Where My Knitta's At? Knitta Please!

I know he's crocheting and not knitting, but I still thought this image was so amazingly awesome that I wanted to share it.

Nursing Home Knitters Need Your Help

As you may or may not know, I volunteer twice a month at a Nursing Home in Santa Monica. I spend 2 hours every other Saturday hanging out with the gals. I teach them to knit or crochet, supply them with yarn, needles, crochet hooks, patters and help them finish and complete projects. Basically anything they need or ask for, I make it happen.

We are looking for any kinds of donations you can make to keep this program going. If you have yarn, needles or hooks to donate, shoot me an email at cjarabia@gmail.com and I'll tell you where you can mail them to - or if you are local, I'll come and pick them up and thank you in person.

If you don't have supplies to donate, we are also taking monetary donations. Anything you can donate. $10 buys a 1 pound ball of yarn and that can make a baby blanket or a hat and a scarf.

A lot of these women can't walk, and many of them can barely use their arms and hands but somehow they get things done. I'm constantly amazed by them, and they inspire me. I am happy to buy them yarn myself, but some of these gals are knitting faster than I can earn a pay check, so I need some help.

Here's a ChipIn where you can donate and if you look below you'll see some pics of some of these gals and the amazing work they do.



























































































































































The girls appreciate every ball of yarn I bring to them. They scarf (pun intended) it down like hungry children. It makes them happy and gives them purpose. Many of them live on disability and take such pride in being able to make gifts for their family and friends and the workers that care for them at the nursing home. Please consider making a donation. Thank you!

How We Knit

This video is very cool. We all knit differently.

Knitting At Goldstar Nursing Home

So I've started teaching knitting at a nursing home in Santa Monica. My sister works there and she suggested that it might be a good idea for some of the ladies who can't get around to learn a new hobby like knitting. I've been going for a few months now and it's amazing. I try to get friends to go with me but it's hard to talk people into going to a nursing home so I pretty much just go by myself. I supply the yarn and the needles and the hooks (the people living in the nursing home have no money and the nursing home doesn't have much of a budget)and I teach both knitting and crochet and I didn't know anyone would get into it. I mean some of them can't move very well but a few of the ladies have really taken to it. It makes me so happy and proud to see them knitting and come back a few weeks later and see the beautiful things they've created. I wanted to share some pics of their beautiful creations!

K-tel "K-tel Knitter" Commercial

Knitting In Japan

I've been in Japan for the past two weeks and if you want to read about it you can go to my travel blog www.travelwithcj.com but I wanted to show you some wonderfully beautiful yarn I picked up in a little knitting store in Nara, Japan. I made these pretty little mits.

I knitted them all day long at the Grand Sumo Tournament here in Japan. It was opening day and I can't imagine a better way to spend your last day in Japan than knitting with yarn you purchased here in Japan and watching Sumo.

Green Elf Hat

I'm thinking of selling it... it would be the most amazing Christmas gift for someone. And yet it's so awesome I wouldn't be sad if I kept it. I guess it's win-win.

1, 2, 3 New York Jets Scarf For Joe But Modeled By Mather

Cascade 128 and a mistake rib. Bam!

Jane's Knitted Elf Hat

Made this hat for my niece Jane for Christmas. Used Knit Collage yarn.

CJ's Knitted Bookmark

Once again I got the idea from Joelle Hoverson's "more Last-Minute Knitted Gifts" and just used a basic knit stitch because I kept getting frustrated with the stitch that they suggested which was a linen stitch.

Such a simple and easy to make gift for the book lover in your life this holiday season. Just cast on 11 or 12 stitches and knit your favorite stitch for about 7 inches. Takes about an hour or two depending on how fast you knit.

Then take an iron and press the marker as flat as you can get it and give it to your favorite reader.

CJ's Knitted Elf Hat

I got the basic pattern from Joelle Hoverson's "more Last-Minute Knitted Gifts" and just modified it with a little curliecue at the end.


















I used Knit Collage yarn which can be purchased at the Knitty City on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Gibby, Henry & Walter's Holiday Sweater

I'm all about creating patterns that are easy to follow and can be finished in a few days. The only think more fun than starting a new project is finishing one. That is why when my friend Billy texted me that he wanted me to hand knit dog sweaters for his three adorable little Pomeranians... I jumped at the chance to come up with a fail proof dog sweater that literally anybody can make.

Here's what I came up with.

Size 8 DPN (double pointed needles)
and worsted weight yarn

Cast on 60 stitches (20 on each of 3 DPN)
For the neck I did a rib of two knit, two purl (repeat) for 15 rows
Rows 16 - 20 knit
Bind off the next needle but continue to knit the other two
When you reach the end of the third needle, purl your way back
continue alternating one row of knit, one row of purl for 10 rows (5 rows of knit and 5 rows of purl)
knit the next row and when you get to the end, cast on the 20 stitches that you bound off 10 rows ago
Knit 5 rows
Now you will finish the sweater with ribbing again by knit 2, purl 2 for about 3 more inches or until sweater is of desired length.
Then pick of the center 10 stitches where the arm holes go and knit every other row, and purl every other row for 10 years (creating a stockaknit pattern) bind off and sew the last 10 stitches into the center 10 stitches on the other side of the wide arm holes

Storm Cloud Shawlette For Frances

Craig's Cape

I made this cape for my friend Craig Wedren for his birthday. He looks so rad in his cape!