Happy Valentine's Day

I am in a much better mood this week! Last week I was mourning the debacle that was my silver Emiliana shawl ruined from bleeding dyes. This week I have a beautifully restored shawl which was rescued by the inimitable, incomparable, unrivaled Karin MT of Periwinkle Sheep! She over dyed the whole shawl with this beautiful pink to cover the stains that were left from the black dye not staying where it was supposed to be. I think I like this version even more than the original colors. Thank you Karin! You're a lifesaver!

 I finally finished the Miss Winkle scarf/shawlette I started last October. This was one of those projects I schlepped everywhere when I had to wait for appointments or long car rides. So it probably took longer than it should have to knit. But it's done now and will go into my personal inventory in case I need a gift someday. The color is Rhinebeck 2016 from Periwinkle Sheep.

 And just for good measure I quickly knitted up a 2X2 ribbed cap. I had this yarn laying around with a half torn label which I think was a superwash merino wool.

 Elaine brought us some finished hats too. Her little flower adornments are darling.

 And the Berroco yarn is so soft. It feels like a cloud blended with marshmallows!

Cinzia worked on her scarf while Debbie learned how to perform the Mattress Stitch to sew up her fingerless mitts.

The mitts look great as does...

Cinzia's scarf! It's a larger version of the Zick Zack scarf, free pattern on Ravelry.

Elaine casted on (cast on?) for a new hat using a soft minty green worsted weight yarn. She was thinking spring today. Hmmm...funny thing is I still see 2 feet of snow outside. 

Wishful thinking can't hurt anything!

Dorah tried on her never ending scarf and was delighted when we all proclaimed it long enough already! She has enough yarn left over to throw together a pair of fingerless mitts to match.

Carole finished her Mistake Stitch Cowl tonight.

And Margaret finished that hat we saw last week.

She immediately casted on for another hat.

I dove into the stash and found this pretty turquoise cotton/bamboo blend from Universal Yarns called Bamboo Pop to make the Workday Scarf. The yarn has a graceful drape and the pattern is stupid easy! It's a great TV or conversation knitting project which is straight knitting for 7 rows and 1 row of a few yarnovers. You can't get any easier than that!

I'm so happy the sun finally came out today so I could see my afternoon ladies. Winter last year was so mild with so little snow that I had forgotten what normal winters are like in the great Northeast. The last two Tuesdays were icy and snowy during the day but today was glorious and sunny. Just the way I like my winters. Cold but bright! Just right for knitting!

I don't have ADD Oh look! Pretty yarn!

Margaret's hat of two colors of silk yarn has grown in length since last Tuesday. She's at the decreasing portion now and she thinks there is something strange with the way it looks. The spiral walks around the hat and then suddenly stops when the decreases start. Carole and I looked it over but we think it's just a feature of going from the spiral stitch to the decreasing crown. We think it will look fine when it's finished. Sometimes that happens with a pattern but I know how she feels. You don't want to finish knitting only to find out it's either wrong or doesn't look right. But I think this will work out just fine.

Carole started a Mistake Stitch cowl and the stitch definition is gorgeous! Perfect for this stitch!

But like me, she was easily bored with the project and decided to switch to her hat she started last week. We joked that we have knitting ADD because we couldn't possibly knit through to the end of a single project. Gotta have multiple patterns going all at once. I use the excuse that it keeps my brain young and elastic because it forces me to memorize multiple patterns when I knit from one project to another. Yeah! That sounds like a good reason! LOL!

So here is my One Row Scarf which is nearly at the halfway mark but knitting the brown yarn on gloomy winter days makes me want to pull my hair out. So on to...

the Miss Winkle shawlette that I started weeks ago. Some days it feels like I'll never finish a project but then all of a sudden I'll have two or three items finished within days of each other. 

Today I blocked my striped cowl which has a Knit Picks solid and a Mini Mochi gradient. The pattern is one I made up. Cast on enough stitches to fit over your head, join in the round, knit 1X1 ribbing for about an inch, then knit every row for as long as desired, ending with another inch (or whatever you knitted at the beginning) of 1X1 ribbing, and bind off. To avoid a color jog at the beginning of the round when you change colors watch this.

We had to cancel our afternoon group because of slippery roads and sloppy snow so I couldn't show you their progress but next week I'm hoping the weather will improve and we can get together again.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

UFO sighting!

I have a case of "Startitis". There's no fighting it. You just have to give in and cast on when it hits. It doesn't matter that I have other UFO's (unfinished objects) on needles. When inspiration hits, you must get started on a new project. I was inspired to make this man's scarf after seeing Staci Perry's newest Facebook post of the scarf she knitted using a lovely gray hand spun yarn. The pattern is from Stephanie Pearl McPhee of the Yarn Harlot fame. It's a one row pattern and very easy to memorize which is why I like it so much. The yarn is from Berroco, a blend of acrylic and nylon so it's very soft and machine washable and dryable.

 I'm still plugging away on the Miss Winkle scarf too.

 The colors are a pretty blend of golds and aquas. 

 And five more rows will finish off this cowl I started months ago. It doesn't look like much here because it needs a thorough blocking to even out the stitching. The merino fiber is very soft so it will be a cozy hug around someone's neck.

 Barbara brought us a bunch of FO's (finished objects). The lacy cap is really pretty in pink!

 This spiral cap came from one of those One Skein Wonders books. 

 Here it is again in a solid color. It's amazing how different a project can look just by changing the yarn.

 Cinzia brought us a surprise today. Sofia had a snow day off from school so she joined us.

 It was so good to see her and catch up on all her activities. And she was excited to be able to find the time to work on the baby sweater she started over the summer. Once school starts she doesn't have the time to knit.

 Since Barb finished all those hats she went stash diving and picked out a pretty variegated yarn for another hat.

 And Cinzia wove in the ends of her cowl so it could be added to the inventory.

 These hands belong to our new Chick, Margaret. She picked out some silk yarns to make a very soft chemo cap. 

 Now that tax season has begun Maureen added her last hat for a while. She'll be up to her ears in numbers and won't have time for much of anything else. This intricate looking pattern is called Hat #21 Cool Slips B, free on Ravelry. Maureen said it's very easy to knit, it just looks difficult. Those zig zag lines are formed with slipped stitches.

 Carole worked on her Joline knit hat and....

 finished it before evening's end.

 One more picture before I go. Barbara's granddaughter loved the hat and scarf she made for her. The teal is Berroco Vintage and the violet is Cascade 220. And the model is adorable!

That's all for this week. I need to make some of those UFO's turn into FO's so I better get going. 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Christmas is 5 days away!

Some of us are making the last ditch effort to finish Christmas gifts in time so we didn't all knit donation items today. Barbara found a yarn called "Team Spirit" and is making a scarf for a family member whose favorite team is the Pittsburgh Steelers (at least I think that's what she said. I'm not a big sports fan). We all thought it was a bumble bee! LOL! Anyway, the yarn comes in slow color changes so you don't have to tie and knot new colors. It just happens, like magic!

 Debbie pulled up her sleeves and readied herself to dive into her hat pattern.

 There was a bit of tinking and slipping stitches but she's back on track and working along.

 Cinzia finished a slouchy hat which was inspired by the Spiral Hat pattern. The yarn has some angora in it so it's really soft.

 Then she pulled out the mermaid tail she's crocheting for a friend's daughter, which has to be done before Christmas. 

 The whole body of the tail is crocheted in Crocodile Stitch. It uses a BOATLOAD of yarn! But it's going to be epic! I wish I could see the expression on the little girl's face when she sees this on Christmas morning.

 Yes, we were a busy bunch today.

Tonight's group was just as busy once we were finished looking at photos of Beth's new grandson. Oh what a cutie pie! And his cheeks!!! Kissably cute is an understatement!

Carole picked up on her Minty Bricks with a lovely variegated blue fingering weight yarn.

And Beth worked on a Hitchhiker with an older edition of Periwinkle Sheep Rhinebeck color.

Dorah finished the first mitten with another Periwinkle Sheep yarn.

I might have to buy this pattern after seeing....

how cozy Beth's shawlette is.

Last week I told you about the shawl I wanted to make for myself to wear to a Christmas Eve party. Well, I'm about 1/3 of the way through and not sure it will be done in time. It has to have time to block too so it might become next year's shawl. As the Chicks reminded me, it's not like I don't have others to wear! LOL!

Since my shawl requires rigid concentration, I put it aside to work on a Miss Winkle that I started in October. The mohair blend yarn has a nice halo and fuzziness that softens it.

Cinzia's daughters made each of us a Christmas star for our decorations using an origami technique. They are such talented girls. So on that note...

Let me wish you all a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

See you next year!