Labeling day

The evening Chicks labeled and inventoried our donation items which will be delivered next week to  Unity House in Troy, New York. We knitted 65 garments, including hats, cowls, scarves, mittens, sweaters, headbands, and even a felted purse. There were 5 crocheted toys too.

These little hedgehogs are just the right size for little hands to cuddle.

No sooner did we wrap up this donation, the Chicks already had things to add to our next recipient, Community Maternity Services in Albany. Cinzia whipped up a cheerful cap for some lucky little one who loves color!

Maureen delivered her finished hat right before she went on leave for her busy tax season.

I had a little bit of yarn left from a bigger project that was just enough to make a sweet little top knot hat.

Janna started her whale of a pullover last week and already finished the Fair Isle portion. 

At the end of our two hour session she had knitted to just below the sleeves and began the body section.

Cinzia had just enough yarn to finish the bodice of a little dress and will finish it off with white yarn.

Debbie is going to make a sweet little jumper with a minty green yarn.

And Margaret worked on her blue baby hat.

Dorah finished one sleeve and is rounding home on the other.

Carole chose a bright yellow Plymouth Encore yarn for her little pullover. This is a great yarn for children's garments as it is machine washable and dryable.

And I started one of my favorite patterns for little ones, the Throwback Pixie Hood. If you're wondering why the cables are sticking out it's because I'm knitting it with the Magic Loop method.

Next Tuesday we'll be making our delivery to Unity House. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!

Finishing up our current donations and starting a new one

I hunted through the stash to find washable yarns for the Chicks to use for our next recipient, Community Maternity Services. Knitting baby clothes with hand wash yarns seems silly since they will be in need of washing regularly. Luckily, I found some nice acrylics and blends which are machine washable. Janna found three compatible colors to make this sweet top-down whale sweater. It is knitted in the round so the directions state to be careful not to twist the stitches when you join the stitches. A helpful hint would be to knit the first round flat and attach the stitches on the second round of stitches which at this point would be easier to keep from twisting. Then you can use the tail of the yarn to sew up the tiny gap which is created from that first row knitted flat.

Cinzia found a cute little jumper pattern which she started today.

Barbara B. took a break from knitting to crochet a graphic print baby blanket.

And Dorah picked up where she left off on a baby sweater she started quite a while ago.

Carole was inspired to knit this baby hat because...

she couldn't resist these cheeks!!!

Margaret had to cast on a ton of stitches to make a ruffled edge for her baby hat. Unfortunately, when she joined the stitches there was a twist which she didn't discover until a few rows in. I told her about the technique I mentioned above and it worked out beautifully for her.

It's going to be a real cute bonnet.

I had some dk weight left from another project so I decided to make a simple cap. After about 3 inches it became obvious that the yarn was going to run out before I finished the hat so I frogged it and opted for a smaller size.

The last few items for our current donation went into inventory today. Cinzia's cowl can be worn on different sides...

to look like a completely different cowl.

Barbara K. finished her Mistake Stitch Scarf and wrapped up the...

matching cap.

Janna finished her Helix hat and the colors are so cheerful.

Carole completed the Easy Guernsey Baby Hat which is a free pattern on Ravelry.

More completed hats to send to Unity House in Troy.

Another baby size hat.

And another Helix hat.

Barbara B. used Plymouth Encore to make this slouchy hat.

And Dorah used a nicely spun wool for her Helix hat.

Next week I'm hoping we will label and inventory our collection to ready it for delivery.

Until then, keep those needles clicking!

Snow Day

It’s a good day to stay home and knit. 

Many FO's this week

Debbie started off the afternoon by adding a lace cowl to our inventory. This was her first attempt at knitting lace and it's lovely.

 Janna finished her Chevron cowl last week and made a matching headband to go with it. The Berroco Jasper yarn was perfect for showing off the pattern.

 I improvised a hat using the tubular cast on which makes the edge very stretchy.

 And Carole finished her brioche cowl with the Latvian braid edging. She did a great job.

 And a helix hat was added to the inventory too. These hats are addictive!

 Margaret's hat is very colorful and worked up quickly with the bulky weight yarn...

 As did this other hat she made with a super bulky yarn.

 Barbara B. finished a pair of mittens pretty quickly.

 And Dorah put the finishing touches on her toddler hat. The yarn is adorable for a young child.

 Now on to the WIPs. Janna's next project is a helix hat. When she runs out of one color she can just add another.

 Elaine is pretty close to finishing her hat.

 And Barbara K. is almost done with her scarf. The ball of yarn is so big she is going to start a hat from the opposite end and then use up whatever is left on the scarf.

 Debbie is still working her way through the 1898 hat.

 I was playing around with tubular cast ons and decided to do some double knitting for a scarf. It will be stockinette stitch on both sides but it won't curl because I'm knitting a flat tube. 

 Barbara B. is now making a hat to match those green mittens.

 And Carole is making a cowl with "that nice stitch" and a provisional cast on.

 Maureen had a few inches left to go on her Throwback Pixie hood.

 And Margaret improvised a toddler hat. She mentioned she likes basic knitting which is great with all the chatting we do!

 Dorah likes helix knitting too and it shows in her hat.

 I said they were addictive! Carole has one on needles too!

I have a bag filled with ends of skeins. I guess I'll be casting on for a helix hat soon too.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!