We’re getting used to meeting on Monday now and it’s all good. Leslie and Michele can join us, so the gang is together again. However, this Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day so a few of us (Deb, Michele and Julie) were spending the day with husbands who didn’t have to work. We missed Francy, who is visiting children and grandchildren. The rest of us knitted and talked.

Marylane is knitting some slippers to felt and they’re for herself! After Christmas is the best time to find a Castoff knitting something for herself. It’s a down time for gift-giving and a good time for well-deserved self-indulgence.

Pretty colors, Marylane!

Leslie has her complicated sweater all figured out, and it’s a stunning design. Knitted from the top-down, the graceful curves emphasize the many stitch types. I can’t wait to see how it progresses.

I wish this photo could do the design justice.

Mary’s new, red knitting bag is lying at Leslie’s feet in the photo above. She’s still working on a skirt for Larissa and it’s quite a bit longer than last week. I got a shot of Mary, Linda and Carol as perfect little knitters.

They’re so adorable.

Linda is working on her drop-stitch scarf and Carol is finishing a dishcloth. She had to illustrate the good use that she’ll put it to…

Scrubba dub dub!

I tried to get a shot of the pattern but it’s not very clear. Sorry.

Wonder what color she’ll knit next?

My lace scarf is slowly growing longer. I like the colors that mix together in the pattern. Believe it or not, this is my ONLY project right now. I finished all of my UFO’s at Christmas time and haven’t given in to any other impulses…yet.

My lace scarf.

We talked about movies today. Marylane told us about ’12 Years a Slave’ which made us all cringe in sympathy for the characters. I talked about ‘American Hustle’ which was much funnier (duh).

Next time we meet at Carol’s house. I can hardly believe that January coming to an end soon. Seems like the days are already getting longer, doesn’t it? Please agree with me.

Keep those needles blazing, Castoffs, and have a wonderful week.

What strange weather we’re having. It’s been so warm and dry that all the snow is melted down in the valley yet we are still plagued with icy sidewalks, alleys and streets. At Deb’s house it was very windy on the day we met, but inside was warm and cozy. When I stepped into the house, the first thing I saw (besides Izzy the Yorkie) was Leslie sitting in the middle of a lot of paper! It was a pattern for her newest project – a great swing-coat style sweater. But, oh what a pattern! She read some of it and it sounded like gibberish. Oh, the words were clear but the meaning was a mystery. The first rows on the top-down sweater are decorative and she was still trying to figure it all out at the end of the meeting. Can’t wait to see how she did this week. Knowing Leslie, it’ll be all right.

Wow. Too much paper and confusion for me!

Francy and Michele were serenely trying to be supportive:

Great vest, Michele! And I love your scarf. Coming right along.

Francy was knitting a darling little hat for Samuel, her newest grandson. She’ll be going to his christening this week. Tell everyone hello, Francy!

Sorry I caught you with your eyes closed, Francy.

Marylane had just come back from helping out at our newly named county library – IMAGINE IF – so she was sporting stick-on tattoos. Oh, and she had needles sticking out of the top of the hat that she’s knitting. That’s our girl.

Fun!

I rushed down a couple days later to see what all the excitement was about. Got a new library card and a snazzy book bag. Marylane gave me my new card and offered me a tattoo stick-on. I declined. I’m just not as much fun as she is, I guess.

Our other library gal at the new IF is Julie who’s still working on her top-down vest. No tattoos, though…that we know of, anyway.

I’m working on a new scarf – same yarn, different pattern. The old pattern was just too darn hard! I couldn’t pay attention to anything else in the room while I was knitting it. This pattern is a 4-row repeat, so it’s fairly easy as long as I don’t drop a stitch. Then…look out.

I love this lace yarn. Bought it at an estate sale without its identifying label. Mystery yarn.

Mary was excited to share with us the sex of her unborn GRANDDAUGHTER who’ll join the world in a few months. As you can see, she’s over the moon.

Woohoo! More little girl stuff to knit!

She’s still working on Larissa’s skirt. She slipped it from the needles onto waste yarn so Larissa could try it on over Christmas and it fit! Now that she’s finished with the more difficult lacy bottom of the skirt, she can just knit, knit, knit around and around until it’s long enough.

Larissa’s skirt – it will be longer, I promise.

Linda showed us her dropped-stitch scarves. A different size yarn really gives a different appearance. Looks like an interesting stitch.

Pretty scarves. The one on the right will eventually have fringe.

Carol is still making dishcloths:

Hooray for cotton!

Izzy was a little confused with all the noise we brought to her house:

This is MY house, isn’t it?

Linda, Carol and Marylane were a bit bemused:

Linda looks like she has a halo! St. Linda of the Knitting Needles.

We had a fun time. Thanks, Deb! Next time we’ll be at Marsha’s house, so keep those needles blazing, Castoffs, and enjoy the sunshine.

Aaahhhh! A new year and the Castoffs are meeting on a new day – Monday! We loved meeting at the church – thank you so much, Glen and Deb! – but we have gone back to meeting in each others homes now that we have a day when our old pals, Michele and Leslie, can rejoin us. It was great to be all together again.

Julie hosted and we were excited to catch up on what we’ve been doing and knitting during the holidays. Carol began knitting little stuffed Christmas lights, but thought they looked funny. We liked them and encouraged her to keep on and make a bigger string.

Carol’s knitting dishcloths with the yarn that she got during our Christmas present exchange at our party a couple of weeks ago. She also got the nifty yarn container that she can thread her strands through while she knit.

Speaking of nifty containers, Mary got a fabulous one for Christmas with slits in the top to thread yarn through. It has a lot of handy pockets and is very roomy. I like it!

Marylane has been knitting mittens and hats. At our last meeting, Francy mentioned that we should all knit an Olympics themed pair of mittens. When I saw Marylane’s navy mittens, I wondered if she was going to embellish them with Olympic rings, or with other colors. Well, Marylane? Are ya?

Leslie is into hats. Big hats and little hats with very cute flowers. The little hat is for a newborn – friend’s baby. I didn’t catch who the big hat was for, but it’s quite fetching.

Francy has been knitting winter attire, too. She’s knitting a scarf with a very interesting twist:

She’s knitting ‘stop and go’ mittens for Grace:

And I think that this was her hat. If it’s not, I’m sure someone will let me know:

Julie was knitting a pretty neck warmer. Love this yarn. I think it’s the same yarn that she used for a baby sweater in December.

I knit a market bag for a friend for Christmas and took a photo before I wrapped and gave it to her. I like the way it turned out.

I was working on a sweater that I started months ago. The farther I went, the less I liked the pattern, so since our meeting, I’ve unraveled it and am looking for a new pattern for this yarn. Sometimes, you just have to start all over again.

Deb was still working on her sweater, Michele was knitting a beautiful cowl that I’ll photograph next time and Linda was working on her scarf – you know, the same scarf that I’ve put into the blog several times. She always begs me not to take another photo, so this time, I didn’t. I did snap a couple of photos of Castoffs at play.

It was such a wonderful way to start the new year – with good friends. I can’t wait for next Monday when we carry on with our knitting, talking, laughing…Until then, Castoffs, keep those needles blazing and enjoy the playoffs!