I thought we'd have a deck day

But Mother Nature had other plans. The rain and humidity made deck knitting out of the question. So here we are, it's September 1st and Barbara B made an appropriate snack for the ever-approaching autumn weather.

We had pumpkin spice sourdough cookies! They were soft and chewy with the right amount of spice.

Dorah started the afternoon prepping a hank of yarn into a ball so she could knit a pair of socks for a friend who needs some TLC. Ron stopped by to commiserate about the state of affairs with the NY METS. He and Dorah are baseball buddies.

She started the cast on with her trusty DPs and got through the first round when she realized she was using the tail of the long tail cast on to knit instead of the working yarn from the ball. Name one person among us who hasn't done this exact same thing. 

But don't fret, she's back on track with the correct strand.

Barbara B got this pattern from her sister to knit the Vivi Wrap. It looks like a good social knitting project, not too tricky but still engaging.

She's using a berry colored variegated yarn that still allows the texture to shine. 

I see blocking in her future.😉

Maureen is working on her Celtic Feather Cap for her granddaughter using that pretty lilac colored yarn. She should be starting the cable section soon.

Cinzia is knitting a cover for the steering wheel of her car. She's making it with a double moss stitch for a nice texture.

When my son and his partner cruised the fjords of Norway a few months ago, they stopped at a yarn store to buy me some souvenirs. This is one of the skeins they found at the second shop. The lady in the first shop asked my son if he needed help and he sheepishly explained to her, "My mother is sort of a yarn snob." She said she totally gets it and while she doesn't have yarn I might like, the yarn store a block away would have the perfect selection for him to peruse. Imagine that! Well, she was right! Even though I feel like I'm knitting with cotton candy, I do love the color and feel of this goat mohair and silk blend! This will be a Feather and Fan Cowl when I eventually finish it. I can knit only 4 rounds at a sitting. Those of you who knit lace weight mohair will know why.

My alternate project is the same scarf I've been knitting for a while now. It's from a YouTube video which I wrote up for the Chicks and me to make a KAL. 

Tina finished hers already. We were noticing the texture of the stitches looked different. After some discussion it was brought to my attention that Tina used a cable needle to make the mini cables whereas I made twisted stitches, left and right. It made a big difference in the look of the finished pattern. Next one I make will be the technique Tina used. Tina, your scarf looks great!

And after last week I thought Barbara B wasn't going to speak to me anymore. She was trying to knit the same pattern but she was confused about the increasing and how to allow for the pattern to flow from one row to another. But she got the hang of it once she got home and knitted in a quiet room without interruptions. Barbara it looks great too!

Tina's current WIP is the Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf, a pattern Jan made a few weeks back.

I found an online pattern which was free for a limited time so I shared it with the group and Jan hopped right on it. The Hollyhocks Hat pattern is still free to the end of today so hurry and grab it if you like it.

Margaret was hunting through her stash and UFOs and found a bottom up sweater she had started for her son many moons ago. She got as far as the yoke and the pattern instructed her to knit short row shaping so she put it in a bag and tucked it away for a time when she felt like she could tackle the challenge. Well, that day has come and she's determined to finish it. It's so close to the end and such a lovely gold color!

Nancy is knitting an adorable color work hat with such a lovely color combo! The pattern also has a matching scarf. And both patterns are free!

Fozzie is letting me know I'm done writing and need to tend to his needs. 

How can I say no to this face?!?!

Check back next week when we will deliver our goodies to The Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking.

Perfect weather for a deck day

It was a glorious mid 70's kind of day with no humidity, just perfect for an afternoon of knitting outside. You will see Jan, second in from the right, casting on for her project. She had to leave early so I didn't get a close up of her knitting.

Barbara B made Blueberry Boy Bait, aka blueberry coffee cake, for today's treat (shhh...don't tell anyone but I'm going to have another slice with a tall glass of ice cold milk😉). And if you look at the reflection of the sky in the glass table, you will see how nice a day it was.

I finished a Hitchhiker Scarf for myself these last few days. It was one of those projects that sat in my travel knitting bag so it probably took longer than it should have to knit. But it's done and waiting for me to decide if I should block it. It looks pretty good now but blocking would set the tension more evenly and I can pin the sawtooth edge for more precise points. Ok, so I guess I'll block it...sigh.

Last week at our anniversary dinner, Carole gifted the Chicks her handmade knitting project bags and said she would bring mine this week. Well, here it is with a nifty story to go with it. Carole is a big time quilter in addition to being a knitter. Along the way she became acquainted with a quilter on the west coast who gifted her this last of the line fabric covered in colorful balls of yarn. The fabric was handed off to quilters all across the country until it finally made its way to New York! So it's not just a project bag, it's a bit of traveling history! Thank you Carole! I know the project that I will tuck into this bag too.

This is the Zigzag Sophie Scarf (which is a variation of the Sophie Scarf) designed by Susen Mehralieva. That's the name I gave it but Susen calls it the Wavy Cable Rib Scarf. I watched the video and wrote up a pattern and have revised errors along the way but I think it still needs clarifying, according to...

Barbara B who was having trouble wrapping her head around the instructions. Until you understand the sequence of the progress of the stitches, it's probably best to knit alone without trying to participate in conversation. In other words, this is not a social knitting project until you understand the instructions.

But, with that said, Barbara was doing a great job in spite of her misgivings. It is probably best to use a heavier weight, solid color yarn when learning the pattern but some of us like a challenge.😉

Nancy just started a hat and I looked to my left to see...

Maureen starting a hat in the same color! I thought I was seeing double for a minute there. This is going to be the Celtic Feathers Hat for her granddaughter.

Carole added some rounds to her baby hat she's making for a friend who is expecting her first grandson in the family.

And Dorah is knitting the Workday Scarf for a family member. This is an easy to remember pattern that works well in a social setting. It also works well with any kind of yarn whether it's solid, tonal, or variegated, as seen here.

We've set up a date to bring the items to the Albany High School Falcon Boutique. So check back in a few weeks to see some pictures of our delivery. Until then, keep those needles clicking!

Twenty-One Years!!!

Wow! Twenty-one years ago I had a dream to invite some friends to help me knit items to donate to local organizations and here we are eleven of us contributing to keeping our neighbors warm throughout the winter. I thought that this would go on for a year or two and then fizzle out due to a lack of interest. But God bless these ladies! They have stuck with me! Barbara K in the green, second from the right, is one of my original members.

As is Maureen on the far left in the white T. They've been there through thick and thin since 2005. I am so grateful for them and all my Chicks both past and present. Without them this dream would never have happened.

Members have come and gone over these years. Tina, on the left, is our newest Chick.

And the one thing they have all said to me at one time or another is that this is such a great group of women! I guess I know how to pick 'em! 😉

 They are also all fabulous cooks! I look forward to this dinner to see what tasty treat we will share this time. These pita chips were tasty by themselves but went so well with...

Barbarba B's dip of Boursin cheese with fig jam, crushed pistachios, and a drizzle of hot honey! 

Soooo good!

Nancy made a pastry baked Brie to die for! The crust was so light and flaky!

Of course we couldn't have an anniversary dinner without Dorah's delectable Moosewood Kitchen Gazpacho! It is just understood that's what she'll bring. I hope she doesn't get bored with it! She chooses all fresh ingredients which makes all the difference.

Tina made a tasty tomato quiche. It was so pretty, I hated to cut into it.

Margaret made a wonderful loaf of homemade bread. 

Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, just as it should be!

Maureen's fruit salad hit the spot on this summer day with it's pretty colors and flavors.

And Jan brought a tasty tomato cucumber salad with little chunks of cheese. We had a discussion about leaving out the lettuce this year. IYKYK😉

I made a Middle Eastern dish called Chicken Shawarma. The chicken is marinated in tasty warm spices and then skewered onto this fancy pan with onion slices between some layers and baked. I'm so pleased that everyone loved it!

Cinzia made zucchini fritters which went very quickly so you know they were yummy.

We finally sat down to eat and catch up on current events and what our next project will be. Since we've been working on donation projects since January, we are taking a break until this coming January to catch up on our personal projects and possibly give our hands a little well-deserved rest.

Carole made a little game of the gifts she made for everyone. She had them pick a number out of a hat and then gave them each the bag with the corresponding number.

She made cute little project bags for each of the Chicks.

The fabrics were adorable! Some had yarn balls and knitting needles...

and some had sheep.

Now they'll have to find a project to fill them.

After our dinner, we sorted and labeled all the items which will be donated to The Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. 

We are awaiting confirmation for a delivery date but it will be within the next month so incoming classes will be well equipped for the cold winter ahead.

Our collection included 65 hats, 16 cowls...

22 Scarves, 3 headband/ear warmers, and a hat and matching mittens set. 

We had a grand total of 109 items!!!

Fozzie was exhausted by the end of the afternoon. So he's taking a nap until his next feeding, which should be as soon as I stand up.

My Chicks deserve a round of applause and big hugs for all their hard work! I couldn't do this without you ladies. I am blessed to have you in my life! Love you all! Congratulations to another year and I look forward to the next with all of you. Keep those needles clicking!