Dodging raindrops

It was a bit cloudy today and threatening to rain so we moved from under the maples to on the deck.

Jan A. is enjoying the experience of making the Basket Weave Cowl using such a pretty, vibrant blue worsted weight yarn. The one round that has yarnovers between the "warp and weft" give the pattern the depth it needs to highlight the weave.

The Beloved Hat uses Aran weight yarn but you can substitute worsted weight and go up a needle size if it looks too small. I've used worsted weight with no change in needle size and it still fits an adult head according to the measurements.

Barbara K. is making one using worsted weight and the size looks just right.

Maureen is making slow progress on her Bankhead Hat because she finds it hard to knit in warm weather. I guess it does seem like a winter sport. ;)

Barbara B. is making this sweet cardigan.

It will be going to her grand-niece. It's a top-down pattern so you can see the sleeve stitches are being held aside until the body is finished. Then those stitches will be picked up and knitted to completion.

Barbara K. is so relieved to have finally finished her Hepsi's Cowl/neckwarmer.  It can be worn with the point in front or...

Turned to have the flat edge in front.

This adorable hat makes me think of gum drops, for some reason. The 2x2 ribbed hat practically flies off the needles and makes good tv knitting.

I'm working on a hat to match the cowl I made this weekend. When I can't sleep I watch YouTube videos of knitting stitches and this one appeared on my list. It was in a foreign language so I had to watch it multiple times to figure out the stitches. In addition, it was originally knitted flat so I had to convert it to knitting in the round. This will be a hat...

And here is the cowl. If you'd like the pattern, just ask and I'll send it. I named it Beach Pebbles Cowl.

                              

Just another project to keep those needles clicking!

It was a scorcher of a day

Thank goodness I have a two huge maple trees in my front yard. In spite of the temp reaching 89 degrees, the breezes through the leaves kept us comfortable. I'm not a big fan of summer so coming from me that's quite a statement! If I had my way, I'd live inside the Arctic Circle! LOL! I must have been a polar bear in a previous lifetime.

Jan A. like Barbara B's Exordium shawl so much, she hunted through her stash for two perfect yarns to combine for this shawl. Her stitch work is beautiful and tension so nice and even.

Cinzia arrived armed with FO's galore! She's modeling the scarf she knitted on size 15 needles using railroad or ladder yarn...that's the yarn made by connecting two fine strands of fiber with small ribbonlike pieces of fiber to make a novelty yarn that is very open and airy. It's not her favorite yarn to use but she couldn't let it go to waste.

She also completed this adorable baby dress with lace insets. And when it gets too short for a sweet cherub she can use it as a tunic over pants.

And lastly, Cinzia designed her own cowl pattern with a lovely diagonal lace motif.

Maureen continued to work on her Bankhead Hat. The tension in her knitting is just beautiful.

Barbara K. kept plugging along on her Hepsi's Neck Warmer with that pretty turquoise yarn. I think she plans to keep knitting until she uses up all the yarn. Getting close to the end of the ball of yarn, Barbara!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and in that time I've been trying to use up some superwash yarn that my daughter donated to the group. All of the next four projects are from the same dye lot of yarn but because of the different locations in which they were photographed, they look like completely different colors. This basket weave cowl is a pattern I designed when I was inspired by another pattern for a shawl.

Every baby needs a teddy bear hat, right?

And this Hannah Hals Neck Warmer is from a pattern for a child's size but I sized it up for an adult.

And finally, the Pixie Throwback Hood was for Maureen's new grandson who is only 3 weeks old. The mittens are thumbless and connected with a cord to go through the jacket sleeves.

It's supposed to rain here tomorrow so the temps will come back to a bearable state for the next few days...just in time for me to do some painting of deck railings. I put the first coat on this afternoon so now I'm going to veg out in the AC with my knitting. Until next week...keep those needles clicking!

 

Outside again!

The Chicks and I had a lovely afternoon knit on my front lawn. I always loved seeing the dandelions sprouting from the grass. It's a sure sign of better things to come.

We started out sitting on the sunny side of the lawn. But soon had to move to a slightly shadier spot.

Barbara B. had a show and tell to proudly display. Her 11 year old granddaughter wanted to learn how to sew so Barbara showed her the basics, her parents bought her a sewing machine, and she watched YouTube videos to learn how to make her Nana a project bag!

She even completely lined the bag! That kid's got talent!!! Watch out world! There's another seamstress on the horizon!

Barbara B. worked on a shawl using LolaBean yarn. This yarn is heaven to work with and the color choices are beautiful.

The pattern is called Exordium and was free on Ravelry for a short time. Now you have to pay for the pattern. She and I were lucky enough to have seen it when is was available free of charge.

Jan A. worked on a baby blanket. It's working up quickly because she is holding two strands of yarn together to make a bulky weight, using Caron yarn for its machine wash-ability.

Maureen worked on a hat and...

Barbara K. worked on a Hepsi's cowl. The yarn came from our donated stash. Such a pretty color.

I added some length to a Hannah Hals cowl for a child. It starts out with two triangles which are sewn together along the long edge, leaving the center stitches live for picking up to knit a turtleneck collar.

Carole arrived a bit late so we let her have her coffee and decompress before she picked up her knitting.

She finished her Easy scarf. It's a paid pattern from Martina Behm.

The way the colors change direction is a real mind bender but Carole said it's easy to make.

Now she's picked up the Bankhead Hat using Manos del Uraguay yarn which is as soft as a cloud!

I'm hoping that spring is here to stay so we can continue to meet outdoors. Gotta keep those needles clicking, you know!

Keep those needles clicking!

I needed a quick knit to slip in between my WIP’s that are taking too long to finish. You know, something to make me feel productive. This neck warmer was a perfect fit. Made with the magic loop method, it took a week to complete only because I was working on other projects too.

I used about 200 yards of worsted weight yarn and a size 6 needle .

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hepsis-neck-warmer 

It’s a great stash busting pattern and very easy, something to keep your needles clicking!