Now that’s power!

 

So true!

AHAHAHA!!!

 

 

First day in a long time

It’s been many months since my Chicks and I have been able to meet in person. Some of us have had all our doses of vaccine, some have had the first, and some are still waiting. But with our masks and at least six feet between us, we were able to take advantage of the gorgeous day on my front lawn. 

Cinzia started us off on show and tell with a pretty lace scarf using Mini Mochi gradient yarn. The long color changes work perfectly with the pattern.

Barbara B. made some gorgeous cables in her hat. The yarn is perfect for showing off the stitch definition.

I’m working on the Treppenviertel cowl using Lion Brand Wool-Ease, a machine washable worsted weight yarn.

My iPad won’t load the pictures in the order in which I’ve chosen them so the next two are Carole, Janna, Annika, Cinzia, Debbie, and Barbara B.

Carole is using up some yarn that “exploded” in her stash to make a Helix hat. You should try it. It’s fun and a good way to use up leftovers.

Janna has some Knit Picks gradient yarn for a lace scarf. She wasn’t too sure she liked how it was progressing but I assured her that when she blocks it, it will make all the difference in the world.

Annika’s scarf is an easy repeat which twists one stitch to create the spine down the fabric.

And rounding out the set is Debbie’s lovely cabled hat. She too has great stitch definition in her design.

 Hopefully, this will be the first of many outdoor meetings we Chicks can have.  It’s so nice to be able to talk to each other face to face, even if we cover it with a mask. Until next time, keep those needles clicking!

Counting cables!

I came across this valuable information and thought you’d appreciate it too. Now I’ll be able to count my rows between cables if I don’t happen to have my row counter available.

 https://youtu.be/4cO8ZClNdKw

It’s time to Zoom with my Chicks

We had a good turnout tonight. Everyone brought their smiles and stories of their experiences with getting their vaccine. Some of us have had the first shot, some have had their second already, and some of us are still waiting for our appointments. One of my friends had to drive 400 miles round trip to get her vaccine. We are all eagerly awaiting the go-ahead for when we can start meeting in person again.

For now we are knitting in the privacy of our own homes. 

Dorah’s project is a free pattern on Knitty.com called Study Hall. It’s a symmetrical triangular shawl knitted using the mosaic method of slipping stitches to create the pattern. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?!?!

Carole’s pretty cowl pattern is called “That Nice Stitch Cowl”. It’s a very easy pattern and she made it extra long to wrap more than once around the neck.

The next cowl she completed is called “Totally Biased” and knits up very quickly on the bias using a bulky weight yarn.

And she finished her blue scarf too although I didn’t catch the name of the pattern.

Janna completed two 1898 hats for her in-laws to keep warm. This pattern is so entertaining a knit that I made seven of them since just before Christmas. They are like Lay’s Potato Chips, you can’t make just one!

Margaret is also making the same 1898 hat but she’s using a variegated yarn which distinctly shows the direction of the knitting.

 Well, we’re all hoping and praying that we will soon be able to meet in person again. Until such a time, keep those needles clicking!

It’s time to see what the Chicks are doing

Carole, Dorah, Margaret, Janna, and Annika joined me for our monthly Zoom get-together. We’ve all been busy making those needles click.

Margaret showed us her 1898 Hat in the beginning stages. 

Carole had been very busy and had a few things to show us. The Helix Hat is a great stash buster for using up small leftovers.

This teal toque had a great texture to the stitching.

And her Close to You Shawl finished up beautifully.

This scarf will have great warmth for the wearer because of the texture of the fabric.

Janna had a few tries at casting on for her two-at-a-time mittens on magic loop. I still have to look up YouTube videos to help me through the steps.

Annika took the opportunity to wind a skein of yarn for her upcoming project.

               And look at these cheerful socks Dorah is working on! Great colors and self striping too!

Annika showed off her 1898 Hat that her sister, Janna made for her. I just might “borrow” the striped idea for one I have to make.

I made an 1898 Hat for my son’s birthday according to his custom design. The whole while I was making it, I was thinking the green stripe around the face might be too snug, as all the methods I tried were not working until I decided to duplicate stitch it with crochet. It turns out it was too snug. So I’m going to rip it out and try again with a larger hook.

But at least now I know I can do it.

Hope you all survive the crazy winter weather we’re experiencing in our area. And for those of you who read from warmer climates, stay well. And as always, keep those needles clicking,

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oh! How I've missed these faces! And the Chicks who couldn't make it tonight too! We caught up on current knitting projects and current events. Dorah hit a dry spell just as I was coming out of one. More on that later. She threatened to quit knitting but I'm a hard taskmaster and told her she should take a sabbatical from knitting for a while and catch up on her reading. We all hit a wall now and then. It just takes time to regroup.

Janna worked on the 1898 hat with a variegated yarn. The stripes very clearly define the direction of the knitting.

Then she made a pair of matching fingerless mitts by following an easy mitten pattern and just finishing them off before the decreasing portion.

To her collection she added her version of the Palindrom Scarf, a reversible cables pattern, but she made an infinity scarf instead of a flat scarf. Very clever!

Maureen used a Cascade DK weight yarn to make a lovely baby blanket for her niece. The waffle pattern will make a nice, warm, thermal fabric.

Carole wanted to make a pleated scarf which is made by cleverly arranging knits and purls.

She inspected the last one she made quite a while ago to figure out the pattern.

Barbara B. took the holiday break time to make a beautiful sweater for herself. I saw a picture on Facebook of her wearing it and it's a perfect fit!

She also made a hat (center top) and...

the 1898 hat in a pretty turquoise and...

a pair of Hermoine's Everyday Socks using Cece's Wool fingering weight in the colorway "Oh Rhinebeck, We Miss You". It's a vibrant, pulsing tonal, almost tweedy orange. Really gorgeous!

Dorah did manage to crank out two adorable Helix Hats which she thoroughly enjoyed knitting.

Oh, and here is one more hat, top center, that Barbara B. made. She's been a busy little bee!

Cinzia made a sweater for one of her daughter's using yarn she bought for a song last fall at a garage sale. She just knitted along without thinking but when her daughter tried it on, all the white stripes aligned perfectly. 

In the bottom right corner is another sweater she's working on which has cables. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture.

Lastly, is the project I referred to earlier in the post. This lovely yarn was a gift from my son and his partner when they visited South America a few years ago. It is the prettiest cross between a citron green and a sage green, spun from baby alpaca and a bit of wool. I kept picturing lace patterns and textured patterns for a cowl but no matter how many times I sample knitted and changed needle sizes, nothing was coming out right! Very frustrating! Talk about wanting to quit!!!

Normally, my motto is 3 strikes and you're out but I was stubborn this time and after 12, yes TWELVE tries, I finally hit on a pattern and needle size which fit the gauge for the yarn and I'm very happy with the end result. It's called the Trinity Stitch or Berry Stitch. I have a few more inches to knit and I'll have a cozy cowl before winter's end.

 So now that I have my knitting mojo back again I'll head back to my knitting cave and get to work. 

I hope the new year fills you with hope and good health! And as always, keep those needles clicking!