How many more deck days?

The Chicks and I had a relaxing afternoon on the deck. It was almost 80 degrees and we were all wondering when the autumn weather would arrive. I, for one, love being able to wear my flip flops but would appreciate it if Mother Nature turned the temp down a bit.

 Barbara B made a brown butter pumpkin spice sourdough coffee cake that hit the spot today. 

  

I was visiting my grandson at college this weekend and missed the garage sale of yarns. But Barbara B and Dorah went and picked out some yarns for my stash. These gold and burgundy yarns will become a hat for my Ursinus College Bear grandson so he can proudly wear his school colors around campus.

And Barbara couldn't resist picking out these two for me. Does she know me or what?!?!

Dorah bought a bag filled with yarns for the Chicks to share for all kinds of projects but mostly some colors that would be appropriate for men's hats. 

Margaret found a bag of three nice Valley Yarns in her favorite, bulky weight.

Barbara B showed us what she bought for her personal stash and we all swooned over the beautiful colors and good quality yarns.

Dorah finished her Helix Hat for our inventory.

Then she dove into her WIPs and found the Prime Number Shawl which has ever increasing spaces between the pink bands in, wait for it, prime number order.

She also found this adorable baby sweater but couldn't figure out where she left off in the pattern.

After counting the number of stitches on the needle, between the two of us, we were able to have her pick up where she left off. The Toybox Candy Cardigan from Plymouth Yarn is the pattern and she might even have enough yarn left to make a matching hat.

I had to put the Phazelia Mitered Baby Jacket in time out because I was making too many stupid mistakes. I must have been tired because I've knitted this sweater three times before so I know it's not the pattern's fault. I picked up a simple scarf which I wrote from a YouTube video. Can you believe it?!?! I had to frog back 7 rows on this too! I think I need a nap. I'm back on track now.

Over the weekend when I was having so many issues with the baby sweater, I told Barbara B I probably should have my knitting license revoked. She asked where she could get her license so I made one for her! LOL! Her On the Spice Market Shawl is coming along quickly. This is the shawl kit she bought at the Whole Knit n' Caboodle studio sale two weeks ago.

Tina was intrigued by the brioche stitch so she's trying her hand at a brioche hat knitted in the round.

Margaret picked out the Golden Pear hat pattern for her current project. It's a freebie on Ravelry.

She had this much when we started at 1pm...

And by 3pm she was this far along. It is a Fair Isle pattern and real sweet.

Nancy had planned on knitting this hat but realized she wasn't going to have enough yarn so...

It's going to be a Helix Hat! They are always fun to knit!

Maureen was away all week filling in for daycare with her grandchildren so she didn't have much opportunity to knit. She was pulling into her driveway just as I was putting up the sign for the Chicks. She hurriedly put down her stuff and ran across the street to join us (Maureen lives right across from me). This is the Teddy Bear hat she started last week.

It looks like the nice weather will continue throughout the week so I'll be taking walks in between my knitting sessions. The cold weather will be here soon enough so I better take advantage while I can. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

A delightful day on the deck

Nancy, Maureen, Barbara B, and Margaret joined me for a delightfully breezy afternoon on the deck. Topics of conversation included pickleball pet peeves, who likes to do laundry (yes, some of these ladies actually enjoy it), who likes to cook and who doesn't, and pets. Fozzie came out to visit for a couple of seconds but disappeared again after he discovered no one was going to give him treats. 

Where's Dorah when you need her?!?!

It is quite obvious that Barbara B is one of those who likes to cook as evidenced by her wonderful contributions each week. 

This week we had sourdough oatmeal quick bread which was heavy and dense with flavor.

Maureen started a hat for her grandson who outgrew his previous teddy bear hat and wants another one.

Barbara and I attended the Whole Knit n' Caboodle studio sale last week and came away with some goodies. She fell in love with a kit that Terri assembled with all she needs to knit 

On the Spice Market Shawl.

The kit contains all the colors in the required amounts to knit the shawl so there is no waste.

I restrained myself to three skeins, two taupey beige colors to knit men's hats and this lovely light aqua on the right to go with the deep teal which was a gift and has been begging me for a friend. I'm thinking of knitting the "I Am Not Who You Think I Am" cowl 

but will have to find out if the yarn agrees with me.

Margaret worked on her Helix Hat. She said somewhere along the way she dropped one of the colors and cannot retrieve it so she's just going with the flow. Design element!

Nancy started this Dotty Cowl with...

two very pretty autumn colors.

She completed her Chevron Rib beanie and made it a little shorter as per Barbara B's suggestion.

Nancy also visited Terri's studio sale and came away with two lovely fall colored yarns. She's waiting for them to tell her what they want to be.

I'm still plugging away at the Phazelia Mitered Baby jacket. Just 10 more increased stitches to go before I can move on to the next step, sleeves.

Oh, I forgot to tell you Margaret attended the studio sale too and bought this lovely variegated yarn to make a little sweater for her grandson. Terri does such a great job dying her yarns. I always find something to love!

"Someone" is trying to convince me it's close enough to dinner time to refill his dish but sorry Fozzie, you'll have to wait until 5PM just like the rest of us.

It's only another 45 minutes from now. He won't waste away ;). 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Delivery Day to The Falcon Boutique

If you have access to cbs6 Albany news (Local knitting group donates 144 items to Albany High School's Falcon Boutique) you will be able to see tonight's story about our delivery to The Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. Dorah (in pink, second in from left), Barbara B and Tina (last two on the right) joined me this morning to be warmly greeted by school staff. We were very impressed with the set up and variety of items being offered.

The store is managed by the students, assisted by special education students, to serve 1,958 who are economically disadvantaged which accounts for 71% of the student body total of 2,675. The boutique operates from 3:30-5pm Monday through Thursday and 3:30-4:30pm on Friday. It provides free clothing, snacks, and merchandise to the students and their families. 

There were prom gowns for as far as the eye could see...

and clothing for any occasion or need around the perimeter of the store. There is a link below to the school's web page describing our visit today.

Knit with care: a heartfelt donation for the Falcon Boutique | Albany High School

After a stop for lunch, Maureen, Nancy, Margaret, and Jan joined the three of us for our regularly scheduled meeting. Our next project is for the organization Moms Start Here. We will be knitting baby clothes and some pretty things for the new mothers to show our support for them too. We've all been there and know how nice it is to be seen and appreciated so we felt it was important to include the new moms in our knitting.

My needles are clicking away at the Phazelia Mitered Baby Jacket, a modularly knitted cardigan with I-cord edging. It seems to be taking forever but it will be worth it when completed.

Tina is using a yummy brown yarn to knit the Slips and Ladders Beanie 

by our favorite hat designer, Benjamin Matthews.

Barbara B finished the Chevron Rib Beanie which she is making as a gift for a family member.

Currently on her needles is the Crosscut Beanie, another Benjamin Matthews pattern. She said once you establish the pattern, you're safe to knit in a social gathering.

Jan is working on the Beach Colors Baby Blanket which uses a slow changing gradient yarn to make a colorful, ever changing patterned blanket.

Margaret found a mistake in the directions for her Mt. Airy Trail Hat so we wrote to the designer and she got right back to us, thanking us for catching the error. It is corrected now if you want to buy the pattern for your own use. By 3pm, the hat was finished but I didn't get a chance to take another picture.

Scarves take a long time to knit and Maureen is afraid you'll get bored seeing the same thing each week. But I think it's important to point out that little elves don't whip up an item overnight. I truly appreciate the time and effort my Chicks put into each and every project they make. Here is her Reversible Stripes Scarf with the magic stripes that are horizontal on one side and vertical on the other.

Nancy was inspired by Barbara B's Chevron Rib Beanie so she is making one also. Because it is an intricate pattern, Barbara asked Nancy if she is using a lifeline. It just so happens that her interchangeable needles have the little hole through which you can run spare yarn through the stitches as they are knitted which automatically puts them on the lifeline! So we all learned a new tip today!

Thank you again to my Chicks, Maureen, Nancy, Margaret, Jan, Barbara B, Barbara K, Tina, Cinzia, Carole, and Dorah for all your hard work and dedication to helping others. I always say, I couldn't do it without all of you!

 Don't forget to tune in to the cbs6 news tonight to catch our story. 

Until next time, keep those needles clicking!

 

The Chicks were mentioned on our local news station

 We made CBS6 news report this morning!

https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/knitting-group-donates-144-items-to-albany-high-schools-falcon-boutique

It's time to attach labels

Today was the day we sort and label all the items we knitted for the Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. We've gathered quite a collection since we started knitting this cycle in late December 2024.

The Chicks were busy knitting 92 hats, 16 cowls, 

11 scarves and shawls, 15 headband/ear warmers,

and 6 sets of hats with matching mittens or cowl or scarf. The grand total of the collection is 144. You might think that's a mistake but we count individual items in the sets, so 2 mittens and a scarf and cowl bring the total up. I used to count pairs of items as one but it's twice the work so I decided to give credit where credit is due! My Chicks work hard and I appreciate it!!!

After all that counting we were rewarded with Barbara's Sourdough Apple Cider Donut Quickbread that tasted exactly like Indian Ladder Farms  (a local apple orchard) apple cider donuts! They are my absolute favorite in donuts. None other can compare so it's saying a lot about Barb's quickbread. 😉

                            

The next recipient for our hand made goodies is Moms Start Here of Albany, NY, an organization that supports families on their parenting journey. My project is the Phazelia Mitered Baby Jacket. It has been many years since I knitted one of these adorable sweaters and I'm happy to bring it back into my repertoire.

Jan started the Horizon Hat with it's varied stripes. We got to talking about spacing of stripes which led us into a conversation about the Fibonacci Sequence and how it appears in nature.

Mother Nature is the greatest designer and I happened to have a succulent which shows the Fibonacci Sequence. It is also visible in the seed head of a sunflower. That symmetrical patterning is pleasing to the eye. Look it up! It's fascinating!

Anyway, to get back to knitting...Jan started the first stripe in her Horizon Hat. It will be pink and lavender.

Margaret started the Mt. Airy Trail Hat with a pretty red yarn with a soft feel. She also had a quick course in how to use Ravelry. Many people use it just for a pattern search but it can be so much more. I like to keep detailed notes on my projects so I can refer back to them if I want to repeat a project and need to know if I made modifications. 

Barbara B is knitting a hat for her daughter based on a photograph she was sent. The Chevron Rib Beanie is the closest she could find to the photograph.

And it's a free pattern too! Barbara said it is not a difficult pattern to knit and judging that she was knitting and talking this afternoon, I would have to believe her. By the way, that light blue line going through the stitching is a lifeline so if there's a mistake, Barbara can frog back to the last row that she knows is correct. Whoever thought of lifelines is a genius!

Nancy worked on her Bright Side Shawl, the pattern that uses a specifically dyed yarn so the little blips of color hit randomly across the fabric. This is also a freebie on Ravelry.

Tina's One Chevron Scrap Cowl had grown since we last saw it. It uses fingering weight yarn and starts with a provisional cast on which is later grafted to the final row making this an infinity ring.

Next Tuesday will be delivery day. I'll see if I can get some photos to show you the Boutique. Until then, have a great week and keep those needles clicking!