Thursdays Are For Knit Group

It is our last knit group until 2016 and we marked the occasion by going  out to lunch before going to  the library to knit.  Dolls were on the agenda today.  Both the well-dressed knitters -  dolls for sure - and the little knitted ones, destined for  refugee children.

Sandy is back from Florida.  With a gorgeous Hornshaw swift -  a gift from her sister  in honour of Sandy's impending  'Big -O'  birthday.

 The Hornshaw swift is hand carved of beautiful wood and has the added benefit of not needing to be screwed to a table top. We are all jealous Sandy. Of both the swift and your sister.

There were magazines to peruse and candy to eat.

Little Ruth joined us and showed off the dog coat she designed and knit for her little dog. Very clever, Ruth.

 Gail has a good start on a beautiful, Noro, directional scarf.  Knit with yarn she scoffed from the table filled with Sandy's sister Sue's cast offs, a few months back. 

Look at those cute American Doll outfits Gail knit.  She has been all about the dolls this fall.  Barbie, American and  Izzy.  Gail has knit for all of them.

 
From all the 'dolls' in Meaford, Merry Christmas to you all.  And happy knitting.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

Izzy Dolls were front and centre again today.  The Meaford knitters have really taken to heart the challenge of knitting dolls for  refugee children.  Needles are flying.

Sharon  gathered  seven dolls together for this photo op.

Doreen is just beginning her first.  Other knitters  encouraged her with a loan of needles  - she left hers at home, but we weren't going to let her get away with that excuse - and gifts of yarn.

Some of these little dolls look so very cute.

Then of course there were some gorgeous knitted (and woven) articles of clothing  being worn today. Ingrid wore this One-Of-A-Kind piece.

The collar becomes a scarf

Ingrid  calls it her global piece.  With  yarns  coming from as far away as South America and  Italy, while the knitting - and the wearing -  happens in Canada, it most certainly deserves its  global label.

Jean wore a wonderful wrap that she wove for the Spinners & Weavers sale.  Lucky for her, the piece didn't sell so now it is hers.

 Jean didn't need to check in with me today to make sure we weren't dressed the same.  I don't have anything that glorious in my wardrobe.

Wilma found time, mid-dolls, to crochet this quick and pretty cowl. 

What a warm and fuzzy feeling, especially at this time of year,  it gives one to knit dolls for some of our newest  Canadians.  Welcome to Canada, people.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

A funeral kept me away from Knit Group last week, so  it was great fun to arrive today to all the excitement.  The group has taken up the challenge to knit Izzy Dolls for refugee children.

Called Izzy Dolls or Comfort Dolls, I originally discovered them several years ago at a Church bazaar and posted about them here  and here.

With multiple dolls being planned, many brought suitable stash yarn to share.

And some dolls have already been knit.

They are basically a tube or sack that is shaped by drawing a piece of yarn through the knitting at anatomically correct places on the body. Here you see the shaped  versus the unshaped.

Much like a woman of a certain age without foundation garments versus the 'be-all-that-you-can-be' version.


The other exciting thing that happened today was that both Jean and I  wore our My Valentine sweaters.

Jean knit hers last winter with her own hand spun.  I knit mine last summer with Classic Wool.  Patons did my spinning.  Jean offered to call me next week before getting dressed.

A great afternoon.  Our group doesn't often knit for charity.  Or knit the same thing at the same time.  That community knit experience does give a knitter a warm and fuzzy feel. 

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

Some knits were finished and on display and other knits were barely started today at knit group.

Deana showed off her lovely, finished  cowl. 

Knit from a kit she purchased at the KW Knitters Fair.  Several colours  with an easy formula.  Knit until colour #1 is finished.  Then with colour #2, purl until you run out of that colour. Repeat until all colours are used.  Lovely and cheerful for the grey days ahead, Deana.

Gail is still busy outfitting Miss Barbie.

 

Besides these little sweaters, she plans to knit Barbie a Bikini.  She read us the pattern for the  Bikini Top - Cast on 12 stitches.  Work 2 rows of K,  P1, cast off. Now, that's funny.

In between Barbie Doll items, Gail also knit a hat, with yarn gifted from Sandy's sister Sue.

 

Can you tell Gail has Grand Daughters?

Both Sharons had sweaters on their needles today.  Sharon R started her winter project,

 

 with bright red Berrocco Dk.   A  colour that will look great on you, Sharon.

Sharon also told us she feels like a 'real' knitter now.  She has a row counter around her neck. 

Yep, that's a sign for sure.

The other Sharon has a sweater started too.

 

 A Knit Picks design

she is  knitting with Knit Picks Gloss - a wool silk combo.

Lots of knitters, lots of laughter, lots of knitting.  A great Thursday.  And just a reminder - in the Owen Sound area this weekend?  Stop by the main library to visit the Spinners and Weavers Guild sale.  Sharon and Jean and all their fellow spinners and weavers will be there with their wares.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

Today the car thermometer read 23' as I drove to knit group.  The same temperature as  Florida, Sharon,  who has family there, told us.  It is amazing that there was any wool to be seen.  But heat doesn't stop our knitters!

With three cowls finished and a scarf in the works Wilma must have  necks on her mind  in this pre Christmas season.  This one -  String of Pearls  -  

is a free ravelry download. With some Madeleinetosh for the main colour, it will be beautiful - and warm.

Then there are the other three cowls she brought to knit group today. An orange one, a pink one, and the grey one she is wearing.

 

See that gorgeous button on the grey one?

 

Her husband made that.   I just might have to commission some of those.

Gail is busy knitting things for her Church Bazaar.  Today she brought two hats slated for the Bazaar to show us.  Patons Classic in blue and black with a rolled hem.  

Gail has the movie star look with her dark glasses.  She had just come in from across the street where she had run to buy more yarn.  Hard to knit when you forget your yarn at home.

Sharon finished the Yarnharlot's An Unoriginal Hat. Another free pattern on ravelry.

Unfortunately,  Sharon's is too small.  A second attempt next week, she says.

Ingrid arrived today wearing a gorgeous vest.  Pieces like this, I cannot wear.  They  swamp me.  At 5 feet, I'm too short to carry them off.  But Ingrid does it easily and well.  It is beautiful, Ingrid.

Ingrid and Wilma today proved that it is important to use spectacular buttons.  These are metal and heavy enough that Ingrid adapted her edging to support them.  

Lots of wooly lovelies today. Just imagine when the cooler temperatures arrive!

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

I didn't know until this afternoon when I walked up the street to the library.  Someone had written it on the sidewalk.  It is  Ontario Public Library Week.

Meaford Library is small.  Too small really.  Meaford library is old.  Too old really.  But it has a heart the size of Texas.  Today, right inside the front door,  was a table with coffee and goodies.  To celebrate  Ontario Public Library Week, the staff had provided these treats  for all   library patrons.  Upstairs, we weren't long at our needles  when two of the librarians visited, bringing  goodies just for knit group.

 

 These aren't your Grandma's librarians, that's for sure.  Thanks ladies.

Sandy, still cleaning out her yarn room, brought more magazines again this week.  They were to be recycled either to us -  or to the 'box'. 

I took two

and might go back for more if they are still available next Thursday.

 Gail brought her purple cardi  today.  She finished it last spring and has been waiting for cool fall weather to wear it.

It is this Sirdar pattern

 knit with this Sirdar yarn.

Gail's sweater is gorgeous.  Beautiful back.

And beautiful front.  You appear pleased, Gail.  As you should be.

Gail has decided to not put  the button on the front as shown in the pattern.  She prefers the open jacket look and is nervous of the garment pulling if buttoned as does the one  in the pattern photo. The simple, unshaped, front neck creates lapels. Isn't that cool?

Goodies.   Give-away magazines and a great fashion show.  Nice Thursday afternoon.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

The cool, windy, fall weather today was perfect for knit wear.  I wore Glenora to knit group
 and wasn't surprised to see many others took advantage of the cooler weather to bring out their woolies.

Sharon was wearing a great wool poncho.  With a warm and cozy, cowl collar, it is perfect for fall.

 Doreen has miles of scarf to keep someone warm.  

These several yards of scarf  all came from one ball of yarn.  Still more to come.  This scarf, Doreen will donate to the hospital for their annual Bazaar.

Wilma finished the gorgeous scarf/shawlette with the wool her daughter brought back  to Canada from her year in Malaysia.

This is a beautiful piece. Great colour, great knitting.



Jean's getting ready for the November Spinners show with these little socks.  Two little socks on two circs.  Aren't they cute?

Carol didn't have a good knitting day.  She ripped more than she knit.  

 

When you are working on something like this scarf, with it's very geometrical lace pattern, mistakes are easily seen.  No fudging here.  So rip it was.  She's back on the right track now.

The forecast for our area calls  for chilly temperatures  on the weekend.  A knitters  favourite forecast.  Layer on the woolies, people.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

I missed a special day at knit group last week.  Fred and I headed to Ottawa last Thursday to catch son Peter's art show in the Byward Market. Little did I know that Sandy was bringing bags of yarn from sister Sue, the knitter we call  Bag Lady Sue. We started calling Sue that because she knit mostly hand bags that she then felted.  But maybe we should call her that because about once a year she sends us bags of her cast offs.   Everyone took their fill last Thursday then they sent me an  email saying they had saved me 'my colours.'

Sister Sue buys high-end yarns.  Cast-offs from Sue in my colours?  Yippee.  But,  I was expecting a few balls.  Perhaps a small grocery bag of balls.  I sure wasn't expecting this.

Holy yarn, Batman. That is one heck of a lot of cast-offs.  Remember, everyone else got their fill last week. These are what Sandy set aside for me. Thank you Sandy for carrying this bag back and forth  for two weeks in a row. And thank you Sue for the great yarn give-away.

Ruth, examining poor Doreen's scarf disaster (she inadvertently pulled out the needle) is wearing a sweater knit with yarn from Sue's 2014 great yarn give away.

 

Your yarn lives on, in Meaford, Sue.

Sharon brought her wheel to knit group today.

 

It is a special, spin-in-public-time for spinners. Sharon had some brown fleece on the wheel but showed off her brightly coloured fleeces from Custom Woolen Mill purchased while on a summer vacation in Alberta.

 

Wilma wondered if her baby blanket was large enough.

 

She is ready to move on, she said.   Last week, she had Jean show her how to  knit two socks on two circs.

Wilma  said her personal jury is still out on whether she enjoys this new technique. She will enjoy having two socks finished at the same time, for sure.


Quite a few of our knitters are still showing off  knits from  their Knitters Fair purchases.  Sharon R has a lovely cowl.  Intended as a  Christmas gift, Sharon thought she should try it out to make sure it works.

Deana is almost finished her colourful cowl.

And Sandy has another - you guessed it , shawl - almost finished with her Knitters Fair yarn.

Such a lot of yarny goodness. I love Thursdays.