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Some practical crochet advice about joining yarn.

There are several reasons you may need to join yarn to a work in progress.  These include changing colors, adding more yarn because you ran out, or finding that your yarn has a crazy knot in it where it was tied together at the factory.  (don’t just work the knot into your project, cut it out and join it back together).

I can’t say that joining new yarn is something I just love doing.  But, I do think it is important to do it well.

There is a simple way to do it that doesn’t result in an ugly knot in your project.

Here are the step-by-step photos:

1. Get to the point in your stitch where you’re almost done and you have just 2 loops on your hook.

2.  Get the new yarn on your hook.

3.  Pull the new yarn through the 2 loops.

4.  Proceed as normal, you now have the new yarn on your hook to work with.

I hope this is helpful for some of you! 

Next week I plan to do step-by-step of what to do with the ends that are left behind.  We get ends when we join yarn and when we start and stop the project.

The last couple of weeks have been productive for Threads of Compassion OKC! 

We have received several calls, emails, and facebook members from being on TV.

And, lots of scarves have arrived! 

One person had been working for awhile and brought by five. Another spent months making a very soft one.  A college student made 2 during her Spring Break. One other lady mailed a box with 5. Another was given to me at church Wednesday night. It’s so encouraging to have so many people participating in this good work!

Today I got to be on News Channel 4 to talk about Threads of Compassion OKC. 

Yep, I was nervous!  But, Linda was nice and tried to make us feel comfortable.

You can see the video below:

April 17th the OKC YWCA is having a 2 Minute 5 K.  This is an event to raise funds and awareness to combat sexual assault.

We can help!  There are a couple of ways…

You can register to walk or run at: YWCA 2 Minute 5 K registration

 

Or, you can come to the Threads of Compassion OKC booth at the event.  While there you can work on a scarf and tell other people about Threads.  If you can do this, please rsvp at our facebook event!

This looks like a neat opportunity to be part of a cool event that could really make a difference.

I hope to see you there!

Making scarves for Threads of Compassion OKC has given me the opportunity to try out lots of different patterns. 

I think I’ve found a favorite… it looks nice, is easy, and works up quick.

The pattern is available online for free at Simple Scarf Pattern you just go there and click on the red text that says “free pattern instructions”.

It seems to look nice in various types of yarn.  I like both the ones that are a single color and the multi-color ones as pictured above. 

This one took me about 2 evenings to make (while watching TV).  I used an h hook and most of a  6 oz skein of Red Heart Super Saver yarn that had been given to me by a friend for this project.

If you decide to try it out, please let me know what you think!

If you’re like me, you may be wondering, “what’s happening with the scarves we’ve given, do they make a difference?”

To answer this question, I’d like to share the following that I received from the coordinator at the YWCA this week:

We have been getting such a wonderful response from the clients when they receive their scarf. Some have shed tears and some hold it close like a teddy bear. All have been grateful.

So, thank you to all who are helping with Threads of Compassion OKC.  Whether you’ve donated yarn, or scarves, or have helped spread the word –you are making a difference!

In the last 2 months I have used 4 different brands of yarn that are all 100% acrylic.  The difference between them is amazing!

Not only do they each have a different price, they have a pretty different feel.

“Red Heart Super Saver” is just that –a super saver.  It’s not a bad yarn, but compared to the others it is scratchy.  It can be washed and dried several times to soften up, but who wants to take time to do several washings before donating?

“Vanna’s Choice” and “Loops & Threads Impeccable” seemed very similar.  Both have a nice feel, but a are a bit pricey compared to my favorite.  And, the Loops & Threads tended to get tangled kind of easily.

“I Love This Yarn” from Hobby Lobby has become my favorite.  It’s nice and soft to work with, comes in a variety of colors and is affordable.

Let me know if you have a favorite yarn, I’d love to compare!

And it’s JJ!  Her name was drawn from all the entries in the scarf giveaway.  She entered by posting it on her facebook status February 24th. 

JJ, let me know what color you’d like and I’ll get it started.

Thank you everyone who entered!

We started a facebook group for Threads of Compassion OKC. 

It just seemed another good way to help get the word out, and to let those of you who are making scarves post photos of them if you’d like.  We hope that you’ll check out and join the group and invite others too!

There’s still time to enter the scarf giveaway.  Just check out this post for details:  Scarf Giveaway

Yet another really cool thing has happened…. my cousin Valerie lives in Indianapolis and has been following the beginning of Threads of Compassion OKC. She asked me if we could use yarn – of course I said yes!

The deal is that she bought some awhile back planning to learn to knit. But, then her jewelry making business kicked in and she ran out of time for a new hobby. So, not only does she make really cool stuff (you can see it at  Valerie’s etsy shop) but she also gave us some cool supplies!  

I’m confident we’ll be able to put them to good use!