A birthday trip to our favorite mountain, oh and some knitting too!

My husband's birthday gift this year was an overnight stay in one of our favorite (well, I think it's more my favorite than his..although he suggested this trip) villages in New York. Lake Placid was host to the 1932 and 1980 Olympics and is the most cozy and picturesque place to visit any time of year. Although we didn't have the best weather.

We left home under overcast skies.

Driving up the Northway we could see the colors become more vivid against the foggy background.

We drove up Rt 73 on the east side of Mt. Marcy, one of the High Peaks in the area. Stopping along the side of the road can be a bit precarious but there are so many beautiful scenes to see...when it's not raining! Somewhere in there is a waterfall.

We met a couple from Seattle, Washington who was vacationing in the area to see the gorgeous views. More gorgeous than Washington state? They explained there are just evergreens that don't change color with the seasons. Too bad it was raining!

The first stop on our itinerary was lunch at the Oktoberfest celebration at the base camp lodge on Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York, a short drive from Lake Placid Village. Bratwurst and beer were on the menu under the tents. The gondolas up to Little Whiteface were running but the peak was hidden beneath a thick cloud cover so no one was riding.

We finished lunch and sat for a bit to listen to the Ompah band. The crowd was energized! I tried to insert a video here but the program is not cooperating. You'll have to use your imagination.

Our drive back to the village was interrupted with some beautiful scenery.

I'll take these interruptions anytime.

On the way to our hotel we stopped to check out some more scenery. The Lake Placid Club sits at a most photographable spot where we always stop for the Kodak moments.

This is what Whiteface Mountain is supposed to look like on a good day.

This is what we saw on Sunday. 

And if you look veeeerrrryyyy closely....you still won't see Whiteface!

In the distance, the 90 meter and 70 meter ski jumps are just barely visible.

And we still can't see Whiteface!

But the vegetation was still beautiful.

We had to drive down the main drag to get to our hotel, or lodge as it's called.

We used a Travelzoo coupon and purchased a bargain of a lifetime to stay here.

What gorgeous accomodations!

The views from our balcony were colorful.

As were those from our living room.

We picked the right time of year for viewing the peak colors.

Ron had a few minutes to watch The Ryder Cup match and then....

it was time to walk the grounds around our lodge.

Had the weather cooperated we would have hiked a bit further.

But what we did see was fun anyway. See Whiteface in the background? No?

Mother Nature sent up some unplanned lanscaping.

The dampness in the air called for a hot chocolate.

The staff at the Whiteface Lodge kept inviting us to return for a more extended stay. Yeah, right. I must go out and buy a winning lottery ticket.

Alas, it was time to bid Whiteface Mountain goodbye, or where are you? Whatever....

Our drive home took us around through Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake and the Wild Center, down the west side of Mount Marcy. We stopped to visit the Wild Center, a natural museum.

We listened to a presentation on local wildlife.

And then walked around to visit with some of them indoors.

Outside the scenery was peaceful. I'll let you go on a self guided tour for the next few photos.

Notice how those red trees keep turning up. The lake actually sits right up against the building and the outdoor patio is below water level.

An osprey nest on a manmade pedestal.

There are those red trees again.

We didn't want to wander too far from the building since it was cold and drizzly and BOY! that rock was cold!

One more stop we had to make while we drove home through North Creek was to the Gore Mountain Farm where alpaca are bred and raised. Barry and Virginia who own and run the farm have put the property up for sale so we were glad we had the opportunity to visit with them one more time before they move out of state.

And now we're back home warm and dry. Should we go on to see what the Chicks have been up to?

Kathleen finished the shawl I showed to you last week. See? I said she would finish by now!

Liz made a cute chullo hat that is sure to keep a little head warm.

And she made a smaller baby hat too.

This is the time of year when the Chicks show off their warm cozies they make for themselves. Liz made these socks with two strands of wool to make them extra insulated.

Kathleen started another scarf with the yarn she brought home last week.

Dorah took a class at Trumpet Hill to make this beautiful hat for herself. It's waiting for it's blocking and it's gorgeous!

Beth made a birthday gift called September Circle using Zauberball yarn.

And these fingerless mitts for donation are called Green Thumb. I have the pattern and bought a yummy baby alpaca yarn while I was away so I can make a pair for myself.

I don't remember what Beth called this shawl but it's another that she finished recently. Love those colors!
(edited to add the name of the pattern is Sunrise)

Right now Beth is working on a scarf. The color is a warm almost butterscotch beige, not at all what it looks like here.

Dorah's next project is this lovely lace scarf for which she is using a bright blue wool. It will be stunning!

And Carole started this fingerless mitt at 7PM with this much knitted and by 9PM it was just about finished. That's a nice cabling pattern on the top of the hand.

Well, I hope I didn't bore you with the photos of our Lake Placid visit. Now it's time to get back to my knitting and next week I'll show you the progress I've made on my projects.

Scarves and shawls and slippers, oh my!

A few finished items went into inventory this week. Barbara did a beautiful job of knitting and blocking this lovely cabled wrap. I think she told me it was a free pattern on the Lion Brand site. Her stitch definition and tension was perfect.

 Last week you saw "Audrey" laying around and blocking. This week she is working hard at keeping me warm. This is something I knitted for myself but I have a scarf and a cowl on the needles for donation, so don't look at me that way! LOL!

 Kathleen is working on a shawl using a colorful acrylic and she will be adding some rows of solid colors too. I can't wait to see it next week.

 Barbara is working on a chenille scarf using the Mistake Stitch. It's really pretty and very soft.

 Kathleen made the matching hat and scarf with the promise of a pair of matching mittens to come next. Nice job, Kathleen!

And Liz dropped off a pair of warm, cozy slipper socks.

 Beth and Carole hunted through a new batch of yarn that was donated to us. It was one of those "Being at the right place at the right time" experiences. I went to Trumpet Hill Yarn Store on Sunday to look for a button and decided to sit and knit awhile. A very sweet lady named Patty came in and started asking about where could she find a group to whom she could donate some yarn that was given to her by her friend Monique. Robena looked at me and the rest is history. Thank you Patty and Monique, if you're reading this. The yarn is beautiful and we all have ideas swimming in our heads for what we will make with it.

 Beth finished a Sock Monkey she made for a relative's birthday. Isn't he cute?!!!

 And this double knitted, two sided scarf. It's beautiful!

 Carole finished this lovely Holden shawlette. You might remember seeing her binding it off last week.

 The bind off row consisted of many, many, many picots in the row. She was glad was that was finished!

I visited my chiropractor today and there is a plaque on the wall in his office that I see every time I visit. It puts into words what I feel in my heart and I wanted to share it with all of you.

This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.

Life is no "brief candle" to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations....George Bernard Shaw

Take your splendid torch and shine it everywhere!

Miss Audrey makes her debut

On September 2, 2012 I started what I had hoped would be a challenging project. Be careful what you wish for! Sometimes it comes true.

 The beginning section was easy enough and I was enjoying the colors I chose for my shawl, Periwinkle Sheep "Audrey Hepburn" Red and Malabrigo Black, both a merino wool in fingering weight on size 4 needles. That's tiny for those of you who don't knit. By September 7th  I was ready to abandon the written pattern for the charts. By September 8th I was ready to be institutionalized! It seems my short term memory was compromised and I didn't trust it to go past two stitches without forgetting the order.

 All that made it a very intense knit and at one point I commented that I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick than ever knit another Catkin!

 But all that changed by September 13th when I started chart two A, B, and C. It looked quite intimidating but was rather easy to follow as long as I had a hefty supply of post-it notes to outline the row being knitted. I actually ran out of the red yarn on September 14th but Karin came to my rescue, having found the last skein in the same dye lot!

 

 I was on a roll last night and didn't want to stop so I kept on knitting into the wee hours of the morning. By 3:15AM on September 18th I had bound off the very last stitch! Hence my knickname "The Midnight Knitter". This morning Audrey took a dunk and now she is blocking.

 I have to say that once I got past that chart one I began to enjoy the experience again.

 Some knitters want to get to their destination as quickly as possible and some enjoy the journey. I am of the latter group. And what a journey this was!

Miss Audrey requires eight small buttons and as luck would have it, there happened to be eight pearl buttons in my button box that I had saved from clothing purchased years ago. Now I'm thinking of other colorways that would work for another! But not for a long while. Hmph! I remember saying something about burning this pattern when I was finished. Maybe not....

 This afternoon the Chicks were introduced to Audrey as she lay basking and drying. They were impressed!

 This weekend my cousin, Mania, from Connecticut came for a visit and gifted the Chicks with some knitted items and yarn. We all loved the rainbow blanket she made. Hey Mania! Can you share the pattern?!

 It was a free-for-all sorting through the selections.

 The ideas were filling our heads left and right.

 Kathleen called "dibs" on a colorful variegated yarn. Thank you Mania for all the yarn and finished items!

 Then we got down to work on our current projects. Liz is knitting this sweet top-down seamless sweater....

 only making it a solid mint green. So sweet!

 Kathleen finished a diagonal baby blanket and added it to inventory.

 She is working on a scarf now which will have fringed ends.

                                                

Barb finished the garter edge on the end of this lovely cabled wrap and will block it for next week.

I have a new orchid to show too. Mania's daughter and son-in-law brought it on their visit. Isn't she a beauty? She is loving being in the company of the Chicks.

Now that Audrey is finished I'll have to think of a new project. Lots of ideas floating in my head!

Making our delivery

Liz and I delivered five bags of knitted goods to St. Catherine's Center for Children in Albany today.

Joanne Gambino-Morehouse is the Director of Development and our liaison for the group.

She couldn't wait to dig into the bags to see what we made.

 I think she likes purple. We learned about how the center started out as an orphanage and maternity hospital. We saw some wonderful photographs on the walls of the early years. One had a very old car with the cutest kids piled all over it and a nun watching over them wearing the old fashioned habit with

 the "Flying Nun" style headpiece. The license plate on the car was from 1928! Our meeting the Director of Community Relations, Brian Bell, and Bill Gettman, the Executive Director, rounded out a very pleasant experience all around. They made us feel good that we took the time to help.

 This evening we knitted to replenish our inventory. Carole worked on a shawl called "Holden Shawlette" free for Ravelry members. I think she mentioned that she was using a Trekking Sock yarn.

 Dorah, our new member on the far right, was working on a brightly striped pair of socks for her daughter. And Maureen started a cute baby blanket with crescent moons and stars on it.

 Karin joined us to work on a "Wingspan" shawl, another freebie pattern on Ravelry.

I'm working on a shawl for myself called "Catkin" , a pattern which you can buy on Ravelry. Now, I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I hate knitting from charts. No, hate isn't a strong enough word. I ABHOR knitting from charts. I block off all but the row I'm reading with multiple post it notes and still have trouble following the blocks, no matter their size (I think it might have something to do with my astigmatism). Well, not only does Catkin have a chart, it has FOUR, yes I said FOUR! charts! But this is a challenge I won't let defeat me! It's a beautiful shawl and I'm using Karin's beautiful "Audrey Hepburn" red yarn with a Malabrigo black, both fingering weight. And I can't wait to finish it so I can wear it to the Sheep and Wool Festivals coming up this fall. But following those charts is knocking the stuffing out of me. I can knit only 2 or 3 rows at a time in absolute silence. And heaven help the husband who decides to talk to me in the middle of a row!!!

Well, I'm going to go to bed and get a good night's sleep so I'll be well rested tomorrow for another attack on that Catkin. Wish me luck!

Happy 7th Anniversary Chicks!!!

Yes, it's been 7 years since the first time we Chicks met to knit and enjoy each other's company. And tonight we added some good food to the mix. We had a small turnout this year because of vacations but those who did attend ate well and we all laughed well too.

From left to right: Barbara, Liz, Kathleen, Beth

 Left to right: Carole, Liz and Beth

 Beth, Kathleen, and Barbara discussed who our next recipient should be.

 And in the center is our newest member, Dorah! We're so glad to have her in our flock! Welcome Dorah, we're excited to be able to add your knitting talents to the mix. 

 Thank you to all my Chicks for another wonderful year together. I appreciate all the time and talent you ladies donate to our cause. God bless you all!

I finished a bit of knitting this weekend. It's called "Fagus" which refers to a type of Beech tree. I used one skein of Periwinkle Sheep "Sophisticated" and had a small ball of yarn left. This scarf/shawlette is 16 1/2 leaves along the edge, just enough to keep my neck warm. Yes, I made it for myself. 

 I haven't made myself something in a long time and since it didn't take long to make, I'll be making some more for donations.

Thanks again Chicks for all the knitting and fun we shared!