Perfect weather for an afternoon on the deck

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to sit outside. Gentle breezes kept us cool as the sound of a small waterfall kept us tranquil. We traded recipe stories (Barbara B. thinks we should write a cookbook) and got a little riled up about current events even though one of the mission statements is to not discuss politics. Sometimes it's just unavoidable. But we centered ourselves back to knitting.

Maureen finished this sweet cardigan called Olive You Baby Sweater which will be gifted to a friend. She chose the most adorable ladybug buttons to highlight the asymmetrical closure. 

That's going to be one lucky baby to get such a nice gift.

Janna had a whole collection of FO's to drop off today. The cowls on either side of the hats are both knitted using a slipped stitch technique to accomplish the intricate patterns. The one on the right is the Arona Cowl and on the left is Step Zeppelin. The two hats on top are both Helix Hats. The bottom hat is a combination of slipped stitches and Fair Isle technique.

Barbara K. finished the Helix Hat she worked on last week. And further along you'll see the next one she started. She's hooked!

Maureen's Close to You Shawl is finished too. 

You can see the pretty lace edging silhouetted in the sunlight.

Barbara B. dyed her own yarn for the Gefion pullover sweater using gel food coloring for cake icing. She did a fabulous job and she inspired me to give it a go. I'm waiting for the bare yarn to be delivered, then she's going to come over and we'll have a painting party.

 

Dorah has come a long way on her shawl and the gradient yarn is showing off nicely with this pattern.

Margaret had to frog a few rows but she's back on track with a hat she designed.

Janna started another baby hat just like the two pictured here. She's trying hard to use up all that yellow yarn but I think Rumplestiltskin comes at night and spins more to add to the stash.😉

Here is Barbara K's latest Helix Hat. She's working through all those leftover yarns and putting them to good use.

My version of the Musselburgh Hat is almost to the halfway mark and then I'll switch to a solid color yarn to knit the remainder of the hat. Once finished, the solid portion will be pushed inside the striped portion and the hat will be reversible with a solid cuff on the printed side and a printed cuff on the solid side. I can't wait to see it completed. Unlike the original Musselburgh pattern, both this hat and Carole's (next picture) are knitted with three different striped and patterned sock yarns using the Helix method of striping.

Carole is making the same hat but she hasn't decided if she's going to make it reversible. She doesn't have to make up her mind until she gets to the bottom edge where she will either keep going or knit a ribbed cuff and call it a day.

Maureen's Helix hat uses worsted weight yarn so it won't take her forever and a day to complete like Carole's and mine which are size 2 needles and sock weight yarns.

This sweet face is staring holes through me right now so if I know what's good for me, I'll feed Fozzie before he resorts to chewing on electrical cords.

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

The first "deck day" of the year

We were planning on sitting out front again but with 10 mph winds, pollen, and allergies, we opted to retreat to the comfort of the screened porch. Besides, we had the gentle gurgling of the fountain keeping it peaceful while we discussed interstate vs intrastate highways and their numbering and how did we ever find our way before there was GPS on our phones! 

Maureen completed her Step Zeppelin cowl. When she asked when is it time to consider it long enough my response was, "When you ask if it's long enough yet." Sometimes, as much as we like a project, it can get tedious and you just know it's big enough.

                                        

I was planning on making a Lexis Hat, a pattern I've made a few times before so I'm familiar with it. But as you can see, the needle has been removed and the next step will be frogging! I just wasn't enjoying it this time so I'm blaming the yarn for not wanting to be this hat. My decision was reinforced when I had finished a cable row and had three stitches too many left over at the end of the round. My next step will be to dive down the rabbit hole for a different pattern.

Barbara K is making a basic beanie in a vivid purple. 

Maybe I should stick with something like this for now.

Janna made more progress on her Arona Cowl. Her color choices highlight the mosaic pattern throughout the cowl.

Maureen's next project is a hat with a gradient colored yarn.

And Carole continues to slowly add length to her Brioche Cowl. It's a slow going pattern because you have to take you time to be sure you are using the correct color per round. She's doing a great job.

Jan A picked a free pattern on Ravelry to make a hat that starts with 2X2 ribbing for the folded brim.

The Cable and Rib Knit Hat is shown being worn by a man but it is generic enough for any gender.

Ok, so I'm going to go through my library of patterns now to see if something jumps out at me. Wish me luck and as always, keep those needles clicking!

Quiet music and clicking needles

Our background music, courtesy of Spotify, was peaceful, easy listening on the Daily Mix 2 station. It was quiet enough not to drown out the gentle click-click-clicking of our knitting needles which always calms me. And it's quiet enough not to interfere with our conversations which sometimes can be quite animated. Today's topic centered around downsizing all the stuff we've collected over the years.

And how sometimes when we sift through the stash we can find some very nice yarns that were forgotten. Dorah came across a package of mini skeins a while back which were enough for her to make a lovely shawl.

She spent some time down the "rabbit hole" on Ravelry looking for her next project.

And ultimately decided to add a fourth color to the yarns she used for the hat she worked on last week. You'll see the finished hat below.

Barbara B. finished one sleeve and is now completing the other on the Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater which is free on Ravelry.

Janna started this blanket which used left and right twisted stitches to make the wavy lines of pattern.

 I think she is using one of those 60 Quick Knits books that is published by Cascade Yarns.

She started the bordered edge today. That red box on her thumb is a battery powered row counter. They come with multiple rings to a package because the battery cannot be replaced and it's so inexpensive that when one dies out, you can reach for a new one. They come in different colors so sometimes you can match the counter to your yarn. If you're like me, you have more than one project going simultaneously so each project can have it's own counter.

I was inspired by yet another YouTube video to make a Knit Round Turtleneck Dickey. And thankfully, this one was in English. Do you remember that tangle of yarn from last week? Well, I tried one more time after everyone went home and was halted in my tracks by the same mistake as I had made earlier. Rather than try one more time, I listened to the yarn and searched for a totally different pattern. And LOOK! No mistakes! The yarn must be happy. ;)

Maureen is getting tired of this pattern. It happens to all of us. 

I take it as a good sign that the project is big enough. 

Margaret is using a colorful, quick color changing yarn to make a basic beanie. She knew the yarn was too busy to try to incorporate a textured design. It would just get lost in the colors.

Jan A. is working on a spiraling textured hat. I forgot to get the pattern but maybe she can leave a comment with a link.

Barbara K. is making another Ex's and O's hat with a lighter colored contrast yarn. 

Cinzia has made great progress on the silk and merino blend t-shirt called Panopeia. The color is a nice buttery yellow which doesn't quite show up in this picture even with editing.

Here is Barbara K's Ex's and O's hat completed and ready for inventory.

And I think Cinzia made this hat which reminds me of the copycat hat. It's not quite exactly the same, but close.

And here is Dorah's finished jogless striped hat. She learned a new to her technique for changing colors that doesn't leave a bump where it shifts to the new color.

Barbara K. finished her mobius ring cowl. 

We've both decided it was fun to make once but once was enough. If you want to take a look at the video which inspired us to try it, here you go.

The sun just peeked out from behind the rain clouds so I might squeeze in a quick walk before I start dinner. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Great minds think alike

Dorah and I must have been on the same wavelength today since we both chose tie-dyed shirts and are using our matching project bags that I made. Great minds...

Dorah added the new color to her color blocked hat and a short time later...

She added color number three. This was the project she wanted to make to learn how to knit

 jogless stripes. Looking good!

Janna was telling the Chicks about the technique she had to learn for her Yara Shawl.

Some of the striped areas are knitted flat on a circular needle so she could slide the work to the opposite end and knit the same row with another color from the reversed direction to make a "broken" effect in the stitch pattern. It sounds more complicated than it is and creates a lovely pattern.

This is the free sock pattern Barbara B. is using for a pair of baby socks to go with the hat and cardigan she is making for her daughter's friend.

It's such a sweet set and she's doing a fine job making it.

Barbara K.'s Ex's and O's Hat is coming along nicely. We are all so proud of Barbara for her very first try at following a knitting chart to create the x and o pattern.

Another patterned knit is Janna's Arona Cowl, knitted in mosaic technique. This pattern is written out as opposed to following a graph chart.

Cinzia started this t-shirt last week on circular needles but switched over to her long straight needles so she could knit more comfortably. She holds the needle under one arm to stabilize it and then she can knit faster. This was the way my grandmother taught me to knit when I was in grade school. Over time I decided to learn continental style to take the strain off my neck and shoulders. I guess I wasn't a relaxed knitter since Cinzia doesn't seem to have any problem with this method.

Carole's Easy Scarf is slowly nearing the end. The change in the colors midstream make a lovely definition to the directional change in the knitting.

Maureen is using an app on her i-Pad called Knit Companion. It gives the knitter the ability to highlight the row of knitting without having to use sticky notes on a paper pattern.

Her Step Zeppelin Cowl is coming along nicely.

Everyone made progress this week except me! This is the result of two hours of knitting. One-hundred-fifteen stitches and five rows in, my stitch count was wrong and it was a pattern I couldn't fudge. We all agreed the yarn didn't want to be the cowl I had chosen to knit.

But all was not lost. I finished this cowl, "Just Keep Swimming", last night and steam blocked it just before the Chicks arrived today.

Carole attended a sewing retreat last weekend to make this gorgeous project bag. The fabric has the names of some of the places she's visited over the years but because of the layout she couldn't fit "Paris" on the outside. So it became a pocket inside! My Chicks are such multi-talented people!

Well, I'm going on a hunt for a different pattern and maybe even a different yarn to start a new project. Wish me luck and keep those needles clicking!