Field Trip!!!

Today was a field trip day for The Chicks! Terri, of Whole Knit n' Caboodle has an annual sale but this year instead of holding it in her yard as in the past, she did it a little differently. She invited individuals and groups to make an appointment to come to her home to shop in her studio and try their hand at dyeing yarn.

We had our own private viewing and shopping spree of ALL of her inventory!

Nancy found something that caught her eye but then was distracted by so many more beautiful colors and fibers.

There were many samples knitted up to give us inspiration. Barbara K checked out some shawls and cowls.

Jan found a shawl called Pressed Flowers that peaked her interest. 

But the mini bundles drew her away with the hopes of making a striped beanie. (Margaret, kneeling)

It was fun to shop with so many opinions because if you couldn't make a decision, someone was there to help out. (l to r: Margaret, Jan's back, Carole)

Dorah doing her best Vanna White impression!

Tina and Dorah searched through the discount bins for good bargains and found a few!

Jan and Barbara K having a consultation on color combos.

Barbara B took the opportunity, while others were shopping, to dye some yarn for a hat she wants to knit.

She is planning on making the Blue Wave Beanie and wanted a specific blue so she dyed it herself!

Tina dyed some yarn to knit a hat for her daughter.

She chose a soft green with dollops of brown.

The yarn soaks in hot water until it absorbs all the dye.

Terri mixed the color recipes for Margaret's preference.

Carole dyed a skein like a pro. The Mad Scientist at work! 😉

After all the color is spent from the dye bath, the skein is hung to drip dry. It will take two days for it to be fully dry and ready to knit.

After all the shopping and dyeing, Terri joined us as an honorary Chick while we knitted and chatted. Terri is between Margaret and Barbara B at the point of the table.

Margaret is knitting the Sheepish Little Sweater for one of her grandsons. The sheep are stranded colorwork which turned out perfectly!

I'm knitting a chemo cap for a neighbor using 100% baby alpaca and the 2023 Soldiers Hat pattern.

Carole is about 1/3 of the way through her Raven Beanie. It has a thick stitch for cozy warmth.

Tina continues to knit her Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf using a nice denim colored yarn.

She brought in a FO that she knitted called Campfire Stories Hat with 

beautiful cables, bobbles, and lace.

Terri is halfway there on a pair of baby mittens with the holding cord that feeds through the coat sleeves so they won't get lost.

Dorah loves knitting socks and is making a pair for a friend.

The cables on Jan's Skinny Scarf are beautiful. Her stitch definition is to be envied!

Barbara B is practically finished with her Easy Vivi Wrap which she plans to wear with a burgundy dress to a wedding.

Nancy's Windripple Shawl with the short rows is looking beautiful!

These were the two colors I chose to buy to knit the Mmm Kerchief Cowl unless 

I change my mind...again!

So instead of sitting around writing, I need to get my gears going so I can use up these beautiful colors!

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The smoke is back and so is the humidity

The Canadian wildfire smoke is lingering in the air. That combined with the heat and humidity made it easy to stay inside to knit. Our conversation centered on grandchildren. Did you know we have three sets of fraternal twins among the grandchildren of the Chicks? Maureen has a boy and a girl, Carole and Jan each have boys. It was interesting to hear how the different ages handle conflict and comaraderie.

We also talked about each of us learning to knit and crochet. Barbara B. learned knitting and crochet at the age of 9 or 10 from a neighbor. Jan was 10 or 11 when her grandmother and mother taught her to knit. Carole was 9 or 10 when she learned to crochet and 11 when she learned knitting, taught by her mother. Maureen's neighbor taught her to crochet when she was about 7 but didn't learn to knit until as an adult when her mother-in-law taught her. Cinzia learned as a student in grade school in Italy when she was 6 or 7. And my grandmother taught me to crochet when I was about 7, a neighbor ( a sweet Norwegian lady) taught me how to knit slippers when I was about 12, and then my mother taught me more knitting skills by the time I reached high school. It's such a nice tradition to hand down to the next generations. I feel grateful to have learned by the side of family and friends.

On to our FO's! I finally finished Carol's Clever Little Shawl. It took me a few days short of 3 weeks but it felt like forever.

I used an oatmeal colored Plymouth Encore and steam blocked it to open up the lace stitches. I like it so much I might have to make one for myself in a summer weight fiber to wear with my sundresses.

Carole finished her Raven Beanie. She fiddled with the pattern so she could use a heavier weight yarn than what the pattern recommended.

And Jan finished her Swirl Hat in worsted weight yarn.

Barbara B. completed the Pussyhat in the round in 4 gauges. She liked this pattern because it didn't require some of the sewing techniques that others of the same design needed.

Maureen brought us her finished Bewind Hat. I think all these hat patterns are free on Ravelry.

Carole modeled the Hot Springs Willow Hat that Barbara B. made.

This is a paid pattern on Ravelry. Look at the beautiful design the stitches make!

Cinzia knitted the last few rows on her Saurey lace baby blanket which is a Berroco pattern and will steam block it to open those lace stitches. She was pretty sure the yarn is acrylic so we did a little experiment and set fire to a scrap of it and sure enough! It melted so it's plastic! If it was wool it would put itself out and smell like burning hair.

Jan did a lot of knitting on her Easy Scarf and is not far from the end.

Maureen is making a baby gift for a friend's granddaughter on the way. It's a kimono style sweater called Olive You Baby with a neat detail and asymmetrical front closing.

Barbara B. started the Seven of Hearts Beanie using a pretty cornflower blue yarn.

I was feeling creative after watching a YouTube video presented by a Turkish knitter. So I'm in the experimental stage of making a cowl. I suspect I might have some tinking or frogging to do as I work out the kinks. If it turns out the way I see it in my mind's eye, I'll post the pattern.

I'm expecting my personal IT technician (my son) any minute to help with some email questions so I'll leave off here. Hope it's cool where you are and keep those needles clicking!

 

A delightfully cool 70 degree day

It was the perfect day for deck knitting today. A cool breeze complimented the gurgling of the waterfall as a backdrop to our activity.

Dorah completed her Helix Hat using sock weight yarns. She consulted one of our other knitting friends who recommended 112 stitch cast on which turned out to be a bit too small for our current inventory so she graciously offered it to my Friday group, Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels, whose current project is for babies and toddlers. Dorah's choice of colors made a beautiful hat!

She also showed us her Changing Staircases Shawl that she made for herself. We all fell in love with the colors. And when Carole arrived...

we made her model it since it looked so nice with her sweater.

Carole is working on the same shawl pattern with a slightly softer blend of colors in her sock weight yarn. Dorah and Carole both recommend this pattern for its simplicity and easy to memorize repeats.

Carole brought along her Raven Beanie which she saves for "waiting room" knitting. The pattern makes a thick fabric to protect against winter winds.

Barbara B. started a new project, with a pretty coral colored yarn, today called...

The Silver Cardigan. It's a free pattern on Ravelry sized for a baby.

Dorah's Easy Shawl is coming along nicely. We discussed possible variations of yarn color selection so Dorah might try using a variegated yarn for the first half of the scarf and then using a solid or tonal in a complimentary color scheme.

I'm still working on the Lexis Hat. There is one more complete eight row repeat to finish, then row 1-6, and then I can begin the decreasing section of the crown. So I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Margaret is using up the last of the Kool Aid hand dyed yarn from my daughter's stash to make a Helix Hat too. Someone said these hats are like Lay's Potato Chips, you can't make just one!

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has finally subsided so I'll be able to resume my daily walks. It was a real hardship for me to stay inside and knit all day! Now, I have this bridge I'm looking to sell...

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!