Making Lemonade

I know, I know … this COVID time is weird. It’s strange. It can be boring. It can be tense, frustrating, scary.

I’m usually an optimist (my blood type is even B-positive, LOL), so I am finding ways to enjoy my pandemic shut-in time. The best way I can illustrate this is with these stash-busting hats. This summer, I’m knitting up a bunch of hats as part of the Knitwell Knits Back program. Come fall, these hats will go to participants at our partner sites throughout the Washington, DC area.

They are so much fun to knit, because I am using all sorts of scrap yarn in my stash. Lots of little bits — that are too small to make anything with — are combined in this clever pattern. (On Ravelry, it’s the free Scrap-happy Celebration Hat pattern by Cosette Cornelius-Bates.) I am really enjoying looking at my bag of scrap yarn and figuring out color combinations that work. It’s a challenge! It’s making lemonade out of lemons in the best way. My husband, who is quite visual, helps me pick out some of the combinations.

I’m also enjoying knitting these adorable little puffy hearts — also for Knitwell Knits Back — and entirely knit from scrap yarn. (On Ravelry, it’s the free Full Hearts pattern by Tatyana Grigoryan.)

And although all our 2020 travel has been postponed to 2021 and 2022, we have been enjoying visiting local sites. Just a few days ago, my husband and I biked to downtown DC on a quiet and beautiful Sunday morning. It’s a gift to be able to bike down the center of Pennsylvania Avenue, and up to the top of Capitol Hill. (You never realize how big a hill it is until you do it on a bike!) We are blessed with many wonderful local assets. During a super hot week here at home, we traveled to nearby Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland, where it was nearly 20 degrees cooler and just beautiful.

Take a look at your stash (and your lemons) and see what you can make! If you are interested in participating in Knitwell Knits Back, send an email to dheller@knitwell.org. Stay safe and wash your hands!