Fate steps in and sees you through

Pattern: EZ Earflaps by Jeannie Kubricht
Yarns: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice (100% acrylic), colorway Navy; Vanna’s Choice Baby (100% acrylic), colorway Sweet Pea; TLC Baby Amore Solid (100% acrylic), colorway Yellow; Baby Amore Multi (100% acrylic), colorway Seaspray
Hook: I-9/5.5mm

Over the past week, I’ve been working my way through the 43 pages (and counting) of the long-running Ravelry thread “Best Examples of Acrylic Awesomeness.” In post after post, knitters and crocheters pointed out that much-maligned acrylic yarn — basically plastic yarn — has its uses, especially when it comes to kids, charity, and gifts.

The acrylic advantage cannot be denied when it comes to my class’s service learning project for Conway Cradle Care. We are crafting for teen parents and their babies. What we make — especially for the kids — needs to be machine washable and dryable on any heat setting. It needs to be no-thought-required care-free, because these young families don’t have the time or luxury to baby their clothes. They’re too busy babying their babies and trying to grow up fast enough to make it all work at once.

There’s no local yarn store in my town stocking shelves full of natural fibers. My students don’t have the money to splurge on fancy yarn even if there were. That leaves the big box yarn sections, full of acrylic and acrylic blends. Luckily for us, that’s just what the project calls for. I admit that I got so excited about the colors and prices — and the ability to make hat after hat with materials perfectly apropos and right at hand — that I picked up another bag of the stuff last weekend so I could just keep going after my leftovers were used up. Above are the week’s worth of crochet baby hats, made out of scraps from Cady Gray’s Stripey Secret Book and my Woven Ribbons Blanket. Sizes from top to bottom: 0-3 months, 6-12 months, and gauge-and-stitch-count-got-away-from-me 12-24 months and beyond.

Acrylic awesomeness? I’ll let others be the judge. Acrylic aptness? Without a doubt.

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Tags: baby, charity, fo's, hat

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