We knit so we won't eat...sometimes

First my apologies to Cinzia for not getting a photo of the lovely cowl she is making. We got to talking so much and then my husband served eggnog cheesecake and all thoughts flew out the window! We all tried to resist but CHEESECAKE! EGGNOG! Need I say more?

 I'll be sure to get a picture of Cinzia's lovely cowl when we resume knitting after the holidays.

Barbara's Country Rows shawl is getting cozy. She picked two skeins of Malabrigo variegated yarn but the dye lots were just a hair different so she is knitting two rows with one skein and two rows with the other. This way there is a gentle blending of the colors and no one will notice. It looks really nice.

 Kathleen felt like knitting something different and this little sweater just jumped right off her needles! We will save it for a future donation when we need baby clothes.

 For this current inventory she added these four pairs of mittens. Those variegated ones on the upper right were made with just enough yarn from a previous project.

 Kathleen also made a pretty lace scarf with some Periwinkle Sheep sock yarn. This lace pattern is four rows long and easy to memorize since all wrong side rows are purl across.

 Now Kathleen is working on a 2X2 ribbed hat. There are many patterns out there. Check out Ravelry and choose your favorite.

 I wanted to wear a new shawl for the holiday gatherings and chose to use a yarn in my stash that I rescued from a shawl I knitted years ago and found myself not wearing. I chose Celeste Young's "Outlaw". Well, as you can see by this photo, this isn't the Christmas season I'll be wearing it!

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all peace and love of the season for now and always.

I'll catch up with you after the new year.

Meeting that Christmas knitting deadline

This week due to inclement weather my nighttime ladies (oh, that doesn't sound very good! LOL!) were forced to stay home where it was warm and dry. We've had a crazy mix of snow, then rain, then sleet, then back to snow. Mother Nature just can't make up her mind! Even now, as I look out the window, it has gone from teeny tiny flakes mixed with drizzle to a steady stream of big flakes, right out of a big Hollywood production! It's so pretty, even if it is a big pain.

So yesterday Cinzia, Elaine, and I worked by the glow of the fire. We all worked on some personal knitting since some of us have a Christmas deadline to meet. Elaine did, however, leave me a sweet pair of slippers for our donation inventory...

And this lovely rosy cowl.

 Then she set straight to work on a hat for her nephew. She made him one a few years ago which accidentally went through the wash and shrunk right up to Barbie doll size! He's a hunter so she found a wool color called "Camo" but as she knitted, the colors lined up perfectly into stripes. We all agreed that we kind of liked that effect!

 Cinzia is working on designing a pattern for a cowl which she made in the past. When she saw this yarn, which is heavenly soft by the way, she decided to make that cowl. However, just a few inches into it the tweedyness of the yarn seemed to overtake the pretty laciness of the pattern. So guess what's getting frogged today? We talked about the importance of choosing a color and texture of yarn that is appropriate for the details of the pattern. Sometimes you just have to use a solid or at the very least a soft tonal that won't interfere with the pattern.

 Cinzia worked on a lovely shell for her sister using a Marianne Isager pattern that actually starts with that little garter stitch block on the top of each shoulder. The whole garment grows in zig zags from that one little square. She's using a cotton/wool blend yarn and it's going to be gorgeous!

 In between all my other knitting projects I try to knit at least a block every few days to my son's sock blanket. He asked that I make it to fit his double bed so I made it a few blocks wider, just for good measure. I love how colorful it is!

 Well, back to holiday knitting. There aren't too many days left until Christmas so I hope you all aren't under a lot of stress. I'd love to hear all about your holiday knitting. Leave a comment and tell me what you're knitting this season.

Needles were clicking tonight

My afternoon Chicks took a day off today so just the evening ladies worked with me tonight.

Another Christmas gift finished! I made these for my Dad who lives in assisted living now. He's 89 years old and his circulation isn't as good as it used to be, so his hands and feet are always cold. I used Classic Elite Liberty Wool which is a superwash wool so they can go through the commercial laundry. And if they wear out quickly or shrink I know where he can get a new pair! Last week I showed you these after I turned the heel. I checked my notes and these took 7 days to knit. I like using worsted weight and knitting both at the same time!

I started another cowl called Chickadee Cowl but there isn't enough knitted to show yet.

 Dorah brought her finished Petite Honeycomb cowl tonight. It blocked out very nicely, showing her stitch definition and the pattern beautifully.

 Beth made wine bottle puppets for a gift. Aren't they cute?!!!

 Now she's making mittens for her niece. The cuffs are double thickness and beaded. I know an 8 year old who is going to feel like a princess!

Carole is working on A Cowl For Every Season.

 She just cast on the stitches tonight. It's a free pattern with a pretty lace.

 Thanks to Beth's daughter, Gretchen, for donating a warm hat for our inventory.

 Maureen finished those lovely cabled mittens. They are really warm too!

 She's casting on for a cowl now.

 Dorah set up her stitches so she could graft the live ends together using the Kitchener Stitch.

 Last up is an ear warmer hot off Carole's needles. She thought this would use up the last of the Berroco Jasper yarn but no, there is still more!

I wonder what she'll make next.