Special Olympics Scarf Project 2014: Indiana and South Dakota

Two more states are participating in the scarf project for the 2014 games.

 

INDIANA

Colours:

Red Heart Super Saver – 387 Soft Navy
Red Heart Super Saver – 319 Cherry Red
Red Heart Super Saver – 311 White
or
Red Heart Soft – 4004 Navy
Red Heart Soft – 9925 Really Red
Red Heart Soft – 4600 White

Goal:  1,000 scarves
Deadline:  31 January 2014

SOUTH DAKOTA

Colours:  Blue and Orange
Goal:   800 scarves
Deadline:   20 February 2014

SO South Dakota has chosen the Denver Broncos blue and orange.  So there’s no specific yarn brand; just any brand that closely matches the Denver Broncos colours.  On the Red Heart and Caron websites, the closest colours that I see are RH Navy Blue and Caron Orange.   RH also has a Team Spirit in blue and orange.  

Red Heart also has four of this year’s scarf combinations:  Red/White; Red/Grey; Red/Black; Orange/Navy.   They also have a Red/Blue; combine it with a White, which you can use for SO Indiana’s colours.

This brings the total participating states to ten.  yaaayyy!  More states will be joining in the project, once they decide on their colours.

Details can be found on the Special Olympics Scarf Project page.

KC4-Special Olympics 2014 Scarf Project

SO Texas has decided to bring the scarf project back for their games and SO Kansas has announced that they will participate for 2014.

Headband for SO Iowa by Linda W.

That brings to a total of eight states (so far) who are participating in the Scarf Project for 2014.  Those who participated last year will decide sometime this summer if they want to continue with the project, or not.

Here’s a quick reference on the details so far.  The information will be updated as and when we receive it.  Complete information will always be available on this page link, or head on over and join the Facebook or Ravelry group pages.

ARKANSAS (*note that the colours have changed; however SO Arkansas will still accept the Cherry Red and Grey Heather scarves until they meet their goal). Colours:  RH SS Spring Green and Aran Goal:  535 scarves Deadline:  24 January 2014 Send to:   Special Olympics Arkansas Attn:  Jessica Fagan 946 E. Boswell St. Batesville, AR  72501

DELAWARE Colours:   RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Black (0312) RH Soft Cherry Red (5142) and Black (4614) RH Super Soft Really Red (5142) and Black (4614) RH Super Soft Really Red (9925) and Black (414) Goal:  100 scarves Deadline:  24 January 2014 Send to:   Special Olympics Delaware Attn:  Scarf Project 619 South College Avenue Newark, DE  19716Mailing dates: September 13-20,2013 October 11-18, 2013 November 22-29, 2013 December 20-27, 2013 January 17-24, 2014

KANSAS Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Black (0312) RH Soft Cherry Red (5142) and Black (4614) RH Super Soft Really Red (5142) and Black (4614) RH Super Soft Really Red (9925) and Black (414)Goal:  200 scarves Deadline:  17 January 2014 Send to:  Special Olympics Kansas Attn:  Scarf Project 5280 Foxridge Drive Mission, KS  66202

IOWA Colours:  RH SS Grey Heather (0400) and Dark Orchid (0776) Goal:  800 – scarves, hats, headbands, ear-muffs Deadline:  1 November 2013 – or until goal is reached Send to:  Special Olympics Iowa Attn:  Scarf Project PO Box 620 Grimes, IA  50111 website:   www.soiowa.org

OHIO Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Grey Heather (0400) Goal:  350 scarves Deadline:  1 February 2014 Send to:  Special Olympics Ohio Attn:  Scarf Project 3303 Winchester Pike Columbus, OH  43232

OKLAHOMA Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Black (0312) Goal:  1,812 scarves Deadline:  30 December 2013 Send to:  Attn:  Scarf Project 1709 Rain Tree Lane               Choctaw, OK  73020

TENNESSEE Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Soft White (0316) Caron One-Pound Scarlet (0516) and Soft White (0316) RH Team Spirit Color 0938 (red and white) Goal:   200 headbands Deadline:  15 December 2013 Send to:  Attn:  Scarf Project c/o Berry & Tudor, PC 5123 Virginia Way, Suite B-23 Brentwood, TN37027

TEXAS Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Black (0312) Goal:  3,000 scarves Deadline:  24 January 2014 Send to:  Special Olympics Texas Scarf Project 7715 Chevy Chase, Suite 120 Austin, TX78752

 

Colour Inspiration

On my annual visit to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden, I came across this beautiful orchid with gorgeous colours.

This is my new colour obsession for the year.

Beautiful, aren’t they?

So … what shall we make using these colours?  A scarf?  Cowl?  Shawl?

The Downton Abbey Cowl

I finished watching the Downton Abbey marathon weeks ago, but I was enjoying knitting this pattern with the yarn so much, that I didn’t want to stop working on it.  But I couldn’t let it sit there for long, knowing that the end was in sight.  And so I picked it up again, and finally finished it off.

I’m still loving those colours; my eyes are still drawn to it, each time I look at the cowl.  There was a slight shift in the colour sequence, as I started a new ball.  But you don’t really notice it, unless you’re sitting there scrutinizing each row.

I really like how the pattern – the knit linen stitch – really worked well with the yarn and the colours.  I’m sure that any other variegated yarn will work well with the stitch, but I do think that long colour changes works better than short colour changes.  The beauty of the yarn and the colours will be highlighted, as it did here.  I’m thinking that short colour changes will result in choppy pattern changes, but I could be wrong; I’ll have to start on one and see how it goes.

The finished length, even though joined at the ends, was still a good four feet long (which meant around eight to nine  feet long, if it hadn’t been joined).  It’s enough to twist loosely around the neck twice, without feeling choked up.   I don’t mind it long, actually, it’s an extra layer to keep me warm in front since I always feel cold.

I do find the wool a little scratchy, probably from the mohair?  So it’s not that soft against the skin, but it’s tolerable.

I’m enjoying wearing it, for these last days of cold weather.  Next year I can wear it for longer periods … unless someone begs it off from me!

Knitting and Pi Day

So, today is Pi Day.  You know … 3.14 …

I found this interesting article about a Pi Blanket, using the first 127 digits of Pi to correspond to a resistor code colour.

Image courtesy of http://www.techhive.com/article/2030840/knitting-a-pi-blanket-is-a-great-way-celebrate-pi-day.html

So of course I had to look up what a resistor colour code is.  Without getting into all the techie stuff, a resistor code colour is an electronic colour code that measures the resistance of a resistor … okay, enough about that.  Here’s a chart of the codes.

Image courtesy of http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/resistorcalculator.php

So, basically, it’s a number assigned to a standard colour that corresponds to their measurements.  Why didn’t they just say that? lol

So, back to the Pi Blanket.  If we wanted to make our own Pi Blanket – to be finished by next year – then we can print out the value of Pi (3.14) to however many digits we want.  From Wikipedia, the first 100 digits are:

3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510 58209 74944 59230 78164 06286 20899 86280 34825 34211 70679 ..

So the colour sequence for that would be:  brown, yellow, brown, green, white, red, blue, green, orange, green …. you get the idea.

Hmmm…. not a bad idea.  For motifs, maybe a two-round motif.  If just straight crochet or knit, then one row each colour.  *sigh* … another to add to the ideas list … right after the Fibonacci series afghan … more WIPs …

Just got another idea … maybe there’s other codes out there that can be translated into colour, then use the sequence or pattern for crochet and knitting!  ha!  Never ends, doesn’t it? 

2014 Special Olympics Scarf Project

*** Update:  Latest information on the 2014 Scarf Project can be found here. ***

********************************************

We’re still wrapping up the 2013 Special Olympics Scarf Project – the last deadline is for Utah on 8 March 2013 – but we’re up and running with the 2014 project.

Scarves made for 2013 Special Olympics Scarf Project

Three states – Arkansa, Ohio, and Oklahoma – continued their goal and project to the 2014 games.  Three states – Delaware, Iowa and Tennessee – have decided their colours for the 2014 games.

Here are the details we have for the five states that we can start working on.  Additional info can be found on the FB or the Ravelry pages. 

ARKANSAS
Colours:   RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Grey Heather (0400)
Goal:   535 scarves
Received:  97
Deadline:   24 January 2014
Send to:  Special Olympics Arkansas
                Attn:  Scarf Project
                946 E. Boswell St.
                Batesville, AR  72501

DELAWARE

Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Black (0312)  or   RH Soft Cherry Red (5142) and Black (4614)
RH Super Soft Really Red (5142) and Black (4614) or RH Super Soft Really Red (9925) and Black (414)
Goal:  100 scarves:
Received:
Deadline:  24 January 2014
Send to:   Special Olympics Delaware
Attn:  Scarf Project
619 South College Avenue
Newark, DE  19716

IOWA
Colours:   RH SS Grey Heater (0400) and Dark Orchid (0776)
Goal:        800 – scarves, hats, headbands, ear-muffs
Deadline:  1 November 2013 – or until goal is reached
Send to:   Special Olympics Iowa
                Attn:  Scarf Project
                PO Box 620
                Grimes, IA  50111
website:   www.soiowa.org

OHIO
Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Grey Heather (0400)
Goal:       350 scarves
Received:  150
Deadline:  1 February 2014
Send to:  Special Olympics Ohio
              Attn:  Scarf Project
              3303 Winchester Pike
              Columbus, OH  43232

OKLAHOMA
Colours:  RH SS Cherry Red (0319) and Black (0312)
Goal:       1,812 scarves
Deadline:   30 December 2013
Send to:   Scarf Project
               1709 Rain Tree Lane
                Choctaw, OK  73020

TENNESSEE
Colours:  RH Cherry Red (0319) and White (0311)
Goal:  200 headbands
Deadline:  15 December 2013
Send to:  Special Olympics Tennesse
Attn:  Scarf Project
900 12th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203

Come on over and join us. 

Downton Abbey Marathon Cowl

I had read so much about the show, ‘Downton Abbey’ on PBS, and the knits and costumes, so I had to go and check it out.  Settling down to watch from the beginning – it started from two years ago – I also picked up the Casablanca Cascade yarn that I had finished winding up and started a new project.  As if I needed another WIP lying around the house …

After a couple hours of knitting, this is how much I got done … maybe an inch and a half wide.  I really wanted to try the Linen Stitch again, and this time, I resolved to do it the proper way … whatever way that is.

So I casted on about 400 stitches.  I say ‘about’ because again I lost count.  And because it was another cowl, the pattern stitch was slightly modified again.  There’s no purl here; I just go round and round in the following pattern:  k1, sl1 wyif *
*Edited – It’s just the two stitches, repeated throughout, knitting in the round continuously.  Just make sure that the k1 stitch is above the sl1 stitch from the row below; and the sl1 stitch is above the k1 stitch from the row below.  

For this pattern to work continuously, the stitches cast on must be an odd number.  If you end up with an even number, then just knit two together, to reduce it, and continue on.

This is what the pattern and stitches looks like, close-up.  The tension is a little tight, I think.  but I was liking the effect of the variegated colours.

Two seasons and three days later …

Another three inches added, and I’m almost done with the first ball of yarn.  A second ball should bring it to about seven inches wide, which shouldn’t be too bad.

My tension is still a little tight; I tried to loosen up a bit, so that the stitches would show up better.  But I’m really liking this effect.  I have plans to make another one, this time using two different solid-coloured yarn.  That should make the ‘v’ in the pattern stand out more.

Oh, and the only knits I’ve seen in ‘Downton Abbey’ is Daisy sitting at the kitchen table knitting, and wearing a tam while out in town (which I thought look crocheted), and vintage crocheted tablecloths.  There’s lots of beautiful embroidery, and of course there’s lots of woolen clothing.  Maybe I just didn’t see it, I was busy knitting.  But do go and watch it.  I still have Season 3 to go … maybe I’ll finish this by the last episode too