Special Olympic Scarves 14 & 15 !!

Well, my Special Olympic Scarf making is coming to an end... I've completed number 14 & 15.

#14 is made with crocheting a long chain - of any number 4x + 1 ... then ch 1, sc in 2nd chain from hook, *ch 3, skip 3 ch, sc in next ch* to the end where you sc in the last ch or sc.  Here's how  14 turned out.  I did this the long way on the scarf. Every other row I changed colors.

 Here's 15 - it's the same basic pattern, only I did it the short way ..

I don't have enough yarn for another whole scarf, but I suppose I might get scraps from one of the other people in my group working on these.  I do have 3 granny squares plus a small ball of the blue. May save these for our next charity project - not sure.

So far, in our box ready to go are -
15 by me (I purchased 8 skeins, and received mom's leftovers)
2 by FH
4 by mom (Mom purchased 4 skeins)

and I know others are working on finishing theirs .. atleast 4 more that I am pretty sure will get finished.  We do have another month before we can mail these, as Wisconsin Special Olympics wants them sent after Jan 1st, but get there before Jan 21st.  So I'm aiming to mail these by Jan 4th.

I'm thinking for every 2 skeins, you can get atleast 3 scarves from them.  So from the 12 skeins that mom and I purchased, we got 19 scarves .. almost 20 (19 1/2) if you count the granny squares I have left over.

Stashbusting Party - Pattern

I thought I might share with you all a quilting pattern that I wrote in 2009.  I have shared it in the past, and it's on another website, but that website is going to be discontinued, and I wanted to continue to have this pattern available so here we are! :) .. Is that enough of a run-on sentence for ya? lol.

This pattern is called "Stashbusting Party" and it's a great pattern to use up your stash.  You can choose orphan blocks, or scraps, and make a very nice quilt.

You could add redwork, embroidery, fancy quilting, or use orphan blocks for the plain blocks.  The possibilities are really endless!

Click Here for the PDF Pattern.

Hope you enjoy this pattern.  If you'd like to share a picture of anything you make with one of my patterns, please email them to me at tmskquilt @ gmail dot com.

All my patterns are copyrighted.  Please feel free to share this url with anyone wishing to use the pattern, and you may make as many items with this pattern as you wish for yourself and as gifts to others.  Please do NOT distribute the pattern but rather tell people about my blog so that they can come find the pattern for themselves.

Special Olympics Scarf # 3

Hey .. I finally finished Scarf # 3!!!   It's a garter stitch scarf much like the basic dishcloth pattern. I like how both sides are equally attractive.  I alternated the colors every 2 rows with both yarns carrying on one edge.  Since the carry is so small, it blends right into the pattern.

 The pattern for this one is: (Size 11 needles - Red Heart yarn)

CO 4

k2, yo, k to the end, turn   (repeat this row until you have 19 stitches or the width that you want)

(measure the triangle at the end - this is you "X" inches)

k2, yo, k2tog, k to the end, turn  (repeat this row until you are need only "X" inches more)

k2, yo, k2tog, k until 5 from the end, k2tog, k3, turn  (repeat this row until you have 9 stitches on your needles)

k2, yo, k2tog, k2tog, k3, turn (8 st on needle)

k2, yo, k2tog, k2tog, k2, turn (7 st on needle)

k2, k3tog, k2, turn (5 st on needle)
k2, k2tog, k2, turn
bind off and weave in loose ends.

when I k3tog for this, I will slip 1, k2tog, then pass the slipped stitch over.  This makes a more centered k3tog instead of a slanting one.

Following is a picture of the start of scarf #4.  I will edge this in Red but the body will be in blue.  We'll see how far the blue goes .. ....

This one is in a "lemonade stitch" which is a crochet stitch that I've used in several items before.  I know I'll have enough yarn in my 3rd & 4th skeins for this scarf even if I have to be creative with tassels or something.

Will I have enough for yet another scarf?  Maybe a knit one that's more lacey?   We will see! :)  Any pattern suggestions for my next scarf?

Tara's Favorite Bag / Purse

Okay, so, are we ready for more about my favorite bag/purse?

The last few days I've been working on getting my quilted fabric quilted. As I mentioned/showed earlier. I finally finished! See !?!?


I had several thread breakage problems, but mostly in the beginning and end, surprisely, the middle section went fairly smooth.

After quilting, I cut off three 6" width strips for my pockets. Two of them 6"x18" will be outer pockets, and one of the 6" strips will be cut into smaller pieces for the inside pockets.

So first we trim the edges.


After we have the edges of the 6" pieces trimmed, then we move on and trim the edges of the larger piece which should be 18"x22" (or there about) I fold this piece in half so that I can use the fold as one of my ruler guides, and then trim the edges neatly square.


And here we are with the nice and neatly trimmed pieces for the purse.


Out of the quilted fabric we have:
1 - 18" x 22" piece for the base of the purse (if this is longer, it's ok!)
2 - 6" x 18" pieces for the outside pockets
2 - 6" x 7" pieces for inside pockets
1 - 6" x 4" piece for an inside pocket.

And there you go - quilted fabric ready :)