Well, it took me four nights to get the photos together for the post from last Saturday’s knitting group, and to the group, I apologize! I know some folks really enjoy seeing the photos. But, better late than never, and here they are!
Yvonne and Alice are studying a pattern
Lisa is knitting a vest
Wanda told her sister Lisa about our group and they both came
Lola is casting on for a shawl with her own handspun alpaca
Marie gives Diane a knitting lesson
Mia is crocheting a shawl
Other Trish is making good progress on a scarf
Rhoda shows her fingerless glove in progress
Tammy shows her beautiful sweater
As usual, click to make the pictures bigger.
Saturday was a great day, as we welcomed quite a few new group members. As I was coming in the bookstore, I happened to see a woman browsing the knitting magazines. So of course I asked her if she had her knitting with her and if she would like to sit with us for a while. It wasn’t long before Alice fit right in as if she had been coming all along.
Another bookstore patron, Diane, saw us knitting and said she didn’t know how, but wanted to know if she could join us. She then went to the nearby craft store and got a skein of yarn, came back and dove in for a lesson. I tried to help, but my own weird knitting method is hard for others to translate into something that works for them. So Marie jumped in to help. It was great!
Wanda brought her sister, Lisa, for the first time, and Rhoda’s friend Kathy also came along for a bit. Ileana couldn’t be there, but her friend Mia came along for a first time visit.
The group was wowed by Tammy’s beautiful sweater that she knit for her granddaughter. And then there was Lola’s beautiful handspun alpaca, which is destined to become a shawl for her mother.
I really had a great time meeting so many new folks and chatting with other knitters for the afternoon. I’m already looking forward to our next meeting, which will be on May 9, so our group can go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Ah… Maryland Sheep and Wool. I think it’s my favorite day of the year–even better than Christmas.
It just now occurred to me that it’s now been a year since our very first Bowie Borders knit group meeting. A whole year! We’ve grown a lot and are going strong. I am so happy to have some time with my knitterly peeps once in a while, and am so grateful to all the ladies that have helped make the group a success.
I’ve been remiss in posting the photos from last Saturday’s meeting. So, at long last, here is this month’s gallery:
Dina’s Scarf
Ileana
Leslie and Molinda
Marie
Sue
Trish 3
Wanda
Yvonne
Trish 3 is a newcomer, and we were so glad to meet her! She was working on a lovely vintage pattern for a lacy top that made me want to DROOL!
Sue (I am SO sorry if I messed up your name!) is making beautiful crocheted squares in different sizes for an afghan.
And Wanda? I’m sorry I can’t remember what you’re working on in this photo but I’m so glad to see such a big smile on your face at your first group meeting! I hope this means you’ll be back again!
Not pictured were Melodye and Carla, who somehow managed to sneak away before I got the camera out. Melodye showed us her completed Cobblestone Pullover, which was gor-GEOUS!
I guess I wasn’t too quick with the camera because I was working on casting on for my first sweater:
swatch for February Lady Sweater with cast on beginnings of sweater
I’ve already encountered knots in my yarn and I’m barely past the first buttonhole. I had to cut the yarn and rejoin already. I hope this isn’t a bad sign of what’s ahead… I’ve had my fill of knotty yarn for awhile.
Next group meeting is April 4! Hope to see everyone there.
And Thank You for that, oh Cable Internet Provider Craptacular! I’ve been offline more than on since last Wednesday so this is the first chance I’m getting to update since our Bowie Knitting meetup on Saturday. So, bear with me, as this is sort of a catch-up post.
First, I have an FO Report!!
Lady Hawk Hat
Project Name: Lady Hawk Hat Source: Me! Yarn Used: Cascade 220, less than one skein each of Navy and White Needle Size: 5 (I’m a loose knitter) Date Started: October 17, 2008 Date Completed: February 7, 2009
Tammy did the duplicate stitching on the hatNotes: I did this hat using a simple top-down formula and changed colors back and forth basically when I felt like it. Except that I knew that the letters I’d be using were 10 stitches high so I had to do one of the white bands at least wide enough to accommodate the lettering. I am not sure why this hat took so long to finish, except that it did. Perhaps it was that I was dragging my feet about doing the duplicate stitch lettering, and it turned out that was for good reason, because I sucked eggs at stitching. I’m going to have to practice with some swatches before next time.
So, enter in Tammy, who graciously (and patiently!) tried to show me how to do duplicate stitch at our last group meeting. She felt sorry for me and my pending sense of disaster, I think, because she took pity on me and offered to do the stitching and bring the hat back to me. This was so generous of her! It looks great, doesn’t it? And I do think that my generally hard-to-please, almost-teen was genuinely thrilled with it, even if it was in her usual understated way. Thanks to Tammy for helping to make this project a success!
February Bowie Borders Meetup Report
Our little monthly group met on February 7 at the usual time in our favorite little coffee shop. There was much yarn and much fun enjoyed by all! Here are some photos of the afternoon’s doin’s!
Marie is helping Doris learn to read her knitting
Shoot! Forgot what Heather said she is making. Is it a sweater?
Ileana models a beautiful shawl
Leslie models a sweater sleeve in progress
Molinda has started a beautiful new project
This was Nicole’s first visit with us. We hope she had fun! She’s working on a prayer shawl.
Other Trish is working on a new scarf project. She’s making good progress!
Rhoda is making a new scarf, and oooooh… it’s purple…
I brought my little Flip Ultra video camera with me to group for the first time and I got a few shots of the fun.
It was a great day! I am always so excited to go to group every time. I love the bunch of people that I am getting to know!
And Finally, A Ravelry Connection!
You know, I am amazed at the number of ways Ravelry has impacted my life over the last year and a half. Over the weekend I got my glasses done, at long last, after being frustrated with my poor quality of vision correction for at least 4 years. Wouldn’t you know it? Someone I met on Ravelry is a Master Optician at a local optical chain, and she helped me make some good decisions about my eyes. I have progressive lenses, and have had them for the last several years, but my mid-range vision for the computer has been consistently awful. Anne Marie (“Roxy”) fixed me right up! Given the amount of time I spend at the computer, she recommended two pairs of glasses, one for distance and reading, and one for computer use and reading. Wow. I never would have thought to do it this way, but it works and I love them! Of course I had to make sure to document the occasion for the blog:
Trish with Anne Marie… I can see again! THANKS!!!
So as you can see, Saturday was a great day filled with many rewards. I do love the knitters!
