Some FO's for the inventory

We'll start off this week with some FO's (finished objects). Maureen brought in her Bankhead Hat for which she used a Malabrigo DK weight yarn. 

I found an unidentified yarn in the stash to make some small mittens. I'll do a burn test later to see if it's wool or acrylic. If you here the fire sirens, you'll know it didn't end well. LOL!

Cinzia made a zig zag scarf with an acrylic bulky weight yarn that self stripes.

Maureen started a new project using sock weight yarn to make the Easy Shawl. This is the pattern that lets you knit increasing to the halfway point of your supply of yarn and then you decrease and pick up stitches to to end of the supply of yarn, making the stripes perpendicular to the beginning stitches.

I'm making the same exact pattern but with a slower color changing yarn so it shows stripes instead of texture. It's funny how you can knit the exact same pattern with two different yarns and have two different looking FO's.

That's what I love about knitting. You can be so creative and not feel like you're copying someone else's work. 

Well, I have to end here as I'm trying a new to me recipe for dinner and need time to improvise. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Dodging raindrops

It was a bit cloudy today and threatening to rain so we moved from under the maples to on the deck.

Jan A. is enjoying the experience of making the Basket Weave Cowl using such a pretty, vibrant blue worsted weight yarn. The one round that has yarnovers between the "warp and weft" give the pattern the depth it needs to highlight the weave.

The Beloved Hat uses Aran weight yarn but you can substitute worsted weight and go up a needle size if it looks too small. I've used worsted weight with no change in needle size and it still fits an adult head according to the measurements.

Barbara K. is making one using worsted weight and the size looks just right.

Maureen is making slow progress on her Bankhead Hat because she finds it hard to knit in warm weather. I guess it does seem like a winter sport. ;)

Barbara B. is making this sweet cardigan.

It will be going to her grand-niece. It's a top-down pattern so you can see the sleeve stitches are being held aside until the body is finished. Then those stitches will be picked up and knitted to completion.

Barbara K. is so relieved to have finally finished her Hepsi's Cowl/neckwarmer.  It can be worn with the point in front or...

Turned to have the flat edge in front.

This adorable hat makes me think of gum drops, for some reason. The 2x2 ribbed hat practically flies off the needles and makes good tv knitting.

I'm working on a hat to match the cowl I made this weekend. When I can't sleep I watch YouTube videos of knitting stitches and this one appeared on my list. It was in a foreign language so I had to watch it multiple times to figure out the stitches. In addition, it was originally knitted flat so I had to convert it to knitting in the round. This will be a hat...

And here is the cowl. If you'd like the pattern, just ask and I'll send it. I named it Beach Pebbles Cowl.

                              

Just another project to keep those needles clicking!

Our Snowbird is back!

If you look at the second person in from the right you'll see Liz is back from her winter residence. She had a productive winter of knitting which I'll show you later in the post.

I'm on a roll with this basket weave pattern and will be finishing up this cowl in another day or so. This is yarn from my daughter who gave me her whole stash because she doesn't have time to knit and didn't want the beautiful yarns to go to waste. This is the last bit of this pretty pastel green.

Margaret is back from walking in the annual Freihofer's Run for Women which she walked with her 80 year old mother. She is back on track with the scarf she was knitting a while back.

                                           

Janna made some progress on her hat. You can see where she placed ring markers to bookmark the spots where she will be decreasing stitches to close the top of the hat.

Dorah's hat is almost to the same place where she'll be decreasing soon.

Carole started the Waffle Hat with a pretty blue yarn. This is the worsted weight yarn version but there is a pattern to make it with DK weight yarn too.

I think this is Liz's favorite pattern, The Mistake Stitch Scarf. It's a pattern which is easy to memorize and makes a thick, warm fabric.

Jan A. has come a long way on her Exordium Shawl. The neutral pallette is very calming.

As I promised earlier, this is what Liz completed over the winter while she soaked up the Florida sun. There's a cowl on the left, another Mistake Stitch Scarf at the bottom, a long triangular denim colored shawl, and some sweet baby items.

Last night I finished the second Heddle Shawl using more yarn from my daughter's gift of yarn. I am going to keep this one since I have a winter sweater which I think will go perfectly with it. I have plenty of yarn to make another when I feel inspired.

I had to make a trip to the Ocean State Job Lots store in Westgate Shopping Center in Albany and while there I saw they had those spongy, interlocking, floor mats which are perfect for blocking and pinning knits. So if you're in the market for blocking mats these were only $12.00 for a package. I forgot to see how many were in the package but I think it was at least 4 mats.

 A hummingbird visited the front bushes last week so it's time to get the feeders out of winter storage and put them out. I'm hoping my kitty will appreciate watching them from the kitchen window. I'm off to fill the feeders so until next week...keep those needles clicking!

Front lawn knitting

Cinzia, Dorah, Maureen, Jan A. and Janna joined me on the front lawn for a breezy afternoon of knitting.

We always start out with show and tell during which time Dorah showed us her beautiful Anuket Shawl. It's made using three harmonious yarns that at times overlap each other by knitting two rows with one yarn and the next two rows with another until all are incorporated into the design. There is a little bit of lace knitting to add interest to the edging. Beautiful work!

Dorah was inspired by Barbara B's Exordium Shawl so she started one for herself. Janna also liked the pattern...

so she's making one too. It's funny how the choice of yarn colors can make the same pattern look so different from each other.

Janna's donation piece is a hat made from self striping yarn. Such pretty colors.

Cinzia also used a self striping yarn to make a scarf with a sawtooth edge.

Maureen made progress on her Bankhead hat.

And Jan A. started the Basket Weave cowl from a pattern I wrote up and shared with the Chicks.

The Beloved Bonnet from TinCanKnits is a favorite pattern of mine. I'm holding my breath and playing yarn chicken because I might not have enough yarn to finish. Oh well, I can always rip it out and make it smaller.

Dorah was afraid her hat was too small but there are kids out there who will fit it perfectly.

I was going to take a walk but I think I'll just sit and knit until the feeling passes. LOL! So until next week, keep those needles clicking.
 

It was a scorcher of a day

Thank goodness I have a two huge maple trees in my front yard. In spite of the temp reaching 89 degrees, the breezes through the leaves kept us comfortable. I'm not a big fan of summer so coming from me that's quite a statement! If I had my way, I'd live inside the Arctic Circle! LOL! I must have been a polar bear in a previous lifetime.

Jan A. like Barbara B's Exordium shawl so much, she hunted through her stash for two perfect yarns to combine for this shawl. Her stitch work is beautiful and tension so nice and even.

Cinzia arrived armed with FO's galore! She's modeling the scarf she knitted on size 15 needles using railroad or ladder yarn...that's the yarn made by connecting two fine strands of fiber with small ribbonlike pieces of fiber to make a novelty yarn that is very open and airy. It's not her favorite yarn to use but she couldn't let it go to waste.

She also completed this adorable baby dress with lace insets. And when it gets too short for a sweet cherub she can use it as a tunic over pants.

And lastly, Cinzia designed her own cowl pattern with a lovely diagonal lace motif.

Maureen continued to work on her Bankhead Hat. The tension in her knitting is just beautiful.

Barbara K. kept plugging along on her Hepsi's Neck Warmer with that pretty turquoise yarn. I think she plans to keep knitting until she uses up all the yarn. Getting close to the end of the ball of yarn, Barbara!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and in that time I've been trying to use up some superwash yarn that my daughter donated to the group. All of the next four projects are from the same dye lot of yarn but because of the different locations in which they were photographed, they look like completely different colors. This basket weave cowl is a pattern I designed when I was inspired by another pattern for a shawl.

Every baby needs a teddy bear hat, right?

And this Hannah Hals Neck Warmer is from a pattern for a child's size but I sized it up for an adult.

And finally, the Pixie Throwback Hood was for Maureen's new grandson who is only 3 weeks old. The mittens are thumbless and connected with a cord to go through the jacket sleeves.

It's supposed to rain here tomorrow so the temps will come back to a bearable state for the next few days...just in time for me to do some painting of deck railings. I put the first coat on this afternoon so now I'm going to veg out in the AC with my knitting. Until next week...keep those needles clicking!

 

A Perfect Afternoon

It was 76 degrees and the sunshine peeked through the maple leaves just enough to keep us happy as the breezes kept the bugs away. 

It was just a perfect way for Janna, Margaret, and me to spend the afternoon.

Janna had purchased this pretty yarn with the idea of making the Cheri Chevron Shawl but as often happens to me, the yarn decided it didn't want to be that shawl. So Janna put Plan B into action and is now working on the Exordium Shawl for herself.

For donation she's working on a hat with the prettiest variegated yarn. The green portion of it was just enough to make one complete round at the beginning of the ribbed section.

Margaret was discussing with us how she lost her knitting mojo for a while so is easing back into projects with a basic warm garter stitch scarf. We've all been there at some point and as I said to her, there's nothing wrong with simple. It keeps you just as warm as a patterned scarf.

I'm approaching the end of the Hannah Hals neck warmer and will be binding off the stitches in another row or so. You know what that means?!?! I get to start a new project and there's a skein of pretty periwinkle blue that has been screaming at me from the stash for the last week!

 Well, it's still lovely outside so I'm going to go for a stroll before I have to make dinner. It's just too nice to sit inside, even if I am knitting! Enjoy the spring while you can. And keep those needles clicking!