We broke a record!

It's been a long time since the room was this crowded! We had 22 Stitch Angels in attendance today and that's not counting the new members who were absent today. We're going to need more tables!

Let's start with Yvonne's projects. She completed a cheery yellow dishcloth and immediately cast on for a variegated purple one. I overheard her talking with Charlene about using the long tail cast on method and running out of yarn before finishing the cast on. Being the collector of tips and tricks to make knitting easier, I offered the suggestion that they should cast on using two strands of yarn, one from the beginning of the skein and one from the end, tie them together or use two separate balls of yarn as in the video, and then hold them "slingshot style" to perform the cast on. This way you never run out of the tail end of yarn and when you have the required number of stitches on your needle, you just cut one of the ends with a long enough tail to weave in later and you're on your merry way!

Jese couldn't be with us today but she sent me a photo of her first crochet project after just one lesson. I'd say she has that gene for crafting! She did an excellent job for a first timer!

Barbara completed her Gluckskind blanket and finished it off beautifully with an I-cord edge. And the baby should be born in the next couple of weeks so she's ahead of schedule.

She had some yarn left from the blanket so she decided to knit the Bruce Hat to go with it. This hat is knitted flat and seamed up the back for those of you who don't knit in the round.

I had some brown and cream acrylic yarns that were left from other hat projects. There wasn't enough of either to make another whole hat but by combining them to knit a jogless single stripe hat, it will be just enough. Tina put down her knitting this week in favor of crocheting a soap sack. Debra F. is well into another 2x2 ribbed beanie.

Debra B. is almost finished with another warm hat. She is using a bulky weight yarn and fat needles for a quick knit.

Charlene is working on a modular rectangular scarf called Trigo. She bought the project as a kit with both the pattern and yarn included. She admits that there have been some "bad words" used in the construction of her scarf as she is learning a new technique to add to her arsenal of tricks. Pat has started a hat in crochet with a nice olive green yarn.

Do you remember last week when I said I was stumped by a pattern which I was trying to teach to Keiko? After I got home, I sat in a quiet room and read the pattern again and the light bulb went on over my head! It was so simple that I don't know why I couldn't get it the first time...especially since I have knitted this pattern for myself twice before!!!

Keiko is getting the hang of knitting the Cathedral shawl now. It's a bit tricky and maybe not for beginners but she likes a challenge.

Darwin is crocheting something from the Minecraft genre and he enlisted Gerry's help in crocheting another video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Jim is working on another hat.

Athena had to rip back many inches on the blanket she is crocheting because the sides were straying inward.

Even with experience, it can be tricky keeping the side edges straight when crocheting.

Pam is making a Benjamin Matthews pattern called Pine Valley Beanie.

She and I were saying how much we like his patterns which are clearly written and easy to make in spite of the intricacies of his designs.

Edgar took measurements again this week for the hat he's crocheting, while Bob added more length to his blanket. Gail's hat looks like it's almost nearing the decreasing portion of the crown.

Cinzia is finishing off another Pine Valley Beanie to add to the inventory.

Kathy made progress on her sparkly hat this week. She placed markers in strategic places to help her see the pattern because the yarn is so dark. Ceil started a shawl for herself called Richland. She doesn't mind following charts and her lace is stunning.

Gail wore a pretty cowl called Traveler Cowl which she knitted flat and seamed up the back. And Rena worked on a black beanie.

Tina added two more hats to the inventory. They are both acrylic for ease with laundering, one is knitted and one is crocheted.

There is a huge snow storm expected tomorrow so I'll be hunkered down in my knitting room with a project or 20. I hope you will have something to keep you busy and keep your needles clicking!