I'm not even a Chiefs fan

     So why am I knitting Chief's scarves?

    Someone, perhaps a member of the Sunflower Knitters Guild, knit over 200 hats. Most were of a solid color, but about 40 were red-and-gold Chiefs hats. Members of the SKG were asked if they would knit coordinating scarves for the Christmas Bureau.

    It occurred to me that red-and-gold chameleon scarves would be a perfect match. So far I have delivered eight scarves to the project, have four more almost completed, will probably end with having knit thirteen. Deadline is November 2.  How do you make a chameleon scarf? Scroll down below for some directions.

What Am I Doing: Writing or Knitting?

    While I am sitting here, knitting, I'm actually writing in my head, which is the reason there are so many mistakes in my knitting.

Chameleon Scarf

 No way I can knit forty scarves before November 1.

Some knitter, perhaps a member of Sunflower Knitters Guild, has knit 200 hats for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. Other members of SKG have been asked to knit coordinating scarves. Most of the hats are solid colors, but some are Chiefs red-n-gold. I decided to knit Chameleon scarves in red-n-gold.

Chameleon scarves, well, one color dominates one side, the other color dominates the other side. The fringe on one end is one color, fringe on the other end is the other color.

How do you make a chameleon scarf? Using a circular needle of some length, cast on 280 - 300 stitches. Use a crochet cast-on. Do not use long-tail cast-on. After the cast-on, knit the first row. Change to the other color. GO TO THE OTHER END OF THE NEEDLE. Knit two rows. Change to other color. GO TO THE OTHER END OF THE NEEDLE. Leave a loop that can be cut into a fringe.

Knit to the desired width. The last two rows can be either color. Of the last two rows, the last is the bind-off. I'm not entirely happy with the bind-off I use, but it does not need a stretchy bind-off. But anyway, do not bind-off tightly.

Cut the loops, tighten up the stitches, and double knot. Spectacular!!! And you've done it all with totally knit stitches.

Elizabeth Zimmerman Tea

     What's the best way to honor the memory of the patron saint of knitting -- Elizabeth Zimmerman?

    You have a tea in her name, which is exactly what the Sunflower Knitters Guild did on Sunday. It's a lovely return to a more normal life, after so many months of dealing with a vicious pandemic.

    We had a delicious buffet, with tea, naturally. It was also a chance to collect items that the guild will be donating to the Christmas Bureau. Mostly, the knitters had been making hats, but there were a couple of other baby items, and I was just finishing a red -- make that burgundy -- scarf.

    I also had complimentary copies of Sidewalk Sale Across America for everyone.

I Should Stay Away

     I really shouldn't go to the monthly meetings of my knitting group. Having lost our long-time meeting place, we gather at a Panera's, kind of off in a corner, where we hope management will not realize that we are occupying their chairs and tables well beyond the time it takes to consume a cup of coffee and a cranberry-orange muffin.

    We include a share-around and inevitably some other knitter's project is more exciting than mine and I am instantly plotting how I can be a copy-cat without finishing my boring project.

    There is a large men's group next over from us, taking up chairs and tables as we are, but all they do is talk, they produce absolutely nothing. It's amusing that in order to reach the restrooms they have to walk past our group. I like to sit on the side where I can watch their expressions, some disdainful, never envious. I'm tempted to put up a sign offering free knitting lessons.

I Didn't Knit A Stitch

     I had a chance to hitch a ride to Joplin recently. Of course I took my knitting with me, but it never came out of the bag. And on our way back home, I acquired one more thing to take care of. I'm supposed to be downsizing, not upsizing.

    It's a coffee mug with a wrap-around photo of Old Riverton Store, a store that has been operating since the beginning of the Mother Road, U.S. Highway 66. There are only some thirteen miles of the historic route that go through Kansas, but it's to the credit of Kansas, those thirteen miles were among the first finished. It runs from Galena on the eastern end, to Baxter Springs, the western terminus. Riverton is about midway.

    There is nothing on the bottom of the mug to indicate where it was made; I would not have been surprised to see the ubiquitous 'Made in China' where so many of our souvenirs are manufactured.

    At the refrigerated display case we ordered a sandwich. Usually I order liverwurst (which causes any companion to shudder) and the strongest cheese available. This time I ordered ham, made by a famous Emporia company. Not to lose time, we took our sandwiches with us. We could have lingered, however, perched at a table on the patio, and watched the world roll by. Could even have taken my knitting out of the bag.

It's the Wrong Shade

     Recovering, as best as can be expected, from squamous cell carcinoma surgery on my right eyebrow. My right eye, contrary to what Micah told me, is red, not black. An ugly red. Scrounged around for a pair of sunglasses, to shield the painful site from the view of others.

    My eyesight recovered. Well, my eyesight was not truly involved, except that my swollen eyelid did somewhat interfere with my vision. Went to the "we have everything you actually need" store for scarf yarn and cauliflower. It's hard for me to understand that totally white cauliflower can actually have any nutritional value. But I digress.

    Grabbed the only skein of red yarn in the bin. A large skein. Verified that indeed the tail end from inside the skein was hanging out of the end so I could be assured of pulling the working yarn from inside the skein. Not until I was outside in harsh daylight did I realize I had picked up a skein not red -- cherry red, to be precise -- but burgundy. It will be very difficult to mix left-over burgundy with other left-over yarns.

    This is a large skein -- can I possibly knit two scarves, leaving no left-over stash? Can I knit the first scarf to the minimum length, pulling from the inside, put the last row on a holder, begin a second scarf, taking yarn from the outside, and knit until the second equals the first, and then divide the remaining yarn between both scarves?

    If it doesn't work, will I ever be willing to admit it?

Boring, Boring, B-O-R-I-N-G

     Recovery from surgery is boring. This morning I had a small squamous cell carcinoma removed from my right eyebrow. This afternoon I am at home recovering. I took up a large part of the afternoon with a nap, but now I am afraid I will not sleep tonight. An aide, Micah, told me I would have a black eye. Told me not to drink alcohol for 24 hours (mercifully, he didn't say coffee). Relax for the next couple of days. Eat a diet of soft foods. Confirmed that ice cream is a soft food.

    I had been told there might be delays in the process, so I should bring food and  water, plus something to keep me occupied while waiting. I took a chameleon scarf project, red and blue, University of Kansas colors, actually got a few rows knit. I have a layered bandage. First a transparent bandage (if I read the take-home instructions right) covered by a pressure bandage, meant to control possible bleeding. The pressure bandage covers the top of my right eyelid and prevents me from fully opening that eye. Happily, I am instructed to take the pressure bandage off tomorrow, which should somewhat improve my vision. And let me get a few more rows knit.

How Long?

    If all the red scarves I have knit for the St. Luke's hospital women's cardiac program were placed end to end it would probably stretch from this house to the nearest ice cream store. I am notoriously poor about estimating how much yarn will be needed. I started the current scarf with an almost complete skein, thinking I would have more than enough to meet the minimum. Granted this scarf is four stitches wider than usual, I'm now wondering how far I will get -- or will I have to buy another skein? I used to be able to put pictures on my blog. I need to learn how to do that again.

Mindless Knitting

    I'll never be anything but an intermediate knitter. I like to always have a mindless knitting project at hand, so I can claim some productive work has gotten done while my writing brain has wandered aimlessly through the dictionary.

    I knit a lot of red scarves for a hospital women's cardiac program. I try to follow a simple one-line repetitive pattern. Sometimes I cannot even follow that simple pattern. Several rows later I discover I have made an outstanding mistake. Then I stop long enough for an argument with myself -- is the result so obvious I need to froggit it back several rows?

    Usually I do not deem it so. I used to know how to get pictures in my blog. Maybe I will learn how to do it again. Then you'll be able to decide for yourself how egregious the mistake is.