I just got back from Gauge...

...and boy are my arms tired. Seriously.

Gauge had it's charity knitting event today. They are knitting for a local hospice organization (I'm not sure which one at the moment.) I was hoping to finish these slippers before I left today, but it didn't happen. I'm still a seam short, plus I wanted to add some crochet trim.

They asked everyone to being in acrylic and other machine washable yarns. They were piled on a table and everyone got to pick what they wanted to use. I donated most of the yarn I got from friends last year. Hopefully it's not too scratchy. It really needs to be washed to soften up. Gauge plans to make this a monthly event, so I think it will get used eventually.

There were also free patterns for hats and for slippers. Some people made shawls. Really, anything that would be useful or comforting for people in hospice is welcome. I chose slippers because I wanted a challenge, but I didn't want something too time consuming.

I'll link to the pattern later, but I'm pretty sure there are many variations on this pattern out there. (I think there's one in The Workshop Book of Knitting, if I remember correctly.)

The problem was I brought my Boye Needlemaster, but I didn't make a point of bringing the dpns required for this pattern. They had easier two-needle slipper patterns, but I really wanted to try this one. I searched my bag and came up with a set in US size 4, and decided to go for it.

I chose what I'm pretty sure is Caron Simply Soft out of the yarn pile to knit with. It tends to be a little thinner than most acrylics, so I thought it would work with my too small needles.

Of course I didn't realize until I started that the yarn is doubled all the way through.

Amazingly, I got gauge, or at least pretty close. These slippers look like they could fit me, and I have pretty average sized feet. But between rushing in hopes of finishing before the store closed and using tiny needles, my hands and arms a little sore.

The deadline for the projects isn't for three months, but I want to finish them now so I can do something else next month. With any luck, you may see the finished product later tonight.