Weekly update

This week with the Chicks we caught up with each other’s family news and recipes.

 Barbara K. and her siblings gathered via “House Party” which I understand is another version of FaceTime or Zoom. She was challenged with the prospect of downsizing a cupcake recipe for 12 to enough for 1 since she didn’t want to be tempted to eat them all. 

Carole brought us up to date on her daughter’s growing belly full of twins.

Maureen is having fun providing day care for her 5 month old granddaughter.

Janna chauffeured her teenager daughter to a classmate’s house for a drive by sweet 16 birthday celebration parade. The friends arranged to meet in the high school parking lot and drove, parade style, through their friend’s neighborhood with horns blaring and balloons flying while the kids cheered through the sun roofs.

Dorah’s kitty, Dobby, made a guest appearance tonight by cuddling up to the ipad.

Debbie finished a hat and a pair of mittens for donation and Janna started a lovely star pattern Icelandic style hat for herself. She finished the body of a beautiful shawl for herself but put it aside for the time being as many, many stitches have to be picked up for a knitted border.

I am grateful for the technology that allows us to “visit” with each other each week during this time. It gives us something to look forward to every Tuesday evening. And I am grateful for Janna’s sister Annika and her tech experience for setting up our Zoom meetings each week.

Until next week, stay happy, stay healthy, stay home!

For your protection

I have a bag of sock yarn leftovers and thought I would try my hand at knitting some masks since I gave all my fabric to Barbara B. so she could sew masks to send to those who need them.

The original mask pattern is labeled as not being safe for filtering the COVID 19 virus.

I decided to redesign it by adding a second layer. I knitted a second mask and sewed it to the inside of the first one at the top and bottom edges. The sides were left open so I could slip coffee filters between the layers.

I also made a button band to connect the straps behind the head so they don’t irritate the ears.

I even did a sniff test by holding an open bottle of vinegar under our noses.

Even with my sharp sense of smell, I could barely detect the odor. These masks are to protect others in the rare case that we have to go out. So far, we’ve been lucky enough to have our groceries delivered. But we do get out for vigorous walks when the weather cooperates so we will wear the masks in case we encounter any neighbors. Please continue to stay home so we can defeat this invisible enemy. As knitters and crafters of all kinds, we should be overjoyed to know we have time on our hands to create to our hearts’ content! Stay well, stay busy, and keep those needles clicking!

Our weekly Zoom

The Chicks had our weekly Zoom meeting tonight. We talked about what new recipes we’ve tried and how far can a 14 pound turkey stretch for extra meals. And of course, what projects we are working on.

It’s good to see all their smiling faces!

Current projects

I started a cowl for myself with spring like colors to remind me that better days are coming. The yarn is from Cece’s Wool and More in Guilderland, NY, my second home away from home (although I haven’t been able to visit since the pandemic hit). The yarn on the left was a special dye from LolaBean to celebrate Cece’s first anniversary which was the day before all businesses deemed non-essential were closed. The color is “Happy Birthday to Ewe” in a fingering weight. The yarn on the right in that lovely chartreuse is also available at Cece’s Wool and More. It’s Sandnes Garn Silk Mohair and oh so very soft. I love the way it softens the colors of the fingering weight yarn. These together will become the Wheatland Bandana Cowl, a very easy pattern which starts out flat and then is joined to knit in the round. I almost forgot to change my needle size when I switched from flat knitting to circular.

 When knitting flat stockinette stitch, knit stitches are always tighter than purl stitches. It’s just the nature of the beast. So when you join to knit in the round you are now knitting every row for stockinette which creates a smaller stitch and sometimes leaves a line of demarcation at the transition. In order to keep the stockinette stitch uniform in size, you should go up one in your needle size. I switched from a size 6 to 7 for a uniform stitch size.

Then I was inspired to warp my loom after a few weeks away from weaving. I purchased this beautiful colored yarn on a weekend trip to Staten Island for a family gathering. It’s from Schachenmayr Fashion Tahiti. The cotton/poly blend is a light fingering weight yarn and I love the way the colors are blending.

Being married to an extrovert is a lesson in patience so, I’m hanging in there as I isolate myself from both the outside world and sometimes inside too. We introverts were designed for this! And I am fully prepared with enough yarn for a long time although for the sanity of the rest of the world, I pray for the return of good health worldwide. Stay well, stay inside, and keep those needles clicking!

Free patterns for a limited time

The Freezia Cardigan by Anne B. Hanssen is being offered for free on Ravelry as is...

The Cable and Lace pattern blanket by Irina Smith with code HAPPYKNITTING

But hurry to get them now because they won’t always be free.

I hope you are coping well during this time of isolation. 

At least we all have a stash of yarn to keep us busy.