I rejoined the local Women’s Club this year and Friday was the GFWC District Achievement Day competition.  There are many different categories within the Arts Creative group and of course, knitting is one of them. 


I decided to enter three projects in the Advanced category.  


I was honored to receive two Gold ribbons and one blue ribbon.  The gold ribbon winners now send their projects to the State competition that is held in the first week of May.

This baby sweater is one of my prized projects.  I found this pattern quite a few years ago at a show.  I can’t remember which one.  It’s a Garter Stitch Striped Jacket by Caroline Kollar Designs dated 2005. I’ve looked on Ravelry and did a Google search and can’t find any information about the pattern or the designer.  The pattern is  3 typed pages with a photograph of the finished sweater glued to the first page. 

I decided to make the sweater in the 6 month size and used Plymouth Yarns Jelli Beenz and Plymouth Encore for the solid yarn.  I’m really pleased with this color combination.  When I went shopping for the buttons, I couldn’t decide between the flowers and the smiley faced stars, so I decided to use both.  

This sweater is simple to knit.  It has a seed stitch edge, a stockinette stitch body and the solid stripes are achieved by knitting two rows with the solid yarn.


I’m hoping this sweater does well at the New Jersey state competition.

My other gold ribbon is for this simple baby blanket that measures 28 inches by 22 inches.  I call the pattern Swirls-Diagonal Knit Baby Blanket.  I made this one using Plymouth Yarns Fantasy Naturale.  It’s another simple to knit project.  Two rows of stockinette stitch and two rows of garter stitch.  I currently have another one on the needles using a blue variegated and a white solid wool.  

I knit many of my projects just because the design interests me.  Both of these projects were knit without a specific recipient in mind and added to my gift closet.  That way, I’m not under pressure to finish a project when I need to give someone a gift–or in this case, when I want to enter something in a competition.  


It is my favorite way to knit.  It’s a lot more fun to work on what interest me at the moment than to be pressured by deadlines.  Life has enough deadlines without bringing them into my knitting and sewing.