HAP Games, Final Results

I'll start out by asking... what happened to August?
It seems like just last week it was July and the HAP Games were starting! Now the Games have been over for a couple of weeks so I guess it's time to post our results... at least before I turn around and it's 2013!

The grand totals for all of the work done within the 17 days are:

• 27 assembled afghans
• 619 rectangles made
• plus lots of tasks done for HAP in the "Freestyle" Event

We also had an Event called the Mile of Yarn Marathon and the stats for that event alone are:

• 560 rectangles made, with 8 participants using at least a full mile of yarn!
  (1760 yards = 1 mile)
• In yardage, we used approximately 25,052 yards, which is 14.2 miles -- amazing!! We "ran" more than a half-marathon!!

 I assembled one blanket. First, I joined the columns.

After the columns, I joined the rows.

The finished blanket!

I also made 54 rectangles, using 2150 yds. of yarn.

Way to go, HAP Volunteers!

And thank you to everybody who gave us their support!!

HAP Games, Day One

Today is Day One of a personal challenge project that I've coordinated for my favorite charity HAP. It'll be fun and will benefit HAP!

The HAP Games will last for the duration of the Summer London Games, but is in no way affiliated with those other games... after the US Olympic Committee sent an unpleasant letter to Ravelry about their Olympic-style events, I feel compelled to make. that. clear!

I'm ready!! And here are my supplies:

The rectangles at the top will be assembled into a HAP blanket and the bottom row of yarn, specifically 1,760 yards of yarn (which equals one mile) will be made into rectangles for other HAP blankets!

And it's all to thank those wounded in service to our country!
GO, HAP, GO!!!

Happy Independence Day!

May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own country!  ~ Daniel Webster


Just by coincidence, I recently received this red, white and blue rectangle set to assemble. The rectangles were made by HAP volunteers all over the USA. The blanket was designed by more volunteers, and I volunteered to assemble it! 

It's large enough to cover a hospital bed and is HAP's way to say Thank You to a wounded warrior. Thought I'd share this patriotic blanket today, on the Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day!

Headache woes...

I get headaches on occasion... and what works best for me is Excedrin. One or two tablets and I'm all better! Works great for DH's aches and pains, too.

Well, the big bottle that I bought a while back from Costco was empty so I went to Target to buy a small bottle and there was no Excedrin in sight -- turns out that it was recalled back in January 2012 and is still off the market! So I bought a generic brand and the next time I had a headache I tried it -- it didn't work. Oh, no! This morning I checked eBay, and here is just a portion of one page (out of 4 pages) of completed listings for "Excedrin":

Holy cow!! And these packets started with an opening bid of 99-cents!
People are also selling (and buying) the generic versions of Excedrin -- I had no idea... but there's no way I'm going to pay that much for the real thing... what to do, what to do?

I decided to check our travel bag with the little packets of shampoo, toothpaste, etc. and yay! I found a 24-count bottle of Excedrin! I feel better knowing that headache relief is still available, at least until I run out!

Scrappy Afghan for Baby

I love to crochet afghans.

And I love scrappy projects -- I love to combine different colors and use up the odds and ends from other projects.

Every once in a while, I get to crochet a baby afghan, and they're really fun! They're fast to make and this one is colorful:

It was made to welcome my new grand-niece.

I did buy the light pink yarn, but everything else was from my scrap stash. 

I plan to make a throw using this same pattern, also using scrap yarn. I really like the granny square in the middle -- so cute!

Crocheting for HAP, my fave charity!

I crochet for various charities, but my favorite charity is HAP:

The Handmade Afghans to Thank Our Armed Forces Project. 

HAP is a 100% volunteer organization and our mission is to thank those wounded in service to our country by creating handmade afghans. Volunteers knit or crochet 6" x 9" rectangles and the rectangles are combined into sets of 49, which are then crocheted together into hospital bed-sized afghans that show the work of as many people as possible. The afghans are then sent to military hospitals in Afghanistan, Germany and all over the United States.

Last year, GAC showed a special called "Stars for Stripes" and a HAP blanket was seen "in action" at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany:

(The photo isn't very good because I took it off my low-definition tv, but I was very excited to see it and share it with the group!)

 Here's one of many blankets that I've assembled for HAP:

So far, HAP has given out 8,261 handmade afghans with more going out every week!

And here's a batch of rectangles that I just completed:

For more info and more photos, visit our website:

http://rectangle6x9.shutterfly.com/

Please note: HAP is different from other volunteer organizations in that it limits its membership. It is at full capacity and membership is currently full. Per our director, HAP only accepts rectangles made by current members.

Knitting with a hook!

I've always wanted to knit, and I've managed to teach myself the basics but I'm a very anxious knitter -- I'm afraid of dropping stitches or having the needle fall out... plus, I'm horribly slow at knitting. After a lifetime of crocheting, a crochet hook feels natural to me while knitting needles feel foreign and clumsy. I probably need to knit exclusively for at least 3 months to build a solid base of familiarity, and maybe one day I will, but for now I decided to try the Knook.

The Knook is a specialized crochet hook that is used with a cord to hold the stitches -- the combination enables you to create actual knitted fabric. After a couple of frustrating false starts (I was trying to crochet the stitches, rather than use the Knook as a new tool!) I finally discovered some Knook videos on YouTube and figured out what I was doing wrong. I'm still slow and clumsy, but I'm faster with the Knook that I am with needles and while the cord annoys me, I like that I can easily undo stitches to fix mistakes. I even started and finished a project in one afternoon -- a simple dishcloth, but hey, it's knitted!

And it really looks like knitting:

I have to work on my tension and I need to build up speed, but I'm really excited about combining knit and crochet in the same project -- and now it seems do-able!

First Post, Yay!

I've decided to start blogging about my crocheting and other creative adventures.
I've been crocheting since childhood and like to try new techniques.
I'm looking forward to sharing my projects and experiences!
Yay!