Boosting inventory this week

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sailors-rib-capWe've been very productive these past few weeks which, considering it's holiday season, that's saying something!

Barbara B. finished the Hepsi's Neckwarmer at the top with a pair of Morristown Mitts to match. Her striped hat on the left with a bit of modification is the Christmas Elf Beanie , the purple hat is Squarshy, and the shawl/scarf is Letters from Russia Lace Shawl. All those patterns are free on Ravelry.

Jan P. added another Squarshy hat which has become her new favorite because the pattern writing brings a chuckle to her heart. 

It's the one with the spicy language for those of you who haven't seen it yet.

Carole's Turn a Square hat has a perfect gradient of colors. The first day it was offered you could get it for free but now it's a paid pattern.

Then she took small amounts of scrap yarn to make a cheerful rainbow hat, perfect for Knit the Rainbow!

Jan A. couldn't remember the name of this hat pattern. But it's a beauty! Edited: Jan said it’s called Sailor’s Rib Cap

Janna made the Guernsey Hat and created a Moebius cowl by making a Mistake Stitch short scarf and sewing the ends together with a twist. It's a perfect addition to the hat.

She also made a colorful Helix Hat. These hats are like Lay's Potato Chips...you can't make just one.

And here's another Jan A. contribution, another Hepsi's Neckwarmer. The turtleneck snuggles up to keep the wind off your neck while the longer drape keeps your chest and back warm too.

Jan's The Queen's Spiral Cowl has a neat optical illusion attributed to the self striping yarns. If she had knitted straight stripes you would never get that offset design which adds interest to the fabric.

I finished a hat called You're A Firework. I can't say it was my favorite since I had issues with tension but it certainly is eye catching. The top view looks more like a chrysanthemum to me than fireworks.

Barbara B's current project is this hat which starts with the cable band knitted flat to the circumference measurement of your head and then sewn together on the short ends. From there stitches are picked up along one edge and the crown is knitted to the top.

She was knitting happily along until she lost her place in the chart! Thankfully, she was able to get back on track. I guess we were talking to her too much.

Jan P. started another Lay's Potato, I mean, Helix Hat. It's a great way to use up left overs when you don't have enough to make a whole hat.

Jan A. made some progress on her Espina Cap. It called for a DK weight yarn but she liked this fingering weight tweed and so is holding two strands to get gauge.

Janna's Fair Isle hat is starting to show off the snowflake design. She mentioned her issue with trying to keep tension so someone said she should try knitting it inside out. If you tuck the right side into the center of your needles it allows the floats to be on the outside and gives it a naturally looser tension by having to span a slightly longer space.

You might remember a couple of weeks ago that Margaret was stopped in her tracks because the extra ball of yarn she thought she had turned out to be the wrong dye lot and showed a considerable difference in color. Well! She found another ball of yarn in the same dye lot in her stash! YAY! Now she doesn't have to make contrasting colored sleeves and ribbing for her Flax Sweater.

Cinzia worked on the last few rows of lace on her Bella Shawl. By 3PM it was finished so she's going to take it home and block it to bring out the lace edging.

Carole found some colorful sock yarn to pair perfectly with a chocolaty brown worsted weight yarn for her Morton Cowl. She is knitting this one in the round instead of flat as in the original pattern. I guess it's because turquoise is my favorite color but I just LOVE how this is turning out.

Oops! I almost forgot to add one more FO. This was a Youtube video that a crocheter posted without written instructions. So that means you have to watch the video in slow motion and write down every step to create written directions. I love how it turned out but boy! I sure used a lot of yarn! It took close to 500 yards! I'm going to try to figure out how to make a knitted version which won't use up as much yardage. But isn't it nice to have the hood and the cowl all in one piece!?

 It's nearly time to start cooking dinner so I'll finish up for now. Have a great week and

 keep those needles clicking!

The heat is back

Even with the ceiling fan blowing it was pretty hot today. But I got to spend the afternoon with my Chicks so it wasn't a bad day. 

Barbara K. started a hat, I think she said a Mistake Stitch hat. It will probably be done by next week. She just returned from a wonderful week at Lake George with her son, daughter-in-law, and her beautiful granddaughter. They had one rainy day which was spent browsing through the outlet stores.

Jan A. showed us her progress on her Easy Shawl/Scarf. The gradient yarn is from Lion Brand so it's machine washable.

Barbara B. added length to the cotton baby blanket which will gradually change colors to a deeper blue. She bought the kit for $10 at a garage sale we both went to a couple of years ago. It included all the yarn and the pattern. So that was a bargain!

Carole is using up some acrylic sparkly yarn for the Totally Biased Cowl. It's funny how sometimes a yarn which is still in a hank might not be inspiring but when you find the right pattern it becomes a stunning project.

The same thing happened with Liz's project. The yarn in the ball was just so-so but knitted up into a cowl which will be large enough to pull over your head becomes a nice garment.

Janna worked steadily on her Easy Guernsey Hat and before we left for the day...

It was done! Yes, this is the same purple hat. It's funny what lighting does to change color.

Jan A. finished a hat also. This is the same brand yarn as the cowl Liz is making only a different colorway.

And that garage sale I mentioned before...I got this Papaya themed sock yarn which I'm using to make a simple triangular shawl. I'm hoping it will show off the colors at their best. Yes, I paid $5 for it instead of $30 list price if I had found it online. Unfortunately, it looks like the shop is no longer in business so I feel lucky that I found it when I did!

My kitty is crying to be fed...AGAIN! This seems to be a pattern, no? LOL! So before he gets into mischief, I'll just say, Keep those needles clicking!

 

The oppresive heat and humidity are gone

The last week around here has been like a sauna! So glad we had a few thunderstorms to break the heat wave. And now we can meet on the deck again.

Maureen finished her Easy Scarf. How nicely those colors blend into each other. And it really is easy!

Janna completed her Morton Cowl and a hat that makes me think of wine grapes.

Jan added a colorful hat to our inventory. It's a quick knit made with 1x1 ribbing.

Carole also added a hat to the inventory. Using bulky weight yarn makes it a quick knit too.

Dorah completed two Helix hats and a denim blue cap made with a thick, warm wool.

I had tons of bulky variegated yarn so Liz took some to make a cowl. This is another project that will be finished in the blink of an eye.

Dorah is working on her Close to You shawl. She loved the colors of the yarn when it was in the skein but now she's not too sure. I'm sure someone will love it to go with a neutral coat.

Maureen started the Beach Pebbles Cowl using a bulky yarn with lots of color.

Jan is adding length to her Easy Scarf/Shawl. Soon she will change direction of the knitting and make short rows to knit perpendicular to these stitches.

Janna added to her Easy Guernsey Hat but was confused by the directions. Many time designers will write "knit rows 1-4, repeat four times" which can be confusing to some knitters. I always have to read ahead to find out if the designer wants a total of 16 rows or 20 rows. But we put our collective brains together and figured it out.

Barbara B. picked up this pattern and yarn at the garage sale a couple of years ago and decided 

to make it.

She said the yarn is kind of splitty but I'm sure it will make a nice blanket.

I finished a couple of cowls and decided to make a mindless 2x2 ribbed hat to give my brain a rest.

The first cowl is Hepsi's Neck Warmer using a tonal worsted weight wool. I modified the pattern a bit to make a garter stitch edge instead of a 2x2 ribbing.

And this cowl is the Basket Weave Cowl I designed after being inspired by the stitch. Both cowls were knitted with yarn donated to the Chicks by my daughter.

Well, my kitty is tugging at my pants leg hinting that he should be fed, YET AGAIN! It's hard to ignore his pleading and I'm NOT the one in the family who feels sorry for him and gives in. LOL! But it's close enough to his feeding time so I'll say so long and keep those needles clicking!

It's a hot one today!

It was a day to put up the drapes to keep the sun off us while we knitted.

And we had a full house today too!

Bless Carole for being a good sport and model the hat she made for our inventory. It's the Mistake Stitch Hat which makes a warm, thermal fabric for keeping warm.

She made The Shift Cowl for herself. 

The hardest part is choosing compatible yarns and she was very successful with her choices. Beautiful!

Dorah and Carole contributed to the inventory with hats and cowls. Lovely work ladies!

Liz added a baby hat and a Mistake Stitch Scarf as well.

She's made good progress on her cowl and made the executive decision to continue to knit until she runs out of yarn. Then this can be pulled over the head for a hat too!

Barbara K. started the eyelash yarn portion of her golf club cover.

She'll be the talk of the golf course with her unique, cute covers!

Jan A. looked for a missing stitch and found it but then found an extra one as well. She decided to wait until she gets home to do a recount.

Carole found a pretty green yarn in her stash to make the Close to You shawl. A few of us have made this pattern and it's unanimously voted a favorite.

Janna started That Easy Guernsey Hat with a pretty purple yarn.

And Margaret chuckled because she seems no further along on her scarf. But she has a valid excuse...there's a wedding for her to plan and another upcoming one to attend so she has her hands full.

Dorah chose three pretty yarns to start a Helix Hat. She finished the green one which I showed earlier in this post.

Maureen had started the Easy Scarf with another yarn that wasn't to her liking so she went stash diving and found a perfect one for this pattern. Look at those vivid colors! 

Cinzia worked on her Basket Weave cowl using a variegated sock weight yarn which shows off the woven effect nicely.

And I'm making the same cowl with a bulky weight yarn and a more ombre colorway.

It's 90 degrees right now so I'm going to sit in front of the AC vent and try to remain cool. Until next week, keep those needles clicking.