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!