By Hook or By Needle

It's getting chilly out there, so that can only mean one thing - (okay, it DOES mean a lot of things to a lot of folks, but...) HERE and NOW, it means it's time to get those needles moving and whip up a scarf or two for the 2012 Special Olympics USA SCARF PROJECT.

Pic from the Project's website. These scarves
have already been submitted by Ardis Roseberry.
Kind'a makes me feel like a slacker!

The scarves, all made in the same colors, are a symbol of unity, community and support within the Special Olympics Movement. Handmade scarves will be given to the athletes, coaches, and where possible, the volunteers and families involved in this year's Winter Games all around the country.

Whether you crochet or knit, we'd love to have you share your skills by turning out a couple of scarves for this truly great endeavor. Special Olympics athletes give their all when participating and it is truly gratifying to be a part of the action.

The official yarn colors (all made by Red Heart yarns) this year are Cherry Red (0319 and 9925) and Soft Navy (0387 and 4604) . This year, for the first time, they are offering the colors in both the Super Saver hanks and in the Soft Yarns. The rules are simple: * You can work with whichever style of yarn you're comfortable with, or combine them all. * Scarves can be knitted or crocheted. * Use any pattern you'd like or go to the website and use one of the free patterns offered there. * Scarves should be between 54" and 60" long and approximately 6" wide. (Include any fringe or trim in these measurements, please.)

Last year, I was a bit late in telling you all about this project and so many of you simply ran out of time but asked me to post sooner this year. Deadlines for all States are still well off so everyone should have a chance to help out. You can find out when the deadline for your State's program is by going to the Scarf Project's website here.

The earliest deadline is in mid-December and the latest is in March. Most States are looking for more than 1000 scarves, so, please help out if you can. Directions for labeling and packaging the scarves (ziploc bags) and where to mail in each State are listed there also.

In case you're wondering, I made about 4 1/2 scarves last year from a pair of the Super Saver hanks of yarn (one in each color). AC Moore last year ran several price promotions on the S.O. colors through out the campaign, too. if they do this year, I'll try to let y'all know.

Well, I'm off to buy my yarn! Hope you will, too.

Monday, Monday ....

So many times, I can't think of a thing to say here and there are days like today, when there are so many subjects rolling around in my head, I don't know where to start. (Wouldn't it be nice if there was more brain matter in there to keep all those random thoughts in their place?)
Super Bowl ...

First off, Congrats to the Green Bay Packers for doing what my Ravens couldn't - beat Big Ben and his gritty men of metal!! I'm sure you're all glad to have the Lombardi trophy back in town!

I'm not even going to comment on the musical entertainment. So much has already been said today. It's "like beating a dead horse" to use a cliche. Hey, NFL, bring back the old guys next year!

What was your favorite ad? I think the one I liked best was the Doritos spot where the house sitter brings back the dead goldfish, the shriveled up plant and even Grandpa (from his urn) simply by sprinkling a few Dorito crumbs on them. Apparently, that was just me as no one mentioned it today! I also liked the Darth Vader bit, too, which seemed to be the big winner on all the news and talk shows today. I think quite a few of the ads just went way too far to make a point. Story lines for a 30-second commercial were just so involved to get there, that I lost interest before I figured out what they were selling.

There was quite a bit of discussion about the Joan Rivers spot for GoDaddy.com. Apparently she tweeted something about that being her real body. Come on, folks, let's get real (pun intended). Was there really any question in your mind? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she was able to say it with a straight face. In fact, she probably couldn't make any other kind of face. What hasn't been botoxed, is really pulled nice and tight. On the other hand, possession is 9/10ths of the law, or so they say, and she is definitely a woman possessed (by something.)

As for today ...

I had a good shopping day. I actually got the nearest non-handicapped spot at FOUR different stores!! That almost never happens. I had extremely nice cashiers and even got a few excellent, yet unexpected, deals! The only bad thing was, I needed to go to three different stores to get the color yarn I needed for the Special Olympics scarves.

2011 Special Olympics Scarf Project ...
It was gray and damp here on Saturday, so I stayed in and made three scarves with hopes to make at least three more before the mailing deadline. I had only bought one skein of each color so my yarn supply was getting a bit low. I had bought the last skein of Turqua at Walmart on Friday so I didn't hold out much hope they'd restocked over the weekend. They didn't. Michael's was also sold out of those colors. AC Moore came through for me though with plenty of both colors on hand.

I hope the fact that it was hard to find means knitters and crocheters in my area are frantically working to help Maryland's Special Olympics meet their goal by their 2/18 deadline. I have set my mailing date as this coming Friday so they have time to get to their destination. I think I'll move on and make some for Virginia after that as their deadline is considerably later and they are way behind on their goal.

For more information about the project and how you can help, check out the website at www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org. They're also blogging at ScarvesForSpecialOlympics.wordpress.com and you can also find them on Facebook (Scarves For Special Olympics) and Twitter (USAScarfProject).