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Time for The Red Scarf Project Again

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I’ve been a follower of the Red Scarf Project for years. This program, a part of Foster Care to Success, sends care packages that include red scarves to college students who have been in the foster care system on Valentine’s Day. It’s a sweet little reminder that someone cares about them and is thinking about them.

red scarf projectWhen I first heard about it, the project was pretty small. But it’s so big now that they only accept scarves for part of the year, and the time has come to start sending in your scarves if you want to take part in the program next year.

The project requirements are for knit or crocheted scarves that measure about 60 inches long and 5 to 8 inches wide. They’re for young adults of both genders, so keep that in mind when designing. They also should have red in them in some way, but you can choose the shade.

Scarves are only accepted between now and December 15, so get to knitting if you’re moved to.

One of my patterns, the Basketweave Scarf, is featured in their suggested patterns, but I actually knit a similar one, the 4×4 woven scarf, which I sent in to the project many years ago.

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Have you read?

Stitch Some Seagulls on Your Sweater

It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born. 

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]