March 21, 2008

She is working on her scarf above, and her i cord for her handbag below. It has been awhile but it is almost done and the wool felted beautifully.

Above, the colors of the flag of Ireland for her handbag and below, I can't remember what this will be. Stay tuned!

These socks look very patriotic!
above is our sock lady, with alpaca socks. below cascade yarn with landscapes between. It turned out very pretty.

Below Leslie, our volunteer, made a sweater and is showing the clients how different a scarf looks in the same yarn.


Above and below: more handbags on the way.



Above is a shrug in encore yarn. Below, a first project.






Above: Zelphia, our volunteer, is always inspiring us with her creations. This is a shawl in progress. Below: this is a new knitter and look at her go.

Below: she is showing the group her felted bag. You should see the smile as everyone admired her creative color choices.
There is always change here at IH. People complete the program and we have new admissions and new knitters. Our ladies say that learning to knit helps them "keep the focus..." and besides that, they also have learned a very useful hobby. The handbags that they are knitting are beautiful. Thanks to everyone who keeps in touch with us. We all appreciate it. Happy Spring!

March 14, 2008

All the finished felted handbags in a row! All the different amazing creations with all the different kinds and textures of wool. The above is fuzzy using a string of mohair throughout.

This handbag was finished by someone who has only been knitting for three weeks!






Above: two new knitters showing off their scarves!



This is Jean. She is a volunteer and a great teacher for our newest knitters. Look at their work below after one lesson!


Above: she is starting a short row scarf. Below: a handbag in progress.

Above and below: more projects by our newest knitters. Below: she is combining her favorite colors: grey, black and red.



Here is Zelphia. She is wearing a scarf she made with a ruffle and she is helping a handbag knitter.
What has been happening this week??????: A lot of work on handbags and felting!!!! Everyone is so into handbags. It has been like magic for new knitters. To take a ball of yarn and see it turn into a handbag that you can use every day and to have odd stitches and holes disappear, what fun! and what a great way to get some good practice on knitting. By the time a new knitter finishes a handbag the stitches are even and they are on their way! The ladies have been combining yarns and working with mohair in their felting projects. By learning how to pick up stitches (another great thing to know) one of our ladies started a log cabin blanket yesterday. Thanks to everyone for the notes and good wishes.

March 7, 2007

look at these very cool socks! what a pro! Above: before and Below: after felting.




And another!
This is a second project of a brand new knitter! She had fun combining yarns.
Above: this is the beginning of a shrug.
Here is Yvette again. Everyone loves her visiting our group and being our model. Yvette works here. Behind her is Zelphia, our volunteer.

Above: this is a shrug and below a shawl.

Above: someone's new stash and below a soft fuzzy scarf.

Above: a new knitter working with fun fur. Below: this was a tangled mess but she untangled it and was so proud that she did it.

Below: Zelphia our volunteer showing us her scarf.


Abpve. a new knitter is so proud of her fringe and finished scarves - above and below.

Here is Lucia, our volunteer, working on her sweater. She is making steady progress.



We have had lots of new knitters as people are being discharged because they have completed the program. Our volunteers have helped so much with teaching, inspiration, enthusiasm. There has been a lot of felting lately. I have found that this is a great way for a new knitter to get a lot of practice because the knitting goes on and on and the dropped stitches disappear in the felting. And everyone is thrilled with the magic of felting! At the same time it is a good way to learn the differences in yarns. Thanks to everyone who has donated this yarn to us. All of the packages are wonderful and appreciated.