It’s been a while

It’s been quite some time since we Chicks had a Zoom meeting so it was good to see some of the flock and catch up on our projects.

Dorah is working on a cozy afghan using Wool and the Gang merino/alpaca blend for a really soft and warm blanket.

The pattern is made up of strategically placed knits and purls for this dimensional block design.

She is also working on the most cheerful pair of socks! The self striping yarn does all the work for a darling pair of anklets.

Margaret has been working on a pair of socks for her daughter but since she hates working with sock weight yarn, she’s in no hurry to finish them. That’s true love though, knitting something you know isn’t fun just because you love your kid!

Janna finished the blanket she was working on since August and it looks great! The yarn colors are such a nice combination.

Annika made a hat for her church charity and someone liked it so much but it didn’t fit so she offered to make another in a more appropriate size. She’s just about ready to start the decreases at the top of the hat.

Barbara K. made two hats for her granddaughter. This one is her take on the Palindrome scarf turned into a hat.

And this one is simply swirled. Her pompoms are enviable! She said she used the pompom maker but watched a YouTube video tutorial for the instructions. They turned out great!

It’s hard to see but Maureen made a snowflake hat using the Fair Isle technique.

And she finished her Easy Goes It shawl/scarf.

Please excuse the wonky margins but ever since the updates I can’t seem to get things formatted properly. Hey! I’m a knitter not a techie, LOL! We’ll be back in the new year so no one gets “Zoom fatigue” again. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!
 

Maybe the last day of the season on the deck

It was about 75 degrees and raining one minute and sunny the next. But I think our days of outdoor knitting are done for the year.

The afternoon Chicks loaded up the inventory this week.

Barbara B.'s Palindrome hat matches the scarf she finished last week. Her cable skills are perfection.

Liz finished another Ribbed Watchman's Cap and is so happy to be done with that beige yarn. I can't blame her for being so over it!

Janna finished her first pair of toe up, two at a time, magic loop socks and did a great job! She has yarn left over which might be enough to make a hat.

Liz also made a car seat blanket for a future baby donation. The soft green color looks pretty against my white phaleanopsis orchid.

Barbara B. took up where Liz left off and has a good bit of her Ribbed Watchman's Cap knitted.

Debbie dove right into a second pair of socks so she could practice the techniques before she had the chance to forget them. The colors are lovely!

Liz hasn't decided if her Old Shale pattern is going to be a cowl or a scarf. She has plenty of time to make up her mind.

Elaine's Mistake Stitch Scarf is almost done. That was a huge ball of yarn that started the scarf so she's going to knit until it's finished.

Barbara K.'s Palindrome scarf is about to the halfway mark. Great stitch definition and color!

I had yarn left from a cowl I made for myself and thought if I used all three it might be enough for a hat. If not, it can always be a cowl.

Maureen finished her adorable baby socks. We all love the new to us technique for the Shadow Wrap Heel stitch. No holes! No gaps!

Dorah finished her hat and has enough yarn left for another. Love those changing colors!

I finished the Himani Hat with the intricate diamond pattern. I had to work on this when I could knit alone. It's not a difficult pattern but I couldn't be distracted when working on it.

Carole worked on the ribbing for her adorable baby socks. She said the 3 inches of ribbing seemed to be taking forever to knit.

Dorah started another hat using a twisted rib which makes a lovely, defined ribbing.

And Carole's Irma Hat has a pretty lattice work design. She likes using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. It's a great all purpose wool and very reasonably priced too.

Maureen's hat has a traveling diagonal line of stitches which add a nice touch to the design. It's actually the same yarn as Dorah's hat. Funny how lighting makes it look so different.

Don't for get that this weekend, September 28 and 29, is the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival in Greenwich, New York. Look for me if you go. And if you don't see me there, check out the Ice Cream Man just outside the fairgrounds. Best ice cream around!

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

It's almost time for the fall fiber festivals!

Barbara K brought her completed Palindrome hat today. The stitch definition shows off the cables nicely.

Today she worked on a matching scarf with the Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn.

Liz added to our inventory with a minty green woven look scarf and...

a ribbed man's hat, both made with worsted weight yarns.

We had more of the Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn so she started another ribbed cap today.

Debbie's socks are past the heel and on to the cuff portion. They should be finished soon.

Elaine is working on a Mistake Stitch Scarf with a bulky weight yarn which is making the scarf nice and squishy. The self striping yarn adds interest to the pattern.

My apologies to Barbara B. who was working on a pair of newborn socks. She had to leave early today so I didn't get a chance to photograph them to show you how adorable they are. Next week I'll try to remember.

Carole made the cutest little hat and socks in newborn size with a self striping yarn. 

And she was as far as the heel on another pair but she made a mistake and frogged the whole thing to start over. We talked about how she likes the process of knitting so it doesn't bother her to rip it out and start over. 

Maureen's baby socks are getting their ribbed cuffs.

Jan worked on a hat called Graham. The yarn is toasty warm so it will be a nice cozy hat this winter.

Dorah's stitch definition is exquisite on her hat. Look at that even tension!

My 1898 hat is slow going because I have so many projects on needles going at the same time. But I'm almost done with the second ear flap. Once I pick up the stitches for the crown, it will be a breeze the rest of the way.

I've been trying to knit myself a cowl to wear to the fall fiber festivals. It's called The Shift and requires three skeins of complimentary colors of DK weight yarn.

Speaking of fiber festivals... tis the season! The first one is the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich, New York on September 28 and 29. It's a small festival that's easy to navigate but has a lot to see. The second on my calendar is the New York Sheep and Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York on October 19 and 20. When I first started attending this festival I would show up at 9AM on opening day which meant I had to fight the crowds and stand four people deep before I could get into a booth to check out the yarns. I've learned you can soak up the fall atmosphere just as well on day 2 without all the aggravation of too many people. Third on my calendar is the Fiber Festival of New England held at the Eastern States Exposition or The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts on November 2 and 3. It is held completely indoors which is really nice in inclement weather. I love to go to these festivals so I can people watch to see all the beautifully hand made knitwear and find inspiration for my next project. So I better get off this computer and get back to my knitting needles or I won't have my new cowl finished in time to wear to the festivals.

Have a great week and I'll see you here next time. Keep those needles clicking!

Deck weather is back!

It's been 3 weeks since we were able to sit outside. I was away 2 of those weeks but we've been having a heat wave which would have prevented us from enjoying outdoor knitting. Today we had a lovely, humid-free afternoon.

 Cinzia is back from her whirlwind vacation through Italy and France with her family. She brought us her finished Helix hat. That black yarn really makes the color pop!

 Debbie finished her first pair of toe up socks. She feels confident enough now to attempt two at a time next. This cheerful yarn is perfect for the child size socks.

 Barbara was inspired by the Palindrome scarf to make this lovely cabled hat. She used a worsted weight heathered yarn which shows off the cables perfectly.

 And Janna's toe up socks have perfect stitch tension. She did a really good job of picking up stitches from the waste yarn too.

 In the 2 hours of knitting she finished both socks and they are ready for inventory. She too will try her hand at two at a time now that she feels confident that she has the concept of sock knitting.

 Liz finished her boot socks using the good old DP, 5 needles technique. We all loved the contrasting heels and toes.

 Carole worked her Cascade sport weight socks past the waste yarn for the heels. You can't see the waste yarn because it's on the other side of the sock but it's there.

 Maureen's child size socks are coming along nicely. I love the colors of her yarn.

 And Margaret has wrapped her head around the two at a time now. She was having trouble initially but we figured out it was because her circular needle had a very stiff cable which had her wrestling it constantly. It's so important to have good supplies with which to work. It really makes a difference in the enjoyment and also the quality of your work. If you're going to invest this much time and effort into a hobby, it's worth spending a little bit more for the tools. And if you take good care of them, they'll last a good long time (unless your dear husband decides to vacuum your knitting room and catches the needles in the hose).

 My Knit Picks Wool of the Andes socks seem to be taking forever but that's because I'm knitting a Christmas gift also which is very time consuming.

It feels good to be back on our regular schedule again and to be able to sit outside is so refreshing! 

Check back next week to see our progress. In the meantime, keep those needles clicking!