How many Chicks does it take?

We Chicks have recently received two large bags full of yarn donated by a couple of friends. The selections are beautiful and we can't wait to get our hands on them. Some of them require rolling into skeins from hanks before we can start knitting. Elaine felt inspired to use a pretty peach mohair and wool blend worsted weight and I suggested that she let me roll the skein with our winder instead of her having to do it all alone by hand. All I can say is it's a good thing we all chipped in and helped! It took all five of us to sort out the knots and twists of the hank!

It started out with just a little overlap but we figured out how to unwrap and overlap and eventually we were on a roll. Or so we thought.
Kathleen, Sheila, Elaine, and Barb were handling it well, so I decided I would be designated photographer and ball winder. It looked like it was under control. It took about 30 minutes to unwind the hank and rewind two and a half balls of yarn and then we all let out a cheer!
It's a good thing that doesn't happen often and that we can knit our way back to tranquility.

Kathleen finished a top down cardigan and matching hat....

AND a pair of mittens! She's a pro!

Maureen is in the homestretch of her reversible stripes scarf and I went "dumpster diving" into my stash and picked up some mohair boucle' to make a shawl.

And now we all would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with good health, happiness, and prosperity! God bless you!

It's a wrap!

These are just three of the lovely staff at New York Oncology and Hematology Office in Albany, New York where we made today's donation. From left to right are:

Kathy Hale, Practice Manager, Ceil Mack, PR and Marketing,

and Kathe Morano R.N. Nurse Supervisor.

Barbara, Maureen and I were warmly welcomed by these wonderful ladies as we delivered a total of 72 items, including fleece wraps, scarves, shawls and hats. If you have been following our blog you will have seen some of those items being made.

I want to take this moment to thank my Chicks for doing a wonderful job all year long to keep those people in need mindful of the fact that someone out here cares for them. With every stitch we knit goes out a kind thought for it's recipient and a prayer for their well being.

And a great big hug to my Chicks as we finish out the year 2009 with a total of 270 items knitted or sewn and donated, giving us a grand total since we started in August of 2005 of
904 items!!! Way to go ladies!!! God bless you for your kind and generous hearts!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Ready to Deliver

We Chicks have finished and collected all the scarves, shawls, hats,etc. and will be delivering them on Monday. Today's post will show the last few items that will be going into Monday's collection.

Below is a photo of the scarf I knitted from a heavenly soft blend of pure silk and merino wool. It's a lace weight yarn from New Zealand and the finished size measured 66" X 7".

I tried linking the pattern for you but it seems the site from where I printed it no longer has it available. I'm sure if you own a knitting pattern book you will be able to find a similar pattern to try for yourself. This scarf started by casting on 41 stitches and knitting a 3 row garter stitch band at the beginning and ending edges. It is very soft and drapes so nicely.
Sheila is working on learning her casting on and knitting stitches. We are all seeing an improvement in the tension of her stitches. And the edges are straight. No more sailboat sails! LOL!(inside joke)

Elaine started a pair of slippers for a Christmas gift and Barbara started a baby cap with the softest peach yarn. Really pretty.

Maureen found the perfect buttons to finish off her Country Rows shawl for Monday's delivery and connected them to the shawl with a twisted cord. This way the wearer has the option of buttons or no buttons.

I tried one more time to get the lace scarf pattern and success! Here goes: http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/pdf/SALLaceScarf.pdf

Have fun knitting!

Down to the Wire and Counting

We're getting down to the wire with our current project of scarves and shawls for cancer survivors. The Chicks spent the afternoon attaching our labels to everything.

Kathleen worked on a pair of mittens for the inventory.
Sheila and Barbara strung the labels and attached them to items while we swapped stories about our Thanksgiving dinners with our families.

Elaine and Karen made sure the laundering instructions were clearly written out for the recipients of our handiworks.

The evening gathering was in charge of sorting and counting the collection. Judy and Joyce tallied 22 fleece wraps, 19 shawls, 24 scarves, a pair of fingerless mitts, 2 hats, and 1 lap robe.

We still have some items in the process of finishing up, so our final total will increase by a few more before they go to NY Oncology and Hematology.

On the Thanksgiving front....while I was preparing our turkey breast for dinner my family noticed something very odd. You know that commercial for a credit card company that shows everyday items with faces, both happy and sad? Well, you just tell me if this doesn't look like one pitiful turkey face after a barroom brawl!

After dinner we worked off the stuffing with a few songs from the new Beatles Rock Band game. Moose loves playing instruments and kept perfect time on the drums.

He loves playing guitar too but he dances around so much it's hard to get a photo of him that's not blurry! He asked for a guitar for Christmas so we'll have to wait to see if Santa brings him one. You never know....