Back inside!

The sun has not yet reached the deck so it was much cooler outside today therefore we are back indoors. My photographer had previous obligations today so I had to come up with a method for taking our group picture. I just happened to have a little cheap plastic easel that I propped up in the corner and was actually able to set the self timer on my phone camera to give me time to be in the shot with everyone else. My IT guy (aka my son) will be so impressed! NOT! LOL! 

I finished two projects this week for the Falcon Boutique. This first one was a VERY close victory in the game of yarn chicken!

This is the Fifi Cowl, a paid pattern on Ravelry. I used a Periwinkle Sheep yarn that I purchased at the Rhinebeck festival in 2013. Sometimes you have to wait for the yarn to tell you what it wants to be. In this case, I should also have listened to it tell me to read the pattern requirements more than once. In my defense, I might have been tired. I could have sworn the pattern said "a skein" of 100 yards of DK weight yarn. As I was rapidly running out of yarn to make a reversible cable, long cowl, I reread the pattern and saw it called for TWO SKEINS!!! Oh well, it is now a small cozy cowl. 

I did the same thing calculating yardage for this headband. At least I didn't have to rip it out. Maybe I should have my knitting license revoked. 😟

 Carole started a Sophie Scarf using a pretty lilac yarn. Her I-cord edges are so neat and tidy!

Maureen is making the Olive You Baby sweater. It has an asymmetrical front with this lovely cable. She's using a stunning Malabrigo yarn, a color that will knock your socks off!

Jan is working hard at her Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf. Sometimes a project seems like it's taking forever to complete. And sometimes, it is! 😉

Tina finally used up that huge skein of yarn and completed her Petal Showers Hat.

And she has moved on to the French Twist Scarf using a pretty variegated green fingering weight yarn. It looks just like the scarf on the pattern page on Ravelry.

Dorah is enjoying the experience of knitting Stephanie Pearl McPhee's One Row Handspun Scarf. The baby alpaca yarn makes it soft as down.

Barbara K started a scarf at home and didn't like the results so she is making up a triangle as she goes. Looking great so far!

I have yarn left over from a previous project so I am winging it too. I was thinking of knitting a mosaic design but after casting on all those stitches and realizing I did not have the correct multiples to accomplish a complete motif, I decided to knit a corrugated ribbing all the way. We'll see what these next few hours bring. There might be some frogging in my future.

My stomach is telling me it's time for a piece of fruit so I'm going to try to sneak a mandarin orange without Fozzie hearing me. Wish me luck! In the meantime, have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

We're back to deck knitting

 Even though wintery cold, sunny days are my absolute favorite, I have to admit that springtime fills me with joy when I walk through my neighborhood and see colors popping everywhere.

And I have to take advantage of walking while it's still cool enough. The temps hit 80 degrees this afternoon so these lovely blossoms will drop soon to be replaced by other pretty flowers.

There were just five of us this afternoon to enjoy the random breezes that wafted through the deck, occasionally ringing the windchimes.

Margaret started a Helix Hat with some pretty teal colored yarn.

It didn't take her long to finish the cuff and add the purple stripes. Such a pretty color combo!

Maureen's Reversible Stripes Scarf was sent to the time out corner for a while but it's back in circulation and ready to be completed.

Jan's Simple Little Scarf is in the early stages. She made some modifications to the original pattern which had a 3 stitch I-cord edges but she didn't like the bulk it created. She went up in needle size and made the edge with knit 1 stitch at the beginning of the row and slip the last stitch purlwise with the yarn in front. This creates a neat chain look edge.

Tina is using the Navajo Ply technique on her Petal Showers Hat which sports a pretty little flower like motif in the design.

I'm working on a cable/braided headband which I found on YouTube and wrote the instructions for my personal library. It's a pretty easy pattern but just gets fiddly when you reach the middle where you have to make a one row cable. Then it's smooth sailing the rest of the way.

I'm still sitting on the deck but between the pollen and neighborhood lawnmowers, I've decided it's time to get back to the AC where my throat won't tickle anymore. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Deck Knitting Commences

While the sun was out, it was comfortable for the first time on the deck. But when the clouds rolled by it was a little chilly. Who cares?!?! We were getting our fresh air! It was almost a full house too. In a few weeks we will be welcoming Cinzia back from sabbatical.

Barbara B's treat today was sourdough rhubarb coffee cake. The cinnamon topping added a depth of flavor to the sweet rhubarb scattered throughout the cake.

She wore her Zomboni Scarf today which you might remember her knitting these past few weeks.

Mill City Shawl is the next shawl she's knitting. This is a freebie on Ravelry.

Another one of Barbara B's projects is May I Borrow This, Please, and another freebie on Ravelry.

She's using this gorgeous DK weight rainbow yarn from Urth Yarns called Harmony which she bought at Cece's Wool and More in Guilderland.

Dorah finished her alpaca 2x2 ribbed hat and has enough yarn left over to knit a matching scarf.

Tina completed her hat for which she used a Navajo ply technique to increase the gauge of the fine weight yarn she had on hand.

And she started another hat with what yarn is left over!

I'm working on a baby alpaca headband that has a braided cable look at the front. I've searched YouTube to find the video I used to write up the pattern but alas, some of the things I find on sleepless nights get lost, never to be found again.

Barbara K's American Beauty Rose hat has grown since last week. She has more yarn at home to make a scarf to match.

Jan started the ZickZack Scarf, a popular pattern on Ravelry (free) which resembles the Missoni designs of high end fashion.

Nancy finished her Dupont Street Hat and has started...

The Workday Scarf. The colors of her yarn are lovely!

This is another free pattern on Ravelry.

Maureen has finished the ear cuff portion of her 1898 Hat and is using up some sock yarn to jazz up the crown of the hat.

Margaret's Roxana Reversible Beanie has reached the decreasing portion of the pattern. The directions say to purl two together through the back loop but it is an awkward technique so between the two of us we figured out how to slip the stitches, one at a time, and reorient the position on the needle and then purl them together.

Carole just started a Sophie Scarf but she also brought...

a tried and true pattern from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee called the One Row Handspun Scarf. Carole calls this her car project, one which she can knit while taking the long ride to visit family out of state.

My "Supervisor" is signaling that it's time to cuddle so I'll end here and wish you...

A great week ahead and don't forget to keep those needles clicking!

Back inside this week

I knew it was too good to be true that spring is here! Last week it was 80 degrees and we sat outside. This week it's cold enough to wear the cowl I just finished (pics to follow).

Barbara B made sourdough animal crackers for today's treat.

She has specialized cookie cutters to make perfect little animals! And they're great with a glass of ice cold milk! Ask me how I know. 😉

     

We talked about houseplants today. I have a golden pothos that my daughter received as a gift on her 6th birthday (about 39 years ago) which has spawned so many clippings that it's still going strong, well, cuttings from the original plant are still growing. Dorah has one of the offspring plants. This is a Chinese Evergreen, I think, that was about 6 years old when it started looking sad. So I hacked off a few of the stems of the healthiest looking shoots and just shoved them in some fresh potting soil and now it looks like a brand new plant! 

The colors of my new Grid Gambit are similar to the plant. I used Terri Bartosik's Whole Knit n' Caboodle Woo-Sport for the pretty pink variegated and Malabrigo Arroyo for the deep green contrasting yarn. This is my third one, two for me and one for my good friend in Pennsylvania. There might be more in my future. You never know!

I finished the Twisted Headband/Earwarmer that was started last week. It ate up yarn like crazy and I finished with only inches of yarn left. It was a tense game of yarn chicken!

And Barbara K finished her vibrantly striped scarf and because it's still cold here, she was able to wear it before next winter.

She started a hat with some bulky yarn and has enough yarn at home to make a matching scarf.

Jan called me over the weekend for a "private consultation" on a pattern that was confusing her. The Frid (Serenity) Scarf directions were a bit confusing in the way it worded the increasing stitches. But...

she is smart and left lifelines every so often so if she has to frog it, she will know what row she's knitting.

Dorah's 2x2 hat is growing longer. I recently read an article by a professional knitter who says she often gets requests from friends for her hand knitted items as though she can whip one off the needles overnight. Non-knitters don't have any idea the amount of time it takes to knit a garment.

Maureen spent the last week visiting her grands so she really didn't have the time or energy to add much to her 1898 Hat. But it's getting there.

Nancy's Dupont Street Hat is a little longer but she's been knitting something special at the same time.

This is her Tintype Cowl. The pattern says it can be worn as a cowl or shawl. Nancy is our Queen of Short Rows and there are plenty to satisfy her in this pattern!

Tina's hat is nearing the decrease portion. Even though she is using a Navajo Plying technique, it doesn't seem that the ball of yarn is getting any smaller!

Barbara B made great progress on her Zomboni Scarf/Shawl. It has a nice decorative purled edge that give it a little ruffled look.

I'm working on a Braided Headband which is from a YouTube video I came across. The yarn is a soft baby alpaca, perfect for keeping ears warm.

Margaret started the Roxana Reversible Beanie in a pretty persimmon color yarn.

And guess who jumped on the chair as soon as the Chicks left for the day! He times his appearance perfectly, just as they open the door to leave.

Now he's sitting beside me, staring holes into my brain, hoping I'll feed him. It's a good thing he can't speak English. Although, he might as well. I can read his body language as if he was speaking! LOL! Well, gotta start cooking dinner. See you next week and keep those needles clicking!