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

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Crazy weather...wear woolens or not?

The weather has been abnormally weird here lately. It was -25 degrees wind chill on Sunday and today it was 54 degrees. It rained hard enough for me to get the plans for the ark out of storage! So strange. I don't know whether to wear a winter coat or a sweater. But in spite of the weather we Chicks are busy. Barbara is working hard to prove that yes, she can count to 4! We joked about how some knitting and talking don't mix. Her Mistake Stitch Cowl is testing her patience but it looks great. Just remember... 1... 2... 3... 4. LOL!
 Beth finished that hat I showed you last week. The slouchy style is very fashionable right now.
 She has already cast on stitches for another hat. This one will be the Mistake Stitch Hat. I hope she doesn't get confused counting to 4! We all get stuck when we try to have an intelligent conversation and count at the same time!
 Carole worked on her Mistake Stitch Scarf (do you see a theme here?) and had to put it aside before she went batty with the boredom.
 She picked up her Cameo shawl for which she is using Periwinkle Sheep yarn. It's going to be gorgeous!
 Boredom struck me too so I started another Hitchhiker scarf with a merino/silk blend that is so heavenly soft. It's a joy to handle. I bought the yarn two years ago at the New England Sheep and Wool Festival and for two years I've been starting and frogging projects with it because I didn't like the combinations of patterns with the way the yarn changes color so often. I think I've finally found a pattern which compliments the yarn perfectly. I can't wait to see it finished.
I needed a thank you gift for someone and whipped up (Ha! I make it sound so easy. I knitted constantly for 10 days) a Fagus scarf, using my favorite Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II yarn called Audrey Hepburn. 
She went out in the mail today. I can't wait to hear how my friend likes her.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

If my head weren't attached....

Sometimes I wonder where my brains are! Kathleen's daughter Pat came to visit us today and showed us all her beautiful WIPs and I completely forgot to take a photo! She is almost finished with a blue and variegated striped pullover that has one band of yellow at the bottom and cuffs. It will be finished off with a row of yellow and matching yellow buttons. Trust me when I tell you it's going to be stunning! Then she showed us a scarf with a reversible cable and assymetrical construction. The color was gorgeous! Again, you had to be there. LOL!
Well, at least I remembered to take a picture of the progress Elaine has made on her scarf. The pattern and yarn combo makes great stitch definition but it will have to be blocked as it tends to curl in on the edges. It's going to be a beautiful addition to our inventory.
 My lavender Minty Bricks is getting bigger. It's a great take-a-long project since you don't have to look at the pattern once you get the rhythm going.
 Last week I started a gender neutral cowl with a 100% Alpaca yarn in the Mistake Stitch pattern. This too is a good project for on the go days.
The evening group has the night off. Book Club week for Beth and too much Springsteen for some of us! Dorah will have to tell us all about the concert next week. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Night Crowd

The afternoon ladies took the day off so it was Carole, Beth, Dorah, and me tonight. I finished the Mistake Stitch Scarf and added a ribbed cap to make the ensemble. The yarn is Berroco Comfort, an acrylic and nylon blend which is machine washable and dryable. The hat is a one size fits all pattern and a very quick knit on size 7 needles.
 Too bad you can't see the true color of Carole's hat. It's a warm chocolaty brown and her cables show up so nicely. 
 Look at her fingers flying as she knits another Mistake Stitch Scarf!
 Dorah is very pleased with her One Row Scarf. Cascade 220 is the yarn. We were singing the praises of this lovely yarn tonight. It is a sturdy, 100% wool, all purpose yarn that is priced reasonably well and has a great variety of colors. Gee! I sound like a commercial but we all really like this yarn.
 Beth is knitting the Barley Hat from Tin Can Knits. This design company has a nice selection of free and purchase patterns and the patterns are easily understood.
 I squeezed in a little project for myself this week. It's called Cameo and it's the second one I've knitted for myself. I just love Karin's hand dyed yarns. The blue is called Sapphire and the green is Antidote. They are both fingering weight yarn and I used a size 5 needle. I worked on it steadily and finished it in two weeks between my donation knitting.
I just can't be not knitting!