A LeeLee Hats Knitting Day!

This past Saturday, I joined my friend Tracy at a library the next town over for a charity knitting day. The event was called The Great Amusing Race, and it fit the name perfectly. There were 9 teams of 4 members each who went around the county to perform various tasks to earn points. There was a scavenger hunt, belly dancing, a car wash and of course, hat knitting. Before the event itself, the teams also collected canned goods for the local food bank. I think overall, the event helped 3 different causes.
I taught the participants on my larger loom, as it was easier to see from where they were sitting, and it meant I had more stitches that I could show them before I had to start wrapping a new row. It worked out well, and I finished the project I had on that loom.

Our activity was definitely something entirely unexpected by many of the participants. We were set up in a small room at the library with our thirty knitting looms, 8 high school volunteers, and a bunch of yarn. When the teams started coming in, we showed them how to do the basic stitch, and sent them off to the races. Some of them got less than one hat done, most got about one and a half, and the winner of our event made FOUR hats. IN ONE HOUR! I can't even make that many baby hats in an hour! Everyone was super impressed. She is the one in this photo crouched down in the middle. This team made NINE hats. The next closest team did just under 7. Not bad for people who've never knit before!

These are the two hats I started and finished at the event. I also finished knitting about a dozen other hats that the participants started, which worked out to seven total hats that I completed that day.

There was a banquet after the activities to hand out the medals and other prizes. All the teams received some drink tickets, which made everyone happy, and the team with the highest number of points accumulated from all the events won a trip for four to Las Vegas! That alone makes me want to participate next year!
Overall, it was a very successful day. The food bank got a HUGE donation, the minor hockey league that this was for also got a ton of money. I can't wait to see what else these organizers come up with.