Field Trip!!!

Today was a field trip day for The Chicks! Terri, of Whole Knit n' Caboodle has an annual sale but this year instead of holding it in her yard as in the past, she did it a little differently. She invited individuals and groups to make an appointment to come to her home to shop in her studio and try their hand at dyeing yarn.

We had our own private viewing and shopping spree of ALL of her inventory!

Nancy found something that caught her eye but then was distracted by so many more beautiful colors and fibers.

There were many samples knitted up to give us inspiration. Barbara K checked out some shawls and cowls.

Jan found a shawl called Pressed Flowers that peaked her interest. 

But the mini bundles drew her away with the hopes of making a striped beanie. (Margaret, kneeling)

It was fun to shop with so many opinions because if you couldn't make a decision, someone was there to help out. (l to r: Margaret, Jan's back, Carole)

Dorah doing her best Vanna White impression!

Tina and Dorah searched through the discount bins for good bargains and found a few!

Jan and Barbara K having a consultation on color combos.

Barbara B took the opportunity, while others were shopping, to dye some yarn for a hat she wants to knit.

She is planning on making the Blue Wave Beanie and wanted a specific blue so she dyed it herself!

Tina dyed some yarn to knit a hat for her daughter.

She chose a soft green with dollops of brown.

The yarn soaks in hot water until it absorbs all the dye.

Terri mixed the color recipes for Margaret's preference.

Carole dyed a skein like a pro. The Mad Scientist at work! 😉

After all the color is spent from the dye bath, the skein is hung to drip dry. It will take two days for it to be fully dry and ready to knit.

After all the shopping and dyeing, Terri joined us as an honorary Chick while we knitted and chatted. Terri is between Margaret and Barbara B at the point of the table.

Margaret is knitting the Sheepish Little Sweater for one of her grandsons. The sheep are stranded colorwork which turned out perfectly!

I'm knitting a chemo cap for a neighbor using 100% baby alpaca and the 2023 Soldiers Hat pattern.

Carole is about 1/3 of the way through her Raven Beanie. It has a thick stitch for cozy warmth.

Tina continues to knit her Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf using a nice denim colored yarn.

She brought in a FO that she knitted called Campfire Stories Hat with 

beautiful cables, bobbles, and lace.

Terri is halfway there on a pair of baby mittens with the holding cord that feeds through the coat sleeves so they won't get lost.

Dorah loves knitting socks and is making a pair for a friend.

The cables on Jan's Skinny Scarf are beautiful. Her stitch definition is to be envied!

Barbara B is practically finished with her Easy Vivi Wrap which she plans to wear with a burgundy dress to a wedding.

Nancy's Windripple Shawl with the short rows is looking beautiful!

These were the two colors I chose to buy to knit the Mmm Kerchief Cowl unless 

I change my mind...again!

So instead of sitting around writing, I need to get my gears going so I can use up these beautiful colors!

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

It feels like fall

As long as the sun was not hidden behind the clouds, it was a really peaceful afternoon on the deck. That is, it was until the weekly lawn mower teams arrived!!! They seem to ALWAYS time their mowing of our next door neighbors' yard at PRECISELY 1PM TUESDAY EVERY.SINGLE.WEEK!!! Can you tell I'm a little disturbed by this? 😖 I should be grateful that our neighbors are so very nice and that is all I have to be concerned about. When the mowers were finished, we had our peace and quiet back and could catch up on the weekly events. Jan came back from a vacation with a head cold but she had a good time. Carole's youngest daughter visited with her husband and 11 month old son so Carole was in her glory! She played with him and introduced him to some new foods for the whole visit. Barbara B didn't want to talk about her weekend away to watch a Rutgers football game. Sorry Barb! My husband and I watched our grandson play his college football game. We couldn't make the trip down to PA this time but we were able to stream the game online, so it was nice to be able to still see him play.

Barbara B is about 3/4 done with her Easy Vivi Wrap. The yarn is from Cece's Wool and More shop in Guilderland, NY. It is a light worsted and a lovely variegated colorway.

My Wavy Ribbed Scarf is on the decreasing portion of the pattern. I didn't bother weighing the yarn because I had two skeins and like to fly by the seat of my pants. But having said that, I am feeling a little anxiety as I watch that ball of yarn shrink.😉

Nancy, our Queen of the Short Rows, started a new wrap for herself. I couldn't find Windripple on Ravelry so I'm not sure where she found it but she said it is a little difficult to follow. Some of the instructions are explained at the beginning and never repeated within the pattern itself so you have to remember some of the steps to knit. Having said that...

She picked two lovely yarns to combine for this wrap!

I can't wait to see it finished!

Margaret is working on the pullover for her son which was sitting in time out for years. She admits there are a few mistakes here and there but it looks warm and cozy to me and that's what counts.

Barbara K started a hat and she's thinking it might be a Helix design. She's so creative that I know it will be perfect whatever she picks to knit.

Carole is trying her hand at that Wavy Ribbed Scarf too. I wrote up the pattern having watched the video and since it grows every fourth row, I found it a little confusing to figure out how to write in words what is happening on the needles. 

But she is following perfectly! It looks just like it's supposed to!

She put that aside to work on her Trellis Hat in one of her favorite colors, purple! She said she is finally getting around to making something for herself in her favorite color.

Jan started the Winter Cables Scarf and had to frog it and start over because she didn't like the way it was started without an anchoring border. She said the pattern has you dive right into the cables on the first row which made it look wonky.

She decided to knit a couple of rows just to give it something from which to grow. 

I finished my Feather and Fan Cowl using the mohair/silk blend yarn that my son brought back from Norway for me. When I first saw it my heart skipped a beat, it was so pretty! Then I thought, MOHAIR LACE! 😟But you know, it was very easy to knit! I made sure to pick a pattern that had a pretty design but would be easy to knit and easy to memorize. The hardest technique in the whole pattern was k2tog (knit two stitches together) and it turns out it was not at all difficult to knit! I am very pleased with it and it is so soft and warm. The fluff keeps a layer of warmth against your skin but it has no weight to speak of so it's very comfortable. Thanks Andrew and Robbie! I love it!!! Now I have to decide what to knit with the other yarns they bought me.

Well, I have to start dinner. We're having a potato crust quiche which has spinach, bacon, onions, garlic and Gruyere Cheese. I found the recipe on YouTube and thought I'd give it a try. I actually made it a couple of weeks ago and I'm reheating the frozen leftovers tonight. It was easier for me because I've never had luck making the crust.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The Chicks' delivery last week and catching up on a beautiful day

You might have noticed that there was no blog post last week. That was the day we delivered the warm woolies to The Falcon Market at Albany High School. We were warmly greeted by the staff and students who run the store for students and their families of Albany High School. All items are free of charge to anyone who needs them. It looks like the four students in this picture with Jan, Barbara B, Dorah, and me have already picked their favorite.

These students are some of the "clerks" who make sure the racks of clothing are organized and distributed accordingly.

The market supplies more than just clothing though. A new program this year is a section to help college bound seniors equip their dorm rooms with small appliances...

dishware, glassware, cutlery, pots, pans, casseroles, and behind that shelving is an area with linens and bedding.

A local grocery store supplied the market with refrigerator and freezer units to store the food that is distributed to families.

And they supplied shelving units for canned goods, non-perishables, and toiletries.

In the center of the market is the clothing department which is set up by size. It is such a wonderful gift to the families at the school. That's Joey DiPiazza explaining to us the set up. He said our donations last September were a hit and the kids were thrilled with the selections we offered them. 

Dorah was explaining to the photographer and a teacher that our friends and families have all the knitted garments they need but we haven't lost the will to knit so now there's a whole new avenue of giving open to us Chicks. It was truly an uplifting day to know we are still being productive in our society.

Now on to this afternoon. There were conflicts that kept some of the Chicks absent but the weather cooperated so it was a lovely deck knitting day with the six of us.

Dorah couldn't resist a little sniff of...

Barbara B's sourdough chocolate-espresso-chocolate chip cookies. They had a little sprinkle of chunky salt on top. Perfection!

Margaret made a hat for her daughter using Benjamin Matthews Orchard Harvest Beanie pattern. The Madelinetosh yarn really shines!

I'm still working on my Feather and Fan Cowl using the lace weight mohair/silk yarn that was a gift from my son's trip to Norway.

Barbara B's Easy Vivi Wrap is about 1/3 complete. The photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of the colors in this yarn.

Speaking of beautiful colors, Dorah's sock yarn is making a gorgeous scarf.

Margaret started a sweater for her grandson.

And Nancy, who loves knitting short rows, found another pattern to satisfy the urge. Calathea is a scarf pattern but Nancy started hers on a provisional cast on so she can turn it into a cowl/eternity scarf.

When I asked Cinzia what she is making, her response was, "We'll find out when it's done." 😉The finished piece depends on whether or not she runs out of yarn.

Well, "His Majesty" is waiting patiently for his meal. How can I say no to a face like that?!?!💖

Don't forget that the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival is this Saturday and Sunday. 

Hope the weather cooperates!🤞

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!