Look who's visiting!

If you look closely to the left side of the table you will see, sitting between Dorah and Maureen, Beth! She traveled up from North Carolina to visit and squeezed in some time to stop and knit with us. Beth was one of my Chicks when we still had two groups, one in the afternoon for the retirees and one in the evening for those who envied the rest of us in our retirement. LOL! No, really, there were knitters who were still among the working outside the home world and so it was appropriate to split the time between them. I must admit though, it's nice that we can all meet at the same time now.

We had a lot of news to catch up so it was nice to have a relaxing afternoon visit.

Beth did not come empty handed. She was showing Dorah her current sock project, Mermaid Tail Socks, which had a pretty textured stitch.

The pattern can be purchased on Ravelry.

And she made a pair of socks to donate to our inventory called Basic B Socks. The self striping yarn adds some pizazz to a basic shortie sock. I couldn't find a link for you but there are many patterns available on Ravelry. Thanks for the donation!

She is also working on a Flax Sweater for one of her grandsons.This is a freebie on Ravelry and comes in a range of sizes from infant to adult.

Nancy finished her River Rush Slouch Hat and...

has already started a second one. 

She said it's a pretty easy pattern to follow since she can knit while we talk.

I have reached the portion of the Climber Crest Cap where I start decreasing to close the crown of the hat. This pattern is a very simple 4 round repeat, again, good social knitting work. I must warn you though. I found a typographical error in the written version which I addressed in an email to the designer. But she has not issued any updates to correct the problem. The error is Rnd 1 in the main section. In the repeat section between the *, the repeat ends with a K1 but it should read P1. The chart however is correct.

Dorah's basic beanie is coming along nicely. She combined two solid yarns to create a great tweed look.

Margaret started the 1898 Hat but the yarn is not cooperating and might require tossing. She said she found it in a donation stash so she doesn't know how old it is. But every now and then some of the plies are broken which needs to be cut away and reattached and it must have a high percentage of cotton fiber because it has no elasticity AT ALL. I reminded her that if it isn't fun, don't do it! She might be frogging this and throwing the yarn in the trash. 

Maureen's Sunnyside Sweater has grown and is showing off those beautiful colors! 

What a pretty gradient!!!

Jan made progress on her Reverb Shawl. I love the color palette she has chosen. The contrast between the colors will show off the pattern nicely.

And Fozzie had to put in an appearance. He was checking out Dorah's knitting bag because he could probably detect the scent of her kitty, Lorna Doone. He usually hangs around Dorah because she knows where I keep the "cookies" he likes. She is Fozzie's best friend on Tuesday afternoons. But then he's very fickle. If you have food for him, you'll be his best friend until you run out. LOL!

The past few days felt like fall with rain and wind but today the sun is out and the temps are supposed to get a bit warmer again. I'm not too concerned as long as I can get out for a walk. Speaking of, I'm going to go for a quick round before it's time to prepare dinner. 

So until next week, keep those needles clicking!

We almost sat outside today

I had my lawn chair set up and ready to sit outside but gusts of wind were blowing all around me making a little chill in the air so Plan B was put into effect. It's just as well since it's too hard to eat Barbara B's delicious chocolate cupcakes and knit at the same time. Having the table to spread out makes it much more comfortable.

Carole is almost finished with the body of the Wee Bean Cardigan. She is going to attempt to knit both sleeves simutaneously using the magic loop method. The hardest part is wrapping one's brain around the instructions. Once you figure that out, the rest is a breeze.

She finished a lovely hat called Twig. I tried to link the pattern to share with you but the link to the page seems to be broken. I also could not access the designer's blog page so unfortunately, I can't share it.

Dorah made progress on her Knit Baby Jacket set using self patterning yarn in a machine washable and dryable fiber.

Margaret is working on the Flax pullover from Tincanknits. Ravelry has the free pattern available in three different yarn weights. She is planning on frogging and starting over because she thinks she got distracted and has too many stitches for the body which would make it way out of proportion. But hey! It's only knitting and can be frogged and re-knitted...unlike sewing when once the fabric is cut, you're commited!

Jan is finishing up the body of her Top Down Raglan Child's Sweater and is looking forward to knitting the sleeves. She's not up to trying two at a time but baby steps are still progress in the right direction.

Barbara B. finished the Avery's Happy Cap (for which I have no link) and The Gift cardigan.

The details on the sweater are adorable right down to...

the eyelet lace ribbing at the bottom of the body and sleeves.

I finished the Dexter vest using Plymouth Encore in DK weight. I used the sizing for 3-6 months.

Now I have a hat started to go with it. It's called Simple Baby Hat and I'm crossing my fingers that the size will correspond with the size of the vest.

Barbara B has another project going. It's the Elevenses Hat made with Lion Brand Wool Ease in a pretty heather pink.

Annika finished her first eyelet stripe baby blanket and has started a second one. 

And Barbara K started a hat using a tweedy style Plymouth Encore in worsted weight.

Nancy started a blanket for her soon to be born grandchild. It's a machine wash and dry yarn and a good project for tv knitting which doesn't require too much concentration.

I'm going to have to get in gear and clean off the screened porch so these windy days don't interfere with our outdoor knitting. In the meantime, have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

Our last meeting before Christmas and a field trip

The Chicks started the meeting by browsing through some pattern books that Cinzia brought for inspiration. They were all amigurumi animals and objects.

Cinzia chose for her first project a sweet little turtle.

When he is completed he will look something like this.

But Cinzia will embroider the facial features so there are no button hazards for little ones to swallow.

Margaret started a Fair Isle hat called Orchid Mantis, using two colors of DK weight yarn. You can find it on Ravelry as a paid pattern.

We were lucky and found it on the first day of issue when it was being offered for free.

Carole's Morton Cowl looks beautiful with the color changing yarn. 

Just a few inches more and she'll be finished.

Janna is using yarn which was recycled from a previously knitted garment so it's still a bit kinky. Once it takes a nice soak the fibers will relax and the tension will even out. 

The pattern is the Mistake Stitch Scarf.

I happened to come across a YouTube video which explained how to mimic an Italian tubular cast on without using a provisional cast on. It was very easy to execute and makes a stretchy, very nice edge, if I may say so myself.😄

I used it for the ribbed cuff of a Helix Hat to use up some small scraps of yarn. 

Cinzia finished her green hat for which she also used the above mentioned cast on technique.

And Janna's Fair Isle hat looks great! Such a nice color combo too.

Here is the sweater Margaret was able to finish when she found one lone skein of yarn in the same dye lot she needed to complete the sleeves and ribbing. It's the Flax sweater which is offered in multiple sizes on Ravelry.

Cinzia finished her Bella Scarf last week but had to bring it home for blocking.

 Now it's ready for the inventory.

Barbara B., Cinzia, Carole, and I went on a little excursion last Friday to the Hyde Collection  in Glens Falls, NY last Friday. The artwork that the Hydes collected is breathtaking in its variety and value.

We were especially interested in the temporary exhibit of antiques quilts.

Some were dated back to the 1860's! 

We were mesmerized by the intricacies of the stitch work, all done by hand!

The precision of the spacing of their stitches and patterns in days without computers and stencils and erasable pens was mind boggling! We kept marveling at the fact that the stitch length matched throughout the quilt even though it was probably quilted by many hands during a quilting bee.

And there were such different designs in the collection.

These quilts made by African-Americans which pre-dated the Civil War were lively and colorful in their fabric choices and layout compared to...

.

the somber beauty of this Amish quilt which is gorgeous in it's simplicity. It was a lovely exhibit which lasts through January 2, 2023. I would check with the museum to be sure of the dates.

 We Chicks send you best wishes of the holiday season and will return in the new year. 

Until then, 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!