Burnt Orange and Chicago Maroon

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According to Virginia Tech's website, those are the official Hokie colors -- "burnt orange" and "Chicago maroon", adopted back in 1896. Didn't realize maroon was associated with Chicago, (I always think of how they dye the river green on St. Paddy's day), but, there you have it.

Anyway, I bring that up because I have a little update on the Hokie-knitting goings-on in my little world.

You may recall the Hokie Hope Hat I knit for my friend on the VT faculty. She received it back in early May, and emailed me a heartfelt thank you, and followed up with a sweet thank you card:


In her email, she wrote:

"I LOVE my Hokie Hope Hat! What makes it extra special is that you made it! I will wear it with love and pride --- you have no idea how much it means to me. I am touched beyond words! And for the blankets being knitted with the remnant yarn, I again, am touched beyond words.

Your gift is from the heart as well as your hands. You have made me smile and truly feel "happy" again. Thank you for finding such a special way to share in our loss while also celebrating our lives (and friendships)."

I share her words here not to toot my own horn, but in hopes that it might brighten the days of anyone who has been knitting for Virginia Tech and wondering if their knitting has been received in the spirit in which it was intended. Rest assured, it is.

Judi's hat was knit with some luscious Malabrigo:

purchased locally at the Yarn Lounge. And lucky for me, I still had lots of yarn leftover after the hat was finished, so I knit several squares for Mosaic's Hokie Healing blankets:

log cabin square
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two VT logo squares using Linda's pattern

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And I still have enough of the orange leftover to knit at least one more square. Last week, Unraveled's Mary Jane Watkins was gracious enough to take my three squares and several others knit by fellow Tuesday Night Knitters, and ship them off to Mosaic with other squares collected at her shop. Thanks a million, Mary Jane!

Speaking of the Tuesday Night Knitters and Hokie squares -- one of our knitters, Linda M., knit a whopping eighteen (18!) blanket squares! So many, in fact, that she won some gorgeous Lorna's Laces yarn from Phyl's blog contest! She brought it to knitting last night, but I didn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to imagine some pretty yarn....

And speaking of pretty yarn, how about some more Burnt Orange and Chicago Maroon:


After I pestered Scout for a solid two weeks, she somehow found a spare moment in her crazy-busy life to dye me some Hokie-colored yarn. (Thanks, Scout!) Both hanks are 100% superwash merino (a Louet Gems base yarn, I believe). One is a worsted weight, and the other is sold as "bulky", although I'd probably call it a heavy-worsted (about 4 stitches per inch on 9's), rather than chunky or bulky. Still lovely to knit with, and knit with it I did.

And what else would I make, but a hat:

Specs:

• Yarn: Scout's Handpainted Swag in a custom Hokie colorway
  
• Gauge: 4 stitches per inch
• Needles: U.S. size 9 (5.5 mm) Denise circulars & Clover bamboo 7" DPNs
  
• Pattern: cast on 80 stitches, join in the round, knit every round for ~6-7", decrease & finish according to Super Simple Hat Calculator; make pom-pom and attach.
• Size: ~20" circumference
  
• Recipient: either Tanya's Project Hokie Hope or the Knitting for Virginia Tech group -- whichever group wants it first
  

Yes, at the risk of ridicule, I've knit another hat. It's no secret -- I love knitting hats. Easy, mindless, quick. Only slightly more complicated than a scarf, and takes a fraction of the time to knit -- they make great gifts. My feeble, unemployed brain can handle hats, so, for the time being, I'm clinging to hat knitting for all its worth. Hats are probably the one knitted item I wear the most, (of course, not at this time of year), more so even than socks or scarves or sweaters.

But I do get teased about my constant hat knitting, and perhaps am getting a little too sensitive about that. Case in point: I may have snapped and actually told someone in my knitting group last night to "Bite me!", after being teased once again, about my hat knitting. (My humble apologies, Linda.) And I may never, ever, live that down. Sigh....

So let me change the subject by distracting you with pom-pom remnants:


So far, I've only used up the heavier Hokie-colored yarn -- not sure what I will do with the worsted weight, but am open to ideas. And anyone who snidely suggests a hat is just asking for it!

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