Hats Galore

Liz finished her Copenhagen Calling inspired hat using a Cascade yarn.

 The yarn is a blend of wool and acrylic with a tight twist which gives such great stitch definition and a crisp, clear pattern.

 Her other hat was made using up scraps from the stash. These hats are great for using up ends of a skein so there is no waste.

 Barbara started a cowl this afternoon with Berroco Vintage in a pretty burnt orange. This yarn is so soft that it will be a cozy wrap around the neck.

 Debbie struggled with the brace on her wrist but she made good progress on another hat.

This sweet cap was one she finished last week using a creamy white worsted weight yarn.

Cinzia's baby jacket is finished except for the blocking. Here she worked on the last few stitches of 

I-cord at the sleeve edge.

Her daughter Elena brought us a lovely crocheted child's hat which she made without the use of a pattern! She is as talented as her Mom.

She also added an infinity scarf, also crocheted.

Do you remember last week when Beth was concerned she wouldn't have enough yarn to finish her cabled hat? Well, this is all that is left.

She actually did have enough to finish this beautifully cabled hat.

Now she is working on a pastel variegated hat.

And Margaret's Fair Isle hat is progessing quickly. The star pattern shows up nicely now.

My scarf is a bit longer but doesn't really look any different. I'll work on it this week and hope to finish it for next week. So I better say goodbye and get back to my needles!

FO's and UFO's

We'll start this week's episode with some lovely FO's. Carole blocked her Chinook scarf and it took to the water like a duck. It behaved just as she wanted it to, not requiring blocking wires to hold it's shape and just a pin at each point to define the shape. It looks lovely!

 And she finished a little, bitty, baby hat for the inventory. It's so cute! It's hard to remember when my own babies were small enough to wear a hat like this now that they are in their 30's!

 Carole also added this cozy cowl to the list of finished objects. The thick stitching makes it a good thermal insulator against the cold.

 If this hat looks familiar it's because I made another one exactly like it a few weeks ago. There was enough yarn left over and I couldn't let it go to waste.

 And another quick hat to add was the ribbed watchman's cap, a good old fashioned quick knit!

 Margaret is following a chart for a Fair Isle hat, bless her heart! I hate following charts but she's doing a great job and talking at the same time!!! I could never do that!

 Here is the chart she's following with her finished rows highlighted.

 Beth's cable hat is coming along nicely but she is afraid she will run out of yarn before it's finished. All our "Spidey Senses" were feeling the same thing. Well, if need be she can always knit the very top in a different color.

 I found four skeins of this soft alpaca, merino, donegal blend to make a Noro Striped Scarf. I was trying to make something that is gender neutral since I always lean toward more feminine patterns. I don't think this will pass for a man though now that I see it progressing.

 And Carole started another hat with the same yarn as the one a little further back but she's making this one a little bigger. 

One of the things that make donation knitting so enjoyable is that we don't have to worry about sizes. My favorite saying is, "It will fit somebody!"

Sunday afternoon Barbara's 96 year old mother passed away unexpectedly. She lived independently and Barbara spoke to her that morning. Please keep Grandma Boeck, Barbara,  and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Working with a deadline

Debbie knit like the wind today to finish the scarf to go with the set for the Adopt-a-family I mentioned last week. It's the second thing she has completed since she learned how to knit and she did a darn good job!

Here is the completed set for the little boy in the family that will go to the same family as last week's lilac set for the little girl. The hat is a 2X2 rib watchman's cap, the scarf is Mistake Stitch, and the mittens are from Claudia Krisinski. The yarn is Plymouth Encore so it is machine washable and dryable. Great for little kids.

                                        

Elaine worked on her Squarshy hat. And no, I did not misspell it. That's what the designer calls it. And be forewarned...she's a bit of a rebel with her description and language. I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of Cinzia's hat too. Time got away from me and I forgot until after she had left. I'll get one next week when I'm sure it will be finished.

Dorah didn't want to show her scarf again since it looks the same as last time only longer. LOL!

Carole's hat is to the point where she'll be decreasing for the crown now.

And Maureen started the kitties on her Fair Isle hat.

She has some intense chart following to read but she loves it.

This is not my work but a photo of what I'll be knitting between now and Christmas Eve. I went to my friend, Karin's studio open house on Saturday and couldn't resist buying a deep, royal, almost garnet/burgundy silk blend yarn. It took my breath away and I immediately pictured the shawl below. So naturally, being the kook that I am, I added undo stress on myself by thinking it would be perfect to wear to a Christmas Eve party!

Sooooo, gotta run! I got some knitting to do!

Back in the saddle again!

The afternoon ladies had conflicts today so I met with my evening Chicks only this week. We had news to catch up from over the holidays and then we got down to the business of knitting. Our first pet peeve of the evening was about pattern designers who give instructions, vaguely at best, and then say something like, "just continue to follow the pattern while increasing/decreasing (whatever applies)". We all agreed that is the lazy way to go and causes much confusion to those knitters who might not feel as confident in their skills as they should. I've seen many a competent knitter crumble before such flimsy instructions. 

Our first project up is one from Carole's needles which she brought to show us. It's a double knitted, fully reversible hat she is making for herself called Rectangly. It is knitted with contrasting colored yarns and the patterns are mirror images in opposing colors on each side. It seems a bit of magic and there is a ton of chart following, if you like that sort of thing. And it brings up the second pet peeve of the evening, you have to pull the stitches tightly with every knit so the tension is equal on both sides. Carole said after a while she has to rest her hands because they fatigue quickly from all that tugging. But it seems worth it to me as she is making a beautiful hat!

 My personal pet peeve, number 3, I guess, is I don't like to knit from a chart. I saw this pattern for free on Ravelry and thought it's a smallish hat, how hard could it be? I've done Fair Isle knitting before but I designed it myself and made the pattern up as I went along. I wasn't following a chart, at least not on paper.

This pattern is kicking my butt! I can knit only a row at a time and then I need to take a rest. I know, what a wimp! But I just don't like charts! I'm going to finish this hat, take a photo for posterity, say "Been there, done that!" and never knit it again! LOL!

Dorah didn't want me to take another photo of her never-ending scarf but look! It's nearing the end!

Maureen started a 2X2 ribbed hat that works up very quickly. Our donation inventory seems to be overwhelmingly stocked in pretty feminine knits so we have to force ourselves to make good, basic, manly stuff. This pattern easily fits the bill.

Do you remember Carole's cowl that had the one stitch out of place on the right side? Well, she ran a lifeline a row behind the mistake and frogged the whole thing down to the last good row, picked up the stitches, and finished knitting away until it was perfect again. Good job Carole!

This scarf was knitted using Cascade Tangier. The pattern is ZickZack Scarf and is free on Ravelry. The original pattern called for fingering weight yarn and small needles but when I saw this Silk and Cotton blend, worsted weight yarn in the sale bin at the store it screamed at me to use it for the ZickZack. The colors make waves of dark and light and interplay with each other so it looks like the scarf is moving. I called it Peas and Carrots for obvious reasons. That shading is not a photography trick, that is how it really looks in person. The lights lined up perfectly in both skeins as did the darks.

Every now and then I get really lucky with how my plans work!

Look at what's happening!

This morning I went for my first outdoor walk since last fall and as I rounded the corner I could see my neighbors irises sprouting! To quote the Pointer Sisters, "I'M SO EXCITED!"

Forty-five minutes later as I approached my yard from the other direction I could see my daylilies are sprouting too!
And the snow is melting from my front entry (it faces north so it takes forever). Could real spring weather be in our near future?

Last night I stayed up until 11:30 to finish the snowflakes on the pullover I'm making to donate. This is my first try at designing and knitting a Fair Isle pattern. It was fun to say I did it, but I don't think I want to try it again. I get too impatient and want to just hurry up and get through it. Too much chart reading!

Now I can say, "Been there, done that!"