Janna is back!!!

There she is! Janna is the first on the left and we're so glad to have her back in the flock! She had knee replacement surgery in July and has been faithfully performing her physical therapy rehab. She said she had a little setback but is on track again and in less pain as every day goes by. And she can drive now, even though she has to use the new knee to operate the pedals. Keep up the good work Janna!

Barbara K. finished the Ex's and O's Hat for her granddaughter and has enough yarn to make another in the opposite color selection. You can tell she loves that little girl...she knitted with black yarn! LOL! 

A strong sign of true love!

I finished a basic slouchy beanie with some variegated-self striping yarn. It's good TV knitting with simple 2X2 ribbing and stockinette all the way to the top.

Margaret finished her Helix Hat using only two colors of yarn. There's a 2/1 striping sequence and thanks to the helix method of knitting, there is no jog at the end of each round knitted.

Jan finished a lovely gradient beanie which she said was a very easy pattern but not an easy yarn to use. It has a halo, that fuzzy stuff like mohair has, which made it difficult if she had to rip out stitches and work her way back in case of a mistake. The pattern was two rows of knit and a row of knit 2, purl 2, which were offset every repeat so the little blips in the fabric alternated position. It turned out to be a beautiful hat in spite of the fussy yarn.

Barbara K. is just approaching the decrease section on her Helix Hat so it should be finished soon.

And Janna is almost finished with her baby hat called...

First Winter. The free pattern is on Ravelry and includes 

a pattern to make matching mittens for a wee one.

Carole has markers set along the round of knitting to separate the pattern repeats 

of the hat she's making.

It's called Hot Springs Willow Hat which can be purchased through Ravelry.

Margaret just started another striped hat using these two yarns. When I asked her what pattern she was using she said she's making it up as she goes along. You know Margaret? That makes you a designer!

Speaking of making it up as you go along, here is a hat to go along with the In Threes Cowl I designed a few weeks ago. I wrote the pattern up with all good intentions to offer it for free on Ravelry but it took me two hours to navigate the computer nonsense to try to upload the pattern so I finally gave up. I posted the pattern on my Ravelry projects notes if you'd like to make one of your own.

Jan is using these two lovely yarns to make her Sleeping with the Zucchini Shawl.

It's going to be a beauty! She has discovered that she is enjoying knitting with the finer weight yarns, much to her surprise. 

They do make a lovely fabric when made with a slightly larger than suggested needle size.

My buddy is keeping me company while I write and as soon as he hears me move from the chair he'll be begging for food. 

So until next week, keep those needles clicking!

 

It's a deck day

Maureen and Carole survived their family vacations to Cape Cod and Bethany Beach. The families brought along the grandchildren so Maureen had a set of twins under one year old and three toddlers and Carole had three year old twins and her very pregnant daughter to juggle among the other adults who accompanied them. Carole said the undertow and waves at Bethany Beach were a challenge when the boys wanted to go swimming. Maureen had a pool at their Cape getaway, but it's still challenging when the parents of all these kids want to take a break too. Thankfully, everyone survived unscathed. But I'll bet Carole and Maureen would like another vacation to recover from the last one. LOL!

Barbara K. has come a long way on the hat she's making for her granddaughter. It's the Ex's and O's Hat on Ravelry and is a paid pattern. She needs bright lighting to knit that black yarn. You know the saying? If someone knits something for you with black yarn it means they REALLY love you!

Her project for donation is another Helix Hat. We told her they are addictive and she has fallen into the trap. It's a great stash busting project for left over scraps of yarn.

Maureen is making a Helix too. She just added the third color round.

And Margaret is making a Helix too! See! They are addictive! 

I'm starting the stockinette border on my In Threes Cowl which should be finished soon. I have 13 more rounds of stockinette to knit and then it has to be sewn into place.

Jan finished a lovely hat and cowl ensemble with a self patterning yarn.

And Barbara B. finished the Elis Cowl and blocked it to open up the Indian Cross Stitch lace. This is a freebie on Ravelry.

Carole took the design from the In Threes Cowl and turned it into a hat. Very nice!!!

And she completed her test knit of the same pattern which turned out beautifully. Now I need to find the fortitude to write it up so I can post it to Ravelry. Computers and I are not on speaking terms so it will be a challenge.

Carole also finished her Eyelet version of the Hitchhiker Shawl. She found the variation in the notes of another Ravelry knitter who decided to take the original Hitchhiker pattern and make it her own.

I finished the Waldkind and had some yarn left which I thought would be enough for a headband to match.

Not so much! It might fit a baby's head. Next time I'll use a larger quantity of yarn to be sure there is enough for a headband too. I used the Bouquet of Headbands as a guide but modified the pattern for I-cord edging.

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse so I'm going to finish and grab a snack.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

My cheeks hurt from laughing so much

Our topics of conversation today turned hilarious but unfortunately cannot be repeated delicately enough to tell you about them. Let's just say some of the conveniences that benefit our children would have made our lives so much easier if only they had been invented 40 years ago! Barbara B. really got us rolling with laughter when she said she couldn't wait to read the blog today to see how I was going to word it. I promise not to throw anyone under the bus but my face still hurts from laughing! Ahhh! It's nice to have friends to share a hearty laugh!

This week's episode starts with some FO's. Margaret did not run out of yarn on the hat she was knitting last week. She was down to a very small ball of yarn and wondered if it would make it to the end. Even if it didn't, there's always Plan B where you bind off early and leave a hole for the pony tail to fit through.

Dorah went stash diving and found this lovely hand dyed yarn that is so soft! It didn't have a label so we don't have the fiber content but it's like a silky cloud!

Barbara K. is hooked! We told her she would enjoy Helix Hat knitting and she agreed with the first of her Helix knitting using Cascade 220 leftovers. A few pictures down you'll see the second one she has already started.

Dorah blocked her Changing Staircases Shawl and it's ready for the inventory. It's a lovely shawl and she said an easy pattern to knit while watching TV or having a conversation.

I finished the Carol's Clever Little Shawl for myself in time to get some wear out of it over my summer sundresses. It took me about 8 days to complete and I love the tencel/wool fiber content for the way it drapes gracefully over my shoulders.

Currently, I'm working on two projects simultaneously. This is the 1898 Hat which I dropped the needle size down to a 6 to make it a bit smaller. The stitches become denser as a result so it will be totally windproof!

 

The second project is called Waldkind which translates to Kid of the Forest. It was a paid pattern on Ravelry and starts out in a very unconventional way. The pattern instructions have you pull off a length of yarn to completely knit the leaf from a provisional cast on and then the stitches are picked up to continue knitting the I-cord and scarf or shawl if you prefer. It ends with another I-cord and leaf at the opposite point. I estimated how much yarn to start with and ran out about 3/4 of the way through the leaf. Luckily, the yarn is alpaca and I could spit splice the other ball of yarn to finish the leaf.

Barbara B. is working on the Elis cowl which is a free pattern on Ravelry. The lace stitch is called Indian Cross stitch and will need to be blocked to reveal the beauty of the pattern. The yarn is such a pretty color and very soft to the touch.

Maureen added some length to her Close To You Shawl but needed to work on...

the baby gift she's making for a friend. 

She has one sleeve done, one to go on the Olive You Baby Sweater.

Margaret started another Helix Hat as well. It's a great pattern for stash busting those small balls of leftover yarns that are too much to just toss away.

And as promised, here is Barbara K's next Helix in the works already. 

Dorah couldn't find the name of the pattern for this shawl she started but it is knitted straight along one edge and increased on the other until you reach half of the ball of yarn used up and then the side is decreased down to the other point. She is using a Poems yarn that has a gradient effect.

The name of the pattern Jan is knitting made me LOL! It's called Sleeping with the Zucchini! It is an asymmetrical triangle with a lace border so it's easy but will hold the interest of the knitter making it.

My husband came home from serving his duties as a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador for the Capital District and bought dinner from the ribbon cutting celebration. The restaurant serves authentic Lebanese food and I can't wait to dig in. I'll let you know how it is next week but just the aromas tell me I'm going to love it.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

In again, Out again, In again

There was a pretty steady rainfall just before the Chicks arrived today that in addition to watering the lawn, brought a hefty percentage of humidity to the air. I thought it was a good move to stay indoors so we could enjoy the cool air. Dorah told us about her recent trip to DC to visit family and attend a Mets vs Orioles game. Cinzia's son texted her pictures of his view from atop Mount Fuji in real time where he is taking time from his teaching duties to enjoy the sights of Japan. Meanwhile, back here in reality, some of us can't make a phone call from the kitchen because of sketchy cell service! LOL! Barbara B. recently returned from a girls' only retreat to Lake George where she had a relaxing time. And Barbara K. has finalized her plans to cruise through the Panama Canal next month so she can check another box from her Bucket List. 

Me? I'm content to sit with Fozzie (my fat cat for those of you who don't know him) and knit until the cows come home. Currently on my needles is the 1898 Hat. I'm using a smaller than recommended size needle to make the hat fit a smaller head. Yarn is Patons Classic Wool for warmth.

Barbara B. is using the same denim yarn that she used on a sweater to make the Sunny Baby Blanket.

The yarn is called "Jeans" and is made by Lion Brand. She said it's a bit splitty but it is soft for an acrylic.

Jan is trying her hand at test knitting the In Threes Cowl I designed and finding out that her bamboo needles don't play nicely with her acrylic yarn. I let her borrow a pair of my metal needles so she could get more enjoyment out of the experience. 

Cinzia had started the same cowl but this yarn wasn't having any part of it! So she frogged it for a more cooperative pattern. Sometimes the yarn has a mind of its own! This is the lace from the Panopeia blouse she knitted right before this project.

Margaret has just reached the start of the decreasing portion of the crown of the hat she designed. She's going to wait until she gets home where conversation won't distract her and then she's going to try decreasing while keeping in pattern.

Dorah has some yarn left in the skein so she's going to continue working on her Changing Staircases Shawl until she runs out. She's almost there!

And Barbara K. has heard all of us rave about the Helix Hat knitting and decided to give it a try. She had all these odds and ends of yarn that were too small to make a whole project but too much to toss away so the best thing to make is a Helix Hat!

We are still knitting for the homeless women veterans of Saratoga County but we're looking ahead to what our next project should be. That time of the year when we do our yarn bombing is quickly approaching so we were thinking of collaborating with the Stitch Angels again and having a joint donation to hang outside in Albany, free for the taking. It's always fun to distribute the goodies and see the expressions on people's faces when they realize everything is free. It warms our hearts to give back to the community.

On that note, I better get back to my projects. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!