And the third one was just right!

Ah, the sweet nostalgia when I got a small flat-rate USPS box in the mail today!  It was like Dish Rag Tag was back in action -- especially since the box was from our very own Diane in NC!

And it contained hats!  Gorgeous, gorgeous hats that I am sorely tempted to keep for myself.  Hence this post; if I put pictures of them and then am caught wearing them, I will be publicly shamed.  I hope this blog will keep me honest.

Diane called these "Three Bears."



Papa Bear ...




Mama Bear ...




... and Baby Bear.




I am trying to guess the yarns (and patterns) Diane used from the fiber content and care tags she included inside each hat. Why guess? Because they all are so beautiful to see and touch that I want to knit with these yarns myself! The gray man's hat (my favorite, I admit) is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (but it couldn't possibly be Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, could it? So soft and touchable!). It's garter stitch between columns of knit stitches, with spiral decreases at the top. The cream women's hat is 85% merino and 15% cashmere -- cable panels of small and alternating small/large cables. And the baby hat is incredibly silky 70% organic cotton and 30% bamboo, simple stockinette with an adorable tassel.

Diane, you are a talented knitter with admirable taste. And generous, too! Thank you for being part of this project!

The hat shelf is filling up!

More hats are rolling in for the clients of Conway Cradle Care!  Yesterday's mail brought two contributions, from Leah in New York and from Amy in New Jersey.  Check this out!



Leah sent these two colorful hats: one baby-sized, one a wonderfully cozy oversized adult version. My daughter likes to name my knits, and the one she's wearing -- her favorite of all the ones I had her wear in this modeling session -- she called "Colorful Sparks."



This is the adult-sized hat Amy sent (made of Malabrigo ... ahhhhh). My modeled shots of it were out of focus, unfortunately, and this color is really hard to photograph.



Amy's toddler-sized cabled hat is made of Blue Sky Alpaca cotton -- look at how those cables pop!

I am so overwhelmed by the hours of work put in by my teammates and their friends on this project. Leah and Amy, you rock! Not only are my students going to be inspired by these, but the local kids who receive these hats for themselves and their children are going to know how much they mean to their community, near and far.

First hat received!

Thank you, Gayle, for the very special hat you contributed to my class's project!  Not only is it beautiful work, in a beautiful color, in a beautiful yarn, but the prayer you enclosed makes it a real gift of the heart and spirit.

Here's my daughter modeling it for my blog!

Conway Cradle Care hat appeal update!

If you are contributing hats to the Conway Cradle Care service project, I hereby invite you to become honorary members of the class!

We have our own Ravelry group, Craft Wisely.  After debriefing our Craft-In and doing some planning for the Cradle Care Christmas party with the students today, I've started a thread in that group to keep a running count of the hats being made and contributed.

Please stop by and list the hat or hats that you are contributing, whether it is done or in progress or even just planned.  If things change, just edit your post (preferably to add more hats!).

That will allow all of us to see how the project is progressing.  I'll update the thread header with a ballpark figure of how many hats (and what types) are needed once I hear back from the organization's leaders about their current client list.

My students are so inspired and humbled thinking of the folks around the country they've never met working alongside them.  I've introduced you to them in my last post -- now come by, post your hats, and let them welcome you in person!

And more hats

I think all of you know about the service project being undertaken by my students this semester.  I sent you details in an e-mail shortly after our triumphant silver medal performance.  Well, today we kicked off the hat drive publicly with a Craft-In on our university's campus.  Here are some pictures from the event!



We wanted to make a visual statement, so we collected all the handmade items members of the class had on hand and hung them on a series of clotheslines.



Some students did research on teen pregnancy and developed a fact sheet. We put the facts on slips of paper and pinned them to the knitted and crocheted objects, so browsers would be educated as they enjoyed the handwork.



We knitted and crocheted on the courtyard all morning in force. Several passersby asked for impromptu lessons. Many more asked if the items were for sale. We got a few spontaneous donations (that wasn't part of our plan!).



If you are joining us in this project by knitting hats for the clients of Conway Cradle Care -- for teens, female and unisex, and for babies up to two years old -- these are the students you're crafting alongside. Their spirit of service was evident in this morning's event. And they're already inspired knowing that people they've never met care enough to be a part of this effort at a distance. Thank you in advance!