Post Thanksgiving gathering

We have all recovered from eating too much turkey and too many desserts. What better way to celebrate than to eat another pie while we knit?!?! My dinner guests all decided to bring dessert so I had one apple pie left over for the Chicks.

That white tube in the foreground of the picture is a crocheted hood/cowl combo I found in a YouTube video. I'm writing the directions as I watch it. It's going quickly so it should be done by next week. But it takes a TON of yarn! It's a good thing I had five skeins of this white Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the stash.

Barbara B. found a "recipe" for magic loop, two at a time, toe up socks which require you to do some math for finding out size and number of stitches to cast on, etc. She got as far as the gusset and became so confused she has decided to rip back to before the short rows and make an afterthought heel. You know my motto, "If it's not fun don't do it!" Boy! Has that come back to haunt me a few times when I was still raising my family! LOL!

Carole decided to use up some small scraps of yarn to make a delightfully striped slouchy hat. Perfect for our recipients, Knit the Rainbow.

Dorah's Easy Scarf is coming along beautifully in spite of the fact that she hates knitting with such a fine lace weight yarn.

Margaret wanted to try her hand at the Flax Sweater in a child's size. Confident that she had enough yarn with the two skeins in her stash, she wasn't aware that the second skein was a different dye lot so now she has to go to Plan B. We all convinced her to make the sleeves and the bottom ribbing in a contrasting color since there's no guarantee that she would even be able to find another skein in the same dye lot to purchase.

Barbara B. put the socks in her project bag to work on a cute slouchy hat.

The Fresco Simply Slouchy hat is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Jan P. had a good bulky weight yarn suitable for her Squarshy Hat, also free on Ravelry. Just be forewarned, the pattern language is a bit ummm...spicy, shall we say.

Jan A. had this pattern next in her queue but she worked on...

her Bella Shawl today. This will be a beauty with a little blocking to enhance the lace.

And Cinzia worked on hers as well. With a gradient yarn, it has a whole different look.

Now for some FO's. I completed the knotted headband earwarmer, thanks to Barbara B's help. I was so befuddled by the directions for sewing the ends together that I couldn't figure out how it was going to work. But Barbara cleared it up for me.

Margaret made her 1898 hat using small amounts of yarn left over from other projects. It's good practice for not wasting yarn.

Dorah did the same with leftovers to make this lovely striped hat. The colors blend so well that you'd never know it was ends from other projects.

Dorah also added this infinity scarf to the inventory but I didn't catch the name of the pattern.

And we have another Helix Hat to add to the inventory too. This pattern is so fascinating to knit since the stripes never hit a jog where the colors change.

I had to show you something Cinzia crocheted for my other charity knitting group, The Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels, at our local library. She's going to share the pattern with us so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these adorable critters in the future.

                                          

That's all for this week. Stay warm, stay healthy, keep those needles clicking!

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Fozzie wanted to join me in wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. He kept a close eye on Jan A. and me while we worked on our projects.

Jan started working on a lace shawl but quickly realized it was more of a stay at home alone kind of project and opted to work on her hat instead.

I made some progress on the headband ear warmer I’m making to pair with a cowl which has already been completed. Since one side is ribbed and the other is garter stitch in the round, it naturally wants to fold in half to create a thick, warm layer. When it reaches the appropriate length, the short ends will be sewn together in a fold to create a knotted look. At least that’s what I’m hoping will happen.

 Here’s wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving and keep those needles clicking!

It's feeling like November

Today was the first day that felt like winter is coming. The sky is gray and the air is raw. But it was warm and busy in my kitchen as the Chicks knitted.

Barbara B. brought a couple of hats to add to our inventory. This one is "Ripples make Waves" which she has been working on for a few weeks.

And this is a slouchy hat for which she used a self striping yarn and added a jaunty pompom.

Barbara K. was making a Mistake Stitch Scarf but ran out of yarn to make it long enough to wrap around a neck so being the wise woman she is, she picked out a few stitches and made a 3 needle bind off to join the short ends and now she has a cowl!

She also added the Present Cowl which was made with a variegated yarn. The way it folds around the neck will make it a cozy accessory.

Jan A. completed two hats, this ribbed fuschia and ....

This adorable owl hat. If you know how to make cables, this will be a fun knit for you.

This is Barbara K. picking up those live stitches to complete the cowl shown above.

Jan A. used a self striping yarn to make this easy, two row repeat cowl.

She said it's a great car-knitting pattern because it's so easy. And it's free!

 I finished another Hepsi's Neckwarmer cowl using two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to make it meet the gauge requirements.

Now I have a tubular headband on my needles which is knitted in the round to make it thicker and warmer. When it reaches the length to fit around a head, the short ends will be twisted and sewn together to give it some flare.

Barbara B. decided to try her hand at TAAT magic loop socks. Today she learned how to cast on the figure 8 Judy's Magic Cast on to start the toe up socks. This method works if you are unsure that you have enough yarn to make a long cuff sock. You can knit both socks simultaneously until you run out.

Janna added more length to her Mistake Stitch Scarf. It's such a pretty purple!

I'm feeling inspired to make some socks but I need to finish some WIPs before I go stash diving for yarn. Until next week, (yes we'll be meeting Thanksgiving week) keep those needles clicking!

Labeling Day...again

It seems as though we just had a round of labeling and sorting. Oh wait! We did! It was when we delivered items to the South End Children's Cafe in October. Wow! We have been busy. 

This is the part of the job when we hold up items to try to guess who made it and what fiber was used so we can put a laundering instruction label on it.

Thankfully someone almost always remembers. This donation will go to Grassroots Givers, an organization that collects items to help those of the community in need. We have collected 84 items which include hats, cowls, mittens, scarves, dish cloths, a toddler dress, and a toddler sweater.

And we already have a head start on the new cycle which will go to "Knit the Rainbow", an organization founded in 2020 to help homeless LGBTQ youth in New York City survive the brutal winters.

Janna made progress on her Mistake Stitch Scarf since last week. She has a lovely wooden yarn bowl to keep that ball of yarn from walking away.

Even though it's not knitting, I had to show you this adorable cloth basket that Carole sewed as a baby gift for a friend's soon-to-arrive granddaughter. 

Jan P. took some yarn last week to make a Helix Hat and now she's hooked! Today she took more yarn to keep making these addictive hats.

Cinzia is also making a hat with an unusual design detail. The ribbing is pretty cool and so is the pattern.

Dorah started the "Baby, You're a Firework" Hat which used slipped stitches to make this cool design that shows up when you look down on the top of the hat.

Carole started a hat too but I can't remember the pattern. I have a good memory, it's just short. LOL!

Barbara B. made progress on her "Ripples Make Waves" hat, a freebie on Ravelry.

I'm trying to use up as much of the stash as possible so I took two strands of fingering weight baby alpaca yarn held together with a size 7 needle to make a Hepsi's Neck Warmer, also a freebie on Ravelry.

 I need to hurry up and finish this so I can cast on for one of those Firework hats. It looks like fun! So I'll say see you next week and keep those needles clicking!

The Chicks had a supervisor today

If you look closely at the red circle you can see my kitty, Fozzie, watching from the family room, or the mezzanine as we jokingly call it. He has gradually become more accustomed to the Chicks visiting every Tuesday. Sometimes he walks around the table to make sure everyone is on their toes. But he never touches our yarns. He's such a gentleman.

I brought all my donated yarn stash down to the dining room so the Chicks could go "shopping". Every now and then they need to see it. Otherwise out of sight, out of mind. And I have way more SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy) than any one person should have.😏

Barbara B. worked on a new project this week. This is her Letters from Russia, a pretty, lacy shawl in an asymmetrical triangle. She's using yarn from Kool Kolors dyed by my daughter.

Cinzia worked on her Glacier Cowl which is a freebie on Ravelry.

I didn't catch the name of this baby sweater that Maureen is making but it's adorable. It starts at the back bottom edge and is worked up and over the shoulders. Then the button bands are added to the front.

Jan continued working on her Squarshy Hat, the funny pattern with the naughty words.

Dorah picked out some yarn from the "shopping spree" to start a Helix Hat, using some Knitpicks Wool of the Andes yarn.

Barbara K. started another Mistake Stitch Scarf which is a great stash buster pattern.

Janna started the same scarf pattern which blends nicely with her finished Watchman's Cap.

Margaret is halfway through her 1898 hat and decided to make the crown in the helix technique. It doesn't show here but next week I'm sure she'll be far enough along to show it.

And I'm making the same hat only with a solid crown.

Last week I showed you Barbara B's Zomboni scarf in progress. During the week she blocked it and...

She brought it in to show us how lovely it is. The long edge looks like little picot loops but it's a design feature just from changing from garter stitch to stockinette stitch.

From top to bottom: Margaret finished her own design hat, Dorah finished the colorful hat, and there's Janna's finished cap again.

Jan P. completed her Reversible Stripes Scarf and the Turn a Square Hat to pair with it.

 We are well on our way to a good collection of items to donate to Grassroots Givers soon. 

Keep those needles clicking!