Oddball Baby Blanket KAL

Western Canada is Celebrating!

2009-06-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!
Great news from our Western Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket group.

They branch has grown so big that they have had to incorporate it as a Charitable Society. They are raising funds to do this by holding an online auction June 15-19th which can be found at http://wcobbs.auctionsalacarte.com/babyblankets.

Here is their main blog: http://wcobbs.blogspot.com/.

Congratulations, Western Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket group!
:D

Congratulations Oddball Knitters!

2008-08-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our Original Oddball Baby Blanket project is almost complete!

We started our first Oddball Baby Blanket in the Fall of 2007. Each blanket was knit by 6 different knitters, then a crochet border was added to make them complete. The blankets were cast on by the first knitter, then mailed to the next knitter, then mailed to the knitter after that, and so on. The blankets were kept on the same knitting needles throughout their creation, so each knitter only had to add their yarn and start knitting! Sometimes, knitters would include gifts in the package, to make it more fun. :)

(Now, our list of knitters has grown beyond what I can handle by myself, so we have split into regions all over the country. )

We are just now completing all the blankets we started as a large group. So far, we've finished 31 blankets!!! And we're still finishing up 5 more. So, that will be a total of 36 handknit blankets for the Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. Yippee!!!

Way to go, Oddball Baby Blanket Knitters! :D

Here's a view of some of our completed Oddball Baby Blankets:

New Regions for our Blankets!!

2008-07-20T00:23:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have decided to delegate the leadership of this wonderful project to 7 knitters in the Knitting Help Forum. Good luck, my friends!

Northeast Region - Spikey
(NE Region includes: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.)

Southeast Region - MAmaDawn
(SE Region includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.)

Midwest Region - traceleighj
(MW Region includes: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.)

Southwest Region - Secksiebrat
(SW Region includes: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.)

West Coast Region- purlingkitten
(West Coast Region includes: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.)

Our Completed Baby Blankets

2008-05-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! Now we have LOTS of baby blankets, ready for the children's hospital!!

Our blankets are look more creative everyday! :)

"Speed Racer"
Handknit by HollyP, threesmom, gmmarton, pinnut3200, and kellee0302

"Wildflowers"
Handknit by Spikey, MAmaDawn, kellee0302, LBECK, and Shandeh

"Sunshine Punch"
Handknit by threesmom, Spikey, traceleighj, LBECK, HollyP, SteveDallas, and KnittinMitchie

"Rainbow Sherbet" (we DEFINITELY need a new photo of this one! Ha!)
Handknit by bethany, howdovely, Spikey, kellyh57, and boo1

"Puppy Dog Tails" (Hopefully, we'll get a new photo soon)
Handknit by stagebear, threesmom, EvanstonMichelle (Ravelry), knittinicole, kayrun, and jjminarcik

"Fruit Stripes"
Handknit by Ladylou, Constance123, bethany, Secksiebrat, Robinknits, mamapaulsel, and LBECK

"Happy Bluebirds"
Handknit by Robinknits, Auburnchick, Karne, nostash2big, Spinningcrna, and MamaDawn

"Rainbow Joy II"
Handknit by gmmarton, Spikey, kellyh57, auburnchick, wickedphantm, and HollyP

"Red Roses"
Handknit by Spikey, grannydani (Ravelry), pinnut3200, Robinknits, and HollyP

"Neon Rainbow"
Handknit by gmmarton, MAmaDawn, howdovely, pinnut3200, LBECK, and Ladylou

"Sunny Days"
Handknit by Shandeh, alleusion, rissa, kellybigeyes, kellee0302, erngrn, and KnittinMitchie

"Summer Fun"
Handknit by Secksiebrat, auburnchick, Spikey, pinnut3200, and cdjack

"Jewelry Box"
Handknit by MAmaDawn, rissa, Constance123, kellee0302, onb4050, auburnchick, and KnittinMitchie

"Melon Medley"
Handknit by gmmarton, auburnchick, Ladylou, kellyh57, bethany, wickedphantm, and LBECK

"Ocean Waves"
Handknit by traceleighj, Constance123, gmmarton, Foxyie, jjminarcik, and Snowbear

"Firetruck Lane"
Handknit by MAmaDawn, HollyP, pinnut3200, Robinknits, Constance123, and Snowbear

"Easter Basket"
Handknit by Shandeh, Secksiebrat, bethany, auburnchick, pinnut3200, and jjminarcik

"Angel Wings"
Handknit by Tobinknit, mom2hancj, Shandeh, bethany, kellyh57, auburnchick, and jhelanee

"Blues and Greens"
Handknit by Foxyie

"Rainbow Joy"
Handknit by Shandeh, Spikey, Foxyie, auburnchick, gmmarton, and Spikey

"Neon Fun"
Handknit by Shandeh, Doodknitwit, howdovely, mom2hancj, pinnut3200, and auburnchick

"Purple Paradise"
Handknit by Shandeh, Foxyie, Secksiebrat, jhelanee, HollyP, and gmmarton

"Fairy Dance"
Handknit by Shandeh, gmmarton, traceleighj, auburnchick, suziehomemaker, and Robinknits

"Fruity Loops"
Handknit by Shandeh, HollyP, auburnchick, losnana, SteveDallas, and traceleighj

"Patriotic Party"
Handknit by Shandeh, Suziehomemaker, gmmarton, MAmaDawn, Spikey, and bethany

"Mexican Fiesta"
Handknit by Shandeh, Secksiebrat, kayrun, Robinknits, kellyh57, and Snowbear

"Peppy Pastels"
Handknit by Shandeh, Doodknitwit, howdovely, rissa, jhelanee, and Tobinknit

We have completed some other blankets, but are waiting for a final photograph.

"Dreamy Blues"
Handknit by HollyP, gmmarton, Secksiebrat, cdjack, MAmaDawn, and Snowbear

"Shamrock Hills"
Handknit by Shandeh, debinoz, jjminarcik, Foxyie, bethany, and Snowbear

"Happy Crayons"
Handknit by gmmarton, suziehomemaker, pinnut3200, Spikey, Constance, and Snowbear

"Pretty Princess"
Handknit by Shandeh, Robinknits, suziehomemaker, traceleighj, auburnchick, and Spikey

"Berry Bliss"
Handknit by Shandeh, wickedphantm, HollyP, pinnut3200, suziehomemaker, and kayrun

And here are some blankets that were knit over a year ago, by several members of the Knitting Help Forum:

"West Coast Blanket"

"No Name Blanket" (tee-hee)

New Blankets in Progress

2008-05-07T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here's the list of blankets we are currently working on:

Pink Power
Shandeh - complete
cdjack - complete
gmmarton - complete
Spikey - complete
auburnchick - complete
karne (Ravelry) - knitting her section
jjminarcik

Just Ducky
knittinicole - complete
pinnut3200 - complete
wickedphantm - complete
Constance123 - complete
traceleighj - complete
Ladylou - complete
knittinicole - adding border now

Fairy Land
Ladylou - complete
boo1 - complete
threesmom - complete
MAmaDawn - complete
onb4050 - complete
Shandeh - adding border now

Rainbow Blocks
Robinknits - Red - complete
pinnut3200 - Orange - complete
knittinicole - Yellow - complete
HollyP - Green - complete
threesmom - Blue - complete
Spikey - Purple - complete
MAmaDawn - adding a crochet border

Pastel Rainbow
threesmom - Pink - complete
bethany - Light Orange - complet
pinnut3200 - Light Yellow - complete
Ladylou - Light Green - complete
MAmaDawn - Light Blue - complete
Spikey - Lavender - complete
LBECK - adding border

The Hospital Appreciates Our Blankets!

2008-04-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!

Snowbear delivered our blankets to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, and they were very much appreciated.

It certainly makes us happy to see our blankets completed and being used at the hospital.
:D

Peppy Pastels Baby Blanket is COMPLETE!

2008-01-24T05:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, our last knitter (Tobinknit) completed our "Peppy Pastels" baby blanket, and added a lovely crochet border to make it even MORE lovely! :D

She immediately started another blanket, and we've dubbed this one "Angel Wings".

Having LOTS of Fun, Making Baby Blankets!

2008-01-18T23:50:00.000-08:00

For the past couple weeks, I've been hard at work, getting some more Oddball Baby Blankets started. Right now, we have 8 blankets started, and they are travelling all over the world, to be completed by other knitters.

Here are the blankets we're working on:
Peppy Pastels - ALMOST FINISHED!!

Fruity Loops

Sunny Day

Mexican Fiesta

Neon Fun

Circus Fun - Being Worked on in England!

Patriotic Party

(the 8th blanket, called "Crayola Box" has disappeared. I hope it turns up soon!)

We are about to start 4 more blankets as well. Our Knitting Help Forum knitters really like making these baby blankets! :D

Purple Paradise

Shamrock Hills

Fairy Dance

Gorgeous Grapes

Neon Storm Baby Blanket

2008-01-14T09:24:00.001-08:00

Shandeh started another baby blanket last night. This one is called "Neon Storm", and will be made with flourescent, neon colors. :D

Shandeh used a flourescent reddish-orange yarn from her stash, which is a vintage yarn by Fruit of the Loom. Ha! She also added a center detail of black and lime green. The black is TLC Extra Soft, and the lime green is two strands of TLC Baby.

Fruity Loops Baby Blanket

2008-01-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on our "Fruity Loops" baby blanket. It's been worked on by 2 knitters, and is now in the home of Auburnchick, who will add the 3rd section. Then, we'll be halfway finished!

Sunny Days Blanket

2008-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

I just started another baby blanket last night, and it was quick work to finish my part! I used Caron Simply Soft, in a nice sunny yellow, with a "Simple Checker" design. (page 37 in the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns.)

Now, I'm working on another blanket, called "Mexican Fiesta". I'm using a bright purple Caron Simply Soft yarn for that one. Photos soon!

Crayola Box Blanket

2008-01-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

Our "Crayola Box" blanket had some nice work done by Suziehomemaker.

Now, the blanket is being worked on by Stirsmommy.

Peppy Pastels Growing!

2007-12-15T19:14:00.001-08:00

Our "Peppy Pastels" blanket is with Rissa, and is getting some Red Heart "Baby Teri" added to it!

Rissa decided to change to a different yarn, and used Caron Simply Soft Baby in a pretty lavender shade.

"Fruity Loops" Blanket Started!

2007-12-15T19:08:00.001-08:00

Our project has a new blanket started!

The Fruity Loops blanket. :D

Shandeh used a stitch called "Garter Columns" with the following yarns:

Nomis Lustro Excellence - Coral
TLC Baby - Powder Pink
Caron Simply Soft Baby Sport - Soft Yellow

She held the coral and pink yarns together for the beginning. Then, she switched to using the coral and yellow together for the rest of her portion.

Peppy Pastels - Halfway Complete!

2007-11-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the blanket, with beekaync's knitting added!

Peppy Pastels

2007-11-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

Our Peppy Pastels blanket has already been worked on by two knitters (Shandeh & Doodknitwit), and is now getting more attention from our third knitter, beekaync. She'll be using the green yarn in the photo.

Here's a close-up of the knitting done so far:

A New Beginning

2007-11-04T19:49:00.001-08:00

We haven't heard from Snowbear in quite a while, and a few of our baby blankets have been lost in the shuffle.

So, we decided to give this project a jumpstart, and start over again. The oddball blankets will be managed by Shandeh, and the log cabin blankets will be handled by Yarnlady.

This week, Shandeh started off two new oddball blankets. The first blanket will be made with pastel colors, and the second will be made with primary colors.

Here is the beginning of both blankets!

"Peppy Pastels" (using pastel-colored yarns)

Here is the pattern I used for the Peppy Pastels blanket:

Cast on 101 stitches. Knit 3 rows Garter Stitch for border.

Stitch Pattern
1) Knit all stitches
2) K3, Purl all stitches until there are 3 stitches left on the needle, K3
3) K3, *K1, P1* (repeat between *s to last 4 stitches), K4
4) K3, Purl all stitches until there are 3 stitches left on the needle, K3

Repeat rows 1 - 4 until you have knit for 4 inches, then knit two rows Garter Stitch, ending with a wrong side row. Leave a tail and cut yarn, leaving it on the needles for the next knitter.

When the blanket is long enough, the last knitter will end with 3 rows of Garter Stitch, then bind off.

"Crayola Box" (using primary colors)

Here is the pattern I used for the Crayola Box blanket:

Cast on 103 stitches. Knit 3 rows Garter Stitch for border.

Basket Stitch Pattern
1) K3 *P7, K3* (repeat between *s to the end)
2) K3 *K7, P3* (repeat between *s to last 10 sts) K10
3) repeat Row 1
4) repeat Row 2
5) K3, P2, *K3, P7* (repeat between *s to last 8 sts) K3, P2, K3
6) K5 *P3, K7* (repeat between *s to last 8 sts) P3, K5
7) repeat Row 5
8) repeat Row 6

Repeat Rows 1-8 until you have knit for 4 inches, then knit two rows Garter Stitch, ending with a wrong side row. Leave a tail and cut yarn, leaving it on the needles for the next knitter.

When the blanket is long enough, the last knitter will end with 3 rows of Garter Stitch, then bind off.

Log Cabin Baby Blankets

2007-08-19T14:08:00.001-07:00

Here are two of our Log Cabin Baby Blankets in progress!

Another Blanket in Progress!

2007-08-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

We're working on another baby blanket, and it's turning out nice!

Here's the pattern we are using:

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K3, Purl to last 3 stitches, K3
Row 3: K2, *K1, P1* (repeat between *s to last 3 sts), K3
Row 4: K3, Purl to last 3 stitches, K3

My hubby chose the yarn I'm using. Bernat Cotton Tots, in a pretty blue.

West Coast Blankie Complete!

2007-07-11T23:32:00.002-07:00

Here's another blanket, handknit by Knitting Help Forum members, ready to be given to charity!

2007-07-11T23:32:00.001-07:00

2007-07-11T10:24:00.001-07:00

One of our Oddball Baby Blankets is COMPLETE!

2007-07-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Right now, we've started working on a couple baby blankets, and we're getting ready to start several more!

One type of blanket is just a simple straight row afghan style. Some of us are just knitting each row, others are using a special design.

Another type of blanket we're gonna try is called the "Log Cabin" blanket.
Here's an example of one:

I'll post the names of all participating knitters soon!

Oddball Baby Blanket Knit-Along!

2007-07-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Members of the Knitting Help Forum have decided to make baby blankets for charity, using washable yarn in our stash. We each work on the blanket, then mail it to the next person, for them to continue working on it.

When the blankets are complete, we give them to charity!

Snowbear started us off, borrowing the idea from Shandeh, who came up with the idea making full-size blankets. The baby blankets are much quicker to complete, and fun to work on!

Now, Snowbear is having some health issues, so the rest of us are taking care of things for a while.

Get better, Snowbear!!