Marsha’s House – February 18, 2010

We all met at Marsha’s house and there were a lot of us.  Francy and Michele weren’t there, but Linda was here and the rest of us: Deb, Mary, Leslie, Carol, Marylane, Julie and me!  We all enjoyed the two dips that Eli made, roasted red pepper and spinach-artichoke.  Thanks Eli!  We also enjoyed two bottles of wine – Jacob’s Creek Shiraz and Chateau St. Michelle Riesling.  Plus tea for two!

We feasted well

It was almost Carol’s birthday, so we sang to her and she was thrilled, I’m sure.

Beautiful birthday girl! Happy day, Carol

We talked a lot about social issues this week, about the Radical Right and their abortion opposition and about the Right to Die issue that was recently voted into legislation in Montana.  We were all heartened to hear about that.   Our state is a weird mix of lefties and righties, unfortunately the righties are louder.  We Lefties are a hardy bunch, though and make our feelings known, especially at knitting.

On a lighter note, Mary brought her newly pedicured toes to show us.  Lefties and righties.  Just thought I’d throw that in.

Hey, I haven't seen bare feet in 6 months! Except my own, of course.

It was good to see Deb and Linda knitting so diligently – Deb on the scarf that is almost finished, and Linda on Yoga socks.

Deb and Linda with just a peek at Mary's hat

Linda asked my help on a loose row of her yoga socks, but I had to admit that I had never knitted socks on double pointed needles.  I’m knitting some now using the ‘magic loop’ method which isn’t so magical for me.  Michele exclaimed in rapturous tones about the ‘magic loop’ method, but I’m not loving it as much.  I’m getting the job done, but I find that the loop stretches the gap between the front and back of the sock.

Magic Loop sock

I shouldn’t moan so much until I finish it.  I am enjoying the cable pattern, however.

Mary's hat for Larissa taking shape

Mary is knitting her daughter, Larissa, a cool hat with self-striping yarn. Although Mary swears that she determined how the stripes would come out, the rest of us have our doubts.  Not to mention the yarn company…Pretty colors though!  Mary is one of the few of us who got a lot done at this meeting.  The rest of us, as you can see from the next few photos, were not so diligent or so serious.

The ONE true scarf

Leslie (yes, that IS Leslie behind the bridesmaid bhurka)  is actually showing us that this is the FIRST (of seven) ‘thick and thin’ scarf for her daughter’s seven bridal attendants.  There’ll be a whole lot of knittin’ goin’ on before that wedding.  Can’t wait to see number 2.

Your halo is unraveling, Marsha

No, I wasn’t looking to heaven for guidance, this is the neck of a top-down sweater that I’m knitting.  I needed something easy to work on instead of my ‘magic loop’ sock.  Julie caught me in a goofy pose.

Speaking of, Julie DOES look rather angelic.  Maybe she was just pooped from working too much.  She working on a hat – don’t remember anything else about the hat – just a hat.

What an angel! Hey, wake up!

Marylane is knitting bracelets for all of her female relatives that are coming to their next family reunion.  I think that sounds a little gender-exclusive, Marylane.  What are you going to knit the guys?

Beautiful bracelets with beads, some felted, some not

Sorry this photo was a little fuzzy, but at that point, so was I.  Marylane was sitting so close to the stove in my den that Leslie and I were afraid that the bracelets were going to spontaneously felt themselves right in her hand.  Hot, hot, hot.

I-Cord factory

Next week the meeting will be at Marylane’s house.  I will be on my way to Florida to soak up some sun (I hope) and I will really miss my Castoffs a lot!!!  They have promised to send raw data for the blog…now this could be very interesting.  I can’t wait to see what turns up in my email.  Have fun and keep on knitting!  See you in a couple of weeks, Castoffs!

Julie’s House – February 11, 2010

We met at Julie’s house and had a great time.  Linda joined us and it was fabulous to see her again!  Welcome home, Linda, even if it is temporary.  She had a lot of new projects to show us including a baby’s hat and another handbag to felt.  The handbag is like the one that Carol felted just before Christmas.  We all loved the funky yarn that rimmed the top.

Cute little curly-top

Not a skirt! A tote to be felted!

I was pretty excited to be wearing my purple sweater that I finished.  It has a wave section that I designed and I must say that I’m very pleased with the way it turned out.

Catch the wave

The Castoffs are all about helping each other when we get in a jam.  Michele is knitting a ‘thick and thin’ scarf for a friend but the thin yarn is giving her fits.  It is slippery silk and it slid right out of it’s skein.  Oops.  The thick yarn is ribbon and it’s no delight either.  Anyway, Michele brought a, uh, wad of silk that needed desperately to be unwound.  After we played with it a little bit and photographed it, Julie stepped up and patiently unwound for the entire time.  Good job, Julie.  Here are photos of the untanglement in progress.

Uh, could I have silkcini with a side of ribbonballs, please?

Oh, just get the scissors, won'tcha?

Is it getting better?

Well, I hate to show you, but this is the photo after an hour and a half of hard winding.  It really is better…really!

Julie can't believe it. It's better, Jules, really!

Another couple of hard winders were busy making order out of chaos across the room.  Mary’s yarn needed a hand from Deb and they wound and wound and wound and finally ended up with a productive outcome.  Now Mary can knit.  It’s a good thing that Mary needed help, because Deb forgot her knitting this morning before she went to work!

Round and round and round...

Voila! The balla!

Well, there’s a lot of prep work before we can actually do the fun stuff!

Leslie has begun a true labor of love.  She is knitting ‘thick and thin’ scarves for all of her daughter’s bridesmaids for the wedding upcoming in August.  The first one is in elemental colors and foretells beautiful knitting to come.

Thick and thin No. 1

It seemed like we were inundated with ‘thick and thin’ scarves this afternoon.  Marylane brought in a scarf with a boo-boo.   It’s a good thing that the stitch is so forgiving in this pattern, and it’s fairly easy to pick up a dropped stitch.  We gave her advice, of course, and the loan of a crochet hook.

I know that darned boo-boo is somewhere here

Marylane brought us a pattern from her sister, Joan, for helmet liners for soldiers overseas in the middle East.  We all took one and, coincidentally, Linda had a different pattern for helmet liners, plus an example that she knitted in Denver.  Carol was happy to model the liner.

Semper Fi, Cutie Pie

Carol is still working on her niece’s legwarmers and will begin her choreography stint this week.

Legwarmers for a tiny dancer

Michele showed us some extremely cool cord that she is using to make another belt.  I really covet this cord for a kitchen curtain, but it is so expensive that Leslie says I can only knit a three inch valance.  Hmmm.  Is that too short?

I LOVE this cord. So pretty, so shiny, so expensive!

Well, that’s about it for the week’s meeting of the Castoffs.  Next week we meet at Marsha’s house.  For the two weeks after that, I will be in Florida and will miss the Castoffs SO MUCH!  I’m trying to decide what to take with me to knit.  Hm.  Traveler’s socks?  Boucle sweater?  Thick and Thin scarf?  I’ll have to think about it.  In the meantime, keep those needles moving.

Deb’s house – February 4, 2010

We went out to Deb’s beautiful house on a hill with a wonderful view of the mountains.  I was glad that the day was semi-clear to allow us to enjoy the view of the valley from nearly all of her windows.  Thanks, Deb, for hosting us!  Before the knitting began, we gathered in the kitchen and then Deb took us on a grand tour.

Careful, Juliet, your face could freeze like that

We were all met at the door, with great enthusiasm, by Izzie the Yorkie who was interested in everything we did, wore, knitted, ate, drank and laughed at.  What a cutie!

Leslie and Izzie LOVE Francy's news!

Well, there’s definitely something in the air because Francy told us that SHE is going to be a grandma also!  Her daughter Betsy is having a baby in September.  Guess what?  Francy has already started a baby sweater!  No, really!  She is using a pattern that I used to knit sweaters for my great-niece and great-nephew last Christmas.  It is a darling pattern and so much fun to knit.

Grandma Francy is on the baby train

Francy is also working on a sweater for Betsy – just hope it fits her after the baby next fall.  Francy is loving making cables.  They’re fun, aren’t they?

Cables are going to be beautiful

I brought my top-down sweater with the wave knitted in – almost finished!

We're doin' the wave

It will be easier to see the colors when the needles are out but here’s a closer look at the variegated yarn in the wave.

If you squint, you can almost see the ocean

Julie is feeling better and brought her top-down cardie that is almost finished.  I like it!  She is the queen of top-downs, but I’m giving her a run for her money.

Only a seed stitch sleeve band to go!

Mary, Mary quite contrary was working on her felted mittens.  Today was the BIG day to finally felt those babies.  I had to get a before and after photo.

Before the felting

Ohhh! Miraculous golden halo of afterness

Deb’s scarf is getting longer and longer!  One of these days she’ll be modeling it like Leslie was modeling her daughter’s leaves and vines scarf today.  Sorry that I didn’t get a good photo of it, Leslie!

Deb did the tilework on this fireplace and boy, were we impressed!

Michele is finished with the cool belt except for a buckle.  I love the way all the colors in the skein came out.

Great belt, Michele!

I was very negligent in my photo work – didn’t get a photo of Carol!  We love you, double Grandma.  Carol is going to be busy choreographing a ballet production.  Wow.  School, and choreography and knitting and thinking about the little babies coming.  Busy, busy.  We missed Marylane who is under the weather.  Get well soon, Marylane!  And we send our love to Linda who is back in Kalispell seeing doctors about a health problem.  Our thoughts are with you, Linda.  We all hope that you feel well enough to come to knitting next week at Julie’s house.

I guess this is what I was interested in photographing this week:

Izzie, you darling doggie!

Have a wonderful week.  Hope your team wins the Super Bowl and we’ll all meet at Julie’s next week – same day, same time.  Until then, keep those needles flying.

Michele’s house, January 28, 2010

We all trekked over to Michele’s house.  It has been so gloomy and cloudy and cold, but it was great for the Castoffs to be together and happy at Michele’s.  Thanks for being such a good hostess, Michele.  Because it was nearly Marylane’s birthday, Michele baked a spice cake with caramel icing that was delicious.  Marylane got a candle on her piece – Happy Birthday, Marylane!  We sang.  And when we found out that Marylane and Dick were going to see a local production of South Pacific, Leslie and I burst into song and darned near sang the entire score.  I still can’t get one of the songs out of my head…Wish I could wash it out of my hair!

Michele was wearing a very pretty boucle sweater that she knit BC – Before Castoffs.  Francy was trying to figure out how to knit it as a longer coat.  Hmmm.  Francy loves those long coats.

Michele in her BC boucle sweater

The Birthday girl working on her sweater

Carol brought a darling little leg warmer for her niece.  We all screamed and assumed for a moment that it was for one of the grandchildren-to-be, but no, she hasn’t begun THOSE projects yet.  This legwarmer was trimmed with metallic yarn on the edge and had little hearts.  Adorable.

Cute legwarmer from the 'dancing Aunt'

I brought my purple top-down sweater that I don’t have enough yarn to finish.  Leslie has talked me into using the matching variegated yarn to chart a swoosh or wave into the bottom of the torso.  I finished the sleeve and neck edges and am ready to work the dubious miracle of charting.

The Wave awaits

Michele asked a question that I hadn’t thought of – does the neck fit?  Well, duh, I don’t know, I can’t put it on with the needles still in the bottom.  “Put it on upside down just at the neck,” she said.  Oh.  So I did, but it was a tight squeeze.  Here I am praying that the rest of the sweater fits – whenever it get finished.

Sister Marsha praying for a miracle...or at least the end of this damn sweater!

As of this posting, I did make a chart (which I’m not following) and I am determined to finish this sweater soon.  Soon.

Speaking of finishing soon…Mary got a little help from Michele on her mittens to be felted.  Mary got a little…ah, confused…at the thumbs and had a giant lumpy thingy on the end of one thumb.  “Oh, it will disappear when it’s felted.”  Well, those who have actually felted something loudly disagreed, so Michele and Mary ripped out the offending thumbs and reknit them without lumps.

"What do you mean, the lump won't disappear in the hot water?" It's not cornstarch, Mary.

Now there won't be anything in the thumbs but...uh, thumbs.

Carol and Deb were having a serious discussion about something or other but it didn’t interfere with their knitting, of course.

Ya don't say.

Speaking of Deb, we will meet at her house next week and we are all excited to see her house and view.  I hear it’s wonderful, so I hope the weather cooperates!

Leslie and Michele were working on their scarf and sweater, respectively, and Francy had to leave early, but we got to see her cute puppy Ellie.  Aww, and I didn’t get a picture for the blog!  Boo.  Maybe another time, Ellie.

Keep knitting, Castoffs and I’ll keep writing about it.  Whatever IT is!  Have a great week.