Almost a full house!

Cinzia is still on sabbatical and boy do we miss her! Can't wait to hear all about her escapades. But we have the full complement of the Chicks that are still stateside. And yes, Maureen is back from her southern break with a lovely tan and energy to get back to knitting. There was much discussion about book recommendations and grandchildren today.

Barbara B's treat today was a hit! She made sourdough pretzel bites which we dipped into either mustard or port wine cheddar cheese. I can't decide which I liked better.

But everyone enjoyed them!

You can tell by the almost empty dish! I guess no one wanted to be the "old maid" 😄

Dorah finished the 2x2 ribbed hat that was started last week. She has more of this yarn left over which we think is baby alpaca because of the soft feel and halo features of the yarn. And that's her Sophie Scarf which she finished last week. It's one of those easy, tv knitting projects that can be knitted to any length or width.

 

Barbara B finished her 1898 Hat.

Maureen started a blue 1898 and finished her purple hat which was 

started before she became a snowbird.

On my needles is the All Wound Up Beanie from Benjamin Matthews. I wasn't sure I liked this one when I first started it but the more I knitted the more I liked it. I have to keep reminding myself to be patient and wait for the design to develop.

Dorah jumped right into another 2x2 ribbed hat with more of that baby alpaca yarn.

Barbara K started another scrap happy hat with left overs so they won't go to waste.

Jan's Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf is a bit longer this week. She's been experimenting with knitting different edge stitches to find a finish she likes. She decided on slipping the last two stitches purlwise with the yarn held in front and then knitting those two stitches on the next row. It makes a narrow I-cord for a smooth border.

Barbara B is working the cuff of her Beacon Hat: Worsted. This pattern is a good choice for a gender neutral hat. I always feel drawn to feminine designs and find it difficult to feel inspired to knit men's items. This will make it easier to feel inspired.

Carole makes good use of her magnifying light while she knits her cowl of her own design.

Tina didn't want me to take a picture of her hat because she hadn't made much progress. But I feel it's important to emphasize that what we do doesn't magically happen overnight! My Chicks devote a good portion of their time to helping others through their knitting skills.

Nancy started the Dupont Street Hat that is comprised of a slipped stitch/mosaic design element which presents a brick pattern.

Margaret finished the portion of her 1898 Hat that covers the ears. 

She'll be picking up stitches to finish the crown next.

As soon as the ladies went home I ran to grab the covers for the velvet chair seats but "someone" was too quick for me. What is the fascination with sitting on these chairs? I think he likes to hide under the tablecloth. He's less of a cat that likes heights and more of a mole who likes to hide under ground.

I get it though. There are days when all I want to do is hide under the covers too. 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

It feels like spring!

Aw! I just noticed that we didn't get Jan in the group picture today! She had an appointment and arrived late but we did enjoy her company today. We caught up on news about the grandchildren, future trips, and who we saw at the No Kings Rally on Saturday. Those of us who were able to attend wore our red Melt the Ice Hats. It was a very well attended and uplifting gathering where we saw many of our friends.

 Barbara B's treat today was a seasonally appropriate Hot Cross Buns...

Sourdough of course! The apricot glaze and orange zest played nicely with the raisins.

Carole worked on her cowl with the vintage yarn from her stash. I asked for the pattern name but she is making it up as she goes.

Her second project is the Squarshy Hat with the vertical focal points running up the crown.

Barbara B worked on the 1898 Hat with a Valley Yarns heather green yarn.

Margaret worked on the same hat pattern but she isn't as far along as Barbara.

Jan started the Dotty Cashmere Cowl. The dots are made by knitting a purl stitch in the field of knit stockinette. It's a very subtle design element.

Nancy's project is the Copycat Cowl. 

It is a freebie on Ravelry and I believe there are hat patterns to match.

Barbara K's scrap happy hat has grown many inches since last week. This is another basic beanie made up on the fly.

I was in the home stretch of the French Twist scarf and...

finished it just in time to snap a picture. I used Universal Yarns Bamboo Pop, a bamboo and cotton blend yarn.

I made a Grid Gambit cowl for a dear Pennsylvanian friend and it will be delivered to her in a week. But she'll get to see it tonight when we FaceTime. She picked out the yarns when I visited Terri's studio and connected through FaceTime. It's a great way to shop. That's how my husband bought me an Irish knit Coat Sweater and Poncho when he visited Ireland on a golf trip a few years ago. I still remember how kind Geraldine, the sales lady, was and how helpful it all turned out because both items fit perfectly!

I was so inspired by how quickly it knit up, 7 days start to finish, that I immediately cast one on for myself and just yesterday knitted 60 rows already! And I'm not a fast knitter by any stretch of the imagination!

Lastly, I finished a cowl which started out as a lace shawl but 13 rows in I was already having issues with stitch count and splitty yarn. I made the mistake of falling in love with the lovely gradient hues and not the fiber itself so I made a simple cowl which showcases the colors. I still have a lot of this yarn left over but will give myself a break before I struggle with it again.

Life's too short to fret over yarn and as I always say, if it's not fun, don't do it! 

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

A small gathering

It was a small gathering today but no less productive. We knitted to the accompaniment of Strauss waltzes playing in the background. 

 Even Fozzie decided to join in for a few minutes. He sniffed a couple of tote bags to check out the yarn and moved along when he discovered there were no treats for him.

Tina tried her hand at the new-to-us tubular cast on and made a couple of Melt the Ice Hats for Saturday's No Kings Rally. The little hat will be worn as a lapel pin.

She used the same cast on technique for a hat she's knitting for a friend. The Call of the Wild Hat might be listed under "Rated R" but it still requires good knitting skills. Her friend said he wanted a hat with deer on it, he just didn't specify what they would be doing.😉😂

Margaret started the 1898 Hat which begins with a sideways knitted cuff. The part that goes over the ears is double thickness so it's nice and warm.

Jan is working on the Simple Sideways Triangle Scarf which luckily we saved and printed because it is no longer available on Ravelry. You might be able to find it elsewhere online.

I'm working the French Twist which I first admired when Jan was knitting it. I had some Bamboo Pop cotton and bamboo blend yarn which is working perfectly. I decided to throw in a couple of extra repeats to make it just a tad longer.

Carole was further along on her Squarshy Hat last week but she had a nagging feeling it was too small so she frogged it and added more stitches to the cast on to start over.

My Pennsylvania friend, Connie, was admiring my Grid Gambit Cowl last weekend when we were visiting for my grandson's 19th birthday. So I had a private shopping day at Whole Knit n' Caboodle to choose some combination colors and she picked a lovely light gray and a variegated called Bourbon Street in a superwash merino DK weight.

And darn it all if four more skeins of yarn didn't just jump into my purse!!! These lovelies are going to be the Murano Squares Boomerang Shawl. If you like slipped stitch knitting patterns then this and the next will be entertaining for you to knit. The Grid Gambit is also slipped stitch/mosaic knitting.

I couldn't resist the warmth of these two colors together so they will become 

the Murano Squares Bandana cowl. 

I keep saying I'm not going to buy more yarn but I think I need an intervention! I certainly need more hours in a day! And maybe people shouldn't be tempting me with such beautiful colors! LOL!

Well, all this yarn isn't going to knit itself so I better get a move on and get those needles clicking! Won't you join me?

We had food talk Tuesday

Most of our conversation centered on food today.

Maybe it was because Barbara B's treat for St. Patrick's Day was 

a tray of sourdough chocolate chip scones.

Which were delicious by the way. There's a new Trader Joe's about a mile away from here so some of our favorites were recommended. Barbara K likes the salted pretzel/dark chocolate bark and I like the dark chocolate bar with whole hazelnuts. 

 Dorah finished her Sophie Scarf. She used a DK weight yarn and size 6 needles for a perfect drape.

The 2x2 ribbed hat I started last week got finished today.

 It will be paired with the mittens I finished last week.

Barbara B is on the decreasing half of her Sophie Scarf. It's a great stash busting project.

Jan started the French Twist scarf with a sweet cabled edge. 

We are so proud of her progress with her very first sock knitting project using magic loop technique! She borrowed a book from the library and dove in head first. 

Nancy's Flight Formation Hat from Benjamin Matthews is showing great stitch definition.

Carole wore her Nurmilintu Scarf knitted in her favorite color. It's a sweet little triangle with just enough bits of lace to keep it interesting.

She dipped into her stash to find the last bits of hand dyed yarn left after she knitted a vest many years ago. The colors are so pretty.

Barbara K gathered some remnants of leftovers to make a striped hat.

Dorah found alpaca yarns in her stash to make a striped beanie.

These will make a nicely soft and warm hat for The Falcon Boutique.

Now that I've finished the neon orange hat and mittens, I think I'll choose a quieter color to start my next project. If you need me, I'll be head first in the yarn bins looking for inspiration. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!