The weather is lovely today

It was so nice in fact, that we were talking about farm shares and visits to the farmers' markets for fresh veggies. The subject of how our own gardens would produce enough zucchini to supply a small village for a year led to Barbara B telling the story about never leaving your car unlocked at the office lot for fear someone would load unwanted zucchini into the back seat. She actually left some in a friend's car only to find out it wasn't actually the friend's car, it only looked similar! LOL!

Speaking of Barbara B, her baked treat this week was Honey Spiced Sourdough Bread with pecans. Yummy! That was another reason we were on the subject of zucchini and how it was the only way some of us were able to get vegetables into our children when they were little ones...until they discovered green stuff in their "cake". ;)

With all the talk about food, Fozzie thought he was getting some too. 

Sorry Fozz! Kitties can't have cake.

Dorah completed the LOSY Hat she has been working on these past few weeks. 

The colors are perfect together!

Barbara B finished a Look Out Winter! Hat with a nice self striping yarn to add interest.

She also completed a Cable All the Way Hat by Lisa Overby, with a lovely cable accent down one side.

I'm having a slump with my knitting so a simple 2x2 ribbed hat is all I can handle right now.

 Startitis will hit when the weather gets warmer.

Carole started a bias scarf but didn't like the narrow width so she frogged it and started over with a few more stitches for extra width.

The yarn is one of those that reproduces when no one is looking. But it's pretty so she doesn't mind.

Dorah is starting a Helix Hat with these three colors. We discussed her next project to use up some of the scraps of sock yarn she has so she might be making a Musselburgh Hat or Equinox Hat next.

Barbara B started a Mountain Snowcap Hat, a free pattern on Ravelry.

I think I'll go search through my stash to see if I get inspired to make something other than 2x2 ribbing. Or maybe I just need a nap. LOL! Anyway, have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The last fiber festival of the year and April Fool! Or should I say November Fool?

Dorah, Barbara B, and I attended the Fiber Festival of New England two days ago. This is our favorite since it is held indoors at the Mallory Complex of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA so we don't have to deal with bad weather or the huge crowds of the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. My favorite expression is from Yogi Berra who said, "It's so crowded that no one goes anymore." I know what he meant and I agree. The attendance at the New England festival is a decent size which allows you to get close to the fun without getting stepped on.

And while we were there we had to thank our fiber friends for their contribution to our obsession I mean, our hobby. I just love those cute alpaca faces!

Barbara B's homemade treat this week was this delicious Nutella Sourdough Star Bread. The bread is a brioche recipe with a hint of sweetness and a light, fluffy texture. You can find the technique for folding it on YouTube here.

The reason I said November Fool! was because last week I honestly thought we wouldn't be having deck knitting anymore this year. And yet, here we are with a 70 degree sunny day and lovely breezes.

It was so nice even Fozzie decided to come out and get a breath of fresh air. At least that's what I've decided. It could have been that he heard the word "food" and thought we had something for him.

I've reached the decreasing portion on the Look Out! Winter Hat so it won't be 

long now to the finish line.

I sent the Chicks the link to a free pattern I saw over the weekend and Nancy jumped right on it and started the Foliage hat. It was free for a limited time but now it's a paid pattern. She didn't have the appropriate yarn for it in her stash and HAD to buy some. She couldn't decide between two colors so she got both! That's what I would do! 😉

This is the yarn Barbara B bought at the festival on Sunday which was accompanied by the pattern for the Sunset Bridge Shawl.

 The pretty yarn colors are reminiscent of the desert of the American Southwest.

Dorah made progress on her Mistake Stitch Scarf and has more yarn to make another.

Maureen's Totally Biased Infinity Scarf will be knitted to twice this length so it can be wrapped twice around the neck.

 If I recall, the pattern explains how to knit this in any weight yarn and your desired width.

Jan started the Reverb Shawl with a pretty variegated yarn. It begins with a garter tab cast on to create a neat continuous garter edging along the neckline.

Dorah completed the tweed hat she has been knitting these past few weeks. The white yarn has a slightly tan variation to it that creates depth to the fabric colors.

I'm going to spend a little more time on the deck now before the sun goes down and it gets too chilly. Enjoy the week and keep those needles clicking!

Looks like indoor knitting for the rest of the season

The ten of us have been named laugh buddies by Dorah. She remembered a book she read in the past by a nun, Sister Smollin, who recommended the importance of  having friends with whom you could share laughter to keep a healthy outlook on life. It seems every Tuesday afternoon at some point dissolves into gales of laughter and heaven knows we sure could use some light in our days.

And chocolate! There's always a need for chocolate! Today's treat ala Barbara B was sourdough chocolate chunk pumpkin bread. It was moist and light and that chocolate hit all the right notes!

Barbara K declared this to be the Scarf That Never Ends aka Mistake Stitch Scarf. Oh great! Now I have that kids song stuck in my head. LOL! 

Barbara B is halfway through the crown of another Hat of a Cat hat. I think she said she's making a bunch for Christmas gifts.

Dorah brought us her Gryer Shawl which she's making for herself. These two yarns look so pretty together and there will be a third yarn which is a white base with the purple and green "tweeded" (is that a word?) throughout.

Her donation project is made of two different sock weights held together to create a whole new look.

Jan made nice progress on her Simply Riveting Scarf which has a unique shape that drapes comfortably over the shoulders.

Margaret was admiring the Sunnyside Sweater Maureen made for a baby gift. We were very impressed because...

Maureen was able to make both sleeves match exactly where the color changes. She found the perfect little green buttons for it too.

I started the cuff of the Look Out! Winter Hat which is a variation of the 1898 hat which....

Margaret is knitting. The 1898 hat a double thick ear flap while the Look Out hat has a single layer.

Nancy is just casting on the Freya Baby Hat for her granddaughter. The pattern calls for it to be knitted flat with a sewn seam but we put our heads together so she could knit it in the round and save some time at the end.

Cinzia is back after a long vacation to Italy and Indonesia. She had a wonderful time but is still recovering from jet lag. She's working on a baby hat.

 

Maureen had a kerfuffle with her knitting. She was sailing along nicely when the yarn decided to break mid-stitch! She had to tink back a couple of rows to get to a spot where she could make a repair and continue. I'm sure it's happened to everyone at least once and it's just as bad as when the manufacturer decides to place a knot in the center of a skein. It's even worse when the yarn is variegated and they don't match the sequence of colors!

Carole worked on her bulky weight cowl using the pretty purple bulky weight yarn from our stash.

No sooner did I walk the Chicks to the door at the end of our gathering did I turn around to find Fozzie in one of his favorite spots. During the week I keep newspapers on the velvet chairs so he won't get his fur all over the seats. I just wasn't quick enough to cover them. LOL! 

But who could be angry with that face?

Well, my husband just brought home bbq ribs for dinner so I have to figure out what to serve with them. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Sort and Label Day

We are finally wrapping up this donation cycle of baby and Mommy clothes to be donated to the Alpha Pregnancy Center in Albany, NY.

Margaret and Carole took care of sorting the blankets.

Cinzia gathered all the two piece sets.

And we all attached the labels and laundering instructions. Most everything is knitted with machine washable fibers but there were a few hats and scarves that were hand wash only but they were for the Moms not the babies who tend to spit on everything! LOL!

I thought I had printed plenty of labels but we ran out so Barbara K pitched in to punch holes and distribute. It's a good thing when we run out of labels! Our inventory included 140 items, 50 baby hats, 5 blankets, 12 sweaters, 1 pair of mittens, 2 pairs of booties, 9 shawls and cowls, 1 dress, 1 vest, 1 adult hat and scarf set, 11 baby sweaters and hats sets, 15 adult hats, 1 blanket and hat set, and a big box of Pampers diapers.

After all that work we renewed our strength with some of Barbara B's Sourdough Linzer cookies with raspberry filling. Need I say Yummmm?!?!?!

Carole started a baby hat for our next cycle which will be for an organization in Schenectady, NY called Things of My Very Own. They provide crisis intervention services for children of all ages.

Carole used a yarn from Adriafil which is dyed to make a pattern as it's knitted. It saves a lot of time and effort and creates a nice fabric.

A popular pattern that is currently being sold on Ravelry is the Emotional Support Chicken. It is cleverly designed to make an almost life size chicken but I started thinking about how can I make a small version that would not require all the short rows and color changes that the larger chicken uses. TAA! DAA! Here is my modular square chicken in both knitted and crocheted version! It's just the right size for wee little hands too.

Barbara B is working on a baby blanket that starts at the center with a pin hole cast on, the same cast on I used for my chickens. 

This beautiful blanket is called Gluckskind and is free on Ravelry. It is comprised of a variety of stitches to make a lovely sampler.

Margaret cast on to make the Look Out Winter Hat. This is her second try as her first one was giving her issues with the ear flaps.

This is an easier version of the adult size 1898 Hat.

Nancy loved her first Reverb Shawl so much she has already started another one. Those soft colors blending into another are beautiful!

We are taking next week off to attend the 200th anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette's triumphant return to the US. We will return the following week so keep those needles clicking!