Deck weather is back!

It's been 3 weeks since we were able to sit outside. I was away 2 of those weeks but we've been having a heat wave which would have prevented us from enjoying outdoor knitting. Today we had a lovely, humid-free afternoon.

 Cinzia is back from her whirlwind vacation through Italy and France with her family. She brought us her finished Helix hat. That black yarn really makes the color pop!

 Debbie finished her first pair of toe up socks. She feels confident enough now to attempt two at a time next. This cheerful yarn is perfect for the child size socks.

 Barbara was inspired by the Palindrome scarf to make this lovely cabled hat. She used a worsted weight heathered yarn which shows off the cables perfectly.

 And Janna's toe up socks have perfect stitch tension. She did a really good job of picking up stitches from the waste yarn too.

 In the 2 hours of knitting she finished both socks and they are ready for inventory. She too will try her hand at two at a time now that she feels confident that she has the concept of sock knitting.

 Liz finished her boot socks using the good old DP, 5 needles technique. We all loved the contrasting heels and toes.

 Carole worked her Cascade sport weight socks past the waste yarn for the heels. You can't see the waste yarn because it's on the other side of the sock but it's there.

 Maureen's child size socks are coming along nicely. I love the colors of her yarn.

 And Margaret has wrapped her head around the two at a time now. She was having trouble initially but we figured out it was because her circular needle had a very stiff cable which had her wrestling it constantly. It's so important to have good supplies with which to work. It really makes a difference in the enjoyment and also the quality of your work. If you're going to invest this much time and effort into a hobby, it's worth spending a little bit more for the tools. And if you take good care of them, they'll last a good long time (unless your dear husband decides to vacuum your knitting room and catches the needles in the hose).

 My Knit Picks Wool of the Andes socks seem to be taking forever but that's because I'm knitting a Christmas gift also which is very time consuming.

It feels good to be back on our regular schedule again and to be able to sit outside is so refreshing! 

Check back next week to see our progress. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!

Had to wait until July, but we Chicks had our first day on the deck

This is the first Tuesday since winter ended that we had nice enough weather to knit outside! 

 Liz started the heel of her second sock but had to wait to make the short row heel until she got home where she could concentrate.

 Barbara worked on her Palindrome inspired hat. Look at those beautiful cables!

Debbie's second sock stitches were picked up and knitted and she has enough yarn left to make another pair. 

These started out as a pair of TAAT socks but a few inches into knitting I began to wonder if I could knit mittens in the opposite direction from the usual way. So far I would say yes. I'll be picking up the thumb stitches as soon as I'm finished with the ribbed cuffs.

 The evening ladies continued their socks too and I forgot to take pictures. Duh!

Joules wanted to say bye bye as she'll be returning to her own home soon. We've had a lovely visit but I'm sure she misses her Daddies.

Well...only if I stop giving her kibble treats.

Feline supervision

Joules would not leave the Chicks alone this afternoon! I could not get her to stay off the table. I didn't want to leave her on the deck by herself for fear she might get into trouble if left alone or even worse, escape somehow. She is strictly a house cat and I'd hate to have to explain to her Daddies how she got away! So we had her keeping an eye on all of us. ;) 

She made sure Elaine was knitting it right. 

 Debbie finished knitting the body of her sock and picked up the stitches for the afterthought heel. Barbara tried the TAAT socks but couldn't wrap her head around the cast on so she opted to make a hat instead. That's fine! We need hats too!

 Joules kept a close eye on my TAAT socks. She didn't even try to play with the yarn. But if some of it dangled over on to the floor, all bets are off!

 Liz worked on her socks with contrast heels and toes. She prefers DP needles.

 Joules stayed with us all afternoon making sure we didn't slack off.

                            

 But she was concerned when everyone left.

 She sat looking out the window as if to say, "Why did my friends leave?"

When the evening Chicks arrived, Joules was in another room watching the Yankees game with my husband. Carole finished her socks and wove in the ends tonight. This Adriafil yarn is so cheerful! I think she has enough to make another pair too.

 Her next project is the 1898 hat and she is halfway through the first earflap.

 Margaret has mastered the TAAT cast on and increase and is well on her way to a pair of socks. I am so proud of her persistence! She didn't give up, even after 12 tries!

 I started a pair of adult socks with the TAAT method. I'm using size 5 needles and worsted weight Wool of the Andes yarn from KnitPicks.

I received an email this week which makes me sad. We have to say goodbye to Barbara Beauchamp. She is retiring her Chick status as life is too busy and she doesn't feel it's fair to the rest of us to not give it her full attention. We'll miss you Barbara! You were a valuable asset to our flock. Good luck and keep those needles clicking!

We have a guest

Joules is on vacation with us for the next two and a half weeks. I'm going to have to do a lot more cleaning as she isn't aware that cats are not allowed on the table. 

 Debbie and Janna practiced the magic loop, two at a time, toe up socks with me while Liz worked on her DP's to make a pair of  mittens. It's taking stops and start overs but they are getting the hang of it.

 Liz's Dorm Slippers made it into the inventory today. A sturdy acrylic yarn makes a hard wearing slipper.

 Joules had to be reminded that cats can't knit. After I shooed her off the table, the insult was too much for her and she left us alone for the remainder of the evening.

 This gave us undivided time to devote to new techniques. Carole's socks are coming along nicely. They are the same size but because the yarn is striped differently, it makes them look uneven. But as a wise woman once said (cough,cough Beth, cough, cough) you can't see it from a galloping horse. And socks go inside shoes, right, so who cares?!

 Dorah's socks look like socks this week. She finished the increase rows and is working her way up to the heel. Soon she'll add waste yarn for the afterthought heel.

 And Maureen has mastered the technique. These are her second pair of toe up, two at a time, magic loop.

She finished the pair she started last week. After viewing Youtube videos, she was able to master the heel and kitchener stitch. Looks great!

Margaret was struggling with the two at a time so we decided to master one sock on magic loop until she wraps her brain around the steps. After many starts, she changed her needle to one with a less bendy-twisty cable and had much better luck. It's not easy to learn something new when you have to wrestle with the cable.

My socks are growing too. Another inch or two and I'll knit the waste yarn to hold the heel stitches until I'm ready to knit them.

I'm very proud of my Chicks for their willingness to try new things. And also for their persistence when it doesn't work out on the first, second, or twelfth try! As I remind them, it's okay to make mistakes. That's how you learn.

Let me thank my former Chick, Beth Mashmann, for gifting us with these funny labels to attach to our work. A friend of hers makes them so if you would like your own collection go to

badbettyknits.com

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Delivery Day and MORE YARN!!!

Maureen, Carole, and I delivered our baby clothes to Community Maternity Services today. They were met with ooohhhs and aaahhhs with each item that was pulled from the bags. Two babies are expected this month alone so the clothing arrived just in time for the new arrivals. Speaking of arrivals...

 Many thanks go out to our yarny godmother, Laura, for the beautiful yarns she donated to our group last week! Our heads are swimming with ideas.

 Carole found some gorgeous superwash merino while Margaret made thoughtful selections.

 Here Dorah and Maureen talked about what this lovely yarn would become.

 Then we retired to the kitchen to work on week two of magic loop-two at a time-top down socks. We had to frog out some stitches but the Chicks are getting the hang of it.

The afternoon Chicks had the day off because of conflicts of schedules so after our delivery Carole, Maureen, and I treated ourselves to a nice lunch. Now that our outside deck painting has been completed, future knit sessions will be held al fresco, weather permitting.

And be sure to come back to visit next week as Joules the kitty will be visiting for a couple of weeks. She will surely make an appearance with the Chicks in the coming entries.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Wrapping up and learning new things

Janna, Liz, and Barbara helped me label the items which will be donated to Community Maternity Services. 

 There were 24 stuffed animals of all breeds. There were fish, raccoons, hedgehogs, cats, owls, bears, and two bunnies. It was quite a menagerie!

 We collected 9 pairs of socks and booties and a pair of mittens on a string.

 And look at all those hats! 55 hats!!!

 We knitted 5 vests and 16 sweaters.

 And 6 blankets were knitted and added to the donation, along with 1 bib. That brought our total to 127 items! WAY TO GO CHICKS!

 A few last minute additions to the inventory were this sweet little bolero sweater from Liz with vintage buttons. They were on a card with a price of under $1 so you know they were old.

 Her baby hat made it into this donation too.

 And Janna had to knit furiously to finish her Dexter vest to have it included in this donation.

 My evening Chicks helped me count and photograph all the items so they were a big help too. Then we started a KAL where I taught them how to knit two at a time, toe up, magic loop socks. It is so satisfying to me to watch their faces light up when they learn something new. Dorah will deny it if asked, but she said it was actually fun to learn a new technique. They will have to practice the steps a few times for it to feel natural but they are well on their way to conquering another milestone in their knitting skills.

And I am so proud of them for accepting the challenge and trying their hand at something new. I tell my students not to be afraid to try something new. Your brain will love it!