Yummy Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread today!

Dorah led the head of the table this week with Barbara B, Tina, and Maureen to the right and Barbara K, me, and Nancy to the left. A lively discussion ensued even before anyone sat down. There is so much going on these days that I am forever grateful to have my flock to keep me grounded and sane.

And Barbara B's Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread helps too! Banana bread is one of my favorite treats but this was beyond tasty. And as I've read, sourdough is good for your health. 

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! 😉

We added three FOs to the inventory for the Albany High School Falcon Boutique. We are getting an early start so we can collect even more than last year's gift.
The store which is run by the students, is where anyone can come and pick what they need for no cost. This year we will add smaller sizes too for younger siblings.

Barbara B made a helix hat using a new to us technique for jogless stripes. She also used a provisional cast on using barber cord, (that silicone tubing that makes holding stitches so convenient) using this technique. You can't even tell where the stripes change!

She added an 1898 Hat to the inventory too. This is the hat that starts by knitting the ear flaps and cuff flat and then joining the short ends using either a 3 needle bind off or kitchener stitch. Once joined, stitches are picked up along the edge and the crown is completed. It comes down low on the face with that double thick cuff to keep you nice and warm.

This is Maureen's version of the same hat. She was working on it last week when she thought she was running out of purple yarn. She had the clever idea to add some stripes to make the purple last. Today she told me she found another skein of the purple yarn! LOL! Now she can make a twin hat!

Nancy is continuing work on her Moss Hill Beanie. She admitted she had to muster up some courage to follow the directions to drop the stitch in the middle of the motif and then pick it back up on the next round. I have to admit, it gave me heart palpitations when she said she let it just hang out but since it was a double wrapped stitch, it wasn't going anywhere until she returned to pick it up. The pattern is coming along nicely!

I found a video tutorial on YouTube that showed how to knit this cabled headband. It looks much more complicated than it is to make. The first time I knitted it I think I used DK weight yarn but I had this heavenly soft yarn left from another project. It's fingering weight so I'm using a size 2 needle to make a dense enough fabric to keep ears warm. To say it's a bit tedious would not be an overstatement but I keep reminding myself how nice it will be when completed. That blue yarn on the bottom edge is the provisional cast on which will be grafted to the other end to become an invisible seam at the back of the head.

Barbara K's striped scarf has grown in length since we last met. Those colors are stunning!

Dorah started the TV knitting scarf using a beautifully dyed sock weight yarn but she just wasn't "feeling it". The pattern of the scarf had sections of lace which the short bursts of color in the yarn seemed to swallow and make disappear. So I dipped into my files and came up with my version of the Sophie Scarf which lends itself to this yarn perfectly! This is also a great tv knitting project.

Maureen is knitting a Car Blanket for a baby gift. The combination of knit and purl stitches will eventually show up as little cars, or maybe it was trucks. You'll have to check back for that one.

Tina's honeycomb scarf is growing slowly but steadily. 

The colors are so gentle and the yarn is very soft.

Barbara B is working on a lacy shawl called Summer Net Shawl. It will require blocking to open up those lovely lace stitches.

After everyone left for home, I turned my back for one second and guess who hopped on to his favorite spot. He thinks I don't see him. I guess it's time to bring out the vacuum cleaner and replace the newspapers on the seats. 

As soon as he sees me get up from the chair, I guarantee Fozzie will be begging for another meal so it won't be hard to remove him from the furniture. I decided a long time ago that this is his house too and it's easier for me to clean the chairs than it is to discipline a cat. And the love and peacefulness he brings to our lives is worth every strand of fur he leaves around the house.

It's time for me to prepare dinner so have a great week and keep those needle clicking!

Back in the saddle again!

The Chicks are back from our holiday break and working diligently on our projects. We were all so serious until...

Barbara B brought out the sourdough chocolate chunk cookies!

They were delicious and put a big smile on our faces!

Barbara B was busy during our break and knitted up a storm of goodies. This is her Fifi Cowl which is knitted lengthwise, flat, with reversible cables and then the short ends are either seamed or finished with a 3 needle bind off to create a mobius effect so there is no wrong side to the fabric.

Even though it's red, this is the White Frost Hat she knitted with beautiful stitch definition. She made four more hats which I was very careful to get the names of the patterns. Unfortunately, I was distracted and forgot to take pictures of them. 😖

This lovely yarn is currently on her needles to create the...

Y.A.S. Hat which starts at the top of the crown with a pinhole cast on similar to the start of the Mussleburgh Hat but this is a single layer hat with double brim.

I am combining a light worsted weight superwash merino with a kid silk mohair to knit the Sophie Scarf. This was the fourth or fifth try with this yarn but all the previous patterns just didn't work out well. The yarn was either too fuzzy or too busy to show off cables so I decided to stick to something simple. BTW, if you look at YouTube video tutorials on how to proceed with the steps to knitting the Sophie scarf, you don't really need to buy the pattern. Or just knit Jan's scarf which is later in the post.

Dorah is planning to use this beautiful yarn for an easy project called TV Knitting Scarf. The pattern is perfect for showcasing such a pretty yarn.

But first she has to finish a pair of socks for her daughter's friend. She calls sock knitting a palate cleanser and can probably knit them in her sleep.

Nancy started her Grid Gambit cowl and was initially using the variegated yarn as the dominant color but wasn't pleased with the result. So she frogged it and reversed the order of dominance and is much happier with the way it looks. It's funny how different a knitted fabric can appear depending on which color sits up front and center!

Margaret is almost finished with the first of her Tuiki tuiki fingerless mitts but she is having second thoughts about how to proceed. Since she has a limited amount of yarn and the pattern calls for a large portion of the convertible section to be knitted with the lesser amount of yarn, she is worried she will run out, so she is going to start the second mitt and complete it to the same size and determine then how to proceed based on the remaining amount of yarn.

Tina started a cowl with a pretty variegated yarn.

 

The Journey Through Time Cowl is a freebie on Ravelry.

Barbara K had a lovely self striping yarn that came in a kit she picked up for a song at a garage sale. The pattern in the kit was for a cowl which she knew she would never wear so she decided on a scarf and it's coming along beautifully!

Jan was working with this yarn before the break and didn't like the way it was knitting up so she changed the pattern to The Simple Thing which is frighteningly similar to the Sophie scarf and it's free! 

She is much happier with these results!

In addition to her Grid Gambit, Nancy is starting a Benjamin Matthews design called Moss Hill Beanie.

His designs always have a nice texture and pattern to them. Nancy's yarn choice will make a nice stitch definition and a beautiful hat.

I was admiring Jan's scarf and asked her if she made it and she did! It's a linen stitch scarf which started with something like 600 stitches! It was knitted sideways which is why it required so many stitches cast on. It is beautiful as is Jan! And it looks woven!

That's all for now. Fozzie wanted me to be sure to wish you all a Happy New Year and happy knitting through 2026! Be well and keep those needles clicking!