Don't make a sound

As I tidied up the deck and scrubbed yellow pollen off all surfaces, I noticed a robin sitting on the fence with a worm in its mouth. Sure enough! The nest I had been watching was filled with three baby robins and the mama had arrived to feed them. But as soon as she saw me through the screen she took off leaving the babies stretching for food that wasn't there. I managed to get one clear photo and if you look closely at the nest, to the far right side, you'll see two pointy things facing upward. That's one of the babies with its mouth wide open begging for that worm. 

 It was so tranquil on the deck today. The afternoon group worked busily on hats, scarves, and cowls while listening to soft music and the gentle sounds of water falling. 

 And complaining about Time Warner, now called Spectrum, and how they always manage to fix a computer service problem which winds up costing more money! We have become so dependent on these computers that it puts a real crimp in our day when they don't work!

 We had a full house this evening with hats flying off needles everywhere!

 Dorah's hat was just being cast on.

 Margaret's hat was at about midway through.

 Beth worked on a second sock.

Then she showed us the darling sweater she is knitting for her grandson. It's adorable! And the buttons will be elephants too!

                            

Carole neared the end of her hat and by evening's end...

she was done. She has enough yarn left to make another one too.

Maureen's Cool Slips hat is just about halfway done too.

I would show you my project except I frogged it. I was working on two at a time mittens on magic loop and the whole while something kept nagging at me. There were gaps where the increases were supposed to be and gaps in the middle at the decreasing line. So about 3 inches into the cuffs I decided to listen to my gut and rip them out in favor of a new pattern. Maybe next week I will have decided what they really should be. In the meantime, I have plenty of other projects on needles to keep me occupied.

Keep those needles clicking!

UFO sighting!

I have a case of "Startitis". There's no fighting it. You just have to give in and cast on when it hits. It doesn't matter that I have other UFO's (unfinished objects) on needles. When inspiration hits, you must get started on a new project. I was inspired to make this man's scarf after seeing Staci Perry's newest Facebook post of the scarf she knitted using a lovely gray hand spun yarn. The pattern is from Stephanie Pearl McPhee of the Yarn Harlot fame. It's a one row pattern and very easy to memorize which is why I like it so much. The yarn is from Berroco, a blend of acrylic and nylon so it's very soft and machine washable and dryable.

 I'm still plugging away on the Miss Winkle scarf too.

 The colors are a pretty blend of golds and aquas. 

 And five more rows will finish off this cowl I started months ago. It doesn't look like much here because it needs a thorough blocking to even out the stitching. The merino fiber is very soft so it will be a cozy hug around someone's neck.

 Barbara brought us a bunch of FO's (finished objects). The lacy cap is really pretty in pink!

 This spiral cap came from one of those One Skein Wonders books. 

 Here it is again in a solid color. It's amazing how different a project can look just by changing the yarn.

 Cinzia brought us a surprise today. Sofia had a snow day off from school so she joined us.

 It was so good to see her and catch up on all her activities. And she was excited to be able to find the time to work on the baby sweater she started over the summer. Once school starts she doesn't have the time to knit.

 Since Barb finished all those hats she went stash diving and picked out a pretty variegated yarn for another hat.

 And Cinzia wove in the ends of her cowl so it could be added to the inventory.

 These hands belong to our new Chick, Margaret. She picked out some silk yarns to make a very soft chemo cap. 

 Now that tax season has begun Maureen added her last hat for a while. She'll be up to her ears in numbers and won't have time for much of anything else. This intricate looking pattern is called Hat #21 Cool Slips B, free on Ravelry. Maureen said it's very easy to knit, it just looks difficult. Those zig zag lines are formed with slipped stitches.

 Carole worked on her Joline knit hat and....

 finished it before evening's end.

 One more picture before I go. Barbara's granddaughter loved the hat and scarf she made for her. The teal is Berroco Vintage and the violet is Cascade 220. And the model is adorable!

That's all for this week. I need to make some of those UFO's turn into FO's so I better get going. 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!