Barbara K. is back!

We welcomed Barbara K. back from her winter break in Orlando. She had fun at DisneyWorld with her family and enjoyed a relaxing vacation. Now she's back and ready to fill the inventory. That's Barbara K. second from the right.

Janna finished her Palindrome scarf with those beautiful cables.

And Debbie finished her Dottie Beanie in this luscious melon colored yarn.

The scarf that Cinzia started last week is finished too. She designed the pattern herself with saw tooth edges down both sides.

Last week you saw Carole's Irma Hat in the final stages of decreasing crown and this week it is finished too, along with...

this cute cabled hat.

Last week my fingerless mitts were still on magic loop needles and this week they are ready to join the matching hat and scarf.

Debbie decided it would be fun to knit a baby cardigan so she cast on for this adorable tweed sweater.

And Cinzia started a baby pullover with a soft green cotton yarn. There will be a cream colored yarn to add accents to the solid green.

Janna fished through the stash and came up with this pretty two colored yarn for a hat. Just about an inch into knitting the ribbed border, she decided it was too large for a hat so Plan B went into effect and it will become a cowl instead.

Jan thought you would be sick of seeing the same cowl again but I thought it's important for you to see that we don't whip these things up overnight. Many hours of practice, lessons, and hard work go into making a lovely piece such as this.

Barbara B. finally abandoned her Irma hat after it gave her too much trouble. I told her, the yarn didn't want to be that hat. It's looking much nicer as these fingerless mitts.

Barbara K. is using two strands of yarn, one solid cream and one called Ice Cream, to make a cozy baby blanket.

Dorah had to rip out last week's progress and is now starting the design portion of her Irma Hat like Carole's.

And Carole started a cowl with this lovely sock weight yarn. The colors are so warm!

This is what it will look like.

The definition of Ikigai, a Japanese word, is "the happiness of always being busy."

Maureen's cowl is bigger than last week and you can see the little sparkles in the yarn.

And lastly, my hat is nearing completion. I have about 6 more rows and it will be ready for inventory.

I wonder what I should start next...

Debbie is back!

Barbara B.'s nails match her project! She is still working at her Irma Hat which is giving her fits. The stitch count can be off by one stitch if you forget to make 1 within the repeat of the pattern. So she's had to frog it a couple of times. I hope she doesn't give up on it because it really is a nice hat.

 Debbie is back from her winter break in North Carolina and she jumped right back in with her hat knitting. The Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn shows a subtle patterning.

 Cinzia is designing a scarf which is comprised of diagonal blocks using this boucle yarn.

 And Janna's scarf is a bit longer than last week. She's doing a great job on those cables.

 Debbie added the Declan's hat to the inventory. I think this is also Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn. It shows off those cable details beautifully.

 Cinzia finished her ZickZack Scarf which is Berroco Comfort yarns. It's sitting on my loom which is holding....

 This scarf (or maybe a cowl) which I warped on Sunday and worked today. For those out there who understand weaving, I double warped it with fingering weight yarn but the weft is a fluffy alpaca/acrylic blend and I love the look.

 You can see the up close details of the two strands in the warp.

 And five hours later it is done! I need to wet finish it and trim the fringe evenly but the hard part is done.

 Margaret finished her last version of the Julia Roberts hat and is anxiously waiting to start a project with new colors.

 Carole's Irma Hat is ready to begin the decrease portion of the crown. So it's almost finished.

 And Maureen is afraid you're going to get tired of seeing her blue Honey cowl because it seems to be taking forever. That's what happens when you use fine weight yarns. But the finished cowl will be beautiful!

 The thumbs on these simple mitts I'm making are now on waste yarn so I can knit the palm. These will match the woven scarf and knitted hat I made so there will be a 3 piece ensemble to donate.

I better get busy and finish these so I can move on to my next project. I have some hats which I have begun so I won't be at a loss for work. All I need is a few more hours in the day!

On this rainy Tuesday

Janna's Palindrome Scarf hit a snag today but she was able to tink back and find the error. She got herself right back on track. The Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn is the perfect yarn for this pattern.

 Last week I showed you the plaid scarf I wove with a silk/merino blend yarn. There was enough yarn left over to start a hat. I was hoping to throw in a few bands of solid purple but...

 there isn't enough for me to judge how to space them so I decided to use the purple for a pompom...maybe.

 Barbara B. is using Debbie Bliss Rialto yarn for her Irma hat. This is another yarn for beautiful stitch definition.

 Here is Carole's Irma hat. She's using Cascade 220, another good yarn for showcasing stitch work.

 Dorah's Irma hat is also being knitted with Cascade 220. A few more rows for the ribbing and then she'll start the fancy pattern.

 Margaret figured this is her fourth Julia Roberts hat from the movie, "Stepmom". She still has yarn to make another but I think she's had enough of this pattern.

 You can see the little sparkles in Maureen's Honey cowl. The yarn has a little nylon fiber running through it that gives it a little bling.

 On Sunday afternoon I warped my 16 inch rigid heddle loom with a cotton gradient yarn to make this cowl. I don't know about you but I hate knitting with cotton yarn because it's hard on my knuckles. I think it's because it doesn't have the elasticity that animal fibers have. Well, I discovered the same is true for weaving with cotton. At least the warping portion of the process is unforgiving to my hands. But I'm very happy with the results. I now have a nice springtime weight cowl for the women veterans' shelter.

 Carole knitted the Crystalline Cowl for a friend and graciously allowed me to show you. The bulky yarn and size 9 needle she used makes it stand up nicely against winter weather.

 She also finished another hat with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn.

 And here is Margaret's next to last Julia Roberts hat. She's really tired of this pattern. I wouldn't have been able to knit four of the same hat, one right after the other. 

 And I completed the Sockhead Slouch hat, finally! 

This seemed to take forever. But I bet if I check my records, it probably took only a couple of weeks. I guess I'm just a fickle knitter who likes to hop from one project to another.

I wonder what will be on my needles next week.

Making Progress

There were just three of us Chicks this afternoon. A few of them flew the coop for warmer weather. Jan and Janna joined me today. Jan finished her hat and the matching cowl is coming along nicely. 

 Janna's Palindrome Scarf is getting there. She will be able to knit a reversible cable in her sleep by the time she finishes this scarf.

 Margaret laughed about her hat looking the same every week but the colors are in different order each week. The hat is called the Julia Roberts hat because she wore it in the movie, "Stepmom".

 I had a hard time trying to get the true color of Carole's Irma hat. It is deep burgundy, rich and luscious! She decided to try it again with Cascade 220 which has just enough cuticle in the yarn to hold the stitches nicely.

 She inspired Dorah to try one too. She is also using Cascade 220 in a charcoal gray.

 Maureen's Honey Cowl is a bit further along. Since she has a new baby granddaughter she's finding it harder to squeeze in knitting time. I think the baby should take priority anyway. They don't stay tiny for long.

 Sunday I wove a pink and purple scarf and wet finished it yesterday. My edges are still a bit wobbly where I have to change colors but I'm happy with the end product.

 And I just LOVE this cowl I wove using the waffle stitch. Now that it's wet finished, the fabric is soft and drapey.

 I had enough yarn to make a hat and there might even be enough for a pair of fingerless mitts to round out a nice ensemble.

 This weaving gig is the bomb! Another scarf literally flew off the loom!

 And there will be fingerless mitts to go with the hat from last week that matches the scarf.

 Weaving will never replace knitting for me but it's right up there alongside it as one of my favorite things to do. 

Look at Dorah’s work!

Dorah took up weaving and this lovely scarf is only her second project! Gorgeous work dorah! She used Miss Babs Yowza using a 7.5 dent heddle on her rigid heddle loom.

I can’t wait to see what you make next!