Ending the year with some FOs

Jan A. wanted to be sure I had her finished objects before she hibernates for the winter so she dropped them by this morning.

Her Bella Shawl was made with DK weight 100% alpaca from Frog Tree. It’s the softest, cuddliest shawl you’ve ever felt.

These hats from upper left, going clockwise are Squarshy hat, Espina Cap, Trio of Hats, and Knotted Rib Hat.

The Sampler Cowl is a good one for wrapping twice around your neck.

This pattern is the Helmet Liner which I made years ago and decided to revisit it and I’m glad I did. Once I learned how to count correctly, I was able to get a decent head covering.

This is the top of a different hat I started which was going to be the helmet liner but the knitting goddesses decided to play a little game with me. I counted my stitches four times to be sure and when the time came for me to divide for the face opening, I was suddenly short by 20 some odd stitches. Rather than frog 6 inches of knitting I went with Plan B, folded the fabric and sewed the cast on edge to the live stitches so it had a double thick brim, and then completed a slouchy cap with a four square decrease which shows here in the photo.

The most aggravating thing is, I had the 84 stitches that were required for the helmet liner so somewhere I goofed with my count. Oh well, no harm done! I got two warm hats instead of one!

 Wishing you all a very happy and healthy new year! And keep those needles clicking!

Our last meeting before Christmas and a field trip

The Chicks started the meeting by browsing through some pattern books that Cinzia brought for inspiration. They were all amigurumi animals and objects.

Cinzia chose for her first project a sweet little turtle.

When he is completed he will look something like this.

But Cinzia will embroider the facial features so there are no button hazards for little ones to swallow.

Margaret started a Fair Isle hat called Orchid Mantis, using two colors of DK weight yarn. You can find it on Ravelry as a paid pattern.

We were lucky and found it on the first day of issue when it was being offered for free.

Carole's Morton Cowl looks beautiful with the color changing yarn. 

Just a few inches more and she'll be finished.

Janna is using yarn which was recycled from a previously knitted garment so it's still a bit kinky. Once it takes a nice soak the fibers will relax and the tension will even out. 

The pattern is the Mistake Stitch Scarf.

I happened to come across a YouTube video which explained how to mimic an Italian tubular cast on without using a provisional cast on. It was very easy to execute and makes a stretchy, very nice edge, if I may say so myself.😄

I used it for the ribbed cuff of a Helix Hat to use up some small scraps of yarn. 

Cinzia finished her green hat for which she also used the above mentioned cast on technique.

And Janna's Fair Isle hat looks great! Such a nice color combo too.

Here is the sweater Margaret was able to finish when she found one lone skein of yarn in the same dye lot she needed to complete the sleeves and ribbing. It's the Flax sweater which is offered in multiple sizes on Ravelry.

Cinzia finished her Bella Scarf last week but had to bring it home for blocking.

 Now it's ready for the inventory.

Barbara B., Cinzia, Carole, and I went on a little excursion last Friday to the Hyde Collection  in Glens Falls, NY last Friday. The artwork that the Hydes collected is breathtaking in its variety and value.

We were especially interested in the temporary exhibit of antiques quilts.

Some were dated back to the 1860's! 

We were mesmerized by the intricacies of the stitch work, all done by hand!

The precision of the spacing of their stitches and patterns in days without computers and stencils and erasable pens was mind boggling! We kept marveling at the fact that the stitch length matched throughout the quilt even though it was probably quilted by many hands during a quilting bee.

And there were such different designs in the collection.

These quilts made by African-Americans which pre-dated the Civil War were lively and colorful in their fabric choices and layout compared to...

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the somber beauty of this Amish quilt which is gorgeous in it's simplicity. It was a lovely exhibit which lasts through January 2, 2023. I would check with the museum to be sure of the dates.

 We Chicks send you best wishes of the holiday season and will return in the new year. 

Until then, keep those needles clicking!

Post Thanksgiving gathering

We have all recovered from eating too much turkey and too many desserts. What better way to celebrate than to eat another pie while we knit?!?! My dinner guests all decided to bring dessert so I had one apple pie left over for the Chicks.

That white tube in the foreground of the picture is a crocheted hood/cowl combo I found in a YouTube video. I'm writing the directions as I watch it. It's going quickly so it should be done by next week. But it takes a TON of yarn! It's a good thing I had five skeins of this white Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the stash.

Barbara B. found a "recipe" for magic loop, two at a time, toe up socks which require you to do some math for finding out size and number of stitches to cast on, etc. She got as far as the gusset and became so confused she has decided to rip back to before the short rows and make an afterthought heel. You know my motto, "If it's not fun don't do it!" Boy! Has that come back to haunt me a few times when I was still raising my family! LOL!

Carole decided to use up some small scraps of yarn to make a delightfully striped slouchy hat. Perfect for our recipients, Knit the Rainbow.

Dorah's Easy Scarf is coming along beautifully in spite of the fact that she hates knitting with such a fine lace weight yarn.

Margaret wanted to try her hand at the Flax Sweater in a child's size. Confident that she had enough yarn with the two skeins in her stash, she wasn't aware that the second skein was a different dye lot so now she has to go to Plan B. We all convinced her to make the sleeves and the bottom ribbing in a contrasting color since there's no guarantee that she would even be able to find another skein in the same dye lot to purchase.

Barbara B. put the socks in her project bag to work on a cute slouchy hat.

The Fresco Simply Slouchy hat is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Jan P. had a good bulky weight yarn suitable for her Squarshy Hat, also free on Ravelry. Just be forewarned, the pattern language is a bit ummm...spicy, shall we say.

Jan A. had this pattern next in her queue but she worked on...

her Bella Shawl today. This will be a beauty with a little blocking to enhance the lace.

And Cinzia worked on hers as well. With a gradient yarn, it has a whole different look.

Now for some FO's. I completed the knotted headband earwarmer, thanks to Barbara B's help. I was so befuddled by the directions for sewing the ends together that I couldn't figure out how it was going to work. But Barbara cleared it up for me.

Margaret made her 1898 hat using small amounts of yarn left over from other projects. It's good practice for not wasting yarn.

Dorah did the same with leftovers to make this lovely striped hat. The colors blend so well that you'd never know it was ends from other projects.

Dorah also added this infinity scarf to the inventory but I didn't catch the name of the pattern.

And we have another Helix Hat to add to the inventory too. This pattern is so fascinating to knit since the stripes never hit a jog where the colors change.

I had to show you something Cinzia crocheted for my other charity knitting group, The Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels, at our local library. She's going to share the pattern with us so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these adorable critters in the future.

                                          

That's all for this week. Stay warm, stay healthy, keep those needles clicking!

Starting a new cycle

While not every one of my Chicks was in attendance today, we still had a full house. We talked a little about the yarn bombing last Friday and then moved on to our next rotation of donations.

Our next recipients will be the clients who are served by Grassroots Givers. They requested dish cloths but we can do so much more and we've got a good start. Barbara K. started us off with a warm hat made with Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn so it's soft and machine washable.

Maureen finished her Helix Hat and it's also a machine washable hat made with Berroco Vintage.

My contribution this week is a superwash merino cowl. I watched a video on YouTube which was in a foreign language but I slowed the video so I could write the pattern as it was being knitted. I've seen some great stitches in video format so I'll be translating a few more in the next few weeks. After I write them up, I share them with my Chicks. If you'd like a copy, private message me and I'll email one.

This set that I'm making is almost finished. The cowl is the Glacier and the hat is my go-to Soldier's Watchcap. This is actually for my other charity knitting group which has been asked to knit a bunch to be donated to Street Soldiers of Albany. It's "fun" juggling two charity groups at once...notice the quotation marks.😉

Dorah has chosen her next project to be a Helix Hat and her color choices are yummy!

Maureen's hat is another machine washable fiber, also Berroco Vintage. The texture of this pattern is beginning to show nicely.

Barbara K. found a nice variegated fingering weight yarn to make a cowl.

It will become the Present Cowl, a freebie on Ravelry.

Jan was gifted her sister's stash of yarn and she has already started using it. The Squarshy Hat is an easy hat with a line of stitching to keep it interesting. If you choose this pattern, be forewarned...it has spicy language in the directions which make it kind of funny to read.

Margaret made up this hat pattern while riding in the car. It's a basic stockinette stitch in the round but every 5th stitch is a purl stitch to give it that spiral all the way up. Good job!

Janna is making the Ribbed Watchcap too. She's just about to the point where she can start decreasing for the crown.

Barbara B. is using this lovely sport weight yarn for a Fresco Simply Slouchy hat.

And last but not least, Dorah wore her beautiful Bella Shawl with yarn she bought online. If I could remember the name I'd tell you but for some reason, I have a mental block and can never remember it!

I've unearthed some pretty yarns from my stash that are calling my name so I better say good-bye and get back to the projects so I can start something new. Until next time, keep those needles clicking!