The smoke is back and so is the humidity

The Canadian wildfire smoke is lingering in the air. That combined with the heat and humidity made it easy to stay inside to knit. Our conversation centered on grandchildren. Did you know we have three sets of fraternal twins among the grandchildren of the Chicks? Maureen has a boy and a girl, Carole and Jan each have boys. It was interesting to hear how the different ages handle conflict and comaraderie.

We also talked about each of us learning to knit and crochet. Barbara B. learned knitting and crochet at the age of 9 or 10 from a neighbor. Jan was 10 or 11 when her grandmother and mother taught her to knit. Carole was 9 or 10 when she learned to crochet and 11 when she learned knitting, taught by her mother. Maureen's neighbor taught her to crochet when she was about 7 but didn't learn to knit until as an adult when her mother-in-law taught her. Cinzia learned as a student in grade school in Italy when she was 6 or 7. And my grandmother taught me to crochet when I was about 7, a neighbor ( a sweet Norwegian lady) taught me how to knit slippers when I was about 12, and then my mother taught me more knitting skills by the time I reached high school. It's such a nice tradition to hand down to the next generations. I feel grateful to have learned by the side of family and friends.

On to our FO's! I finally finished Carol's Clever Little Shawl. It took me a few days short of 3 weeks but it felt like forever.

I used an oatmeal colored Plymouth Encore and steam blocked it to open up the lace stitches. I like it so much I might have to make one for myself in a summer weight fiber to wear with my sundresses.

Carole finished her Raven Beanie. She fiddled with the pattern so she could use a heavier weight yarn than what the pattern recommended.

And Jan finished her Swirl Hat in worsted weight yarn.

Barbara B. completed the Pussyhat in the round in 4 gauges. She liked this pattern because it didn't require some of the sewing techniques that others of the same design needed.

Maureen brought us her finished Bewind Hat. I think all these hat patterns are free on Ravelry.

Carole modeled the Hot Springs Willow Hat that Barbara B. made.

This is a paid pattern on Ravelry. Look at the beautiful design the stitches make!

Cinzia knitted the last few rows on her Saurey lace baby blanket which is a Berroco pattern and will steam block it to open those lace stitches. She was pretty sure the yarn is acrylic so we did a little experiment and set fire to a scrap of it and sure enough! It melted so it's plastic! If it was wool it would put itself out and smell like burning hair.

Jan did a lot of knitting on her Easy Scarf and is not far from the end.

Maureen is making a baby gift for a friend's granddaughter on the way. It's a kimono style sweater called Olive You Baby with a neat detail and asymmetrical front closing.

Barbara B. started the Seven of Hearts Beanie using a pretty cornflower blue yarn.

I was feeling creative after watching a YouTube video presented by a Turkish knitter. So I'm in the experimental stage of making a cowl. I suspect I might have some tinking or frogging to do as I work out the kinks. If it turns out the way I see it in my mind's eye, I'll post the pattern.

I'm expecting my personal IT technician (my son) any minute to help with some email questions so I'll leave off here. Hope it's cool where you are and keep those needles clicking!

 

85 degrees, feels like Satan's lair

We sat on the deck today with two fans blowing in our direction hoping it would be comfortable enough to stay outside for two hours. Dorah came pretty close to cashing in her chips but she's a brave soul and stuck it out. After the rainy weather we've been experiencing lately, the sun was a welcome guest. We distracted ourselves with conversations about garden shares and how to prepare collard greens. 

Dorah finished her Changing Staircases Scarf/Shawl and the colors are stunning. My photo doesn't do it justice. It was hard to get a good respresentation when it was so sunny.

Barbara K. turned in her completed Mistake Stitch Scarf which looks great with her shirt today!

Jan finished her Close to You Shawl and steam blocked it perfectly. I used to use the soaking method but I might give steaming a try. It certainly is quicker and looks just as nice as a tedious bath method.

She also handed in two hats for the inventory. This one is the Bewind, knitted in a bulky weight yarn.

And this is the Lazy Traveler Beanie. Both these patterns are free on Ravelry.

Carole showed up with a new purse....THAT SHE MADE HERSELF!!! It's adorable and made with cork fabric.

It has all kinds of zippered compartments and flaps.

And a pocket on the back. If I didn't like Carole so much I'd hate her. ROFL!!!

Barbara K. started the Ex's and O's Hat for her granddaughter using that lovely pink yarn on a black background. You know someone REALLY loves you if they knit something for you with black yarn!!!

Jan reached the half way point on her Easy Scarf and needed a little reassurance that she is knitting in the correct direction. I have made this and was knitting the wrong way at this part of the pattern so I know how she felt.

Carole worked on the Raven Beanie which has a stitch that looks a lot like the Mistake Stitch Scarf.

And here is Dorah's Easy Scarf and she is at the exact same spot in the pattern as Jan. The sun washed out the colors but the yarn is a beautiful variegated of berries and greens.

Carole brought along her variation of the Hitchhiker Scarf by Martina Behm. Someone on Ravelry decided to make a row of eyelets to break up the solid field of garter stitches to give it more of a lacy look so Carole tried it out and it looks great.

I am past the halfway mark on the Carol's Clever Little Shawl and have finally memorized the pattern. The opposite end will have the same kind of "keyhole" opening just before the end so it can be slipped into the slot and the scarf will stay around the shoulders without having to knot or pin it.

Only 4 or 6 more points to go (it depends on if I want to make the small version or the large version) and then I can block it. I'm going to try Jan's steaming method since this yarn has some acrylic blended with the wool.

I'm going to fix myself a tall, cold glass of iced tea and congratulate myself for being outside for two hours. Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

 

It's raining, it's pouring...

When the Chicks arrived it was rainy and humid so we stayed inside today. By the time they left the sun was out again so now it's really steamy outside. Our lively topics of conversation today were hearing about Jan A's walking vacation along Hadrian's Wall in the UK, our various experiences with fear of heights, and the most animated of all, the total disregard for life and limb by drivers in our local roundabouts. I've personally witnessed a driver go the wrong way around the roundabout to take a left turn rather than drive around the circle! Unbelievable!!! 

Well, as they say, you can't fix stupid. And now the reason you are here...there are a few FO's to show off. Jan A. finished a textured hat and matching cowl which will go directly into inventory. She also finished her Close to You Shawl but it needed to be blocked so she'll bring it back next week.

This is the hat Margaret finished up on the way out last week. It's one of her made up patterns which she does very well.

And the last of the Kool Aid dyed yarn has finally been used up! This cute hat reminds me of an icy sherbet which would be a nice treat right about now with the heat and muggy air outside.

Margaret started a basket weave hat using a worsted weight yarn.

Dorah made lots of progress on her Easy Shawl this week and now..

Jan has started one as well. They are both made using a fingering weight yarn.

Maureen made progress on her Bewind Hat. There is enough yarn left over that she could make matching fingerless mitts or mittens to complete the ensemble.

And I'm working on Carol's Clever Little Shawl, inspired by a shawl from the 1800's.

Barbara B. is halfway through her Bird by Bird Hat, a paid pattern on Ravelry which was free for the first day, if you were lucky enough to snag it in time.

Cinzia is making a Saurey baby blanket for a new family member and this pattern is free on Ravelry.

As you can see, she is at the very beginning, before any of the lace shows up. The speed with which Cinzia knits, it will probably be done by next week. I wish I could knit that fast!

After the ladies left, I turned to this face staring at me as if to say, "Well, I've been waiting. Shouldn't you be feeding me about now?"

So that's what I'll be doing for the next few minutes. We wouldn't want the poor furball to waste away! Have a great week, stay cool, and keep those needles clicking!

 

A glorious start to summer, well technically it's tomorrow but...

The warm, sunny afternoon was a pleasant compliment to our conversations about children, grandchildren, what's for dinner, what everyone is reading, and knitting. Maureen now has five little ones for whom she can knit so she is looking for cute hat patterns. 

Barbara K. was hunting through her WIPs and found a Cabin Fever Buttons Cardigan which needed its finishing touches.

Since our current project is for homeless women veterans, Barbara generously donated her sweater to my other group, The Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels. Her choice of buttons are a lovely compliment to the sky blue sweater.

Dorah didn't have much time during the week to knit so she took advantage of our afternoon together to add inches to her Changing Staircases Shawl.

Maureen started another basic beanie hat and...

added another Helix Hat to our inventory. Those colors are fabulous!

Barbara B. knocked those beautiful cables out of the ballpark! 

The staghorn cables are the highlight of...

the Stacked Stag-horn Baby Sweater, a free pattern on Ravelry. There is also a free version for the worsted weight size.

There are very few rows left to finish on my Sophie Scarf. I'm enjoying this so much I just might have to cast on immediately for another. It's a perfect project for mindless social knitting, as long as you can count to 8 (which, just between you and me, can be a challenge for me sometimes 😉)

If today is any example of what the summer weather will be, it should be a great season for outdoor knitting. So have a great week and keep those needles clicking!

A delightfully cool 70 degree day

It was the perfect day for deck knitting today. A cool breeze complimented the gurgling of the waterfall as a backdrop to our activity.

Dorah completed her Helix Hat using sock weight yarns. She consulted one of our other knitting friends who recommended 112 stitch cast on which turned out to be a bit too small for our current inventory so she graciously offered it to my Friday group, Delaware Avenue Stitch Angels, whose current project is for babies and toddlers. Dorah's choice of colors made a beautiful hat!

She also showed us her Changing Staircases Shawl that she made for herself. We all fell in love with the colors. And when Carole arrived...

we made her model it since it looked so nice with her sweater.

Carole is working on the same shawl pattern with a slightly softer blend of colors in her sock weight yarn. Dorah and Carole both recommend this pattern for its simplicity and easy to memorize repeats.

Carole brought along her Raven Beanie which she saves for "waiting room" knitting. The pattern makes a thick fabric to protect against winter winds.

Barbara B. started a new project, with a pretty coral colored yarn, today called...

The Silver Cardigan. It's a free pattern on Ravelry sized for a baby.

Dorah's Easy Shawl is coming along nicely. We discussed possible variations of yarn color selection so Dorah might try using a variegated yarn for the first half of the scarf and then using a solid or tonal in a complimentary color scheme.

I'm still working on the Lexis Hat. There is one more complete eight row repeat to finish, then row 1-6, and then I can begin the decreasing section of the crown. So I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Margaret is using up the last of the Kool Aid hand dyed yarn from my daughter's stash to make a Helix Hat too. Someone said these hats are like Lay's Potato Chips, you can't make just one!

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has finally subsided so I'll be able to resume my daily walks. It was a real hardship for me to stay inside and knit all day! Now, I have this bridge I'm looking to sell...

Have a great week and keep those needles clicking!