Two lovely scarves

Cinzia delivered two scarves to my back door today.

This first one is knitted with a “ladder” yarn. It will make a fashionable addition to someone’s wardrobe.

 This second scarf is full of pastel cheerfulness! It looks to me like the Zick Zack pattern which shows off the Chevron stitch nicely.

We’ll be taking time off from Zoom-ing until the new year. Enjoy your holidays and keep those needles clicking!

 

It’s been a while

It’s been quite some time since we Chicks had a Zoom meeting so it was good to see some of the flock and catch up on our projects.

Dorah is working on a cozy afghan using Wool and the Gang merino/alpaca blend for a really soft and warm blanket.

The pattern is made up of strategically placed knits and purls for this dimensional block design.

She is also working on the most cheerful pair of socks! The self striping yarn does all the work for a darling pair of anklets.

Margaret has been working on a pair of socks for her daughter but since she hates working with sock weight yarn, she’s in no hurry to finish them. That’s true love though, knitting something you know isn’t fun just because you love your kid!

Janna finished the blanket she was working on since August and it looks great! The yarn colors are such a nice combination.

Annika made a hat for her church charity and someone liked it so much but it didn’t fit so she offered to make another in a more appropriate size. She’s just about ready to start the decreases at the top of the hat.

Barbara K. made two hats for her granddaughter. This one is her take on the Palindrome scarf turned into a hat.

And this one is simply swirled. Her pompoms are enviable! She said she used the pompom maker but watched a YouTube video tutorial for the instructions. They turned out great!

It’s hard to see but Maureen made a snowflake hat using the Fair Isle technique.

And she finished her Easy Goes It shawl/scarf.

Please excuse the wonky margins but ever since the updates I can’t seem to get things formatted properly. Hey! I’m a knitter not a techie, LOL! We’ll be back in the new year so no one gets “Zoom fatigue” again. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!
 

Carole is back!

Carole (center top) has been away since July first awaiting the birth of her first grandchildren, twins, and then helping the family with the new additions. It was so good to see her smiling face again!

• 
• She found some time to make the lacy Hitchhiker scarf by Martina Behm, for herself.

The yarn is a Knit Picks gradient with beautiful colors.

Now she is working on the Bankhead hat which is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Janna added the pretty pink which you see on the left, to her ever growing afghan project.

Annika has received a request for another yellow hat which she donated to her church’s craft fair.

Maureen completed an adorable hat for her granddaughter. The eyes and beak are crocheted and the hat is knitted.

She is working on her scarf/shawl too. It’s called Easy Goes It and is also free on Ravelry.

I finished a pair of fingerless mitts called Te Ara, free on Ravelry, using Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II sock yarn. The color is called Barbara’s Bold Red. And it is certainly bold!

•  That’s all for this week so until next time, keep those needles clicking.

Here we are

Last week Zoom was acting up and wouldn’t let us log on so we had to skip a weekly meeting. After a hiccup or two, Zoom cooperated with us so here we are!

                                         

Janna is working on a baby blanket with a simple stockinette stitch surrounded by Garter Stitch   borders so it will block out flat.

She already knitted the matching hat. This will make a cute car seat set.

Barbara K. also finished a baby blanket which is going in the mail soon. 

Annika made good progress on the hat she showed us two weeks ago. 

Lastly, I made a pair of fingerless mitts for myself because now that the days are getting cooler, I could use something to keep my hands warm on my walks. I feel silly wearing heavy gloves or mittens so these will look more appropriate until I gear up for really cold walks.

I need to get back to my Christmas knitting so I won’t feel pressured by the time the holidays come around. So until next week, keep those needles clicking!

 

Just the two of us

Annika and I were the only Chicks who could make it to Zoom tonight. We talked about her son who is learning to drive and applying to college. I remember how stressful that time of life was with my children. I can’t imagine how much more stress there is now, during a pandemic!

She started a hat so there isn’t much to see on the knitting front. And my knitting is a Christmas gift so I can’t show you. I feel like I’ve been knitting the same thing for months.

Maybe I’ll start something else just to break things up a bit.

Have a good week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Between the raindrops

Cinzia, Debbie, Maureen, and I managed to squeeze between the two hours of rain clouds blowing overhead. I guess Mother Nature knew we had important work to do.

Maureen's Easy Goes It Shawl/scarf looks beautiful in this lovely tonal blue fingering weight yarn. Ravelry has the free pattern available in DK weight as well.

Debbie is using my favorite color to make a pair of fingerless mitts. She's using my favorite technique too...two at a time on magic loop.

Cinzia put down her knitting needles and took up her crochet hook to make something but she hasn't decided what yet. :)

I'm making a baby alpaca scarf for my Christmas inventory and...

a pair of socks with no heel. The spiral stitching creates a bias fabric which fits the bumps and angles of the foot without having to knit a short row heel. The video link brings you to a tutorial which makes one at a time on double pointed needles but I like getting both socks done at once so I am working magic loop technique.

 The last couple of days felt like the last hurrah of summer but the breezes which are bringing the rain will definitely bring the cooler temps of autumn. This is the first year that I will not be attending any fiber festivals because of COVID19 so I'll be missing the beautiful colors in the trees on the drive to Washington County Fairgrounds or Rhinebeck. I will enjoy the ones in my own neighborhood though. Every time I see the fiery red burning bush at the corner I imagine how beautiful it would be as a yarn. I'll have to dive through  my stash for some of those colors for my next project. So enjoy your fall weather and keep those needles clicking!

Inside knitting as opposed to river knitting

Since it was too cold to sit on my front lawn or knit by the river, we have returned, once again, to Zoom for our weekly meeting. Joining me are Maureen, Annika, and Janna. And thank goodness, everyone is smiling! I guess we weren't talking about current affairs yet. 

Janna has progressed to the last band of color on her baby blanket. Those pastel colors are stunning!

Maureen is starting a second version of this hat called Rudensk. It's free on Ravelry.

This is the first one she made for her granddaughter but it didn't fit so she's making another.

Annika's scarf for her son keeps getting longer. She has 10 rows of border at the end for which she needs to save yarn to finish it off. I think I remember reading somewhere that it takes 4 times the width of your row to knit the row so she will have an idea of how far she can knit the pattern before starting the border.

Janna and Annika learned knitting from a neighbor when they were 14 years old and this is the bear Janna made WITHOUT USING A PATTERN! He's adorable! It's nice to have a keepsake like him.

I am working on a tribute collar in memory of RBG. It's crocheted and while the first time I followed a pattern, I had to rip it out due to a major booboo! This time I'm winging it and sort of making it up as I go along and I'm much happier with the design. Just a few more rows and I'll be done. Then it goes for a bath and blocking and I can wear her when I go vote. 

That's all the news for this week. Stay well and keep those needles clicking.

 

Hybrid meeting

If schools can have hybrid meetings, so can the Chicks! Maureen and I met on my front lawn because we knew it would be too windy and cool at the Henry Hudson Park today. Unfortunately, no one else could make it so....

I scheduled a Zoom meeting for tonight so we could catch up with each other. Barbara, Maureen, and Annika joined for me a lovely 40 minute visit.

Since I was taking the screenshot I couldn't really show what I was knitting (a pair of spiral socks which do not require knitting a heel) but Annika showed her son's scarf. Barbara didn't have her knitting with her and I think Maureen was working on a gift and didn't want to spill the beans.

The days are winding down as are the temps, so we might not have too many more days outside. That won't keep us from our fiber arts though. I've started knitting Christmas gifts and have finished three so far. I'm not sure how many I'll be making altogether since I doubt I'll be shopping in stores this year. I have a substantial stash of yarn and will be "shopping" in my craft room. I'm sure some of you knitters and crocheters out there can relate. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!

 

HAPPY 15!!!

Yes! It's our 15th anniversary! Way back in 2005, I had an inkling of an idea to knit items to give to charity but I wasn't sure I could make a difference all by myself. I put flyers in my neighbors' mailboxes and talked to friends whom I knew to be crafty and here we are 15 years later, still meeting and knitting, and enjoying each other's company. There were many faces along the way and some who couldn't join us tonight. But I thank every one of them for making our group the success that it is. 

We gathered at the park again this week, masked and...

unmasked for a quick picture.

Thank you to all who have made our group so much fun and so productive. I couldn't have done this without each and every one of you.

KEEP THOSE NEEDLES CLICKING!

 

Zoom, zoom, zoom!

All my weather apps said there was a severe thunderstorm coming in the afternoon so I arranged for us to meet on Zoom. Wouldn’t you know it! We could have met at the river because it didn’t rain until 4 ish. Well, at least we got to see Dorah tonight. 

Annika is making a scarf for her son with yarn he picked out. It’s coming along nicely too.

And Janna finished her Emiliana scarf. It is stunning! 

 The summertime has left Dorah looking for her knitting mojo but I’m sure when the weather turns colder she’ll be back to the needles. We all need a break now and then. I’m using “Covid Times” to catch up on some personal knitting projects. When they are blocked I’ll show you what I’ve been up to. I’ve got to get back to my Christmas knitting. One can never start too early! Have a good week and keep those needles clicking!