A very quiet Tuesday

Elaine was the only Chick who could knit with me yesterday. She has started a sweater called "Winsome" using a cream acrylic. The pattern lends itself to be for either a boy or a girl. This is part of our donation to Parson's Child and Family Center.

My second windowpane hoodie is finished. I used Plymouth Encore, which is a washable wool and acrylic blend. I decided to go with a zipper closing so it wouldn't be limited to one gender style. This will also go to Parson's.

The colors in the close up photo are almost true. The blue is a bright turquoise and the green is very chartreuse. The variegated yarn is Encore Colorspun.

This next photo is the hoodie I am working on currently. This photo of the purple and mauve is very true to the color. My good friends in Pennsylvania just became first time grandparents and I HAD to make something for the new baby. I sure hope Connie isn't reading this! Anyway, as soon as I saw these colors I knew they were right for little Madison Grace who was born last Saturday. I've decided to make baby gifts so they would fit them at one or two years old. Newborns just grow too fast to have the opportunity to wear something more than once.

I've attached the sleeves and I'm headed for the hood section soon. I should have this finished in no time!



This last photo is the hoodie I made for my grandson, Moose, who will be two years old next month. My how time flies! It seems like yesterday that I was lucky enough to be invited to witness his birth and now he's going to be two!

As soon as I get pictures of his birthday party, I'll post one of him wearing this sweater. I hope he doesn't grow too fast!

A visit from Pat

Kathleen's daughter, Pat, came for a visit yesterday. She is a lovely person and I wish she lived close enough to join us every week. She was working on a shirred rug, using a specialized crochet hook with a sharp needle on one end to work the wool strips. It's about the size of a chair seat and making an unusual, but very attractive pattern as the fabric is gathered or shirred into place.

Barbara is working on a diagonal baby blanket in a sunny yellow and Kathleen is whipping out a pair of mittens faster than you can say mittens!


Elaine started another baby blanket and then emailed me later to tell me she frogged it when she got home and decided to make a sweater instead. Sometimes "you gotta do what you gotta do." I'm on my third windowpane and striped sweater. This one will be turquoise and lime green variegated.



Maureen is making progress on her baby blanket that matches the sweater she made last week. The pastel colors are so soothing.



This last photo is from Andrew's friend's dining room. He went to see the friend's new apartment in Buffalo last weekend and the two of them went shopping for accessories to finish off the decor. When Anj showed me the pictures of the apartment, I was impressed with the interesting and expensive looking artwork they bought. Then he told me he painted the piece in the dining room. Now I know my kids are talented, but sometimes they catch me off guard and this was definitely one of those times. It makes me proud to see what he can do with his creativity.



I guess my kids get their talents from me! ROFL!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIGHT EYES!

Fifty five years ago I became a big sister (or "volunteer parent" as my mother used to call me) to my baby sister, Jamie-Robin. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. She had such stunning deep blue eyes that they were almost violet. She turned heads wherever we went. My very first memory is of the ride home from the hospital, my new baby sister nestled warmly into my mother's arms. She was wearing a robin's egg blue layette set that my mother knitted specifically for this occasion. Her soft cheeks were so warm and rosy. All I could say was "Oh Mommy, she's soooo beautiful!" Mom now admits that's about the same time she had her postpartum cry. I was thrilled to have a baby sister and proud to say the least.

We had our usual cat fights but remained always best friends. Since we moved from Connecticut where she lives, I don't get to see her daily, like when we lived five miles away, but we're still close.


Last September Jamie was diagnosed with uterine cancer, for which she had surgery and is now expected to be fine. I pray for her every night and wish all the best for my "Bright Eyes".


I love you Jamie and God bless you! Happy Birthday!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Making progress

My afternoon Chicks all had previous engagements this week, so only the evening Chicks got together. Maureen finished the sweater from last week and it's beautiful. When she chooses buttons I'll post a photo. For now she is working on a matching blanket.

I finished the pink hoodie, as you can see on the armrest of the couch, and now I'm working on one for Moose's birthday next month.

Judy made great progress on the "Loretta Lynn Poncho". She was a little disappointed that she found a mistake a long way down on the decrease row, but none of us could see it. I reminded her that only God is perfect and that she should just let it go. It's disguised by the variegated yarn anyway.

Joyce is almost finished knitting the body of the purse she's working and then she'll move on to the strap.

We had a cozy evening by the fire and accomplished a lot of knitting. Well, most of us did. Judy received a tutorial on the I-phone from my son. I think she'll be shopping for one soon. LOL!

My DH joined us for part of the evening. We keep telling him if he sits with us long enough he's going to have to learn how to knit. Thanks Ron for your photographic contributions this week!

We went to visit Moose last Friday and the first thing he did was grab Poppop for a little light reading. We had a good time catching up on all his activities.

I have two deadlines to meet so it's back to the needles for me.

Busy Hands

We've all been very busy this week. The baby hoodie I started last Thursday is almost finished. The sleeves are attached as you can see here, and now I'm picking up stitches along the edges to knit the ribbing buttonband. Then all there is to do is sew up the sleeve seams. This is going to look so cute on some little munchkin.


Maureen's baby sweater is from a pattern she made when she first learned how to knit. Her mother-in-law taught her how to knit years ago and she made a layette set for a friend which included this sweet little sweater. Maureen decided to revisit the sweater pattern and is using a sport weight yarn, plain white and a pastel variegated which she is using on the edges only. It's turning out to be quite beautiful.

Then there is Judy's...uh...mitten, yeah, that's it...mitten! This is proof positive that some patterns just shouldn't be knitted, no matter how cool they look in the pictures! We all had a good long laugh over this one! Judy couldn't resist showing us her catastrophe.

Her real project is an adult size poncho called the "Loretta Lynn". The yarn is a washable acrylic and wool blend and will be a welcome cozy coverup when it's finished.

Joyce is making a diagonally knitted bag for her niece. Oops! I hope this wasn't supposed to be a surprise! Sorry! Anyway, she's doing a great job and I'm sure it will be a treasured gift.

Kathleen brought with her three finished adult hats, a hoodie sweater, a baby cardigan to match the hat she made three weeks ago, and a pair of green mittens. She's on a roll! Watch out!

Elaine finished the sweet little cardigan on which she was working two weeks ago and today she started the little matching bonnet. It's going to be so cute!

The next two photos are a hat that Joyce made for her granddaughter modeled by none other than the above mentioned angel. Little Ellie loves the hat her Grandma Joyce made for her using Tilli Thomas yarn that is already beaded. Beautiful work, Joyce!

Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?!

Hey Ellie! When are you going to visit us Chicks? We need to teach you how to knit, LOL!
And speaking of cute cheeks...Elaine's granddaughter has some kissable cheeks too! We need to set up a playdate between Ellie and Alexandra so we can teach them how to knit! LOL!

Work in Progress and A Finished Birthday Gift

As a donation project I've started a hooded baby sweater called Windowpane from a pattern that I found at Trumpet Hill Yarn Store (www.trumpethill.com). I finished one sleeve, I'm almost finished with the second (they are the striped pieces) and I've knitted the one piece body up to the armholes. Next up, I have to knit everything together and then pick up stitches to finish the hood and buttonband portions. It's going remarkably fast.

I'm using Plymouth Encore and Colorspun Encore in worsted weight.

My finished scarf is for my sister's birthday on the 15th of this month. She doesn't own a computer (CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!) so I don't have to worry about her seeing this too soon.

The pattern is from www.brooklyntweed.blogspot.com and is called the Noro Striped Scarf. I used Wisdom Poems yarn. It's a pattern which I heard someone call "coma knitting" meaning it's so easy you could knit it in your sleep. I think it took all of three days to make. I'd say that's easy!

Time for lunch and then back to the knitting needles.