A beautiful breezy day on the deck

It was a perfect afternoon of sunshine and breezes! We caught up on grandchildren and what books everyone is reading.

All accompanied by Barbara B's sourdough pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies. She always makes enough for us to take extras so I will be enjoying another cookie tonight with a tall glass of cold milk!

We had a few FO's this week. I finished the Phazelia Mitered Baby Jacket. It's the fourth time I've knitted this pattern, as I have mentioned before but I don't think the yarn wanted to be this sweater considering all the times my stitch count was off by 2 or 3. But I showed it a thing or two and plugged on to finish it. It will be a looooong time before I knit this one again. 😡

Jan did a beautiful job making the Fair Isle Johnny Hat. She was concerned that the section where the colorwork appears is a little snug so she wants to practice catching floats and loosening the stitches.

Carole knitted a baby hat for her soon to be born grandchild.

We all want to know if there's a pattern to make these adorable babies!!! LOL! 

The pattern is called 1-2-3 baby beanie and is a freebie on Ravelry.

Barbara finished her On the Spice Market Shawl in three weeks time! That's really remarkable when you consider there are other things to do like eat, sleep, clean up, etc.

Maureen made progress on her Simple Baby Pullover using a self striping, machine washable yarn.

Jan's Beach Colors Baby Blanket has a few new colors appearing with the ever-changing stitch patterns. This is a freebie on Ravelry too.

Carole worked on a five hour baby cardigan to go with the sweet little hat.

And she also added the ribbed bottom to her version of the Simple Baby Pullover just like the one Maureen is knitting.

Dorah is nearing the end of her Prime Numbers Shawl using the Texas Bluebonnet yarn.

Nancy added to her basic baby hat too.

Barbara B tackled the heavily cabled Diagon Hat. The instructions have you moving the beginning of round marker a number of times because of where the cables fall in the sequence. She admitted it wasn't the best choice for social knitting but she was smart to put in a lifeline.

I started a Beloved bonnet but got only as far as the section of increases because, unlike Barbara B, I can't talk and count at the same time so I opted to work on a simpler project, a hat for my grandson in his school colors. It's going to be a surprise so I won't be showing it.

Tina started the Little Fisherman's Beanie.

She chose a variegated yarn in yummy autumn colors. The pattern is free in one size only.

It is still so peaceful out here on the deck that even Fozzie decided to join me. He's having fun observing the blue jays and bunnies romp around the yard.

Enjoy the rest of the week and keep those needles clicking!

A rainy muggy day

It was a cozy afternoon around the kitchen table where we caught up on all the news of the grandchildren. We have a wide range of ages among them, my firstborn grandson started college last month and Margaret and Carole are waiting for new little ones to join their siblings. 

All the conversation was accompanied by Barbara B's 

sourdough pumpkin cheesecake chocolate chip brownies.

Barbara is working diligently on her "On the Spice Market Shawl" which came as a kit from the studio sale at Whole Knit n' Caboodle.

Tina is getting the hang of her Brioche Cowl. Knitting it in the brioche stitch makes it totally reversible with a different dominant color on each side.

Margaret finished her Golden Pear Beanie that she started last week. The I-cord top knot is a cute little finishing touch!

Nancy completed her Helix Hat which was started last week also.

Nancy's current WIP is a baby hat with a rolled stockinette stitch edge.

And Margaret's WIP is the Roxana Reversible Beanie. 

The pattern includes instructions for a matching scarf.

Margaret is our Queen of the Bulky Yarn Knits.

Jan's Triangle with a Twist Shawl is making progress. It is a pattern which is easily adjustable for size.

Carole started the Simple Baby Pullover, a favorite of mine for a little button neckline sweater. This pattern includes sizes from newborn to 3 years old.

Maureen is nearing the finish line on her grandson's Teddy Bear Hat. Once the hat is complete she will add ears and duplicate stitch a face.

My Phazelia Mitered Baby Jacket took flight across the knitting room last week when for the umpteenth time my stitch count was off by a few stitches in spite of the fact that I had the correct number of stitches on the needle. There are so many sections to divide for back, fronts, sleeves and it seems every time I counted I came up with a different number! I could understand the missteps if this was the first time I knitted this but it's my fourth one!!! I'm back on track...for now.

The weather on Sunday was absolutely perfect for Dorah, Jan, Barbara B, and me to attend our first fiber fest of the season, the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich, NY. "Some of us" may have purchased yarn... I'm not saying who. Then we had a lovely lunch at The Witches Village Cafe in downtown Greenwich. Afterward, we were too stuffed to make our traditional stop at The Ice Cream Man so we might have to make a special trip.😉

Well, I need to hurry up and finish those WIPs that are waiting for me so I can start the new projects with the new yarn I bought, oops! Did I say that out loud?!?😁Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

A delightful day on the deck

Nancy, Maureen, Barbara B, and Margaret joined me for a delightfully breezy afternoon on the deck. Topics of conversation included pickleball pet peeves, who likes to do laundry (yes, some of these ladies actually enjoy it), who likes to cook and who doesn't, and pets. Fozzie came out to visit for a couple of seconds but disappeared again after he discovered no one was going to give him treats. 

Where's Dorah when you need her?!?!

It is quite obvious that Barbara B is one of those who likes to cook as evidenced by her wonderful contributions each week. 

This week we had sourdough oatmeal quick bread which was heavy and dense with flavor.

Maureen started a hat for her grandson who outgrew his previous teddy bear hat and wants another one.

Barbara and I attended the Whole Knit n' Caboodle studio sale last week and came away with some goodies. She fell in love with a kit that Terri assembled with all she needs to knit 

On the Spice Market Shawl.

The kit contains all the colors in the required amounts to knit the shawl so there is no waste.

I restrained myself to three skeins, two taupey beige colors to knit men's hats and this lovely light aqua on the right to go with the deep teal which was a gift and has been begging me for a friend. I'm thinking of knitting the "I Am Not Who You Think I Am" cowl 

but will have to find out if the yarn agrees with me.

Margaret worked on her Helix Hat. She said somewhere along the way she dropped one of the colors and cannot retrieve it so she's just going with the flow. Design element!

Nancy started this Dotty Cowl with...

two very pretty autumn colors.

She completed her Chevron Rib beanie and made it a little shorter as per Barbara B's suggestion.

Nancy also visited Terri's studio sale and came away with two lovely fall colored yarns. She's waiting for them to tell her what they want to be.

I'm still plugging away at the Phazelia Mitered Baby jacket. Just 10 more increased stitches to go before I can move on to the next step, sleeves.

Oh, I forgot to tell you Margaret attended the studio sale too and bought this lovely variegated yarn to make a little sweater for her grandson. Terri does such a great job dying her yarns. I always find something to love!

"Someone" is trying to convince me it's close enough to dinner time to refill his dish but sorry Fozzie, you'll have to wait until 5PM just like the rest of us.

It's only another 45 minutes from now. He won't waste away ;). 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Delivery Day to The Falcon Boutique

If you have access to cbs6 Albany news (Local knitting group donates 144 items to Albany High School's Falcon Boutique) you will be able to see tonight's story about our delivery to The Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. Dorah (in pink, second in from left), Barbara B and Tina (last two on the right) joined me this morning to be warmly greeted by school staff. We were very impressed with the set up and variety of items being offered.

The store is managed by the students, assisted by special education students, to serve 1,958 who are economically disadvantaged which accounts for 71% of the student body total of 2,675. The boutique operates from 3:30-5pm Monday through Thursday and 3:30-4:30pm on Friday. It provides free clothing, snacks, and merchandise to the students and their families. 

There were prom gowns for as far as the eye could see...

and clothing for any occasion or need around the perimeter of the store. There is a link below to the school's web page describing our visit today.

Knit with care: a heartfelt donation for the Falcon Boutique | Albany High School

After a stop for lunch, Maureen, Nancy, Margaret, and Jan joined the three of us for our regularly scheduled meeting. Our next project is for the organization Moms Start Here. We will be knitting baby clothes and some pretty things for the new mothers to show our support for them too. We've all been there and know how nice it is to be seen and appreciated so we felt it was important to include the new moms in our knitting.

My needles are clicking away at the Phazelia Mitered Baby Jacket, a modularly knitted cardigan with I-cord edging. It seems to be taking forever but it will be worth it when completed.

Tina is using a yummy brown yarn to knit the Slips and Ladders Beanie 

by our favorite hat designer, Benjamin Matthews.

Barbara B finished the Chevron Rib Beanie which she is making as a gift for a family member.

Currently on her needles is the Crosscut Beanie, another Benjamin Matthews pattern. She said once you establish the pattern, you're safe to knit in a social gathering.

Jan is working on the Beach Colors Baby Blanket which uses a slow changing gradient yarn to make a colorful, ever changing patterned blanket.

Margaret found a mistake in the directions for her Mt. Airy Trail Hat so we wrote to the designer and she got right back to us, thanking us for catching the error. It is corrected now if you want to buy the pattern for your own use. By 3pm, the hat was finished but I didn't get a chance to take another picture.

Scarves take a long time to knit and Maureen is afraid you'll get bored seeing the same thing each week. But I think it's important to point out that little elves don't whip up an item overnight. I truly appreciate the time and effort my Chicks put into each and every project they make. Here is her Reversible Stripes Scarf with the magic stripes that are horizontal on one side and vertical on the other.

Nancy was inspired by Barbara B's Chevron Rib Beanie so she is making one also. Because it is an intricate pattern, Barbara asked Nancy if she is using a lifeline. It just so happens that her interchangeable needles have the little hole through which you can run spare yarn through the stitches as they are knitted which automatically puts them on the lifeline! So we all learned a new tip today!

Thank you again to my Chicks, Maureen, Nancy, Margaret, Jan, Barbara B, Barbara K, Tina, Cinzia, Carole, and Dorah for all your hard work and dedication to helping others. I always say, I couldn't do it without all of you!

 Don't forget to tune in to the cbs6 news tonight to catch our story. 

Until next time, keep those needles clicking!