Oh! Gifts!

Yesterday during my lunch hour I took a short train ride to Purl Soho in Manhattan.  They have a wall of yarn which I couldn't even look at because I went to the shop with a purpose, and if I had touched even one skein of yarn my lunch hour would have been a 'ditching work' afternoon.  The shop has a little of everything for the crafter: they have bolts of fabric, squares of fabric, felting stuff, gadgets and what all.  I'll have to go back after work one day or on the weekend.

I went to their website and found a couple of patterns I want to make for the ladies in the cancer ward at a local  hospital.  My friend and fellow knitting circle 'angel' said the ladies often say their head, feet and hands are cold so while everyone in knitting class is making hats, I'm going to make socks.  Lucky me, I found these two patterns: 

The buttons are for the Presto Chango sweater (I settled), but the finding the patterns made me so happy. 

Why, you ask (or didn't ask)?  Because following the Yarn Harlot's example, I've offered the ladies in the knitting class a challenge.  I've asked them to knit one pair of socks per month for the year 2011.  There will be prizes, there will be competition, there will be fun.  Being the organizer, all I can do is find patterns for them to borrow that challenges their skills and gets them happy they entered the contest.  Woo hoo!

Then, when I get back to my desk there's a note and a bag from my friend Nancy.   She found some yarn that someone had 'put out' in the trash room at her building.  Whoever it was didn't have the heart to throw the yarn down the incinerator.  OK, I read the note and pulled the yarn out of the bag.  Drumroll, please ...

OK, why did I let myself get excited?  This yarn is older than Central Park dirt, but it'll come in handy for a new knitter.  So, I want to thank Nancy for doing the dumpster dive for me.  It's perfectly good yarn for the donation basket at the library so it won't go to waste.  Orlon AND acrylic, woo hoo!

Thanks Nancy!