The Castoffs were in a giddy Christmas mood on Thursday. We raised the roof with laughter and spirits-induced merriment! Ahem. I am constantly amazed with the talent and sheer quantities of knitted items produced by our little group. We insisted that Julie adorn herself with all of the wonderful, beautifully abundant gifts (to undisclosed recipients who may or may not look at this post before Christmas). She really had no choice and we dressed her like a paper doll.
Let's all play "Dress the Julie Doll!"
She was wearing pretty self-striped mittens and hat for [undisclosed recipient] who will love them. She was also wearing a great ‘thick and thin’ scarf for her [undisclosed recipient] who is gonna LOVE it. At the same time Julie was knitting a fabulous black hat with eyelash trim for her [undisclosed recipient] and we all really loved the trim and are certain that her [undisclosed recipient] will get a lot of stylish wear from it! Whew! It’s tough to be discreet. That’s why I hardly ever do it.
Speaking of discretion, or the lack of it, Leslie was getting instruction from Michele on making pom-poms to adorn stockings for Leslie’s daughter Sienna and Sienna’s fiance. Leslie got rather involved in the pom-pom making process and may have taken it farther than necessary. Or not, because we were all into the spirit of pom-poms by then. The pom-poms DID turn out very well-shaped and sturdy, which is good if you want to actually attach them permanently to something. These pom-poms seemed to take on a life of their own, so we tagged along with them.
Pom-poms before trimming
Brand new perkily trimmed pom-poms
Of course, pom-poms sometimes have a shelf life.
Past their 'sell-by' date pom-poms
Pom-poms that, like Mama Bear's porridge, are just right
Moving on…here is Sienna’s stocking upon which there will be the infamous pom-poms – when they consent to be mere adornment rather than the stars of their own show.
Sienna's stocking!
Meanwhile, Michele and Francy were discussing the small mobius neckwarmer that Francy is knitting for her daughter Betsy. I wish you could feel this yarn which is lovely angora and silk. Yummy.
Mobius neckwarmer in the making
A lot of discussion is necessary for the Castoffs
Michele is knitting a sleeveless hoodie vest for her daughter with the BIGGEST needles that we had seen in a while. And who says that size doesn’t matter?
WHOA! Is that your knitting needle or are ya just glad to see me?
We were glad that Deb joined us. She’s knitting another fluffy scarf and says that the first one was a big hit with her [disclosed] recipient, Terry!
Coming right along!
Marylane is working on a ‘thick and thin’ scarf for her own [undisclosed recipient]. We all love the look of this scarf. I found that if the thin yarn is too thin, it is difficult to keep from dropping stitches, but I really loved the final result in spite of the ‘pain in the butt’ factor. I may have been the only one who felt this way. Maybe I just need to get bigger thins, eh?
THICK and THIN (and I'm not referring to you, Marylane)
Mary was still working on a hat for her son and she also brought along the mittens that will be felted when finished. I have to admit that the sheer size of the pre-felted mitten gave me a start. I was eerily reminded of Michele’s needles…
Viagra mitten?
Hey, Mary, better get crackin' on that little hat!
We were joined this week by a little ‘castoff’ kitten that wandered into my yard just before a very cold spell that would have made a catsicle out of him. We have been sheltering him in our garage and I tried my darnedest to convince one of the group that he would be a great Christmas gift. But, no go. I’m hoping that I can find him a good home before Lucky’s patience (and allergies) run out.
Little kastoff kitty - isn't he cute? Don't you want him?
Next week we will be at Michele’s house and look forward to Carol being with us again. We’ve missed you, Carol!! Until then, knit long and prosper!
