It still feels like summer!

We started the day winding up some cakes of yarn. None of my tables are the right size to clamp the ball winder so I have to improvise. Today I attached it to the armrest of the deck chair. Sometimes I clamp it to the leg of the coffee table. Hey! Whatever works!

 Cinzia finished the sweater vest and was looking for opinions on a button.

 Dark or...

light?

 We all liked the one that looked like wood. And look at how beautifully this sweater blocked!

 Cinzia added a cowl to the inventory too. She was intending to make a long scarf but ran out of yarn way too soon. Plan B! Make it a cowl! That's the great thing about knitting. There's always something you can create if you just use a little imagination.

 Elaine is whipping up a Mistake Stitch scarf with a warm wool of navy blue.

 And Liz's angora scarf is coming along nicely. She will definitely have enough yarn to make a hat to match.

 Carole had to stop knitting on this little baby sweater until she can find more yarn. She might have to resort to pastel stripes somewhere since there is no more of this color and she needs enough to finish the sleeves.

 Maureen's cowl looks so nice and bright. It's a quick easy knit, great for having a conversation.

 I finished the Noro Stripe scarf and couldn't resist starting something new...

 Miss Winkle (using Periwinkle Sheep Sock Dream in Memories of Summer) is an asymmetrical triangle scarf. The yarn is a blend of superwash merino and 10% cashmere. It will be a softee! I've been eyeing this pattern for a couple of years now and finally decided to purchase it. I don't usually like to buy patterns because I don't want to suddenly find out I hate it and already laid out good money for it. But this one's a keeper!

I see many more in my future!

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!

One would think that after all my years of knitting I would have learned to trust my gut instincts and listen to my yarn. I had a lovely slow-changing variegated yarn that was filled with lovely autumn colors of browns, golds, oranges, and beige. I wanted to knit the ZickZack scarf but needed another slow changing yarn to pair with the autumn yarn. I found a yarn that included beige and brown and green but also had orchids, pinks, and yellows. Red Flag #1, orchids and pinks! But I chose to ignore the nudges I was feeling and went ahead and bought it. Then I cast on for the ZickZack scarf and noticed right away I was making glaring stupid mistakes that were testing my patience. 

Red Flag #2, dumb mistakes! So I changed the pattern to a different chevron pattern and made nice neat I-cord edging as I knitted along. About 12 inches into the scarf I realized I no longer had the same number of stitches on the last chevron as were on the first chevron. Red Flag #3, SOMETHING IS GOING HORRIBLY WRONG!!! But still! I soldiered on after frogging back to the original mistake and worked to fix everything. I guess you could call me stubborn but I wasn't going to let this yarn beat me! You knitters understand, right? Right?!? Well, I finally realized after another round of mistakes that the knitting goddesses were trying to tell me to stop using the autumn yarn! Duh! After diving into my stash I found this lovely teal single ply fingering weight that pairs beautifully with the orchids and pinks and VOILA! I am finally on the right path and have even discovered a renewed energy in my knitting which had been lacking for the last few weeks. Do you think I've learned my lesson? I doubt it! LOL! But I love how this scarf is coming along. It's the Noro Stripe Scarf free pattern on Ravelry.

 Beth finished her little football hat which also taught her how to crochet and embroider the stitches to mimic the seam on the football. Isn't it darling?! She used Plymouth Encore to make it machine washable.

 Maureen picked up the sleeve stitches for her baby sweater so it won't be long before she's finished.

 Carole knitted the finishing rows on her cowl. She admitted that she was totally bored with the garter stitch edging but the design section she found entertaining. Looks great!

Well, I should get back to my knitting. Let's see if I listen to the whispers of guidance.

Probably not!