We had a visitor today

Cinzia's daughter Elena spent some of her holiday break from college with us and brought her crochet along. That's Elena, third in from the left. 

She received a crochet pattern book for Christmas from her Dad and is trying out 

one of the patterns for a cowl. The book offers patterns written out and as graphs.

The stitches look great! 

Janna is making another That Easy Guernsey Hat using up what she hopes is the last of the pink superwash merino yarn. There were whole skeins donated to the group which someone must have planned to use for a larger garment so she has been able to make quite a few items with it.

I just started a hooded head covering which was listed as a helmet liner but it's really useful in any cold weather situation.

Dorah is more than halfway through her Close to You Shawl. She was working on something else but hit a snag along the way so it's in time out for now.

Carole lost her favorite winter hat so she made herself a new one.

It's called the Rhinelander Hat and she finished it in time to model it for us.

Margaret finished the Orchid Mantis Hat and used the chart for the Fair Isle portion to make matching fingerless mitts. One down...

One to go!

Cinzia started a Morton Cowl with a gradient fingering weight yarn paired with a bulky weight.

Here is Carole's finished Morton Cowl along with a hat she added to our inventory today.

And Dorah added a Helix Hat as well.

Our family celebrated Christmas this past weekend when everyone was available. I thought the table looked pretty with the red cloth and planned to leave it out for a bit. Unfortunately, SOMEONE had ideas of his own. He is usually really good about not getting on tables or counters but he loves a good tablecloth bed. 😸 It's a good thing I was planning on throwing it in the laundry anyway!

Time for me to get back to my projects. Have a good week and keep those needles clicking!

 

The weather is more October-like this week

The afternoon Chicks kept busy by labeling everything which will go into the yarn bombing in the near future. We have to wait for a day that isn't raining so we can hang the items in the Delaware Avenue area of Albany.

I may have mentioned before that this yarn bombing will be a collaboration of the two knitting groups I lead. Chicks with Sticks is joining forces with the Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels of the Albany Public Library.

All items will have this label attached so people know they can take them for their personal use.

Liz finished her Feather and Fan scarf just in time to add it to the collection.

And Barbara B. added her pretty orange hat too.

Carole wanted us to see the baby socks she finished this week. We all agreed that those 3 inch ribbed cuffs take forever to knit! Don't know why, but they do.

So here is the collection of the Chicks' contribution. Our total came to 59 items. I count the pairs of mittens, slippers, and socks as 2 because they are separate items. It still counts as a fully knitted garment even if it is a part of a set.

Carole started the evening knitting her Helix hat. They are a great stash busting pattern for using up scraps which you hate to just throw away.

But then she switched to knitting this easy hat.

You can't tell from the photo but it's the prettiest shade of blue-green yarn.

I started out making the Sockhead Cowl which required casting on 160 stitches. I carefully measured out enough yarn for the German Twisted Cast on and promptly ran out of yarn at stitch number 136. Luckily, the medium size hat starts with the same number of stitches so Plan B is to make the Sockhead Slouch hat instead of the cowl.

Maureen's hat now proudly shows off those diagonal lines in the design. Love those colors!

Well, it's time for us to pick a new recipient for our next cycle of knitting. We have a few irons in the fire so we're just waiting to see who returns our calls. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!

Finishing up our current donations and starting a new one

I hunted through the stash to find washable yarns for the Chicks to use for our next recipient, Community Maternity Services. Knitting baby clothes with hand wash yarns seems silly since they will be in need of washing regularly. Luckily, I found some nice acrylics and blends which are machine washable. Janna found three compatible colors to make this sweet top-down whale sweater. It is knitted in the round so the directions state to be careful not to twist the stitches when you join the stitches. A helpful hint would be to knit the first round flat and attach the stitches on the second round of stitches which at this point would be easier to keep from twisting. Then you can use the tail of the yarn to sew up the tiny gap which is created from that first row knitted flat.

Cinzia found a cute little jumper pattern which she started today.

Barbara B. took a break from knitting to crochet a graphic print baby blanket.

And Dorah picked up where she left off on a baby sweater she started quite a while ago.

Carole was inspired to knit this baby hat because...

she couldn't resist these cheeks!!!

Margaret had to cast on a ton of stitches to make a ruffled edge for her baby hat. Unfortunately, when she joined the stitches there was a twist which she didn't discover until a few rows in. I told her about the technique I mentioned above and it worked out beautifully for her.

It's going to be a real cute bonnet.

I had some dk weight left from another project so I decided to make a simple cap. After about 3 inches it became obvious that the yarn was going to run out before I finished the hat so I frogged it and opted for a smaller size.

The last few items for our current donation went into inventory today. Cinzia's cowl can be worn on different sides...

to look like a completely different cowl.

Barbara K. finished her Mistake Stitch Scarf and wrapped up the...

matching cap.

Janna finished her Helix hat and the colors are so cheerful.

Carole completed the Easy Guernsey Baby Hat which is a free pattern on Ravelry.

More completed hats to send to Unity House in Troy.

Another baby size hat.

And another Helix hat.

Barbara B. used Plymouth Encore to make this slouchy hat.

And Dorah used a nicely spun wool for her Helix hat.

Next week I'm hoping we will label and inventory our collection to ready it for delivery.

Until then, keep those needles clicking!