Maybe the last day of the season on the deck

It was about 75 degrees and raining one minute and sunny the next. But I think our days of outdoor knitting are done for the year.

The afternoon Chicks loaded up the inventory this week.

Barbara B.'s Palindrome hat matches the scarf she finished last week. Her cable skills are perfection.

Liz finished another Ribbed Watchman's Cap and is so happy to be done with that beige yarn. I can't blame her for being so over it!

Janna finished her first pair of toe up, two at a time, magic loop socks and did a great job! She has yarn left over which might be enough to make a hat.

Liz also made a car seat blanket for a future baby donation. The soft green color looks pretty against my white phaleanopsis orchid.

Barbara B. took up where Liz left off and has a good bit of her Ribbed Watchman's Cap knitted.

Debbie dove right into a second pair of socks so she could practice the techniques before she had the chance to forget them. The colors are lovely!

Liz hasn't decided if her Old Shale pattern is going to be a cowl or a scarf. She has plenty of time to make up her mind.

Elaine's Mistake Stitch Scarf is almost done. That was a huge ball of yarn that started the scarf so she's going to knit until it's finished.

Barbara K.'s Palindrome scarf is about to the halfway mark. Great stitch definition and color!

I had yarn left from a cowl I made for myself and thought if I used all three it might be enough for a hat. If not, it can always be a cowl.

Maureen finished her adorable baby socks. We all love the new to us technique for the Shadow Wrap Heel stitch. No holes! No gaps!

Dorah finished her hat and has enough yarn left for another. Love those changing colors!

I finished the Himani Hat with the intricate diamond pattern. I had to work on this when I could knit alone. It's not a difficult pattern but I couldn't be distracted when working on it.

Carole worked on the ribbing for her adorable baby socks. She said the 3 inches of ribbing seemed to be taking forever to knit.

Dorah started another hat using a twisted rib which makes a lovely, defined ribbing.

And Carole's Irma Hat has a pretty lattice work design. She likes using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. It's a great all purpose wool and very reasonably priced too.

Maureen's hat has a traveling diagonal line of stitches which add a nice touch to the design. It's actually the same yarn as Dorah's hat. Funny how lighting makes it look so different.

Don't for get that this weekend, September 28 and 29, is the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival in Greenwich, New York. Look for me if you go. And if you don't see me there, check out the Ice Cream Man just outside the fairgrounds. Best ice cream around!

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The afternoon Chicks were busy

Last week I told you about the precious little socks Barbara B. was knitting. Today I get the chance to show you just how cute they are! They can't be more than 4 inches long in the foot. Just right for a newborn.

 Debbie finished her colorful socks too. She did a good job of the Shadow Wrap heels and is casting on for another pair right away so she won't forget the technique.

 Barbara B. finished her Palindrome scarf too. Both sides of this scarf show right side cables.

 Janna started ribbing the cuffs of her socks so they should be done soon, as long as her new puppy gives her the time to knit, that is.

 Debbie loves the yarn for the ribbed watchman's cap she's making. It's a superwashed wool that is heavenly soft.

 And Liz is almost done with her watchman's cap. She picked some pretty rose colored worsted weight yarn for her next project. 

Beige gets boring after a while!

My evening Chicks had conflicts of schedule so I'll be knitting alone tonight. But I do that most nights anyway. Keep those needles clicking!

It's almost time for the fall fiber festivals!

Barbara K brought her completed Palindrome hat today. The stitch definition shows off the cables nicely.

Today she worked on a matching scarf with the Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn.

Liz added to our inventory with a minty green woven look scarf and...

a ribbed man's hat, both made with worsted weight yarns.

We had more of the Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn so she started another ribbed cap today.

Debbie's socks are past the heel and on to the cuff portion. They should be finished soon.

Elaine is working on a Mistake Stitch Scarf with a bulky weight yarn which is making the scarf nice and squishy. The self striping yarn adds interest to the pattern.

My apologies to Barbara B. who was working on a pair of newborn socks. She had to leave early today so I didn't get a chance to photograph them to show you how adorable they are. Next week I'll try to remember.

Carole made the cutest little hat and socks in newborn size with a self striping yarn. 

And she was as far as the heel on another pair but she made a mistake and frogged the whole thing to start over. We talked about how she likes the process of knitting so it doesn't bother her to rip it out and start over. 

Maureen's baby socks are getting their ribbed cuffs.

Jan worked on a hat called Graham. The yarn is toasty warm so it will be a nice cozy hat this winter.

Dorah's stitch definition is exquisite on her hat. Look at that even tension!

My 1898 hat is slow going because I have so many projects on needles going at the same time. But I'm almost done with the second ear flap. Once I pick up the stitches for the crown, it will be a breeze the rest of the way.

I've been trying to knit myself a cowl to wear to the fall fiber festivals. It's called The Shift and requires three skeins of complimentary colors of DK weight yarn.

Speaking of fiber festivals... tis the season! The first one is the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich, New York on September 28 and 29. It's a small festival that's easy to navigate but has a lot to see. The second on my calendar is the New York Sheep and Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York on October 19 and 20. When I first started attending this festival I would show up at 9AM on opening day which meant I had to fight the crowds and stand four people deep before I could get into a booth to check out the yarns. I've learned you can soak up the fall atmosphere just as well on day 2 without all the aggravation of too many people. Third on my calendar is the Fiber Festival of New England held at the Eastern States Exposition or The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts on November 2 and 3. It is held completely indoors which is really nice in inclement weather. I love to go to these festivals so I can people watch to see all the beautifully hand made knitwear and find inspiration for my next project. So I better get off this computer and get back to my knitting needles or I won't have my new cowl finished in time to wear to the festivals.

Have a great week and I'll see you here next time. Keep those needles clicking!

Riverside knitting

What a gorgeous day we had by the river today! Lazy kayaks floated by while some little boys fished along side the big boys (men). I only wish the evening Chicks could have joined us too.

 We found a shady spot with cool breezes which kept most of the bugs away. There was one persistent little guy who was determined to get Liz though.

 She managed to get a bit more of her hat knitted in between swatting the fly away.

 Debbie practiced her Shadow Wrap heel and finished the whole thing. It looks really nice and there are NO HOLES! 

 Janna is a bit farther along on her socks with the same heel technique. I don't think we'll ever go back to the traditional short row wraps, Japanese wraps, or German short rows ever again!

 Barbara B. has the pattern memorized for the Palindrome cabled scarf. That little green doohickie on her thumb is a digital row counter. It's a handy gadget but she said she can't change the battery on it. But it's cheap enough to get a new one when this one stops working.

 I picked up stitches for the thumbs on the mittens you saw last week. 

 By the time the evening Chicks arrived they were finished.

 Maureen finished her children's socks and...

 she made a sweet little cardigan for her future granddaughter who will be greeting the world in a couple of months.

 We have a new evening Chick! Jan Picard is a retired school teacher (thank you Jan for your years of teaching) and we welcomed her to the flock and put her to work right away.

 Margaret made progress on her Helix hat but part way through it she noticed a dropped stitch. I showed her how to fudge it so she didn't have to rip out 3 inches of knitting.

 Dorah started this cute little cap tonight with a self striping yarn that has slow color changes, so her stripes will be wider than in the photo.

Another week has come and gone and we are that much closer to cooler temps. You know what that means? Knit faster, winter is coming!