It's feeling like November

Today was the first day that felt like winter is coming. The sky is gray and the air is raw. But it was warm and busy in my kitchen as the Chicks knitted.

Barbara B. brought a couple of hats to add to our inventory. This one is "Ripples make Waves" which she has been working on for a few weeks.

And this is a slouchy hat for which she used a self striping yarn and added a jaunty pompom.

Barbara K. was making a Mistake Stitch Scarf but ran out of yarn to make it long enough to wrap around a neck so being the wise woman she is, she picked out a few stitches and made a 3 needle bind off to join the short ends and now she has a cowl!

She also added the Present Cowl which was made with a variegated yarn. The way it folds around the neck will make it a cozy accessory.

Jan A. completed two hats, this ribbed fuschia and ....

This adorable owl hat. If you know how to make cables, this will be a fun knit for you.

This is Barbara K. picking up those live stitches to complete the cowl shown above.

Jan A. used a self striping yarn to make this easy, two row repeat cowl.

She said it's a great car-knitting pattern because it's so easy. And it's free!

 I finished another Hepsi's Neckwarmer cowl using two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to make it meet the gauge requirements.

Now I have a tubular headband on my needles which is knitted in the round to make it thicker and warmer. When it reaches the length to fit around a head, the short ends will be twisted and sewn together to give it some flare.

Barbara B. decided to try her hand at TAAT magic loop socks. Today she learned how to cast on the figure 8 Judy's Magic Cast on to start the toe up socks. This method works if you are unsure that you have enough yarn to make a long cuff sock. You can knit both socks simultaneously until you run out.

Janna added more length to her Mistake Stitch Scarf. It's such a pretty purple!

I'm feeling inspired to make some socks but I need to finish some WIPs before I go stash diving for yarn. Until next week, (yes we'll be meeting Thanksgiving week) keep those needles clicking!

Labeling Day...again

It seems as though we just had a round of labeling and sorting. Oh wait! We did! It was when we delivered items to the South End Children's Cafe in October. Wow! We have been busy. 

This is the part of the job when we hold up items to try to guess who made it and what fiber was used so we can put a laundering instruction label on it.

Thankfully someone almost always remembers. This donation will go to Grassroots Givers, an organization that collects items to help those of the community in need. We have collected 84 items which include hats, cowls, mittens, scarves, dish cloths, a toddler dress, and a toddler sweater.

And we already have a head start on the new cycle which will go to "Knit the Rainbow", an organization founded in 2020 to help homeless LGBTQ youth in New York City survive the brutal winters.

Janna made progress on her Mistake Stitch Scarf since last week. She has a lovely wooden yarn bowl to keep that ball of yarn from walking away.

Even though it's not knitting, I had to show you this adorable cloth basket that Carole sewed as a baby gift for a friend's soon-to-arrive granddaughter. 

Jan P. took some yarn last week to make a Helix Hat and now she's hooked! Today she took more yarn to keep making these addictive hats.

Cinzia is also making a hat with an unusual design detail. The ribbing is pretty cool and so is the pattern.

Dorah started the "Baby, You're a Firework" Hat which used slipped stitches to make this cool design that shows up when you look down on the top of the hat.

Carole started a hat too but I can't remember the pattern. I have a good memory, it's just short. LOL!

Barbara B. made progress on her "Ripples Make Waves" hat, a freebie on Ravelry.

I'm trying to use up as much of the stash as possible so I took two strands of fingering weight baby alpaca yarn held together with a size 7 needle to make a Hepsi's Neck Warmer, also a freebie on Ravelry.

 I need to hurry up and finish this so I can cast on for one of those Firework hats. It looks like fun! So I'll say see you next week and keep those needles clicking!