Exercise to earn knitting time

Today's conversation centered around our preferences for staying fit. Barbara B, Maureen, and Jan play pickleball. Barbara K takes pilates and yoga classes both in person and online. I work out to a YouTube video called "Yes to Next", produced by a mother (80 years old) and her daughter with surprise appearances by their kitty Mochi. We are lucky to have so many options available to us. And the more I exercise, the less guilty I feel about sitting to knit. Yeah, I'm not kidding anyone! I never feel guilty about sitting to knit! LOL!

Our sourdough treats today were lemon poppy seed scones with a "schmear" of butter. Not being a big fan of lemon flavored treats, I must admit, these were quite nice!

 I think I've finally ridden the wave of ennui and I'm back on track feeling inspired by a combination of the Musselburgh hat and Equinox hat. I searched through my bag of sock yarn remnants to combine two strands, a solid and a variegated, changing one of the colors every ten rounds to create a colorful new blend of yarn. I'm deliberating whether to make this double thick, two hats, one inside the other. The longer I work on it, the more I'm leaning to a single hat with a double thick cuff.

Jan's Easy Goes It Scarf is much better suited for this yarn she chose. Her original choice did not please her so she frogged it for this shawl instead.

Maureen started a basic beanie using the magic loop method of knitting in the round.

Barbara K is working on a brioche stitch scarf. When I first looked at it I thought it was the Mistake stitch but it was lacking that in between bar of stitches. She's doing an excellent job with tension.

Barbara B is almost finished with a baby cardigan. It is knitted in one piece from the top down with raglan shaping for the shoulders.

Nancy is working on the Boyfriend Scarf which uses an easy to remember pattern. It takes about 400 yards of worsted weight yarn and has only two rows to memorize.

As soon as Fozzie heard the ladies leave he showed up in the kitchen looking for a snack. Unfortunately for him, he'll have to wait for dinner time.

We continue to knit for the Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. We are going to knit right through the summer so we can collect a sizable inventory to donate. I have some ideas floating around my brain of designs I'd like to incorporate into a hat or cowl but I need to finish this hat first. 

So until next week, keep those needles clicking!

There's a new Chick in our flock!

We had to bid our farewells to Janna since she retired from the group but it didn't take long to fill the seat. Tina is a friend whom I have known for about a year from my other knitting group, The Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels, . She came to the library group knowing how to crochet but with a desire to learn how to knit and BOY! has she taken off! She already knits TAAT magic loop socks (two at a time) and loves making socks. I mentioned to her that we have a trial period so if a newbie doesn't feel like it's the right fit, they can bow out gracefully. Just about the nicest thing Tina could say was you know when it's the right place to be. She is a positive addition to our flock.

Barbara B baked Sourdough Banana-spinach Chocolate Chip muffins for today's treat. Now before you rush to judgement about the spinach, let me tell you they were delicious and did not taste like spinach. As a matter of fact, I didn't tell my husband until after he ate one and remarked how much he liked it because you know guys. If I told him there was spinach in them, he would have balked.

We have a few FO's. First up is Dorah's own shawl, The Reverb, which she made using mini skeins in her favorite collection of colors.

Nancy made a cute little bunny hat for her granddaughter in time for Easter. 

The Baby Bunny hat is a free pattern.

And Carole finished the confetti colored hat she has been working on these past few weeks. 

Dorah graciously offered to model it for us.

Dorah fell in love with a 500+ skein of DK weight yarn from Miss Babs called Yowza. She needed some advice about what to make with it. Her first choice was the Jariq Shawl but I think the yarn colors have too much movement and will overpower the lace of the pattern so you won't be able to see it. The next step will be to find inspiration by checking out the yarn on Ravelry to see what other knitters have made.

When we have a full house, we're going to have to use ALL the chairs! I love this! Dorah and Jan are anxiously awaiting the opening of their farm shares for the summer months. We talked about the veggies they buy in their weekly boxes and how you don't get a choice unless it's something you really don't like. It's a good way to sample foods you might not have grown up eating. And it forces you to find new recipes to spark up your repertoire.

Dorah's Helix Hat is well into the stripes this week. Those colors look great together.

Jan is much happier with her shawl since she started the Easy Goes It Shawl. Her first choice of patterns did not please her but she is very happy with this new pattern.

Carole's Bias Scarf grows steadily each week but that ball of yarn doesn't look much smaller! LOL!

Barbara B is knitting a Sampler Afghan from Plymouth Yarns. One of the sections of patterns has eyelets which might catch little fingers so she is considering replacing it with a different pattern, perhaps a seed stitch. This will be a baby gift for her friend who will be a first time grandma.

Tina has this gigantic ball of yarn to make the Hoodola. The fuzzy texture looks so luscious! Something tells me she will be able to get more than one project from this one skein of yarn. 😉

Like me, Nancy finds it much easier to be inspired to knit girlie items and has to be very intentional about knitting boys' and men's items. So she is making a basic beanie for this project.

 

Margaret is trying her hand at a two color brioche hat. Somewhere along the line she went off the rails a bit. I helped her tink it back to the last row that had the correct sequence of stitches so she's back on track. But if it gives her any more trouble, it might be time to chuck it. 

You know my motto...if it's not fun, don't do it!

I lost my knitting mojo last week while I was trying to knit a silk/bamboo blend yarn that wouldn't cooperate with me. My personal rule is to give a yarn and pattern 3 tries. If after the 3 tries it still gives me trouble then I know it doesn't want to be that project. I've given this yarn 13 chances, changing needles and patterns, to become something, well beyond my limits, and it has drained my enthusiasm. So the yarn is in time out and I'm using Berroco Comfort in worsted weight to make the Empower People cowl. I might decide to throw in a little lace at the border but there is time to decide.

The weather app says it 52 degrees and no wind, unlike the past few days where I felt like I could take off if I spread my arms. So I think a quick walk around the block before I have to cook dinner is in order. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The weather is lovely today

It was so nice in fact, that we were talking about farm shares and visits to the farmers' markets for fresh veggies. The subject of how our own gardens would produce enough zucchini to supply a small village for a year led to Barbara B telling the story about never leaving your car unlocked at the office lot for fear someone would load unwanted zucchini into the back seat. She actually left some in a friend's car only to find out it wasn't actually the friend's car, it only looked similar! LOL!

Speaking of Barbara B, her baked treat this week was Honey Spiced Sourdough Bread with pecans. Yummy! That was another reason we were on the subject of zucchini and how it was the only way some of us were able to get vegetables into our children when they were little ones...until they discovered green stuff in their "cake". ;)

With all the talk about food, Fozzie thought he was getting some too. 

Sorry Fozz! Kitties can't have cake.

Dorah completed the LOSY Hat she has been working on these past few weeks. 

The colors are perfect together!

Barbara B finished a Look Out Winter! Hat with a nice self striping yarn to add interest.

She also completed a Cable All the Way Hat by Lisa Overby, with a lovely cable accent down one side.

I'm having a slump with my knitting so a simple 2x2 ribbed hat is all I can handle right now.

 Startitis will hit when the weather gets warmer.

Carole started a bias scarf but didn't like the narrow width so she frogged it and started over with a few more stitches for extra width.

The yarn is one of those that reproduces when no one is looking. But it's pretty so she doesn't mind.

Dorah is starting a Helix Hat with these three colors. We discussed her next project to use up some of the scraps of sock yarn she has so she might be making a Musselburgh Hat or Equinox Hat next.

Barbara B started a Mountain Snowcap Hat, a free pattern on Ravelry.

I think I'll go search through my stash to see if I get inspired to make something other than 2x2 ribbing. Or maybe I just need a nap. LOL! Anyway, have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Knitting for the Falcons

We continue to make a variety of items for the Falcon Boutique at the Albany High School which provides students with whatever they need, free of charge.

Last week I showed you Jan's Reverb Shawl which she said wasn't turning out the way she expected. So she frogged it and is now knitting the Easy Goes It Shawl which is making her so much happier. It's what I always say, if it's not fun, don't do it!

I decided to take on a mindless project as my level of tranquility has been tested too much lately. I am knitting the Soldiers' Hat, a simple 2x2 ribbed beanie that involves no thinking at all. I am making an effort to knit men's items which is a stretch for me. 

Knitting women's and children's clothing just seems easier. It isn't necessarily but maybe the patterns are more interesting to me.

I finished my own design headband which is sort of non-specific gender-wise. If the knot is worn in front it has a more feminine look as opposed to keeping the knot at the back of the head.

Maureen finished a Helix Hat and a Royal Icing Headband and has started another in blue. This pattern is an easy introduction into learning the Brioche Stitch.

Dorah added more rounds to her LOSY Hat. I just love the colors! She blended a solid blue sock weight yarn with the pastel variegated yarn and they are beautiful together!

Barbara B started another Hoodola in a smaller size. This weekend Laura Nelkin, the designer of Hoodola, released an update to the pattern to include sizes from baby adult so it fits a much wider range of sizes.

Nancy finished her KAL Royal Icing Headband in a vibrant teal blue. 

Her stitch tension is nice and even.

Her next project is the Decision Tree Toque.

Carole and I admired her choice of color (it's a favorite of both of ours). The solid yarn perfectly shows the beauty of the stitch design.

Carole is working on her 2x2 hat and decided to make it a slouchy.

And don't let me forget to show you Barbara B's contribution to our calorie count this week! These sourdough brownies were out of this world!!! 

It's that time of the year that even when the sun is shining a bit, there is a dampness in the air that chills me to the bone. And as much as I love a cold, crisp, sunny winter day in the 20's, these days when the snow starts to melt and the ground is soggy make me want to climb under a blanket. So I'm going to brew myself a hot cup of tea and get back to work. 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

A quiet day with my Chicks

Our gathering was small and peaceful today. Lazy Cat Jazz from Spotify played softly in the background. And since Barbara B was absent, we had no treats today.😢

We started off with a few FO's. This is my finished Ottilie Scarf, a paid pattern on Ravelry. I had seen it pop up in an email and talked myself out of buying it. Then, as most often is the case, the thought of it haunted me and I couldn't remember the name of it to hunt it down. Weeks went by until it happened to show up in a list of suggested patterns "I might like" so I jumped at the opportunity before it disappeared again. If I were to knit it again, I might not follow the directions for suggested length. I think it turned out just a little too short which I tried to remedy with aggressive blocking. That made the texture of the stitch a little too subtle so next time I'll knit it longer and be a bit more gentle blocking it. I had to block it because it curled faster than my hair on a humid day.

Barbara K finished her Royal Icing Headband and sewed it up while we heard all the highlights of Jan's trip to Brazil. 

This is my version of the Royal Icing Headband. It is a quick knit, as long as you don't get cocky like I did and think you know how it goes! LOL! Brioche stitch is easy to mess up until you get a rhythm going.

Barbara K immediately casted (cast on? casted on?) on for another headband and she is enjoying this one much more now that she has the confidence to know how to proceed.

And Carole frogged her original Royal Icing in favor of a lighter, brighter color and is having better luck with this one.

I'm working on an original design, trying to use up little bits of hat leftovers. It looked like it would be enough for another headband. Keep your fingers crossed! I'll sew up the ends in the same fashion as the Royal Icing headband.

Jan had a lovely trip to Brazil and then to California to visit family. I think she lucked out and missed the worst of the winter storms while she was gone. Now that she's back, she's working on the Reverb Shawl. She's not crazy about the yarn but I think it suits the pattern.

It's a raw kind of day today so I think I'll put on some warm woolen socks and get back to my knitting. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!