Sort and Label Day

We are finally wrapping up this donation cycle of baby and Mommy clothes to be donated to the Alpha Pregnancy Center in Albany, NY.

Margaret and Carole took care of sorting the blankets.

Cinzia gathered all the two piece sets.

And we all attached the labels and laundering instructions. Most everything is knitted with machine washable fibers but there were a few hats and scarves that were hand wash only but they were for the Moms not the babies who tend to spit on everything! LOL!

I thought I had printed plenty of labels but we ran out so Barbara K pitched in to punch holes and distribute. It's a good thing when we run out of labels! Our inventory included 140 items, 50 baby hats, 5 blankets, 12 sweaters, 1 pair of mittens, 2 pairs of booties, 9 shawls and cowls, 1 dress, 1 vest, 1 adult hat and scarf set, 11 baby sweaters and hats sets, 15 adult hats, 1 blanket and hat set, and a big box of Pampers diapers.

After all that work we renewed our strength with some of Barbara B's Sourdough Linzer cookies with raspberry filling. Need I say Yummmm?!?!?!

Carole started a baby hat for our next cycle which will be for an organization in Schenectady, NY called Things of My Very Own. They provide crisis intervention services for children of all ages.

Carole used a yarn from Adriafil which is dyed to make a pattern as it's knitted. It saves a lot of time and effort and creates a nice fabric.

A popular pattern that is currently being sold on Ravelry is the Emotional Support Chicken. It is cleverly designed to make an almost life size chicken but I started thinking about how can I make a small version that would not require all the short rows and color changes that the larger chicken uses. TAA! DAA! Here is my modular square chicken in both knitted and crocheted version! It's just the right size for wee little hands too.

Barbara B is working on a baby blanket that starts at the center with a pin hole cast on, the same cast on I used for my chickens. 

This beautiful blanket is called Gluckskind and is free on Ravelry. It is comprised of a variety of stitches to make a lovely sampler.

Margaret cast on to make the Look Out Winter Hat. This is her second try as her first one was giving her issues with the ear flaps.

This is an easier version of the adult size 1898 Hat.

Nancy loved her first Reverb Shawl so much she has already started another one. Those soft colors blending into another are beautiful!

We are taking next week off to attend the 200th anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette's triumphant return to the US. We will return the following week so keep those needles clicking!

HAPPY 19th ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!

I can't believe it's been 19 years! I couldn't do it without the help of these lovely ladies. We were missing three Chicks who couldn't make it today but my love and gratitude goes to each and every one of you!

We started the afternoon catching up with the news of the kids who returned to college for the semester and how quiet it is when they're gone.

We munched a little and gabbed a lot.

Appetizers were from Nancy's kitchen, a spinach and artichoke dip with pita chips.

Dorah brought our favorite, gazpacho from the Moosewood Cookbook. She doesn't even bother to ask what to bring every year because every year we agree it should be her gazpacho. LOL!

Cinzia made a fresh red and golden beet cold salad on the left, and Maureen brought a hot rice with olives and artichokes side dish. There's Nancy's spinach dip in the red dish.

Annika brought a tomato and cucumber salad with a balsamic dressing and Janna made a fresh fruit salad.

The Sourdough Queen, Barbara B made a delicious bread to go with the gazpacho.

The main entree was Turkish Sumac Chicken baked in the oven with onions and savory spices. I forgot to take a picture of the Bulgur Pilaf that accompanied the chicken.

There's another shot of the gazpacho.

I forgot to take photos of the desserts too! Darn! Barbara K couldn't be here but she delivered lemon bars yesterday. And I made a cottage pudding cake with fresh peaches topped with fruit salad and whipped cream. Everything was so good! 

These ladies are not only great knitters, they can cook up a storm!

And just in case you forgot we are knitters, here are the last two items I knitted this week.

They fit in the palm of my hand so little ones can carry them around.

And they knitted up so quickly. I made one in a day! They both used left over sock yarns and I wrote a quick description of how I made them if you want to make your own.

After all that food, I'm going to waddle to my knitting room and get those needles clicking! 

Have a great week!