, and I just added you.

YAY!!! My yarn just arrived! I had to order it from the Red Heart web site since my nearby JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby did not have the right colors for this project.

I've got my yarn and needles! I can get started.:D

I'm still waiting for the rest of my yarn. :( I found the Turqua at Michael's but no one around has the blue. I'm anxious to get started!

Isn't that weird? I couldn't find Blue either! Hmm...

This project must be very popular in the Chicago area because I went to several Michaels and Joann and they were out of the colors. Finally I ended up getting them at Wal-Mart. I'll start on it after finals.

I could only get Blue at Walmart and had to buy the Turqua through Red Heart. I'm done with one and almost through with a second scarf. I crochet fast, though. :)

For those who live in or near DC, today's Groupon is for Stitch DC. You can buy $20 worth of knitting materials for $10.

Here's the Fine Print: Expires Jun 13, 2011 Limit 1 per person, may buy multiple as gifts. No cash back. Not valid with other offers. Must buy prior to midnight Sunday (12 Dec 2010). Oh, for those who have never used Groupon before, just because you buy the groupon doesn't mean you have to use it by tomorrow. I think it expires in June 2011. Also, you can refer friends for extra discounts.

Hope that helps!

Unfortunately, the joinings of the two colors on my scarf didn't turn out very well. One side is fine but the other looks pretty funky. I think I'm going to scrap the project. I have 2 skeins of yarn now. Anyone want 'em?

I'm done!!!!


I'll take some pictures and try to post them this week or next.

I sent in 6 scarves today to Special Olympics Arizona. Unfortunately when I checked their website for the address, it said that as of Jan 8th, they've only received 80 of the needed 600 scarves for their athletes! The deadline for AZ is Feb 14th. I may try to do some more, but there is no way they'll meet that number.:(

The 2012 colors are out!

http://www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org/#

I'm getting started early so I can double my efforts this year and knit 2 scarves!!! :D

AZ-Alpha Xi!! The colors are University of Arizona colors. Let's DO this.

AzTheta .. you're on ..I don't knit but I do crochet!!

I was just on the Red Heart web site and learned that Special Olympics is not continuing with the scarf project. I really enjoyed knitting scarves for the organization.

Sad to see it end.

What a shame.