We're back inside

The cold air hit this morning so we had to knit inside today. Janna bought some gorgeous yarns at a trunk show last week so she stood in the background on the right, winding them into balls so she could start knitting them.

Jan A. brought her finished 1898 hat and did a darn good job making it!

Margaret's turned out nice too!

Barbara B. wore her new lovely scarf that we saw her working on over the summer. I know it's a Lisa Hannes pattern but I need a sec to remember the name...Nope! It's a Dee O'Keefe pattern called Anisah.

But this is a Lisa Hannes up next on her needles called Quiet Journey.

It's going to be a beauty too!

Jan A. started The Age of Brass and Steam scarf and learned how to make a tab cast on with the help of Youtube. I can't state enough how wonderful it is to have video tutorials at the touch of a finger!

And here is her first shawl started all by herself and a little help from Youtube.

We're so happy Jan P. is back in the flock! She worked on her Irma hat and is nearing the finish line.

Barbara K. finished her first 1898 hat and is starting another.

And Janna has begun the decrease section on her 1898.

I could have been finished with mine had I not miscalculated the row count, causing me to frog back about 20 rows! I'm back on track and making the decreases now.

 It looks like all future get-togethers will be indoors for the rest of the season unless we get a freakishly warm day. All the more reason to keep those needles clicking!

What a gorgeous day for knitting on the deck!

We had a good crowd today and everyone brought their 1898 hats in various stages of completion.

I ran out of yarn with the one I was making so rather than frog the whole thing so close to the end, I decided to turn it into a ponytail hat. This is the second time this has happened. I'm thinking either some of the yarn was used from the skein or the label lied about how many yards it contained.

Barbara B. added 2 to our inventory.

Dorah started the day finishing up the ear band and performed a three needle bind off to make...

A completed ear band from which she picked up stitches to knit the crown of the hat.

Jan A. made good progress on her hat too. She has great stitch definition and tension to her knitting. Did I mention she learned how to knit just before the pandemic hit?

Janna's hat shows how she is picking up the stitches from the edge using a crochet hook to make the task a bit easier.

And Barbara K. showed what the ear band looks like before it's folded.

Carole started from the provisional cast on.

And Margaret is almost finished with her ear band. 

I started a second one with more than enough yarn to finish it to the end. I don't want to have another pony tail hat!

Barbara B. started another hat today.

This one will look like the trees in autumn.

 If you like a quick and easy project, this is the hat to make because by the time you pick up the stitches for the crown, the hat is already half finished.

That's all for now. Enjoy the fall weather and keep those needles clicking!

There's a new Chick in the flock!

My neighbor, (Jan Abrams on the lower right) wanted to learn how to knit the 1898 hat so I asked if any other Chicks wanted to learn and we had enough to do a KAL. While she was here, I invited Jan to join us permanently and she said YES! She learned how to knit a few years ago and now she'll be able to hone her skills while she has a good time laughing with us. Welcome to the flock Jan!

She dove right in and started the hat with a provisional cast on which will later be grafted to the other end to create the hat band from which stitches will be picked up to knit the crown. It's a great pattern for a warm hat which requires careful row counting to make your experience a positive one while knitting.

Everyone chose their favorite yarn from the pile or brought some from home.

And we got right to work!

Margaret used a bright, cheerful red worsted weight yarn. Since she's made a few before, she didn't hold back. She was off and running after the cast on.

Dorah sat beside me for positive reinforcement and she did a great job. The most confusing part of the pattern is making sure you remember to advance your counter or make a tic mark on your notes.

Barbara B. has her little clicker counter on her finger where she can't miss it.

Barbara K. made smooth progress with her hat. Love the nails Barbara!

Janna has the same clicker. It is a little electronic digital ring so you can't forget to advance it. Well, YOU CAN'T but I bet I CAN! ;) Her hat will be a pretty lilac color.

Maureen chose a pretty heather sage green yarn for her hat. By next week, if everyone has the time to knit, we should be able to attach the ends and then cast on for the crown.

I've knitted a whole bunch of these hats but I still don't have the pattern memorized. I don't trust my memory to have the correct row count so I rely on my trusty row counter.

Margaret couldn't make it last week so she brought her FO's today and they'll be saved for the next rotation of donations. The little face looking back at you is the top of a child's hat. So cute! And there are three 1898 hats in the collection!

 It looks like our outside knitting days are over for the season. I'm actually looking forward to the cooler temps because it means I get to wear my knits! I might even have a couple of new ones for the collection this year. Just a few more inches to knit on one of my scarves and I'll get to show you. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!