The Helix Hat addiction

We are still knitting for the Falcon Boutique, a pop up store located inside Albany High School where students can get whatever clothing they need for free. The students are the employees of the store where they are also learning life skills. We are knitting all kinds of items but this week the Helix Hat seems to be a very popular pattern.

Once you make a couple of these hats, the pattern becomes second nature and the variations are endless. I am working with superwash merino DK weight yarn and size 6 needles. As I have said many times, this is a great pattern for using up small amounts of yarn so it won't go to waste.

Nancy's version uses a worsted weight yarn. 

It's fun to include a self striping or patterning yarn with some solids.

And sometimes the colors don't seem to coordinate but as Dorah has proven here, it's like magic!

Maureen started with full skeins so she'll get more than one hat of the same color combo.

As you can see, one down and more to go!

Carole is working on a very colorful basic beanie using a bulky weight yarn.

At the same time, she is also working on a cowl which also uses bulky weight yarn.

She completed the Mistake Stitch Cowl which she has been knitting these past few weeks. The James C. Brett Marble yarn is remarkably soft for a machine wash and dry acrylic. And the colors are vibrant.

Margaret's needles are busy knitting a basic 1X1 ribbed hat on which she will place a pompom to finish it off.

And Barbara B is on the home stretch of the Gluckskind blanket for a friend's baby arriving soon.

Cinzia started a hat using her DPs. 

Dorah has a second hat going called LOSY Hat which stands for Leftover Sock Yarn hat. She uses up lots of left overs for this one since you hold multiple strands together at once.

Cinzia finished a lovely scarf for herself called Fagus. The edges are adorned with pretty knitted leaves.

And before I go, here is today's treat from Barbara B...sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies. 

They were perfectly chewy and moist!

She left a couple of extra with me for my husband to enjoy too. 

Well, I better get back to my Helix Hat, it isn't going to knit itself. Although, sometimes when I look at my stash, I wish it could!😄 Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Back in the saddle again!

The husband is recovering nicely from total knee replacement almost two weeks ago so it was time to get the Chicks back here. I miss my weekly visits with them! 

Apparently, so does this guy! Or maybe it was just that he was looking for his third lunch of the day. But I'm a "mean mom" as my little ones used to say when they couldn't get their way, and I made him wait.

One of the projects I'm working on is Hoodola by Laura Nelkin. It's a fairly new pattern which was initially offered for free but now it's a purchase pattern. It has an interesting method of construction and comes with links to video tutorials, thank goodness! Because the beginning had me a little stumped. Now that I'm past that point, it's smooth sailing and a really good TV knitting pattern.

Carole is using James C Brett Marble yarn to knit the Mistake Stitch Cowl. The colors in this yarn are lovely and even though it's acrylic fiber, it feels nice to the touch.

The link above is for a pattern on Ravelry but Carole wrote down her own version and just noticed that she wrote "Repeat rows 1 and 1" which should read "Repeat rows 1 and 2".

Barbara B is knitting a baby gift for a friend who is due this month. This is the Gluckskind Baby Blanket. It begins with a pinhole cast on in the center of the square and grows outward with a variety of easy stitch patterns.

Nancy is working on an Ombre Hat with the prettiest color combinations.

She has completed one already and has more coming down the line.

Barbara K put together some pretty yarns for a Helix Hat.

All the yarns chosen were left over from previous projects. Not a strand gets wasted!

And let me not forget to show you this week's treat from the kitchen of Barbara B, sourdough chocolate/chocolate chip cookies with a little sprinkle of flaky salt on top! They were a hit!

I hope you're keeping warm wherever you are but I find this weather perfect for walking, single digit temps, no wind, and bright sunshine. I wear appropriate gear to keep me warm but I do love the brisk cold air! Plus, I earn my knitting time without the guilt.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Time to take inventory

Today was the day we look through all the items that were painstakingly created over the last few months and try to remember the names of the patterns. Or what fiber we used. Or who made it! It's always fun to revisit a project after it has been completed and set aside for a new one. 

Included in our donation to Things of My Very Own are as follows:

3 Hat and scarf sets, 3 hat and sweater sets, 55 hats, 3 pairs of socks, 8 cowls, 8 baby and toddler sweaters, 4 scarves, 1 pair fingerless mitts, and 5 stuffed chicken toys. Our grand total is 90 items (100 if you count pairs as two separate items because it's twice the work). Great job Chicks!!!

We will make the drop off tomorrow then decide our next project recipient.

In the meantime, we are all casting on for new projects because, well, because we can! I don't know about the rest of you but I cannot let knitting needles sit idly by and not be working with my hands.

I started the Orchard Harvest Beanie, a really nice pattern designed by one of my current favorite designers, Benjamin Matthews. His patterns are well written and easy to follow. He releases his patterns for free for a limited time and then they must be purchased on Ravelry. If you join a Facebook page for Ravelry Free Patterns you could be one of the lucky ones who finds his patterns when they are still free.

Jan also just started a hat called Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend and it's a freebie!

Her color choice for the yarn is a good one for showing off the lacy diamond pattern.

Carole started the Squarshy Hat, another freebie designed for bulky weight yarn. See how nice the details show up in this color yarn. 

She is also working on a Mistake Stitch Cowl. I don't know if this is the exact pattern she is using but it's one of many on Ravelry.

Barbara K laughingly calls this The Scarf that Never Ends. It's a lovely fabric but it takes so long because of the small gauge needles and yarn. It's the Mistake Stitch Scarf FYI.

Nancy picked out two complimentary colors to make a cowl which she is finding a lot of fun to knit.

The Dotty Cowl is a colorwork project with so many color possibilities. And it's free!

Barbara B is getting beautiful stitch definition for her new hat.

The Spruski Hat uses a DK weight yarn and has nice design elements. It's a paid pattern on Ravelry.

And don't let me forget this week's delicious contribution, Barbara B's sourdough cinnamon buns! MMMM! I'm still licking my fingers!

Well, I need to prepare dinner and feed the always hungry Fozzie so 

have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Happy Valentine's Day

I am in a much better mood this week! Last week I was mourning the debacle that was my silver Emiliana shawl ruined from bleeding dyes. This week I have a beautifully restored shawl which was rescued by the inimitable, incomparable, unrivaled Karin MT of Periwinkle Sheep! She over dyed the whole shawl with this beautiful pink to cover the stains that were left from the black dye not staying where it was supposed to be. I think I like this version even more than the original colors. Thank you Karin! You're a lifesaver!

 I finally finished the Miss Winkle scarf/shawlette I started last October. This was one of those projects I schlepped everywhere when I had to wait for appointments or long car rides. So it probably took longer than it should have to knit. But it's done now and will go into my personal inventory in case I need a gift someday. The color is Rhinebeck 2016 from Periwinkle Sheep.

 And just for good measure I quickly knitted up a 2X2 ribbed cap. I had this yarn laying around with a half torn label which I think was a superwash merino wool.

 Elaine brought us some finished hats too. Her little flower adornments are darling.

 And the Berroco yarn is so soft. It feels like a cloud blended with marshmallows!

Cinzia worked on her scarf while Debbie learned how to perform the Mattress Stitch to sew up her fingerless mitts.

The mitts look great as does...

Cinzia's scarf! It's a larger version of the Zick Zack scarf, free pattern on Ravelry.

Elaine casted on (cast on?) for a new hat using a soft minty green worsted weight yarn. She was thinking spring today. Hmmm...funny thing is I still see 2 feet of snow outside. 

Wishful thinking can't hurt anything!

Dorah tried on her never ending scarf and was delighted when we all proclaimed it long enough already! She has enough yarn left over to throw together a pair of fingerless mitts to match.

Carole finished her Mistake Stitch Cowl tonight.

And Margaret finished that hat we saw last week.

She immediately casted on for another hat.

I dove into the stash and found this pretty turquoise cotton/bamboo blend from Universal Yarns called Bamboo Pop to make the Workday Scarf. The yarn has a graceful drape and the pattern is stupid easy! It's a great TV or conversation knitting project which is straight knitting for 7 rows and 1 row of a few yarnovers. You can't get any easier than that!

I'm so happy the sun finally came out today so I could see my afternoon ladies. Winter last year was so mild with so little snow that I had forgotten what normal winters are like in the great Northeast. The last two Tuesdays were icy and snowy during the day but today was glorious and sunny. Just the way I like my winters. Cold but bright! Just right for knitting!