It's not raining today...

But the humidity and heat on the deck was just too much for a normal human being to tolerate so we stayed inside where it was cool. Fozzie made the rounds to check everyone's bag for contraband. Or maybe it was cookies. Yeah, most likely cookies.

And there were cookies just not the kind kitties can eat. Barbara B's treat today was sourdough strawberry cookies. I'm saving mine for an after dinner treat but I'm sure they were delicious by the sounds of satisfaction from Carole as she sampled one.

We have some FOs this week. Nancy completed her Leaded Lights Cowl which uses slipped stitches to achieve this lovely pattern.

Barbara B finished her Hot Springs Willow Hat with the wide faux cables. Like our favorite Benjamin Matthews hat patterns, Shelby Nichols designs interesting hats patterns that are well written and easy to follow.

She also took the yarn that Margaret gave her last week and finished another hat called Barley Hat from Tin Can Knits. 

Jan finished her cabled hat and had a skein and a half of this Irish yarn left which also went to Barbara B. So I suspect we'll see another of her hats next week. 

I completed the scarf from Susen Mehralieva's YouTube video. I used Plymouth Yarns Royal Bamboo yarn, one of the loveliest bamboo yarns. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued. The Chicks wanted to know how to knit this so I wrote a pattern for those who like to read what they're knitting as opposed to following the process on video. We talked about doing a KAL to test knit my write-up so keep an eye to the future for possibly more of these scarves.

I started another one this weekend for myself using Crystal Palace Mini Mochi yarn, my all time favorite for gradient colors. Sadly, it too has been discontinued.😢

Jan started the Loop Hat using a great denim blue colored yarn.

And as it turns out, Carole has the same pattern on her needles. She's a little further along and will probably be finished soon.

For my Falcon Boutique at Albany High School project, I started another ZickZack Scarf with an orphan skein of sock yarn. This is going to be a cowl with a provisional cast on (yellow yarn) so I can graft the live edges together into a big infinity scarf. I made one already with this yarn but it is smaller, more of a headband for keeping ears warm.

Margaret, who is always trying to convince us she's not an experienced or skilled knitter, has just designed another hat to use up small scraps of yarn! We laughed when she said, "It was easy, just do this and this" because that's what I always say and I get looks of doubt every single time. LOL!

Barbara B has just started an 1898 Hat. If you've never knitted one, it's fun because it has an out of the ordinary process. You knit the ear flaps and cuff first, fold it in half, pick up stitches from the edge, and knit the crown. Because 5" of the cuff is knitted by the time you start the crown, it makes it feel like the hat is flying off your needles and you're finished in no time!

Benjamin Matthews offered a brand new pattern for free for a limited time so we all grabbed a copy and Nancy is the first to start the Laguna Drift Beanie. The ribbing has a neat pronounced appearance because the knits stitches are knitted through the back loop giving it a twist.

That about wraps it up for this week. 

Hope you have a great week ahead and keep those needles clicking!

Working on baby clothes

We all look so serious.The truth is I was playing the "Lazy Cat Jazz" station on Spotify quietly in the background and everyone was feeling Zen. 

Then my husband roused us from our meditations long enough to catch everyone smiling.

Margaret needed reassurance that she was knitting her Helix Hat correctly so Carole offered assistance. For some undetermined reason, the point at which Margaret changes yarns makes a line on the right side of her work. Carole and I watched how she transitions from one color to another and she's doing it correctly so we're stumped as to why.

Here is another sweet little Helix Hat that flew off Margaret's knitting needles.

Carole and Nancy were comparing notes on their projects which used the same yarns. Nancy used the Sirdar Baby Yarn to make this adorable blanket while Carole used the same yarn for...

the Knit Baby Jacket Set, a free pattern on Ravelry. The live sleeve stitches are ready to be picked up and knitted. Carole is trying her best to continue the self patterning design on the sleeves so they match up with each other.

I have the sleeve stitches of The Top Down Raglan Child's Sweater on a 40" circular needle so I can knit both sleeves simultaneously using the magic loop method. I know both sleeves will match because I'm knitting any modifications at the same time for each sleeve and won't have to rely on notes or, better yet, memory to knit the second sleeve exactly like the first.

Jan started the same pattern today. This is her first ever sweater and a top down sweater at that! She's doing a great job and has already knitted the first buttonhole.

She chose a machine wash and dry acrylic in DK weight as per the pattern.

Annika's scarf is getting so long that I had to back up to get the whole picture. 

We thought it would be nice to make a few things for the mothers of the babies for whom we are knitting so they don't feel left out.

Janna's Someday Baby Blanket is a real labor of love. The non-traditional baby color is beautiful and the yarn gives great stitch definition to the pattern.

Nancy started the Maine Baby Hat which is a free pattern on Ravelry. It gives the information to knit the hat in several sizes and in multiple different weights of yarn. It's a great reference guide if you want to improvise.

She's using three lovely shades of baby alpaca yarn from Sandes Garn to make a Helix Hat too.

Margaret's next project is the Barley Hat from tincanknits. I've linked you to the DK weight version but there are also versions in worsted weight and sock or fingering weight yarns.

She is trying her hand at the Helix technique again. This time she is going to try this technique which is slightly different from the traditional technique. She might have better success with eliminating the wonky line in her knitting.

The Lazy Cat Jazz is still playing and I'm feeling sleepy. I think I'll look for Fozzie and see if he wants to nap with me. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Duck, Chick, Mouse

Freddie the Field Mouse came to visit today. Debbie made him for our current donation project to  Community Maternity Services. He is a chubby little critter which will make some munchkin very happy.

Barbara didn't want to have her blue top down sweater photographed again since it doesn't show much progress from week to week but she did show us her lovely cowl she made to go with her blue winter coat. Lovely! She said she wants to block it to firm up the wonky bound off edge.

Here we see Cinzia finishing up her scarf contribution. It's nice and long and warm! This week she'll weave in the loose ends and then into the inventory it goes.

We had a full house tonight. Everyone was busy with baby clothes and hats.

Beth finished her blue Flax sweater just before she ran out of yarn. That little ball there is all that is left.

She was showing us a sock she made using a new method of knitting the heel. It's too hard to describe but it was fascinating how the shaped heel and instep were knitted simultaneously.

Her donation project is a Barley hat. Such a cheerful yellow!

Margaret finished the hat I showed you last week and....

added another sweet little patterned hat too.

Dorah's sweater is showing more of the variegated chevron pattern now. At first she was unsure if she liked it but we all convinced her that with a little blocking it will look great. I guess I volunteered for the job. ;)

Carole's Sunnyside is really showing off those beautiful cables now. They run down each button band and along the raglan lines of the shoulders.

Maureen checked that ball of yarn that doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. We keep telling her the blanket is large enough but she wants to knit until there is no more yellow yarn. I feel you Maureen!

I knitted this cute little pixie hood in two days but let me tell you, it could have been a lot sooner if I could just follow directions! I started and frogged this thing five times. I knew it was something I was misinterpreting because I checked Ravelry for notes from other knitters and no one had the same problem I was experiencing. After numerous emails to the designer and a consultation with my knitting guru, Cinzia, the light bulb FINALLY went on in my head and I was able to finish it. I enjoyed it so much (once I figured out how to make it) that I cast on stitches to make another one right away. Check it out on Ravelry where you can see photos of it being worn. It's adorable.

Even though our Snowbird Liz is enjoying the warm climate of Florida, she had time to knit and send a few items to add to our collection. From top to bottom, a baby sac, a sweet toddler sweater, and two little infant vests. Wait til you see those buttons!

This chick is adorable!

And so is the duck!

I need to get back to my hood now. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Indian Summer

We have been experiencing the most beautiful Indian Summer weather here in the Capital District of New York. Sunday I decided to summon up the courage to go to the Walkway Over the Hudson which spans the river to connect Highland, NY to Poughkeepsie, NY. Looking north you can see the Catskill Mountains in the distance.

 To say I'm not a fan of heights would be a gross understatement but I reminded myself that trains used to travel over the span and it's not very narrow. So I put on my big girl panties and Ron and I thoroughly enjoyed our day trip. Behind him is the Mid Hudson Bridge looking south.

 We even rode the glass elevator to the park below on the Poughkeepsie riverfront.

 Just past the walkway is a children's museum and park.

 It was nice to see people using the park in view from the walkway. What a great way to get some exercise while enjoying the day.

 And the weather continued to be gorgeous today too. The afternoon ladies and I sat outside to knit. Elaine worked on her tweed cap and by 3PM it was finished.

Liz worked a bit on a fuzzy blanket for a friend's daughter who needed a security blanket.

The yarn is a soft, fuzzy fiber and will be so cuddly for a little one.

She also worked on her Barley hat. Whenever we use stripes it usually means we are afraid we're going to run out of yarn and need to extend for size.

Debbie started a pair of children mittens on four needles.

She's using a superwash merino so they'll be soft and warm.

Debbie added a sweet pair of booties to the inventory too.

My needles are busy making a circular baby blanket with Berroco Vintage in chunky weight. The pattern is based on a circular shawl which has me placing a YO at strategic points on the knit row and then purling straight through the next row.

Carole showed us a scarf she's knitting for her friend using Periwinkle Sheep yarn. The pattern is called Fuss Free Festival Shawl. She worked all evening on a top down baby sweater only to realize that the yarn didn't want to be this particular sweater. So she's going to frog it and work a different pattern for next week.

I forgot to take an updated photo of Dorah's Zoe hat but she added another couple of inches to what I showed you last week.

I hope you're enjoying the wonderful autumn weather. You might even get to knit outdoors before the snow falls.