There will be warmth

Kathleen finished the set on which you saw her progress over the last few weeks. This will make a nice warm ensemble to keep cozy.

Carole's neck warmer looks warm too! The yarn is soft and not at all itchy which is a number one requirement for all of us. We like to test it by the "cheek test". If it scratches our face it just won't work! 

Dorah finished a stranded neck warmer and now has to block it. We discussed the issue of the edges curling and hoped a good blocking will solve the ruffled effect. Dorah did a beautiful job of knitting this. I don't think I have the energy to concentrate on a chart to do that.

 Beth started a man's hat. The stitch definition in that yarn is really nice.

 And Carole also finished a pair of fingerless mitts with a pretty lace pattern.

 Dorah is coming down to home plate on her blue scarf! A big button added to one end will make it a nice neck warmer option too.

 Maureen put the finishing stitches on another pair of slipper socks for the inventory.

 I was only a week late finishing up a scarf for my son's birthday. The reversible stripes are fascinating and the pattern is free if you are a member of Ravelry.

We will be wrapping up this quarter's projects in the month of February and can't wait to start the next project. Tune in soon for some info about the fun we will be having.

It's cold here in the Capital District of NY

This is the time of year I love the best. My favorite days are the brisk, cold and sunny days of January when the sky is a glorious blue and the air would freeze a tear drop.

It's my favorite time to take a walk, as long as I am prepared. And last Friday I was as prepared as one can get. There wasn't a part of me that wasn't toasty warm. The only problem I encountered was every time I exhaled my glasses would fog up. But I had an invigorating walk! 

I started a Moebius scarf last week. It's the first time I've made one and the cast on is a curious technique.

There were over 200 stitches on the needle and it seemed like an endless, boring knit.

So I think I probably won't make another but this turned out nicely. Who knows? Maybe there will be another in the future.

This cowl took only a few hours to knit. The bulky weight yarn and fat needles made for quick work.

These mittens will go with the hat and scarf from a couple of weeks back.

My sister's birthday is coming up in February and I found this Baby Alpaca Grande yarn in my stash and quickly made the Eyelet Cowl from Plymouth Yarn.

This too took only 3 hours or so to whip up. That's good to know when you need a gift in a hurry.

Another quick knit with bulky yarn and fat needles is Totally Biased. I used the four row version for this neck warmer.

My son celebrated his birthday recently and here is the hat I made for him. There is a matching reversible stripes scarf still on the needles that I am trying to hurry up and finish for him. I would love to show you what I made for my daughter for her birthday the week before but she reads this and I don't want to spoil the surprise for her. As soon as I give it to her I'll post pics for you to see.

I happened to browse through YouTube the other day and noticed a video tutorial for the crocodile stitch in crochet. I haven't crocheted in a long time but even so this was very easy to make.

I made it 12 scallops wide by 5 scallops high and it automatically makes buttonholes. After hunting through my Nana's button box I found the perfect buttons. Now it can be worn on the neck or as a headband. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden. This pattern works best with a long color changing yarn. Short color bursts are too busy for the scallops to show up best.

Kathleen made another pair of slipper socks...

And now she is making a scarf to go with last week's hat.

Barbara finished this cheery blue hat this week.

And here are the fingerless mitts she made to match last week's hat.

Now she is making this afghan using a solid brown and a tweedy brown yarn together. I thought I had a photo but I accidentally deleted it. Oh well, you'll see it in a few weeks.

Maureen blocked the Wingspan. It looked very nice. It's amazing what a good blocking will do to improve the garment.

Those slipper socks that Maureen was working on last week are finished. Now her daughter's friend will have warm toes!

Beth worked on another cloche hat. She bought a stylish button from Trumpet Hill Yarn Shop.

And by the end of the evening she had a finished hat!

My Chicks are so productive! Thank you ladies for all your hard work.

Warm and cozy

We start this week's pictures with Kathleen's donations. She used yarn that was donated to our local town hall for the Senior Citizens knitting. There were small balls of leftovers of all shades of green so Kathleen, not wanting to waste anything, combined them all to make this scarf. It has a minty, funky kind of look. It goes well with the pattern she knitted.

And here is the hat to go with it.

Someone else donated yarn to our group and Kathleen whipped up this pair of cozy slipper socks. By next week she will have another pair knitted.

This is the hat Barbara finished last week and I mentioned she was working on a pair of fingerless mitts to go with it.

And here is the first one done. By the end of our visit this afternoon Barbara had finished the second one also. I think it just needed the ends worked in.

Maureen finished her Wingspan scarf and just needs to block it. The colors are so cheerful!

Her next project will be this pair of slipper socks for a friend of her daughter. 

Carole brought us a cute pair of children's mittens. She said she had just enough yarn to finish them leaving her with about an inch left over. That's what I call cutting it close!

Here are the fingerless mitts she is working on now. I like the pattern running up the topside of the hand.

Beth finished another cloche hat and started a gray one tonight. I don't know where she finds such great buttons for them.

I've never made a Moebius scarf before so I decided to try a free pattern I found on Ravelry. It will have a stockinette and reverse stockinette center, surrounded by lace edging. I finished the center tonight and need some uninterrupted time to do the lace edging.

Lots of stitch counting requires my undivided attention, especially when there are 260 stitches involved! Wish me luck!

Happy New Year and New Knitting

It feels good to be back! It's been a long two weeks during which we celebrated Christmas and New Year and I personally battled a bug which the grandsons shared when they visited. I'm back on the road to recovery and the knitting needles are clicking away.

First, let me share with you a photo of Barbara's granddaughter's first Christmas. Isabella looked like she thoroughly enjoyed the celebration and loved her new Christmas stocking that Grandma Barbara knitted for her.

Moose and Leo brightened up our holiday get-togethers with the family too. I loved watching the expressions on their faces with each gift they tore open.

 Yesterday we Chicks snapped right back into the groove and filled the inventory.

We started with a set from Kathleen. This cute sweater and hat are an easy wash and wear acrylic.

Her hat and mittens...

fingerless mitts and ...

a wool sweater vest completed the donations since we last met.

Barbara added to that by contributing another hat and fingerless mitts set.

 And I completed a hat and scarf. The matching mittens are still on DP's.

Carole brought the finished slouch hat that she had started two weeks ago.

And last night she began a set of mitts to go with the hat. Yes, they are the same color. The dark teal in the hat just shows up differently when the flash goes off.

Oops! I forgot to show you the other hat Barbara made that will match the mitts she's working on now.

And Maureen is on the last triangle of her Wingspan shawl.

Dorah wouldn't let me photograph her blue scarf again since she thinks she hasn't made much progress and is afraid you'll all be sick of seeing it. But trust me, it's coming along beautifully and we all look forward to her next project.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and wish you good health and prosperity for the coming year. Happy 2013!