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85-Year-Old Vet Shows Craftiness Knows No Age, Gender

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Vet loom knits hats, to take part in ManCraft show in Colorado.If you need a feel-good story to start of your week, check out this one from the Denver Post about Orville “Mark” Skattum, an 85-year-old National Guard veteran (he served during the Korean Conflict) who has taken up loom knitting hats for vets and others and is participating in the Holiday ManCraft show in Denver and Boulder this weekend.

Skattum said he started the hobby when he saw a woman loom knitting hats while watching a football game, and he said he likes to be doing something while he’s watching TV. He can knit a hat in three hours or so and aims to finish five a week.

After giving hats to everyone in his family he started making more hats and donating them in bunches of 50 to his church and the Denver Veterans’ Administration (tagged “Made By a Vet for a Vet”).

After attending the ManCraft show last year, his daughter joked that he should get involved. He took her seriously and has amassed more than 150 hats to sell at the events. He intends to donate whatever he earns to charity.

The event takes place Dec. 5 at the VFW Post 2461 in Denver and Dec. 6 at American Legion Post 10 in Boulder.

[Photo by Kathryn Scott Osler for the Denver Post.]

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Knit and Felt Some Tabi Style Slippers

The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical. 

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique. 

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead. 

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit. 

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern. 

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like. 

[Photo: Maymade Knits]