More Yarn!

We Chicks have another Yarn Angel! Many thanks go out to Shelly for her generosity to our group. As you can see by the expressions on the faces it's like Christmas in May!

Barbara found a soft yarn to cuddle and patterns began swimming in her head.

I think she found another one she likes in that bag.

Kathleen had an armful but I think she's waiting until she finishes her current project before she stakes her claim.

Watch out Barbara! Liz is looking at that one you liked. LOL!

I found a couple I liked too. This will make a nice cowl.

Ok! Now it's time to get back to business ladies.

Barbara finished the Feather and Fan blanket.

She used a cotton yarn which makes it a good spring and summer weight blanket. It also shows up the stitch definition nicely.

Liz and Kathleen were hard at work on their hats and while Barbara was still plugging away on her Mistake Stitch Scarf.

Cinzia's baby sweater looks so cute! Can't wait to see it finished.

Kathleen's Mistake Stitch Scarf is finished too.

This evening Beth enjoyed checking out the new stash too. Carole looked through it earlier and oohed and ahhed her way through every bag.

Beth finished a baby hat and made a cute little knitted button for the top.

Then she showed us this pattern she bought years ago to make herself a sweater. She even bought the recommended yarn. 

After many starts and stops she finally came to the realization that she doesn't like the sweater, it will never fit her, and the yarn is as smooth as sandpaper!

She had to make an executive decision and it will be frogged to become this.http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/irish-hiking-scarf

After a rough start with the Irish Hiking Scarf, she frogged the scarf too. There's just something about that yarn! The pattern said to cast on 40 some odd stitches and "odd" they were. The scarf was about 20 inches wide! I can see this yarn is going to give her a run for her money.

 

Carole's baby sweater has made it to the underarm and the sleeve stitches are on hold so she can knit the body.

I made good progress on the Palindrome Scarf using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice that I found in my stash from a long time ago. I'm surprised at how quickly it's knitting up.

                                         

Two weeks ago I attended an open house at my friend Karin's studio. I couldn't resist this beautiful chambray colored merino and silk blend yarn to make myself a scarf. The color, The Rising of the Moon, is going to go great with my jeans. This pattern is called Cathedral and I think I'm going to love it.

This is something else I made just for me. It's the Foolproof infinity scarf. I used MadelinTosh for the mustard color. Its a blend of cashmere and merino. The turquoise is another of Karin's beautifully hand dyed yarns and it's a blend of silk and merino. 

You'll have to use your imagination to feel the softness of these yarns together.

Labeling Day

Today was labeling day. Kathleen and Liz helped attach our chicks labels and care instruction labels to every item we knitted. This is always a favorite job of my ladies because we get to go through the inventory to see what everyone has knitted. There are always comments like, "Oh I don't remember making that!" or "That's beautiful! Who knitted it?" There are still a few items on needles so we won't be delivering for a couple of weeks yet but it's nice to know we have most everything ready.

 Beth finished her little yellow cardi and look at those buttons!

 Aren't they the cutest?!

 Carole brought in a finished set for which she used a Deborah Norville acrylic. We were all surprised at how soft the fiber it for an acrylic.

 I blocked the Salacious scarf last weekend. It's very similar to the popular scarf of a couple of years ago called Color Affection but it's free and it doesn't have as many color changes.

 I'm very happy with my results and it will go into inventory for our next donation cycle.

 Carole started a collared baby cardigan which may or may not make it into this current inventory. That's ok, we can always save it for another donation.

 And Beth started a baby hat tonight which may also go into another cycle of donation items.

 Startitis struck me again and I started another Ripples scarf. I'm using Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors Sock Yarn in the color Ominous.

 And I started a reversible cables scarf called Palindrome.

I just can't have only one project going at a time! LOL!

First day of the season on the deck

Kathleen's daughter, Pat, visited us this week. We always love it when she joins us because she is so creative and has so many wonderful projects to show us. That's Pat in the pink shirt on the right.

 The first thing she showed us is a skirt she is knitting for herself that she saw at the Vogue Show in NYC. It's knitted with hemp fiber and uses short rows to shape it. Since the stitches are loose, she's going to make different colored slips to wear with it.

 Next up is a project she's making from this book. The author has kits available for a tidy sum that includes the stencils and fabric for the items you wish to make. 

 Pat figured out how to make her own stencils and deconstructed T-shirts to use the fabric for a shirt she's making for herself. This is the photo in the book.

 Here is the stencil Pat made which took 4 hours to cut out with an X-acto knife.

 And here is the back piece of the shirt. It's a double layer of fabric so the petals can be painted and then cut showing the applique.

 This represents hours of detailed work. And it's not finished yet.

 Liz brought in a Christmas tree hat that needed to be finished along with...

 this sweet layette set and...

 cute little hats....

 and another little sweater. Some little babies will be very well dressed!

 Kathleen said that this week all she made was a little hat to match her sweater from last week's donation. It's ok Kathleen, we don't have knitting quotas! LOL!

 Barbara's pretty pink scarf shows some of the color changes going on.

 One day I was browsing Ravelry to find inspiration and someone had designed a baby hat that looked exactly like the one Princess Charlotte wore home from her birth. It took only two days to knit. I think it's precious!

 I finished the Baby Surprise Jacket last week, adding a collar and cuffs to lengthen the sleeves.

 I used the last three buttons in my stash that would go with the colors.

Now it's time for me to find more inspiring patterns. Gotta run!

Blocking

Kathleen asked me to block her Brickless scarf since I have space to spread it out and those neat rubbery tiles into which I can pin the piece.

 Plus, I don't have a kitty that likes to curl up in knitting. This is a nice pattern from Martina Behm that repeats sections of lace, ribbing, and garter stitch for a long scarf/shawl. Blocking it helped to define the stitches and open up the lace pattern. I can't stress enough how important it is to block a finished piece. It makes the completed garment look professional and neat. If you need help blocking, there are numerous videos on YouTube that show how it's done.

 Our visitor today was Kathleen's and Liz's granddaughter, Delaney ( Kathleen's son is married to Liz's daughter). 

 Barbara and Liz caught up on current events and then got down to important stuff like knitting.

 Kathleen brought in a finished Cabin Fever cardigan. She's a quick knitter! She just picked up that yarn last Tuesday!

She also added a cowl for a future inventory and...

a pair of mittens and a hat. 

Liz was just casting on for a new project and...

so was Cinzia. We wound four more skeins of yarn so she could make two more kimono sweaters.

Carole's Peanut Warmer is blocked and ready to go. Her stitch definition is perfection. 

Now she is working on a baby hat. We all liked this yarn that was given to her. It's a Deborah Norville acrylic that's very soft.

Carole showed us her personal project she's making with a Periwinkle Sheep yarn. The pattern from Isolde Teague is called Marin.

Maureen finished her cowl just in time for our 80 degree weather! LOL! 

And last is my Baby Surprise Jacket from Elizabeth Zimmermann. I'm using Plymouth Encore. A few more rows on the front and then I'll add a collar and cuffs.

I might even finish it before next week!