Too chilly for deck knitting

Boy! One week inside, one week outside, now we're back inside. Mother Nature can't make up her mind about the spring weather. I even had to pump the heat up from 64 degrees in the house because it was just a little too chilly to sit still for two hours. I will appreciate it though because I'm not a summer person, even though that's when I was born. I often say my perfect day would be bright sunshine, zero degrees in January, and bundled up in my finest hand knit woolens. It's my favorite season for walking.

Ok, now that you all know I'm crazy, let's get on with the knitting.

 Maureen knitted the Sunnyside sweater for a baby gift using a lovely, soft yarn from Wonderland Yarns called Mary Ann. It was labeled as machine washable but hand washing is recommended. It probably won't get soiled before the baby outgrows it anyway. The pattern includes two different versions, this one is a lacy insert and the other is a cable insert.

Her current WIP is the Close to You Shawl. If you remember last week, Maureen was knitting something else with this yarn. But it had other ideas and this seems to be a better pattern for it.

Barbara B finished the 1898  Hat using a self striping yarn that adds some pizazz to an otherwise quiet design. You can see here that the ear flap cuff is knitted in a different direction from the crown. The basic pattern is easy and lends itself to creative variations.

She already has a second one started in a nice neutral gray.

And Margaret started one too. Her decision to hold two different colored yarns together make for a nice new colorway. That's a good way to use up odds and ends of yarn too.

Tina started right in on a Totally Biased Cowl using yarn she purchased on last week's trip to the preview of WEBS tent sale in Northampton, Massachusetts. We all had better luck finding yarns we needed on this trip. Now I need a few more hours in the day to knit it all! 

Jan decided to stick with the black yarn on her Reverb Shawl. She wore her neck lamp today to make it easier on her eyes to see the stitches.

I have a couple of more inches to knit on my Braided Blue Headband which is a pattern I found on YouTube. This video is spoken in English so I didn't have to watch it a million times to figure out the pattern. As soon as I reach the required size, those short ends will be grafted together for a seamless join.

Our "Sourdough Queen" Barbara B brought sourdough lemon bars today. If I say they were delicious they must be because I'm not a big fan of lemon desserts. She won me over with these! She twisted my arm (yeah, right) to take a few for later. ;)

Well, I have a ton of knitting that needs to be finished so I'll wish you a great week ahead and

 keep those needles clicking!

Looks like indoor knitting for the rest of the season

The ten of us have been named laugh buddies by Dorah. She remembered a book she read in the past by a nun, Sister Smollin, who recommended the importance of  having friends with whom you could share laughter to keep a healthy outlook on life. It seems every Tuesday afternoon at some point dissolves into gales of laughter and heaven knows we sure could use some light in our days.

And chocolate! There's always a need for chocolate! Today's treat ala Barbara B was sourdough chocolate chunk pumpkin bread. It was moist and light and that chocolate hit all the right notes!

Barbara K declared this to be the Scarf That Never Ends aka Mistake Stitch Scarf. Oh great! Now I have that kids song stuck in my head. LOL! 

Barbara B is halfway through the crown of another Hat of a Cat hat. I think she said she's making a bunch for Christmas gifts.

Dorah brought us her Gryer Shawl which she's making for herself. These two yarns look so pretty together and there will be a third yarn which is a white base with the purple and green "tweeded" (is that a word?) throughout.

Her donation project is made of two different sock weights held together to create a whole new look.

Jan made nice progress on her Simply Riveting Scarf which has a unique shape that drapes comfortably over the shoulders.

Margaret was admiring the Sunnyside Sweater Maureen made for a baby gift. We were very impressed because...

Maureen was able to make both sleeves match exactly where the color changes. She found the perfect little green buttons for it too.

I started the cuff of the Look Out! Winter Hat which is a variation of the 1898 hat which....

Margaret is knitting. The 1898 hat a double thick ear flap while the Look Out hat has a single layer.

Nancy is just casting on the Freya Baby Hat for her granddaughter. The pattern calls for it to be knitted flat with a sewn seam but we put our heads together so she could knit it in the round and save some time at the end.

Cinzia is back after a long vacation to Italy and Indonesia. She had a wonderful time but is still recovering from jet lag. She's working on a baby hat.

 

Maureen had a kerfuffle with her knitting. She was sailing along nicely when the yarn decided to break mid-stitch! She had to tink back a couple of rows to get to a spot where she could make a repair and continue. I'm sure it's happened to everyone at least once and it's just as bad as when the manufacturer decides to place a knot in the center of a skein. It's even worse when the yarn is variegated and they don't match the sequence of colors!

Carole worked on her bulky weight cowl using the pretty purple bulky weight yarn from our stash.

No sooner did I walk the Chicks to the door at the end of our gathering did I turn around to find Fozzie in one of his favorite spots. During the week I keep newspapers on the velvet chairs so he won't get his fur all over the seats. I just wasn't quick enough to cover them. LOL! 

But who could be angry with that face?

Well, my husband just brought home bbq ribs for dinner so I have to figure out what to serve with them. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

Who knew!?!?

Who knew we would be knitting on the deck on October 22? The sun was driving the temp up to 78 degrees and it felt like it! I keep saying I'm going to put the summer clothes away but then we get a day like today and I'm searching for the lightweight short sleeve T's. No one was complaining though. Well, maybe I did, a little. I really love the cold winter weather but I do love the sunshine!

Barbara B's treat for the day was sourdough cinnamon snickerdoodles cupcakes. See what you missed Dorah! Not to rub it in but they were gooood! We had a discussion about cinnamon and how to tell if you are buying the real thing or a common substitute. After some googling, we found out that the most common product sold in grocery stores is cassia cinnamon which isn't really cinnamon at all. It comes from a completely different tree and in great enough amounts can cause some major health problems. The real deal is called Ceylon Cinnamon and should you buy it in bark form, would be fragile enough to break

 with little effort.

 

I finished a great stash buster project called the One Chevron Scrap Cowl. It starts with a provisional cast on so the short ends can be grafted together for an invisible seam.

I searched for six different sock weight leftovers and arranged them so the colors would blend...

from one color theme into another. Depending on which side faces front, it can look like a whole different cowl.

Barbara B finished the Avena Hat, a paid pattern on Ravelry. The bobbles along the cuff add a nice touch of texture to an otherwise plain design.

Maureen grew weary of knitting the baby sweater and decided to spice things up with a quick Helix Hat or what I refer to as another potato chip project...you can't make just one!

I also finished the Climber Crest Hat, a pattern with loads of texture. It's a very easy pattern that took no time to memorize.

In fact, I started another one right away. I was planning on making the Soldier's Cap but the thought of 9.5 inches of 2X2 ribbing made me want to give up. Since there were already 96 stitches on the needle, and the Climber Crest starts with 96 stitches and 2 inches of 2X2 ribbing, I made the executive decision to change patterns.

 

Barbara B started the Hat of Cat which starts with a provisional cast on. This pattern is a freebie on Ravelry.

Barbara K wanted to sit in the direct sunlight so she could see the stitches more easily while she knitted her Mistake Stitch Scarf. 

Carole enjoys working with bulky weight yarns and from the stash she picked out recently, she has already finished a stockinette cowl and...

is well on her way to finishing the garter stitch version of the same cowl. If you want a project to knit up quickly, bulky weight is the way to go.

Nancy started the textured section of the Twig Beanie. After searching the Ravelry site, I found out it is no longer available online in digital form but Ravelry hasn't removed it from the site. I'm glad I saved it in my library before it was discontinued! The pattern says to use a cable needle to make a two stitch right cable but here's a video that shows how to do it without all the fuss.

Jan started the Simply Riveting Scarf which has three points of increases making it sit nicely on the shoulders.

Here is the Sunnyside Sweater that Maureen took a short break from knitting to make the helix hat. She is working on the sleeves so it won't be long now until she's finished.

A couple of weeks ago my oldest grandson invited his grandfather and me to join him and his family as he and his fellow senior teammates were recognized before a big game. We were truly honored to be included in the festivities and my daughter and I had to bite our lip to keep from crying. Our "little baby" is graduating this year!!!😢 And yes, it's official! I am the shortest one in the family now (I was wearing heels so I look taller but I cheated LOL!).

Time flies by too quickly! Hug your loved ones and as always... keep those needles clicking!

Deck Knitting Kind of Day

With 70 degrees and light breezes I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sit outside. Thankfully, I have drapes I made for when the sun is too overpowering for those who sit on the south side of the deck. But we weren't complaining! 

This is what was left of the delicious cinnamon sourdough coffee cake from the magic kitchen of Barbara B.

Carole made a sweet mini Soldiers Hat for a family member and is keeping her fingers crossed that it's a boy. But since the color is almost turquoise, I think it can be appropriate for a girl too.

She also completed the self-striping yarn hat from last week. I can picture the cherubic face of a newborn peeking out from under the brim.

Her current project is a simple cowl using the bulky weight yarn Dorah donated to her last week. She is keeping it simple for TV and conversational knitting so it started with a ribbed border, stockinette body, and she will finish it off with another ribbed border.

Janna's 1898 Hat is nearing completion. She adjusted the size to fit a child.

Margaret started the decreasing portion of her Easy Ombre Slouch Hat and learned a different way to make a double decrease.

Maureen started another Sunnyside with the lace option for her friend's grandbaby.

Barbara B is almost half finished with her Stair Climber Hat in a soft cocoa brown.

And Barbara K just started the Upward Bound Beanie in a nice neutral gray. You can almost see the start of the traveling cables near the needle.

This hat is the Willow Oak Toque which starts with a provisional cast on to make a folded brim. After I knit 4 inches of 2X2 ribbing, I will fold the cast on round inward and knit each stitch together with a live stitch on the needle, creating the look of the Italian tubular cast on without all the fiddly parts.

There's a hungry kitty bumping my elbow so I guess it's time to remind you to have a great week and keep those needles clicking!