Your greatness is not what you have, it's what you give.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Too hot to sit outside!

Cinzia and Barbara started the afternoon off with show and tell. Cinzia has the skill to look at a finished knit and she can figure out how to make it without a pattern. So she was examining Barbara's cowl and working out the pattern in her head. She'll probably make one, one of these days.
 Barb finished a warm ribbed hat that stretches to fit any size head... a good item when you don't know someone's exact size!
 She also finished her "Present Cowl" that I showed you last week and...
 the cowl that Cinzia was admiring.
 Up next is another Present with a beautiful deep teal yarn from Berroco Vintage.
 Dorah's knitting sported a cute set of sheep stitch markers. I would show you more but she dropped some stitches and had to start all over again. I hate when that happens to me!
 Beth finished an infinity scarf which will go into her personal inventory. 
 Then she showed us her latest personal knit using Periwinkle Sheep yarn. This is going to be a beauty when it's blocked.
 You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.
 Maureen's baby sweater is showing progress as she put the sleeve stitches on holders already.
 I finished the "O Sailor" Cardigan and had yarn left. I hate to waste yarn so I had to do something with it and  I started a top down hat to match. It needs a ribbed edge and it will be good to go. Oh! And I need buttons for the sweater. I see a shopping trip in my future.
I finished the Tubularity scarf/cowl. It took me a year and a month because I kept putting it in time out. I'm still not sure I like it. But then I don't have to wear it.
It can be a cowl or...
 a hood or....
 a shawl or scarf. I still have to sew buttons on it so the point can be buttoned in place. It was an excellent pattern for using up small amounts of sock yarn but if I ever make it again I won't make it as long as the pattern suggests.
I'm going to have to enclose photos to show how to wear it or no one will know what to do with it! LOL!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

I have to have AC!!!

I have visitors this week! My daughter and the grands are here so Moose can take his annual golf clinic lessons. Of course we'll be squeezing in some swim time and maybe a movie or two. Wouldn't you know that on Saturday our AC went on the fritz and we had to have the whole shebang replaced. I was holding my breath because I thought their visit would be awful if we had the 90 degree weather that is predicted and no AC! So when the salesman came to take measurements and give us an estimate he asked if I needed the installation done right away. I told him no there's no hurry as long as my grandsons could stay with him at his air conditioned home! Guess what! The installers were here this morning at 8:30! It's amazing what a little incentive will do for an appointment schedule! Then it turned out that today was a beautiful day with breezes and cool air so they went for a nice long walk so I could knit with my Chicks.
 Elaine finished a cute little baby hat with an acrylic/washable yarn. The curly cue on top is adorable!
 Liz is making a hat using the same yarn from her cowl of last week. She is using two strands together for a bulky knit. That's one way to use up yarn quickly.
 My baby cardigan is almost finished. Just after I took this photo I started the I-cord edging on the sleeves. Then I have to pick up stitches all around the body edges and I-cord knit those too. I'm going to hunt for some cute buttons next week.
 Maureen finished her baby hat and moved on to....
a top down baby sweater. Can't wait to see it finished.
Carole is headed for the home stretch with her cowl. It will be long enough to wear doubled around the neck for a nice, warm, cuddle.
Beth and Cinzia were consulting the iPad for some knitting info. What would we do without the internet?
Dorah attached the buttons to her little cardigan and added it to the inventory.
Cinzia made progress on her vest.
And Sofia worked her way down past the sleeve openings of her top down cardigan and is working on the stockinette body stitches. That dark orange is the collar and the body will be the yellow. This is going to be one cute jacket!
Beth is making her cowl using Plymouth Encore, a good all-purpose acrylic and wool blend yarn that is machine washable.
Well, my grandsons have worn me out and it's past my bedtime. See you next week!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Come see what we finished!

The Chicks had an assortment of finished objects this week. We started off with toddler's slippers and a warm little hat that just flew off my needles. I was feeling disappointed in myself because it seemed I had not finished any of my long knitting projects so I threw in a couple of patterns I knew I could finish quickly.
Then suddenly I had knitted to the end of this cowl and...
this cowl, which is my own design. But I'm sure you can find a free pattern on Ravelry if you search for Brioche stitch cowl. The green cowl was made with Berroco Vintage DK yarn and the purple with Madelinetosh Worsted.
Liz finished a warm woolie cowl too. Sorry I don't have the pattern name for you.
Carole's baby pullover was finished off with 3 unmatched buttons which look so cute! See, you don't have to have matching buttons for a sweater. It adds style and panache to mismatch them!
This cute little Missy was made by Maureen for a friend's new granddaughter. Better hurry and deliver it before the baby outgrows it!
Carole added her Minty Bricks to the inventory too.
It was cool enough, with a little artificial help in the background, for us to knit on the deck last night. We all caught up on our summer getaways. Maureen just returned from a cross country drive to deliver her daughter to Los Angeles for her fellowship studies. And Dorah had a celebratory trip to Milwaukee where she watched the Mets play and even got to meet some of them who were all staying in the same hotel where she was booked.
And still Dorah had time to finish her cardigan for donation. By evening's end the sleeves were done and it was ready for these cute colorful buttons.
I better get back to my needles. I still have miles to go on those scarves!