Keeping warm on a frigid day

In spite of the 15 degrees/feels like 5 degrees, these hale and hardy women showed up ready to get those needles clicking! I received a request from a friend for chemo caps so we put our current projects aside to whip up a few for immediate distribution.

Barbara B used a bamboo and merino blend yarn for this very soft Fresco Simply Slouchy hat. The fabric is good for sensitive scalps that are easily irritated.

There was enough yarn to make the Race for Life 2011 hat too.

Then she knitted the Running in Circles hat with the pretty wave motif.

Margaret used a cotton and bamboo blend fiber to knit the Blustery Beanie. Margaret is our Queen of the Bulky Knits so this pattern was right up her alley. 

The free pattern includes sizes from infant to adult.

Tina made a chemo cap called Bobcat Beanie but when I looked it up, a different pattern popped up so I don't have a link for it. I think she used a cotton and bamboo blend for extra softness.

I found some baby alpaca in my stash which was just enough to knit the Ribbons of Hope. The offset cables are easy to knit and it actually took only three days to knit.

Barbara B is also making the same hat.

I'm back to my regular projects and working on a twisted headband pattern that I found on YouTube. The original pattern called for DK weight yarn but I had this soft merino in fingering weight calling my name so I took size 2 needles and magic loop technique to add to the inventory. The blue yarn on the left is the provisional cast on so that the ends can be grafted together for a seamless headband.

Dorah's Sophie Scarf is almost finished. The yarn which was giving her second thoughts on the previous project looks great for this scarf!

Nancy said she is really enjoying her Moss Hill Beanie. Those Benjamin Matthews patterns are so well designed and written that it is a pleasure to make them.

Maureen's baby blanket that she's knitting for a gift is at a point where you can see the trucks emerging from the stitches.

Tina started another chemo cap but do you think I remembered to get the name of the pattern?!?!

Nor did I get the name of Barbara K's hat either! But both are very soft fibers.

Margaret, The Queen of Bulky Knits, finished a hat and...

added a pompom. She wasn't sure if she would like a big pompom but once we put the hat on the head form, the pompom was a perfect addition!

Our sourdough treat from Barbara B today was peanut butter cookies. It amazes me how versatile sourdough starter and discards are in a variety of recipes! And so far, they're all good!!!

It's going to be a three dog night so bundle up, add another log to the fire and 

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!