We're back inside!

At 92 degrees with 57% humidity, we Chicks decided to stay in the coolest room of the house with a large pitcher of cold peach iced tea. Janna finished her single toe up magic loop sock last week so this week she is trying TAAT. I'm sure she'll do fine.

 Debbie worked on her festive TAAT socks too. She had a little blip when she accidentally pulled the wrong cord and slipped a bunch of stitches off the needle. But who of us hasn't done that at least twice?!?! She was back on track, or should I say needles, before she headed home.

 Cinzia worked on the sleeves of a cute little pullover that has a kangaroo pocket on the front.

 My men's socks are finally past the waste yarn of the afterthought heel. I toyed with the idea of knitting the whole tube of the sock and then CUTTING THE YARN (YIKES) to pick up the stitches for the heel. But then I decided it's just as easy to knit in the waste yarn and quicker to pick up the stitches when it's time to knit the heels.

 Liz actually finished her Mistake Stitch Scarf right after I took this picture. This a a good standby warm scarf which makes a thick, warm fabric.

 And Barb's Palindrome scarf, also a nice warm fabric, is showing off its beautiful cables.

The evening Chicks had conflicts tonight so you won't get to see their progress until next week. 

Until then, keep those needles clicking!

Deck weather is back!

It's been 3 weeks since we were able to sit outside. I was away 2 of those weeks but we've been having a heat wave which would have prevented us from enjoying outdoor knitting. Today we had a lovely, humid-free afternoon.

 Cinzia is back from her whirlwind vacation through Italy and France with her family. She brought us her finished Helix hat. That black yarn really makes the color pop!

 Debbie finished her first pair of toe up socks. She feels confident enough now to attempt two at a time next. This cheerful yarn is perfect for the child size socks.

 Barbara was inspired by the Palindrome scarf to make this lovely cabled hat. She used a worsted weight heathered yarn which shows off the cables perfectly.

 And Janna's toe up socks have perfect stitch tension. She did a really good job of picking up stitches from the waste yarn too.

 In the 2 hours of knitting she finished both socks and they are ready for inventory. She too will try her hand at two at a time now that she feels confident that she has the concept of sock knitting.

 Liz finished her boot socks using the good old DP, 5 needles technique. We all loved the contrasting heels and toes.

 Carole worked her Cascade sport weight socks past the waste yarn for the heels. You can't see the waste yarn because it's on the other side of the sock but it's there.

 Maureen's child size socks are coming along nicely. I love the colors of her yarn.

 And Margaret has wrapped her head around the two at a time now. She was having trouble initially but we figured out it was because her circular needle had a very stiff cable which had her wrestling it constantly. It's so important to have good supplies with which to work. It really makes a difference in the enjoyment and also the quality of your work. If you're going to invest this much time and effort into a hobby, it's worth spending a little bit more for the tools. And if you take good care of them, they'll last a good long time (unless your dear husband decides to vacuum your knitting room and catches the needles in the hose).

 My Knit Picks Wool of the Andes socks seem to be taking forever but that's because I'm knitting a Christmas gift also which is very time consuming.

It feels good to be back on our regular schedule again and to be able to sit outside is so refreshing! 

Check back next week to see our progress. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!

Had to wait until July, but we Chicks had our first day on the deck

This is the first Tuesday since winter ended that we had nice enough weather to knit outside! 

 Liz started the heel of her second sock but had to wait to make the short row heel until she got home where she could concentrate.

 Barbara worked on her Palindrome inspired hat. Look at those beautiful cables!

Debbie's second sock stitches were picked up and knitted and she has enough yarn left to make another pair. 

These started out as a pair of TAAT socks but a few inches into knitting I began to wonder if I could knit mittens in the opposite direction from the usual way. So far I would say yes. I'll be picking up the thumb stitches as soon as I'm finished with the ribbed cuffs.

 The evening ladies continued their socks too and I forgot to take pictures. Duh!

Joules wanted to say bye bye as she'll be returning to her own home soon. We've had a lovely visit but I'm sure she misses her Daddies.

Well...only if I stop giving her kibble treats.