Kitties and Hedgehogs visit the Chicks

Two more kitties joined the happy menagerie of critters. I enjoy embroidering their little faces and watching their personalities bloom.

 The common cold hit too many of my Chicks this week, along with scheduling conflicts, so only three of the evening ladies were available to knit with me. 

 Margaret put the finishing touches on her Beans the cat. He needs a face and tail and then he will join the litter.

 Carole stuffed her hedgehog through his nose. She'll create his face at home where she has her special needles for embroidering through all the stuffing.

 Dorah started the decreases on her hat this week and thinks there might be enough yarn left for yet another small hat.

 The body of my hedgehog is finished and now I have to concentrate on his snout. I need to choose a color to go with the blue. Luckily, I have a bag filled with scraps of yarn that will yield a good selection.

 Margaret finished her hat of her own design. Beautiful job!

I think I've finished all my Christmas shopping so I can relax and knit until my heart's content.

Have a good week and happy knitting!

Winter has arrived!

I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! It was beautiful after Mother Nature dropped over 22 inches of the fluffy white stuff since Sunday afternoon. It was perfect weather for knitting and Netflixing. And now that my husband and I are retired, there was no rush to get out and clear it away. My Sweetie cleared it all away before the Chicks arrived this afternoon though.

 They were able to join me and the newest batch of critters which included cats, owls, teddy bear, penguin, and panda.

 The evening Chicks brought a trio of hedgehogs. They are so cute and it's nice to crochet a small project now and then. It makes you to use different hand muscles so you can avoid repetitive stress damage.

 Barbara K. started another Beans kitty. They are certainly a colorful menagerie. She laughed about this being the first time in a long time she has used double pointed needles for so many projects. It's nice to change up the styles of knitting every now and then. I think it's also good for your brain to have to think about new things now and then. Gotta stretch those brain cells!

 Debbie picked out an adorable little Red Riding Hood character for her next project.

 Here she is casting on for the very bottom of the figure.

 Janna finished another bear body and immediately cast on for a little police officer bear.

 My little guy hardly looked like anything this afternoon but by the evening session....

 he was looking more like he had ears. In case you're wondering, he's going to be another squishy kitty. He needs a face and tail which should be done by next week.

 Margaret's Tuesday night yoga class is finished so she is back with us. Her hat is almost finished. 

 And Carole started another hedgehog using a self striping yarn which is forming perfect little clusters of color. 

I think I'll pick up the crochet hook for my next critter and add another hedgehog to the collection.

Have a great week and keep those needles...or hooks... clicking!

Meet our new friends

This week's menagerie brightened our day! 

 There was standing room only this afternoon as everyone worked feverishly on their critters.

 Their small size make them easy to knit in a group setting and quick to finish.

 Jan's Teddy Bear is going to be fuzzy and cuddly.

 Barbara B. started another Owl Puff with a pretty turquoise yarn (my favorite color).

 Janna's two bears have the sweetest smiles. We think the one on the left should be named Jerry Garcia. LOL!

 I'm curious to see Elaine's Teddy Bear completed. It looks like he's wearing black trousers and a red sweater.

 Barbara B.'s hedgehog was completed quickly after all the confusion last week trying to interpret the instructions. And Debbie's kitty down front has a chubby body and long whiskers.

Barbara B. started a bumblebee this week. I think he will be adorable. 

 Debbie put the finishing touches on her skiing Teddy Bear. We all thought she gave him ski poles but they were her wooden needles.

 Officer Robbie was fun to make but those star badges were awfully hard to cut out of felt. If you have a better idea about making them, I'm open to ideas.

 I designed this furry friend using a tubular cast on for the top of his head which gave him folded ears like a Scottish Fold kitten.

 I'm not sure who made these slippers but they'll go into the inventory for a future donation.

 Carole and Dorah were my only Chicks tonight. Carole brought us two finished hedgehogs. They both have sleepy eyes.

 Here she is putting the legs on Henry the Bunny.

 Now he can stand and not fall over. He just needs his facial features.

 And Dorah started the stripes on her Helix hat which will be navy, white, and gray stripes.

We're having way too much fun with these animals. But isn't that what knitting is all about?!

Critters!

We have an official go-ahead for our next recipient. The Albany Police Department will distribute our hand made friends to children they might encounter in stressful situations. The critters are already growing in numbers. Winnie the Pooh down in front needs his facial features but everybody else has a face and now we have to work a back story for them. I thought it would be cute to put their names and something about them on their labels. For instance, Butch on the far left likes to play softball on the Little League team. His friend to the right is Heidi. She lives in the mountains and skis to school. This is going to be fun!

 Barbara K. started her "Owl Puff" this afternoon. His big eyes make him look curious.

 Barbara B. is making this cute little hedgehog.

 We were both stumped over the wording of the directions but I think we've figured them out. I'm sure she'll have it finished by next week.

 Dorah opted out of making critters and we do still need hats so her sock yarn hat will be added to the inventory for a later donation. I love this yarn!

 Margaret joined us tonight as she had a day off from yoga class for election day. She brought us a few FO's. This hat is a gorgeous teal tonal color.

 And her Helix hat looks almost like school colors.

 She had more of that yarn and decided to make up a hat as she knitted along. Great job! Margaret, you could make money writing and selling this pattern!

 Carole decided to crochet a hedgehog and will soon add his face using a bright green yarn.

Dorah planned her next hat will be this Helix hat.

It will look great in these colors. 

It's a great pattern for using up small amounts of yarn which are left over from larger projects.

I went to my last fiber festival of the season last Saturday and caved in and bought 3 skeins of beautiful yarns. I'm not sure what to make with them. They have to speak to me so it could be some time before they become wearable. But that's half the fun of knitting. 

Keep those needles clicking and I'll meet you back here next week!

Making prototypes and other woolies

Our next recipient has to present our toys to a committee to be approved so we Chicks are making some sample toys. Barbara B.'s teddy bear has one ear so far. He'll have the other by next week.

 My boy teddy bear is sporting a jaunty cabled jumper. The little girl beside him is not into body modification! She is just awaiting her nose and mouth.

 Elaine's teddy is going to have black trousers. I think she chose red for his sweater.

 Janna's teddy will be a bright fuschia with a colorful sweater made from the yarn she used for a hat and socks from the last donation.

 Carole's teddy will be dressed for the fall with leafy autumn colors.

 Jan forgot her tools for the toy knitting so she is catching up on a cowl. The yarn is soft with a nice fluffy halo.

 Dorah made some great progress on her hat. We think it's going to be a slouchy style because even though she's been decreasing stitches, it looks quite long.

 Maureen worked on the cowl that coordiates with her hat. The diagonal line of stitching adds just enough interest to keep it from being a boring knit.

 I crocheted a little hedgehog to add to the menagerie. He fits right in the palm of my hand.

 And here is the little miss with her curls peeking out from under her beret. I think I'll name her Collette. Don't you just love her little white socks and Mary Jane shoes!?!?

I'm hoping to set an appointment to get approval for the toys this week so we can cast on for more. I have some ideas floating around in my head for other variations too. I guess that means I won't be getting much sleep as the ideas materialize. 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!