Too chilly for deck knitting

Boy! One week inside, one week outside, now we're back inside. Mother Nature can't make up her mind about the spring weather. I even had to pump the heat up from 64 degrees in the house because it was just a little too chilly to sit still for two hours. I will appreciate it though because I'm not a summer person, even though that's when I was born. I often say my perfect day would be bright sunshine, zero degrees in January, and bundled up in my finest hand knit woolens. It's my favorite season for walking.

Ok, now that you all know I'm crazy, let's get on with the knitting.

 Maureen knitted the Sunnyside sweater for a baby gift using a lovely, soft yarn from Wonderland Yarns called Mary Ann. It was labeled as machine washable but hand washing is recommended. It probably won't get soiled before the baby outgrows it anyway. The pattern includes two different versions, this one is a lacy insert and the other is a cable insert.

Her current WIP is the Close to You Shawl. If you remember last week, Maureen was knitting something else with this yarn. But it had other ideas and this seems to be a better pattern for it.

Barbara B finished the 1898  Hat using a self striping yarn that adds some pizazz to an otherwise quiet design. You can see here that the ear flap cuff is knitted in a different direction from the crown. The basic pattern is easy and lends itself to creative variations.

She already has a second one started in a nice neutral gray.

And Margaret started one too. Her decision to hold two different colored yarns together make for a nice new colorway. That's a good way to use up odds and ends of yarn too.

Tina started right in on a Totally Biased Cowl using yarn she purchased on last week's trip to the preview of WEBS tent sale in Northampton, Massachusetts. We all had better luck finding yarns we needed on this trip. Now I need a few more hours in the day to knit it all! 

Jan decided to stick with the black yarn on her Reverb Shawl. She wore her neck lamp today to make it easier on her eyes to see the stitches.

I have a couple of more inches to knit on my Braided Blue Headband which is a pattern I found on YouTube. This video is spoken in English so I didn't have to watch it a million times to figure out the pattern. As soon as I reach the required size, those short ends will be grafted together for a seamless join.

Our "Sourdough Queen" Barbara B brought sourdough lemon bars today. If I say they were delicious they must be because I'm not a big fan of lemon desserts. She won me over with these! She twisted my arm (yeah, right) to take a few for later. ;)

Well, I have a ton of knitting that needs to be finished so I'll wish you a great week ahead and

 keep those needles clicking!

75 Degrees and no humidity!

It was the perfect afternoon for deck knitting today! The breezes were so gentle that they hardly moved the wind chimes. Sometimes they get going so vigorously that I have to put them on the floor! LOL!

I found a YouTube video for a knitted headband which was dubbed in English, designed by a German knitter. It is knitting up very quickly and I made it through the fussy part while the Chicks were here so I would say it's pretty easy too. It starts with a provisional cast on and is knitted as a tube. The ends will be grafted when it reaches the proper length.

Barbara B just started the Rainbow Indigo Fisherman's Beanie using a lush burgundy yarn. On a side note, the hat pictured is not blue and pink stripes. Barb's printer was running low on ink! LOL!

Margaret started the Copycat C.C. Beanie which begins with a provisional cast on so the cuff can be double thick with a lovely edge. The pattern is free on Ravelry and even has a link to a video tutorial.

Tina is almost ready to connect the ends of the ear flap/cuff portion of her 1898 Hat. This is another pattern which begins with a provisional cast on. The ends can either be grafted or finished with a 3 needle bind off. Then stitches are picked up along the straight edge and the crown is finished.

Maureen is working on the beginnings of another baby blanket with the cars and trucks design. Sorry I didn't get the pattern name.

Last week I presented the ladies with a bag of UFOs that my daughter donated and Jan was courageous enough to choose a pretty purple tonal yarn shawl that was about a third of the way through. She is placing a lifeline and will attempt to finish it in the same manner as it was started. It's too bad my daughter didn't write down her directions. But we were able to figure out the basic stitches and Jan will take it from here.

Dorah started a Helix Hat. I'm excited to see these colors together. You never know how it will turn out but somehow even the most unlikely combinations look great!

                                          

She also added the completed Bias Scarf to our inventory. She used a Noro brand yarn. They have the prettiest colorways!

And not to be forgotten, our treat today was Sourdough Zucchini Banana Bread and BOY! It was delicious! I don't know if it's the sourdough starter but even sweet breads are not sickeningly sweet, they're just right!

We've got another Field Trip planned to WEBS for their annual tent sale. I hope I have better luck with child friendly/machine washable colors this trip. I need to stock up on some cables for my interchangeable needles too. Well, I'm off to start dinner. 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Just four of us for a quiet afternoon

We four were the only ones who didn't have conflicting schedules this week. And without Barbara B there were no sourdough treats to snack on either. But we had a lively conversation about current events and the local wildlife. It seems with the warmer temps we have had an influx of carpenter bees in the neighborhood. I've heard the males are aggressively intimidating but they can't sting. They'll just hover and stare at you until you give up and leave.We all have had our share of experiences with critters like skunks, mice, and squirrels. And since the woods about 3/4 of a mile down the road have been cleared for new housing construction, we have added annual visits from the bears and deer too.

I visited my daughter in Pennsylvania last week to attend the academic awards ceremony for my high school graduating grandson and his friends. My husband and I had a lovely time and felt encouraged seeing the bright minds who will one day be leading and caring for us. I also came home with a huge bag of yarn and UFOs that my daughter hasn't had time to finish and doesn't want it to go to waste. Let me just say, PLEASE PLEASE don't try to knit from a hank of yarn without winding it into a cake first! This is after an hour and a half of untying tangles and I still have a long way to go. My daughter started an asymmetrical shawl with this lace weight yarn which looks like she was using two strands together. Try as I might, I had to surrender and cut the project away from the tangles to concentrate on winding the yarn. Once it looks manageable, I will decide what to do with the UFO. She also included some really pretty shawls which are in the early stages of her creativity without a written pattern. My daughter is a very talented designer who doesn't write down her process because, like her mother, she thinks she will remember how she made it. I had to dissect one to figure out the pattern and will enjoy knitting it into a FO!

One of the UFOs is a pretty purple shawl she started that alternates stockinette background with a simple K2tog, YO pattern bordered with garter ridges. Jan liked it and offered to work on it in her spare time. 

Jan's current project is the Reverb Shawl. She wanted to knit the portion of the shawl with the smallest section so she could use the black yarn for the least amount of time. But when it didn't look like the picture, we discovered together that it was not a bottom up pattern and so the black yarn will actually be at the widest section which will result in using the black yarn for a longer time. Oh well, she might frog it and start over.

Maureen made an adorable baby blanket for a wee one who will be coming into the world soon. She used Cascade 220 superwash and just found out another baby in another family is on his way so she might be making another one. The vehicles are knitted in relief using knits and purls to create the pattern. She told us about the app, Knit Companion, which she uses to keep her on track with the graph to create the design. She highly recommends it for those who prefer using a digital tracker for their knitting.

The Bankhead Hat she has been working on these past few weeks has been completed. It can be worn slightly slouchy or with the cuff folded up.

Maureen continues to work on her cowl which matches...

the hat she completed some weeks ago.

I decided to spice up the 1898 Hat with a horizontal braid dividing the ear flaps from the crown. I just reached the 5" mark and will begin decreasing the crown to close the top.

Barbara K started a hat but is open to what pattern she will use. I love that my Chicks let the wind take them where the design goddesses lead! They are not afraid to be creative!

Well, all those UFOs are not going to knit themselves. Where is Rumplestiltskin when you need him! Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The first "deck day" of the season!

The weather app said it was 79 degrees but the gentle breezes made for a lovely afternoon on the deck. That is until the next door neighbors' lawn care service revved up their engines and the wind chimes behind me decided to dance the tarantella! I put the chimes on the floor but I couldn't do anything about the mowers and blowers. It's uncanny how they always know when I've planned to be on the deck. Thankfully, I found a soothing station to play on Pandora to calm the atmosphere.

Today's treat from Barbara B was sourdough chocolate chip raspberry biscotti. You know how biscotti needs to be dunked in a cup of hot coffee or tea to soften them enough to not require a visit to the dentist? Well, maybe it was because these were sourdough based, but they were soft enough to eat even though they were double baked, as a biscotti should be. Really yummy!                                      

I'm still working on the cowl with the Turkish stitch from YouTube. This yarn is lovely to knit too. It's Valley Yarn Valley Superwash from WEBS. I hope when I go to the May sale they have more for my stash. It makes a lovely garment and is machine washable.

Cinzia crocheted a car seat baby blanket for our Friday group. We were laughing because Barbara, Cinzia, Tina, and I are in both the Chicks and The Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels and we have trouble remembering which group is knitting for what causes! I really should write it down in my notes.

Carole worked on the Man Hat Here pattern using a heavy weight, maybe bulky, yarn. Yes, I double checked and it calls for bulky weight yarn.

This is the public side of the hat. Very nice!

But the inside is just as nice! Maybe it could be reversible.

Nancy chose the Quick Ombre Hat for her project.

That blue yarn stands out nicely against the purple base.

Dorah loves knitting her Bias Scarf! She highly recommends it. It's a good pattern for those gradient yarns or the very busy short bursts of color yarns to show off the slant of the fabric. I can't find the pattern on Ravelry but just cast on enough stitches for the width you require then follow:

Row 1: K3, Kfb, k to last 5 sts, K2tog, K3

Row 2: K all sts

Make it as long as your heart desires. And if you feel really ambitious, you can use two yarns and stripe it, alternating colors and carrying the yarn up the right side edge.

Maureen's Bankhead hat looks glorious in this vivid red yarn! It is even more stunning in person.

Jan was inspired by Carole's and Dorah's Bias Scarf so she started one too. Pretty colors!!!

Barbara B bought some nice yarns on our last visit to WEBS and started an 1898 Hat. 

It looks cool with the variegated yarn!

Tina finished the Owlie Baby Sleep Sack and has started a hat to match. It will have the cute owls too.

Fozzie waited for everyone to leave and then he came out to join me on the deck. However, he's giving me the cold shoulder because I won't feed him. It's not like he hasn't already had 2 meals today!

He'll just have to wait until 5 o'clock like everybody else in the family. LOL!

I hope you're having a nice day where you are and you're able to keep those needles clicking!

FO's and WIP's abound

Topics of conversation were all over the place today. Babies, dentistry, health insurance were just a few of the discussions bouncing around the room. Eventually, we talked about what to make with the yarns from our trip to WEBS last week. They were spread across the table for inspiration.

One of the patterns we took into consideration was the Phazelia's Mitered Baby Sweater which I made 

in 2017. It looks best if knitted with a self striping yarn to highlight the angles of the rows. But we won't be making baby clothes until September. 

For now we are still knitting for The Falcon Boutique at Albany High School. Carole finished a Bias Scarf to use up the last of the James C. Brett Marble Chunky yarn. The pattern is only two rows and very easy to memorize. Choose your yarn and appropriate sized needle, cast on enough stitches to achieve your desired width, then every right side row, K1, knit into the front and back of the next stitch, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, K1. Wrong side rows are knit only across the whole row. Nothing could be easier! Just remember you won't see the shape until you're a good 3 or 4 inches in. Make sure your needle is a little larger gauge than what the label recommends so the resulting fabric is drapey.

She also completed a Squarshy Slouchy Hat. When a friend commented on how large it was, she explained it is for people with lots of hair to tuck in. The younger crowd likes this style and someone has already requested one from Carole.

Dorah completed her Helix Hat from last week. She has chosen more yarn for another already from the new yarns recently purchased.

Carole had another FO, the Royal Icing Headband which was part of our recent KAL.

Maureen finished her Olive You Baby Sweater for a friend's baby and found the cutest buttons!

She used a Malabrigo yarn, one of her favorites for it's colors and the lovely fabric it creates.

Dorah liked Carole's bias scarf so she immediately cast on to make one using...

a beautiful gradient yarn from Noro.

Tina is still working off that huge ball of yarn which seems not to have diminished in size at all.

She's knitting the Owlie Sleep Sack for our other knitter's group. I think Tina is one of those knitters who works on one project until it's finished. Gee! I wonder what that feels like. 😁

Margaret is in love with the single row, jogless technique for a helix striped hat.

Jan has a Helix Hat started on her needles too. It's such a fun pattern to make and uses scraps of yarn not otherwise in large enough quantities for a whole project.

Maureen had just enough of the Malabrigo yarn left over from the baby sweater to knit the Bankhead Beanie. It starts out with a twisted rib stitch for the cuff which gives it a unique look.

She finished last week's hat and started a cowl to match using the basic design from the Swirl Hat pattern for the body of the cowl.

Nancy started a Helix too! That gradient yarn is going to be a stunner!

Carole was going to knit a cowl but decided to go with 

Stephanie Pearl McPhee's One Row Handspun Scarf.

The yarn, she felt, was too scratchy for a cowl which might be worn against the skin. A scarf can be worn over the coat so it wouldn't matter as much.

I had some Valley Yarns Valley Superwash Sport in a pale blue. Having watched a YouTube video tutorial originating in Turkey for the stitch pattern, I was inspired to write up the project to knit a cowl.

Well, I'm going to start dinner, a cottage cheese and egg concoction that bakes in a souffle dish. I tried it a couple of weeks ago and liked it so tonight I'm going to put different additions in it. Gotta use up a fresh tomato before it goes bad. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!