Mountain Frost Hat- Free Pattern

I ran into Joann's looking for something totally unrelated to yarn and then walked out with more yarn! I've been trying to destash my yarn collection not add to it. There were a few balls of this Thick & Thin yarn on clearance, how could I just leave it there? If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've been focused on creating hats and scarves for Operation Gratitude for most of this year. You can read more about that here. Once in a while, I come across a project or a yarn that inspires me to drop what I'm doing and start something else.

Military Appreciation Month- Crochet and Knit Donations

This year I decided to dedicate my time and my yarn stash to supporting the troops!

I've been working hard these past few months and I plan to send my handmade hats and scarves to service members. Being a military veteran myself, I know it's important for those in service to feel appreciated and connected to home when away from family. Also, who doesn't love getting mail?!

Operation Gratitude is an amazing organization that sends care packages to deployed troops, veterans, first responders, recruit graduates, wounded warriors, their caregivers, and military families. Every box has useful items donated from individuals and service-friendly companies. To date, they have sent out over 2 million care packages!!

If this sounds like your jam, there are so many ways to help! Click HERE to see how you can donate items, your time, or organize a collection drive. You can also request a package for a service member you love.

I really hope this post inspires my fellow makers to donate some of your time and skills this year for our military and first responders!

You're probably here because you knit or crochet and may be interested in the patterns I use. I'm mostly doing hats because they're my fav and maybe I'll throw in a few scarves to mix things up a little. There are some pattern suggestions on the Operation Gratitude website but you can use any you like. I know men outnumber women in the military, but I can't bring myself to make only big man head sized hats. I want anyone who receives one of my hats to be able to actually wear it so I tried to find hats that are more one-size-fits-all designs. There are some I like more than others. Check my Ravelry project page for notes. Here are some patterns I've used that are pictured...

I CAN Knit!

I get asked constantly if in addition to crochet, can I also knit?

My mom taught me to knit and crochet when I was a kid, around 8 or 9 years old. I guess I just felt more comfortable with crochet because I kept that up over the years but never pick knitting back up again. Soooo, technically I might be able to knit something, but really, I never learned how to cast on, I don't know what all the stitches are called or how to do them and forget about reading a pattern. 

Most people don't actually know the difference between knit and crochet. Short answer, knitting uses the two pointy needles and crochet uses a hook. When I tell people I crochet they always assume I'm talking about knitting. Even though I'm a pretty accomplished crocheter, It always makes me feel inadequate that I can't knit. Want to see my crochet projects? You can take a look at my crochet blog posts or stop by my Etsy shop! 

The other day I saw a pair of knit fingerless gloves that I had to have and that's what did it, I was going to make them! Not so fast. I need three double pointed needles...what?? Ok, maybe I need to start on something a little easier and preferably on YouTube because for real, I don't know what I'm doing.

After looking at a billion tutorials, I decided on this video from B.hooked Crochet. I was a little worried with some of the negative comments but I had no problems following along at all! I got the same Clover needles(found at Michael's) recommended in supply list and I used Bernat Softee Chunky, Grey Ragg yarn.

I was so excited with my new hat, I even made another one! I got a little daring with this one, I made some size adjustments because I used a lighter weight yarn AND I use three different colors.

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Recycled Yarn

Give unwanted sweaters from the thrift store a new life! 

It takes a little work, but thrifted sweaters are a great place to source yarn. You can find unique and what might normally be expensive fibers, for a crazy low price. Bonus, you save a sweater from living the rest of its life in a landfill! There are plenty of posts out there showing how to take apart your sweater, how to chose the best and how to wash your yarn. Please defer to the experts, I'm an amateur with this! Here's a good post from How To Spin Yarn. Need more help? YouTube tutorials are great for visual learners!

When picking sweaters, think about this...