Time to take inventory

Today was the day we look through all the items that were painstakingly created over the last few months and try to remember the names of the patterns. Or what fiber we used. Or who made it! It's always fun to revisit a project after it has been completed and set aside for a new one. 

Included in our donation to Things of My Very Own are as follows:

3 Hat and scarf sets, 3 hat and sweater sets, 55 hats, 3 pairs of socks, 8 cowls, 8 baby and toddler sweaters, 4 scarves, 1 pair fingerless mitts, and 5 stuffed chicken toys. Our grand total is 90 items (100 if you count pairs as two separate items because it's twice the work). Great job Chicks!!!

We will make the drop off tomorrow then decide our next project recipient.

In the meantime, we are all casting on for new projects because, well, because we can! I don't know about the rest of you but I cannot let knitting needles sit idly by and not be working with my hands.

I started the Orchard Harvest Beanie, a really nice pattern designed by one of my current favorite designers, Benjamin Matthews. His patterns are well written and easy to follow. He releases his patterns for free for a limited time and then they must be purchased on Ravelry. If you join a Facebook page for Ravelry Free Patterns you could be one of the lucky ones who finds his patterns when they are still free.

Jan also just started a hat called Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend and it's a freebie!

Her color choice for the yarn is a good one for showing off the lacy diamond pattern.

Carole started the Squarshy Hat, another freebie designed for bulky weight yarn. See how nice the details show up in this color yarn. 

She is also working on a Mistake Stitch Cowl. I don't know if this is the exact pattern she is using but it's one of many on Ravelry.

Barbara K laughingly calls this The Scarf that Never Ends. It's a lovely fabric but it takes so long because of the small gauge needles and yarn. It's the Mistake Stitch Scarf FYI.

Nancy picked out two complimentary colors to make a cowl which she is finding a lot of fun to knit.

The Dotty Cowl is a colorwork project with so many color possibilities. And it's free!

Barbara B is getting beautiful stitch definition for her new hat.

The Spruski Hat uses a DK weight yarn and has nice design elements. It's a paid pattern on Ravelry.

And don't let me forget this week's delicious contribution, Barbara B's sourdough cinnamon buns! MMMM! I'm still licking my fingers!

Well, I need to prepare dinner and feed the always hungry Fozzie so 

have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

It's a good thing my head is attached!

We had a small group with mighty discussions today but as a result, my brain totally forgot to take pictures of what we were knitting. Oh well...

 I did get pictures of hats. Dorah made gifts for the people who supply her with good veggies and eggs. But did I get the names of the patterns? I think the one on the right is the Orchard Harvest Beanie by Benjamin Matthews. He sells his patterns on Ravelry and they are always well written and easy to understand. The blue one on the left...your guess is as good as mine.

I finished a beanie last night but I didn't use a pattern. After a while, hats just jump off the needles without any directions.

I did use a new to me technique though. I wanted to learn how to knit one row stripes with no jogs so I searched on YouTube and found this tutorial which made it very easy to knit. Grace O'Neill is the instructor and she has the most soothing voice and sweetest accent. I could listen to her all day.

But thank goodness I remembered to get a picture of today's snack! Barbara B. made sourdough thumbprint fig jam cookies. I may have taken a few extra off her hands so she doesn't have to eat them all herself. ;)

The Chicks will be taking a break next week to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here's hoping you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and maybe find a moment to keep those needles clicking.

Too cold for deck knitting

NOW the weather is too cold for deck knitting! It's a very windy 46 degrees out there so I opted to be cozy around the kitchen table. But if you look behind Barbara B and Maureen you can see my begonia thinks it is still summer. It's an explosion of bright red blossoms!

Barbara B's sourdough treat this week is a pleasantly spicy pumpkin bread, of which the texture and moisture are perfection!

Margaret is at the decreasing portion of her 1898 Hat. A little further on you'll see it completed.

Nancy had started the Foliage Hat last week but this acrylic/wool blend yarn had other plans. So it was frogged in favor of...

the Stretchy Swirl Beanie. She and I were lucky to get the pattern for free during an introductory offer but now it's a paid pattern.

Barbara B just started this scarf but had to write to the designer because she found an error in the pattern.

The designer got right on the case and updated the written pattern immediately. So if you search for the Stitch School Scarf now, it is correct.

I started my own version of an emotional support chicken which I designed using two knitted squares. If you'd like to knit one, follow these directions.

Used left over sock yarns, size 2 DP’s

CO 8 sts on 4 DP’s 

K 1 round 

Kfb of each st 

K1 round 

At each end of each needle kfb 

Alternate K a round with an increase round until desired size. Bind off. Knit two squares. Place wrong sides together and join 3 sides by sewing a seam or crochet together then add comb and beak and embroider eyes. Stuff then flatten tail end in opposite direction from the other 3 sides and seam shut.

crochet comb on top of head with SC, HDC, DC, HDC, SC, 3 times. 

beak is SC, DC, SC,then weave in ends

This one was made with 20 stitches on each one of the four needles for a total of 80 stitches around. She's just big enough to fit in the palm of a little one's hand.

Here is Margaret's 1898 Hat all ready to have the ends woven in and put into inventory.

Barbara K just started a striped hat with yarns that compliment each other beautifully. She plans on alternating two row bands of color to the top of the crown.

And Maureen's Totally Biased cowl has a new color added this week. I think her plan is to use up all the yarn so it will be long enough to wrap more than once around the neck. This is a good pattern for self striping yarns, gradients, or tonals.

You're all caught up for now. Be kind to yourself and others and have a great week. As always, keep those needles clicking!

The last fiber festival of the year and April Fool! Or should I say November Fool?

Dorah, Barbara B, and I attended the Fiber Festival of New England two days ago. This is our favorite since it is held indoors at the Mallory Complex of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA so we don't have to deal with bad weather or the huge crowds of the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. My favorite expression is from Yogi Berra who said, "It's so crowded that no one goes anymore." I know what he meant and I agree. The attendance at the New England festival is a decent size which allows you to get close to the fun without getting stepped on.

And while we were there we had to thank our fiber friends for their contribution to our obsession I mean, our hobby. I just love those cute alpaca faces!

Barbara B's homemade treat this week was this delicious Nutella Sourdough Star Bread. The bread is a brioche recipe with a hint of sweetness and a light, fluffy texture. You can find the technique for folding it on YouTube here.

The reason I said November Fool! was because last week I honestly thought we wouldn't be having deck knitting anymore this year. And yet, here we are with a 70 degree sunny day and lovely breezes.

It was so nice even Fozzie decided to come out and get a breath of fresh air. At least that's what I've decided. It could have been that he heard the word "food" and thought we had something for him.

I've reached the decreasing portion on the Look Out! Winter Hat so it won't be 

long now to the finish line.

I sent the Chicks the link to a free pattern I saw over the weekend and Nancy jumped right on it and started the Foliage hat. It was free for a limited time but now it's a paid pattern. She didn't have the appropriate yarn for it in her stash and HAD to buy some. She couldn't decide between two colors so she got both! That's what I would do! 😉

This is the yarn Barbara B bought at the festival on Sunday which was accompanied by the pattern for the Sunset Bridge Shawl.

 The pretty yarn colors are reminiscent of the desert of the American Southwest.

Dorah made progress on her Mistake Stitch Scarf and has more yarn to make another.

Maureen's Totally Biased Infinity Scarf will be knitted to twice this length so it can be wrapped twice around the neck.

 If I recall, the pattern explains how to knit this in any weight yarn and your desired width.

Jan started the Reverb Shawl with a pretty variegated yarn. It begins with a garter tab cast on to create a neat continuous garter edging along the neckline.

Dorah completed the tweed hat she has been knitting these past few weeks. The white yarn has a slightly tan variation to it that creates depth to the fabric colors.

I'm going to spend a little more time on the deck now before the sun goes down and it gets too chilly. Enjoy the week and keep those needles clicking!

Looks like indoor knitting for the rest of the season

The ten of us have been named laugh buddies by Dorah. She remembered a book she read in the past by a nun, Sister Smollin, who recommended the importance of  having friends with whom you could share laughter to keep a healthy outlook on life. It seems every Tuesday afternoon at some point dissolves into gales of laughter and heaven knows we sure could use some light in our days.

And chocolate! There's always a need for chocolate! Today's treat ala Barbara B was sourdough chocolate chunk pumpkin bread. It was moist and light and that chocolate hit all the right notes!

Barbara K declared this to be the Scarf That Never Ends aka Mistake Stitch Scarf. Oh great! Now I have that kids song stuck in my head. LOL! 

Barbara B is halfway through the crown of another Hat of a Cat hat. I think she said she's making a bunch for Christmas gifts.

Dorah brought us her Gryer Shawl which she's making for herself. These two yarns look so pretty together and there will be a third yarn which is a white base with the purple and green "tweeded" (is that a word?) throughout.

Her donation project is made of two different sock weights held together to create a whole new look.

Jan made nice progress on her Simply Riveting Scarf which has a unique shape that drapes comfortably over the shoulders.

Margaret was admiring the Sunnyside Sweater Maureen made for a baby gift. We were very impressed because...

Maureen was able to make both sleeves match exactly where the color changes. She found the perfect little green buttons for it too.

I started the cuff of the Look Out! Winter Hat which is a variation of the 1898 hat which....

Margaret is knitting. The 1898 hat a double thick ear flap while the Look Out hat has a single layer.

Nancy is just casting on the Freya Baby Hat for her granddaughter. The pattern calls for it to be knitted flat with a sewn seam but we put our heads together so she could knit it in the round and save some time at the end.

Cinzia is back after a long vacation to Italy and Indonesia. She had a wonderful time but is still recovering from jet lag. She's working on a baby hat.

 

Maureen had a kerfuffle with her knitting. She was sailing along nicely when the yarn decided to break mid-stitch! She had to tink back a couple of rows to get to a spot where she could make a repair and continue. I'm sure it's happened to everyone at least once and it's just as bad as when the manufacturer decides to place a knot in the center of a skein. It's even worse when the yarn is variegated and they don't match the sequence of colors!

Carole worked on her bulky weight cowl using the pretty purple bulky weight yarn from our stash.

No sooner did I walk the Chicks to the door at the end of our gathering did I turn around to find Fozzie in one of his favorite spots. During the week I keep newspapers on the velvet chairs so he won't get his fur all over the seats. I just wasn't quick enough to cover them. LOL! 

But who could be angry with that face?

Well, my husband just brought home bbq ribs for dinner so I have to figure out what to serve with them. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!