Snowy wonderland.

Last time we decided to celebrate JUNK FOOD this week and, boy, did we deliver.  I hadn’t seen so much junk food since my last slumber party when I was in junior high.  And, except for the Belgian White beer, it was the same junk food right down to the Boone’s Farm Strawberry Wine (don’t tell).  By the way, Boone’s Farm Wine is still the wino’s delight – only about $3 – and that’s 40 years later!

Cheetos and Fritos and Bugles, oh my!

Lying right there on the counter in the middle of all this saturated fat glory was Glenn’s guide to cardiac rehabilitation.  It’s okay, because when we came in, Glenn made his exit.  It’s a good thing he didn’t witness our gluttony because not only did he just have heart surgery, he’s a pastor!  Get it – gluttony, mortal sins?  Yeah…

Cardiac what?

While we were eating and drinking, leaning on the counter as if we didn’t have any other reason to be at, ahem, knitting, Mary texted Deb.  Mary is in warm, sunny Denver.  And we hate her.  Not really, but looking out on the 8 inches of snow and hearing about Mary drinking her latte on the deck in the sunshine made us turn just the teensiest bit ugly.  Well, in junior high fashion, we all grabbed a Bugle, stuck it on the no-no finger and gave her a one-Bugle salute.  Here’s to your sunny deck, Mary!

The Castoffs salute their absent friend.

Of course, we didn’t mean you, Leslie.  Although we were a little peeved that we had to eat Deb’s leftover Fritos instead of the fresh bag you promised to bring…We missed you and your Frito-Layslies.

Three of us came in with green knitted hats.  Deb has one, but couldn’t find it, so she wasn’t in the photo.  I guess I could have photo-shopped one in, but I’m not that talented, Deb.  Anyway, Marylane, Julie and Francy looked adorable in their hats – so much so that I noticed that they kept them on the entire time.  And Deb had turned up the heat for us!  They just love their hats.

Three green amigas.

Julie kept her hat on while she ate a Twinkie!  She later sent us all an email moaning about feeling sick to her stomach.  Gee, Jules, was it the Twinkie? or the Cheetos? or the Belgian chocolates? or the onion dip with Bugles? I know it wasn’t the company.

Mmmm. Love those Twinkies!

I loved the beer.  Francy brought Belgian White and brought orange slices to squeeze into our glasses.  Yummy.  And when I was finished with the beer, I had an orange slice to play with.

Guess I need to whiten my teeth.

Eventually, when we were stuffed with junk, someone asked if we were actually going to knit.  Oh, alright.  Jeez, what’d'ya think this is?  A knitting group?  We staggered into the living room and started talking about JUST knitting.  Mostly.  Francy showed us a top-down sweater that she started for herself – way to go, Francy – with yarn from Romania.  Very soft and pretty.

A different green for the sweater.

Francy is also making a skinny scarf for Betsy like the ones that Michele and Leslie made.

Skinny scarf. Love the colors of this yarn!

Julie is knitting a hat.  A very pretty hat.  A blue hat.  With what looks like seed stitch around the brim.  I like blue.

Matches her earrings.

Linda is still knitting the baby hat with that amazing self-patterning yarn that fascinates me.  I can’t wait to see each week what the hat looks like.  I wonder what the design would be like on a larger project?

Wow. This yarn is amazing.

Deb is almost finished with Glenn’s sweater.  Go, Girl!  I love this top-down pattern.  Several of us have used it or a similar top-down pattern for other sweaters.  Easy and fairly quick.  And no seams.

Ah, the picture of a perfect knitter.

Carol seemed to be an observer this afternoon, but she was really working at it, watching Deb and Marylane knit.  We all discussed what we would knit for the ‘Loud at the Library’ fundraiser.  Michele is bringing some samples of yarn that she’s using for a hat.  I think I’ll try to coordinate a pair of mittens to go with it. We enjoyed making things for the basket last year and it raised a lot of money.

There they are: Industrious Deb, Chilly Marylane and Happy Carol.

I brought my shawl/scarf that I’m still knitting from my Harris Tweed yarn.  I never realized how long it’s getting until I stretched it out for a photo.  Very nice.

Marsha's shawl-in-progress.

Our Michele is so organized I just had to take a photo of the calendar she made for our meetings.  As we go forward, it’s comforting to think of us all together in our various homes, having fun, knitting and laughing.  Thanks, Michele, for organizing us!

Can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.

Next week, we meet at Marsha’s house.  Until then, keep those needles blazing, Castoffs, and stay away from the junk food.

Anyway, we met at Leslie’s house on a snow-free afternoon and were greeted by her cute dog, Lucy, and a big, beautiful carrot cake.  When I say big, I mean BIG.  Not to mention delicious.

Yummy carrot cake and wine!

Mary is beginning her first of two yellow hooded towels for her TWO grandchildren who will be born later in 2012.  She is delighted, of course, as are we all.  Mary will be spending next month in Arizona near Larissa, one of the mums-to-be.  She ‘ll be warmer than the rest of us who will be here in cold Montana.  Not that we’re jealous or anything.

Hooded duckie towel.

Marylane is going to Arizona – and southern Texas – in February as well.  Another one who’ll be warm…not that the rest of us are jealous or anything…We decided that for February, at least, we’d consider ourselves Castoffs NORTH and Castoffs SOUTH – or as Leslie liked – HOT Castoffs and COLD Castoffs.  The Hot Castoffs will get together with Joan and have a little meeting of their own.  Of course, they’ll be sitting on a deck drinking margaritas and we’ll be huddled in our igloos eating walrus blubber.  Not that we’re jealous or anything…

Leslie showed us her Christmas tree.  Now, remember that Leslie is the Queen and defender of orphan trees.  She is famous for her, ahem, eccentric decorating of Christmas trees.  This one had already been stripped of its ornaments and taken outside to the deck – a reprieve from the dump or the fire pit, but we went outside and admired the moss-covered branches.  Marylane decided to attempt a pole dance.

No, really. It's a Christmas tree. Really.

Speaking of Leslie, he is about halfway through her new hat project.  She modeled it, with her little head poking through the unfinished top, but we are able to get an idea of what it will look like.  Very cute.

Is that a needle sticking out of your head?

Julie was with us – after her dreaded procedure that will be nameless – and had finished a neckwarmer that needed more neck.  Hers was too short, or the neckwarmer was too tall, one or the other.  But I loved the cables.

Ooh, giant neck warmer for a giant neck...

Julie was working on a hat, too, and modeled it.  Her little head poked through and the flash on my camera gave the appearance of a, uh, bare patch.  No, she isn’t going bald.  Really.

Where's the Rogaine!

We were visited by one of our charter members, Kerrie the crocheter.  She has been in a flurry of baby hat-making.  She knows, or is related to, a lot of women who are having babies!  We’ve seen several of her hats and they are all adorable.  The one that she was working on today is made out of Simply Soft yarn – a nice washable yarn that’s fun to work with.

Our friend, Kerrie!

I wore my green shrug that I made last year.  It’s so warm and cozy that I can’t wear it a lot, but this winter has seemed cold to me.  It’s also hard to wear under a coat, but it’s great for sitting around at home…knitting.  It’s  knit from Paton’s wool yarn and is a big rectangle folded and sewn up – leaving armholes, of course.

Marsha's shrug.

I also brought my WIP, a lace scarf/shawl that I’m knitting with Harris tweed yarn bought in Edinburgh, Scotland in September.  I love the jewel tone and it’s easy to knit with.

This pattern looks hard but is really quick to master.

Linda is still working on the self-patterning (is this a word?) sock yarn for the baby hat.  It is so cute that I’m tempted to buy some for socks.

Linda, the perfect picture of the color-coordinated knitter.

Carol is knitting another pair of beaded fingerless mittens.  She had big news about her relationship  – she’s movin’ on up and into Mark’s house.  Looks like the Castoffs will have a new place to meet!  We couldn’t be happier for Carol.  Carol, we love you!

Ahh. A new chapter.

Michele is working on her daughter’s sweater.  She works on this project in between other projects.  I think it’s her ‘thinking’ project because each time I see her with it, I get the feeling that she’s thinking about another project that she’d rather be doing.  Or maybe that’s just me.  Anyway, she was wearing the great mohair sweater that we all love.  It looks so cozy and it is stunning.

OK, I won't take your picture, Michele.

Deb joined us.  Glenn is getting better every day and we are glad to hear it.  She is nearly finished with his sweater.  On him, it will look normal.  On her, it looks gigantic!

Hey, Deb! That's one big sweater!

Next time, we meet at Deb’s house.  Since Mary was scheduled to bring treats, AND since Mary will be in warm Arizona, we decided to make it a JUNK FOOD meeting.  Everyone, please bring the junkiest junk food that you love to eat late at night by yourself in the dark so nobody will see you stuffing yourself with empty calories!!  …but maybe that’s just me.  I already know that FRITOS, CHEETOS and TWINKIES are taken.  Sorry.  Bring something else equally baaaddd for you.  You know it’s out there.  Julie’s bringing a bottle of wine.  See you at Deb’s house for a gourmet junk session.

Until then, Castoffs, keep those needles blazing and have a warm week!

Michele baked us TWO pumpkin pies – one with coconut in the crust and on top – she says that it’s an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe.  All I know is that it was delicious.  We all attacked the pies and, belatedly, I tried to get a photo of the table.  Too late!

We devoured the pies!

Mary had some exciting news!  Her daughter, Larissa, is expecting a baby in July!  Her daughter-in-law, Rebecca, is expecting in February, so Mary is in a flurry of knitting baby stuff.  Seems like she’s been hinting for a long time…looks like she doesn’t need to do THAT anymore.  Congratulations, Mary!  She finished the Newsboy cap for Larissa and sent me a darling photo of it on Larissa’s head.  Well, I think she still had something to finish, but she had it with her at the meeting and will take it to Larissa in February when they go to Arizona for a month of warmth.  We’re a little jealous of that.

The mother of Mary's second future grandchild.

The almost finished newsboy cap for Larissa.

Leslie was wearing a great circular scarf knit from fun, textured yarn.  She explained the pattern to us, but I didn’t catch it all.  A good result, though.

Leslie expounding on the patten for her scarf.

Leslie brought along her new project – a hat.  I took a photo of the pattern to eliminate any future confusion on my part – believe me, there’s always confusion on my part!

Leslie's new project - another great asymmetrical style.

Carol is back from her Christmas trip to California and told us that her gifts (cowl and mitts) to her sisters were a big hit.  She did a little shopping in Marin and brought back a fabulous tote and some tres expensive yarn.  We can’t wait to see what project she comes up with.

Tote and yarn!

Linda’s little baby hat is adorable!  She is knitting with some mult-colored sock yarn that makes great pattens as she knits.  It looks planned – the secret is little dashes of color on the yarn.  Makes me want to knit another pair of socks!  Maybe.

Loved the pattern that this yarn makes!

Francy is almost finished with the pretty red sweater for her granddaughter, Grace.  She is edging it with white and then, I think, it will be ready to mail.

Grace's sweater.

Michele is knitting the most beautiful hooded vest knit in big, chunky yarn with big, chunky cables.  I got a photo of the pattern and a closeup of the vest itself.  Great pattern!

Hope you can see this pattern!

Great big cables.

Thanks to Michele for helping me look for a cardigan pattern that I was SURE was in one of her Interweave Knits magazines.  Turns out that I had the name of the sweater pattern wrong AND it wasn’t in that magazine.  Duh.  Guess I’ll buy the pattern online.

I finished my socks – knit with worsted weight yarn and size 6 needles.  They’re almost too bulky for shoes, but will make great house slipper/socks.  With the leftover yarn, I knit a hat out of a pattern that I really love.

Sorry about the hairy legs, Marylane.

Didn't want to stop eating that pie!

Julie and Marylane were sitting together on the couch – sometimes our meetings are more like comedy shows – we have a lot of fun.  Julie is knitting a watch cap for her brother-in-law and Marylane kindly modeled it.  Budding hand model, Marylane?  Gonna give Leslie a run for her money?

Watch cap.

Marylane is trying to decide on a new project.  She wants to use some bulky yarn that her son, Walker, gave her several years ago.  Of course, we all had suggestions.  The Castoffs are full of…suggestions.  Hat, socks, mittens?  What’ll it be, ML?

Bulky yarn will take a special pattern.

Marylane was saying that she doesn’t take photogenic photos.  Au contraire, Marylane.  I think this one of you and Julie is very good.  Not sure whose giant hand that is, though…

Two cuties and one giant hand.

Next time we’ll meet at Leslie’s house.  January will be half over by then.  Half over!!! And no snow!!!  Hmmm.  Wonder what that means for the fire season?  Should we start worrying yet?  Nope.  Let’s just enjoy the weather and keep those needles blazing, Castoffs!

Grace says, "Happy Christmas and Happy New Year, Castoffs!"

Marylane’s daughter, Kendra, and Michele’s daughter, Erica, were there as well, so I just had to get a mother/daughter/granddaughter shot with Linda’s fireplace as a background.  The first one was fairly hideous, but the second one was a keeper!

Mothers and daughters.

I think I’m the only Castoff who doesn’t have a daughter!  I’ll just have to be a surrogate mom to some of these daughters.  I knit vicariously through all the moms and grandmas around me.

The chatter level was pretty high at Linda’s house – we had a lot to catch up on, after all because we hadn’t seen each other in a couple of weeks.  I did admire several projects that were brought for show-and-tell.  While Deb’s husband, Glenn, was in the hospital recovering from heart surgery (we’re so glad you’re doing well, Glenn!), Deb knit a sleeve for Glenn’s top-down sweater.  Only one more sleeve to go, Deb!

Sleeve!

When I jumped up to get a photo of Deb’s sleeve, I yanked Linda’s hat project out of her lap and across the room.  Oops.  After we got everything picked up off the floor, Linda couldn’t find her fifth double-pointed needle.  She looked everywhere and finally found it down her shoe.  Hmm.  They are reclusive little needles that will hide in the most unlikely places.

Gotcha!

The project in question is an adorable little hat with horns!  Or jester ears!  Or points!  I don’t know what to call them but here’s a picture of the pattern.  Judge for yourself.

Linda's darling little whatchamacallit hat.

I am so proud of myself.  I’m knitting an actual sock on double-pointed needles.  Of course, I’m using worsted weight yarn and size 6 needles, but nevertheless, it’s a SOCK.  Well, I’m halfway through the second, so I see an end in sight for this pair.  Michele could hardly believe it.  Leslie thought they looked too big, but I held one up against my giant foot and it fit perfectly.

Marsha's socks. So there!

Heidi was knitting a beautiful blue cowl, and while I neglected to get a photo of the WIP itself, I got a photo of Leslie ‘helping’ her untangle her yarn.  Not sure how it happened, but Leslie reminded me of a cat I used to have…

OOOH! Lovely yarn to play in!

Me likey pretty yarn!

Francy brought some felted slippers and a very chic beret (that our usual hand model, Leslie, did double duty for) that she made for Christmas presents.  Beautiful work, Francy.

Ooh, la la.

Michele’s daughter Erica was wearing a beautiful scarf that Michele knit for her.  It’s fringed on three sides, which gives it a uniqueness that I really liked.

Pretty daughter, pretty scarf.

My apologies to Marylane.  I had a good photo of you teaching Kendra how to knit, but my new camera and I had a tussle trying to download my photos to my laptop and your photo was, uh, disappeared.  I’m still getting used to my Christmas Camera.

Many thanks to Linda for hosting, for the crackers, veggies and dip, and peanut butter-filled pretzels.  Yum.  And the wine, of course.  It was a fun evening.  We meet at Michele’s house next time to give Deb a break while her house is still a recovery room.

Have a Happy New Year!  Can you believe it’s 2012?  I can’t.  Stay warm, hope for snow, and keep those needles blazing, Castoffs!

I brought my world famous Gorgonzola cheese ball and we nibbled on it and opened presents while the rest of the dinner heated up.

Ooh, Gorgonzola - cranberry - pecan cheese ball.

We had a little show-and-tell before we got down to the serious business of opening gifts.  Carol finished her cowl for her sister and it was stunning.  I want that pattern!  I loved the buttons, too.  Great job, Carol!

Beautiful cowl!

Marylane didn’t forget her little birdy friends for the winter.  She bought this great bird, uh, thingy and filled it with scraps of yarn from her wrap that the Castoffs knitted her this year.  Now the birds can use warm wool yarn to build their little nests to keep warm.  Awww!  I’m getting a little misty-eyed just thinking about it.

Bird thingy for yarn.

Marylane also finished her second newsboy cap for her daughter’s boyfiend’s sister…got that?  She put a spin on the normal pattern by felting the cap and using an unfelted strip of knitting for the strap above the brim.  It looks great and Kendra’s boyfriend, Luke, has a very lucky sister.

Marylane models the felted newsboy cap.

Francy finished her granddaughter Grace’s Christmas stocking and it turned out so cute.  This will be an heirloom that Grace will treasure forever.  I love the stripes.  Looks great, Francy!

Grace's stocking from Bebe.

Here are some more fingerless beaded mitts.  Now please correct me – I can’t remember who was knitting these.  Poor Marsha.  I should have a notebook and pen surgically attached to my arm to write down these things, especially after a glass or two of wine.  Anyway, they are beautiful and many of the Castoffs have made this pattern.

Somebody's pretty mitties.

We sat and talked and ate cheese ball with crackers and anticipated our gift exchange and Leslie’s World Famous Roni-boo that we could smell cooking in the oven.  Christmas is such fun.

Somebody help Francy out of that bag! She's peeking!

We finally chose numbers and started opening the gifts.  Some of the gifts were seriously gorgeous and some were just…well, funky.  But fun funk!  Michele chose a beautiful tote that contained a kit for fingerless mittens.  This was quickly stolen away from her.  It is, after all, the Chinese variety of gift exchange where two steals are legal.

Gorgeous tote! Gone very fast!

Michele’s second choice was another fingerless mitt kit – already started, but with NO NEEDLES.  I guess it’s a case of BYON – bring your own needles – to finish them.

Where's the needles?

Linda’s gift was a beautiful knitting themed greeting card with jeweled stitch markers.  Very pretty!  She can wear the stitch markers or use them if she’s out somewhere without her little bag of supplies.

Beauty and the beast.

Leslie opened a gift of yes and no.  Yes, you can get in shape by using this Pilates tape.  And no, you can’t stay in shape by eating the bag of Doritos in between sets of exercises.  I think we have some new moves to learn when we meet at Leslie’s house in the future.

Eat and be strong!

I chose one of the funky gifts – binoculars! that don’t work, Christmas tape! that doesn’t work, plate! that’s cloudy, and the perennial favorite of Red Heart RED yarn – a pound of it.  If anyone needs yarn for next year’s ornaments, just let me know.

Lucky me!

Mary opened a Kitchen Witch.  Of course there was a lot of ribbing about Mary being a word that rhymes with witch in the kitchen.  Let’s just say that Frank should stay out of her way while she’s baking this year.  After all, last year, her stove exploded – no, really, it caught on fire!  Better luck this year, you little Kitchy Witchy.

Magical Kitchen Bitch...uh...Witch.

Marylane opened some lovely jewelry – and it’s functional too!  Stitch markers for the ears and a row counter for the arm.  Ooh, lucky Marylane.  Functional fashion.

Let's all wear our stitch markers in our ears! Yay!

Francy snagged Marylane’s first gift – yarn and a pattern and needles – that came with a disclaimer that promised nothing!  Check your gauge, Francy, cause there are no guarantees with this kit!

This is the one that Francy snagged and sat on so no one else would get it.

Julie, after having the beautiful tote taken away from her again, chose the perfect gift – socks and book of sock patterns.  We all kinda wanted it, but everyone had already had their turn, so tough needles!

"No, it's MINE!"

Finally. WE ATE!  There were a lot of delicious dishes – Leslie’s Roni-Boo, Julie’s veggie salad, Mary’s bread, Carol’s ham, Linda’s salad and we were so grateful for Marylane’s hospitality.  If I’ve forgotten who brought some of the dishes, forgive me because I was too busy enjoying it all.

Yum.

More yum.

To top it off, Michele baked a chocolate and peppermint torte that was excellent.  Such flavor!  Such chocolate!  We felt great and full at the end of the evening.

Mmmmmm, chocolate torte!

We decided to institute a tradition by having someone else (a husband or husbands – thanks, Harry and Dick!) take a group Castoffs photo.  We’ll do it again in the summer – as Leslie elegantly put it – to see how much we’ve aged.  Well put, Les.  Here we all are with our new Castoffs buttons that I had a lot of fun making – well, ordering.

Happy group of knitters.

Sisters one and all.

We really missed Deb and send her all our love for Glenn’s rapid and complete recovery from bypass surgery.  We love you, Deb!  Merry Christmas to our other absent Castoffs, Joan and Roxanne.  We send you warm wishes for a wonderful holiday and a joyous 2012!

We meet at Linda’s house between Christmas and New Year.  I can’t wait to catch up on all the Christmas ‘doin’s’ that we enjoyed and the projects that we are planning for the new year.  Until then, Castoffs, keep the spirit of unity and love in your hearts, and keep those needles blazing!

Baby booties!

When I got to Carol’s house, there were six Castoffs busily knitting, perhaps with the realization that Christmas is only three weeks away.  Gulp, three weeks?  Can that be right?  Yup.  Better get that tree up.

Julie was knitting her mother’s shawl with a cat on her lap.  She, and the cat, looked so content.  Ahh.  Makes me wish I wasn’t allergic.  I wanted to take that little kitty home with me.

"Knitting woman with cat"

Francy was working on her granddaughter’s sweater and stretched it out to show me.  Julie was in the way, but she peeked over anyway.  I don’t think the cat was amused.

Glad the sleeves weren't any longer...

Mary was the third little Castoff on the couch and she is at the bill of the newsboy cap.  Linda, the newsboy expert, helped her with the tricky part of attaching the bill.

Oh, my. Doesn't she look angelic?

When Linda is working on a small project, she brings it in her little satin knitting bag.  I think she looks very Jane Austen with her pretty little bag and her double pointed needles.  She’s knitting beaded fingerless mitts.  I wonder if she has a big satin bag for big projects?

Jane would approve of that bag, Linda.

Carol has finished the cowl for her sister’s Christmas gift and is almost ready to attach the buttons.  She showed them to us and will sew on three of the four that are in the photo.  I love this cowl.  Hmmm, one more project to put on the list?  Maybe.  That list is getting longer than Santa’s.

Beautiful pastel cowl.

Michele is almost finished with her daughter’s scarf and it is gorgeous.  Just after I snapped the photo of the scarf, I noticed that she was wearing her directional triangle scarf that she was working on a few weeks ago.  I love this Annie Hall look!

Pretty scarf for Erica.

Great scarf...uh, tie...uh, scarf, Michele!

I brought my half-finished sweater vest – well, it’s about 75% finished really.  The pattern is very challenging and I’ll be glad to start on something that doesn’t require my undivided attention at Castoffs meetings.  It’s hard to knit and talk at the same time!

The end is in sight!

Deb came in late with good news about her husband.  His heart appears to be fine, but he’ll have one more test next week.  We’re thinking about you, Glen!  Deb is still working on his sweater and Michele helped her some with picking up stitches.  It’s looking good.

Deb's top-down sweater for her husband.

We missed Marylane and Leslie this week and look forward to seeing them next week.

I’ll leave you this week with a candid shot of us all working and talking and eating and knitting.  Next week, we have our Christmas party potluck and white elephant exchange at Marylane’s house.  I’m really looking forward to it!  Good friends, good food, good fun.  Until then, keep those needles blazing and maybe they’ll keep you warm!

And to all, a good night!

The cat watched on as we ate and drank and knit.

A lot of us are making Christmas gifts, like Julie, who is knitting a shawl for her mother.  It’s an interesting basketweave pattern made with Paton’s classic wool.  Very pretty.

A shawl for mom from Julie.

Michele is knitting a scarf for her daughter, Erica.  I liked the heathery color although it looks more purple than it really is in the photo.  Michele was also wearing a fuzzy shawl that she knitted a while back.

Pretty scarf, pretty shawl.

Carol is working on a gorgeous cowl for her sister.  She commented how she was looking forward to picking out some big buttons for it.  You can catch a glimpse of the pattern at her elbow.  We can’t wait until next week to see which buttons she chose.

This color is delushous looking, isn't it?

I finally finished my mohair shawl using the yarn that I bought in Scotland and I love the way it turned out.  So warm and comfy.  I made it extra long so I could wrap myself completely.

My Scottish shawl. LOVE IT!

Francy is knitting another sweater for her granddaughter, Grace, who will be here for Christmas.  She knitted a similar sweater when Grace was tiny, but she’s already outgrown that one.  Good thing her Bebe is a quick knitter!

Bebe Francy.

Marylane is knitting another newsboy cap.  Her daughter Kendra loved the one that Marylane gave to her at Thanksgiving.  Not sure who this cap is for, but whoever they are, they’re lucky, lucky, lucky.

Getcher newsboy caps here!

Leslie is knitting another pair of twisted mittens without beads, this time.  Leslie, the famous hand model, was glad to oblige with a pose.  Thanks, famous Leslie.

December bonus! Two famous hands for the price of one.

Linda is also knitting fingerless mittens, but hers aren’t quite as finished as Leslie’s are.  Speaking of Linda, she will be a different woman next week.  She’s resuming her maiden name and giving herself a middle name (that she lacked before).  Welcome to the world, new Linda!

Little tiny beginnings of mitts.

I noticed that Julie was wearing a fetching new necklace, so I got a close-up. Why, it’s a stitch counter!  Our Julie is the consummate knitter – always elegantly accessorized.

Ah, one, ah, two, ah...

Deb had a hard day at work.  Sorry, Deb.  She is almost finished with the body of her husband’s top-down sweater.  This started a conversation about how much further she had to go, so Julie went and brought out HER husband’s top-down sweater that she finished.  She says that Brian loves it and wears it a lot.  Here are the two sweaters in before and after phases.

Deb's sweater, sans sleeves.

Julie's sweater, avec sleeves.

We all got together and agreed to have Leslie’s husband Jim paint a view of Snyder Lake as a happy memory of Marylane’s hike last year with her son, Walker.  I was too weepy (as were we all) to get a photo of the presentation, but that’s probably for the best.  We all love Marylane and Dick so much, and share deeply their happy and sad times.  That goes for all of the Castoffs.  We are so like sisters, now, that I want to share what everyone goes through in life, happy or sad.  Thank you, Castoffs, for being my sisters.  I know you’re there for me and I for you.

Here are a couple of shots of Castoffs at rest, unposed and natural.  We meet at Carol’s house next week.  Tick, tick, Christmas is getting closer!  The following week we have our second annual Christmas potluck and White Elephant gift exchange at Marylane’s house.  Until then, keep those needles blazing and let’s all hope for a BIG snowfall to make it seem more like winter.

Carol and Linda - knittin' and gabbin'.

Michele, Deb and Julie doing what they like to do.

It was a cold day with ice and a skiff of snow on the ground, but we met in front of my little gas stove and were warm.  I had to work at Flathead High School but got home in time, barely, but Mary brought treats – a delicious egg-nog spice bundt cake, crunchy toffees and veggies with dip.  Everything was yummy.  Thanks, Mary!  We Castoffs are all about being flexible.

Treats, wine and good friends in front of the fire.

Francy was there and brought several things that Betsy had made. Two felted pumpkins  were snatched up by Leslie.  She displayed them, along with her charms, and with the skinny scarf that she used as a tie.  Very professional, Leslie.   Very metro.

Scarf tie and pumpkin bubas.

Here's another shot of the felted pumpkins that Betsy made.

Francy modeled a crocheted newsboy cap that Betsy made.  We are surrounded with newsboy caps lately.  Betsy, Marylane, Linda and Mary have all made, or are making them.  Cute.  Timely.  Makes me want to wrap myself in newsprint and stand on the corner.

Betsy's cute newsboy hat modeled by Francy.

Francy is knitting her granddaughter, Grace, a Christmas stocking that is really darling.  Stripes in lots of colors and Grace’s name at the top will be an heirloom that she can keep all her life.  What a great Christmas gift, Francy.

Merry Christmas, Grace!

Marylane knit a hat for our friend Lisa whose first grandchild will be born in the spring.  It looks like a little berry with a big green leaf.  BIG leaf, but very adorable, Marylane.

The leaf makes a real fashion statement.

My friend and hiking buddy, Aarica, stopped by for a glass of wine and a piece of cake.  We were all glad to see her.  At one time or another, most of us had met Aarica, so it was good to catch up with her.  I took a photo of that end of the room and, once again, I have to apologize to Marylane for the photo of her.  I always seem to catch her with her mouth open or her eyes closed.  Better one next time, ML!

Welcome Aarica. Sorry about the bad photo, Marylane.

Linda was still working on her cowl which is soft and beautiful.  Julie is working on her afghan for her in-laws.  Keep plugging away, Jules.

Linda and Jules.

I brought out my nearly finished shawl and someone commented that the colors were very similar to Linda’s cowl, so we put them next to each other. And they are similar!  Soft, Scottish colors – trees and heather.

Can't tell where my shawl ends and Linda's cowl begins...almost.

Didn’t catch all of Deb in the photo, but she was there.  Good to see you, Deb.  Everyone is looking forward to Thanksgiving next week.  I can’t believe that 2011 is nearly over.  Marylane is off to New Jersey and Mary is off to Arizona.  The rest of us are either visiting or hosting family and friends.

From my house to yours, Have a wonder Thanksgiving!  We meet at Julie’s house week after next in December!  Wow, December!  Keep those needles blazing, Castoffs, and enjoy the snow.

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, go to a disco.

The rest of  us took no approach at all.

Michele made delicious pumpkin bread and sparkling fruit drinkies.  Yum.  As usual, we don’t know how Michele manages to bake delicious treats AND work full time.  My hero.

It was a time of skinny scarves.  Leslie finished her triangle-directional scarf and modeled it as a tie.  Cute.

Very handsome tie, ma'am!

Leslie then showed us the next scarf using the same pattern with Berocco yarn.  It has a slight metallic sheen and is going to be fun.

Next scarf for Leslie.

Michele showed us her version of the same scarf with a different colorway.  They love this pattern and want us all to make one…not really, it’s just their level of enthusiasm that’s infectious.

Michele and her directional scarf.

The triangles are made by knitting short rows, wrapping and turning.  Sounds like an interesting pattern.  I love the idea of multicolored, self striping yarn.

We welcomed Francy’s sister, Jan, who is on a visit.  She modeled the fingerless mitts that Francy knit for her using the beaded pattern that Leslie gave her tutorial on.  Leslie joined Jan in being a hand model

Mittens, mittens, lots of mittens.

Linda’s mohair cowl is beautiful.  She’s still working on it and I can’t wait to see how it looks when she’s finished.  I like the idea of using it as a head cover as well as a cowl.  You can really see the gradual striping now.

Softly striped cowl.

Marylane finished her newsboy cap and it is very cute.  She added a strap on the front with buttons.  Adorable.  Mary is still working on her newsboy cap that uses a cable stitch for the body of the cap.  Can’t wait to see it.

Happy knitter with her newsboy cap.

Mary's cabled newsboy cap.

We Castoffs are all about helping each other.  At any given meeting, you can find one or more of us asking advice on a pattern, stitch or yarn.  That’s one of the reasons I love this group of knitting friends.  We love to share information and help each other.  Thanks to you all for being so wonderful.

Carol getting some advice from Leslie.

I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo of Francy and Jan together.  They look a lot alike – well, duh, they are sisters.  As someone who doesn’t have a sister, it’s hard for me to imagine some other female who looks like me.  But, anyway, we were glad to have you with us, Jan.  I didn’t get a photo of Julie, either.  She was there?  Yes, she was.  See you next time, Jules.

I can’t wait to see what’s up with all the Castoffs next week at Carol’s house.  We could have our first snow of the season in our futures.  Brrr.  Winter’s coming!  Until then, keep those needles blazing and have a great week.

]]> http://castoffs.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/knitting-at-micheles-house-november11-2011/feed/ 0 castoffs DSCN3144 DSCN3142 DSCN3143 DSCN3148 DSCN3140 DSCN3145 DSCN3141 DSCN3146 DSCN3147 http://castoffs.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/knitting-at-leslies-house-november-3-2011/ http://castoffs.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/knitting-at-leslies-house-november-3-2011/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:46:26 +0000 castoffs http://castoffs.wordpress.com/?p=1823 ]]> We all gathered at Leslie’s house in the bright fall sunshine.  What a lovely fall we are having.  Big piles of bright leaves lying all over town.  We’re expecting snow soon, so raking is in full progress.  But in Leslie’s living room, all was quiet.  Hah.  The Castoffs are never quiet.  We all got a glass of wine or tea – and some of the most delicious pineapple that I’d ever tasted – and settled in for a session of knitting, talking and fun.

Leslie has a beautiful upholstery pattern on her furniture and it looked wonderful when I staged our knitting against it.  First I put Leslie’s directional scarf on display along with the yarn that she’s using (Mini-Mochi sock yarn).

Mini-Mochi directional yarn scarf.

Michele is knitting the same scarf with similar yarn, but she couldn’t be here today (parent-teacher conferences).  That’s why Deb couldn’t join us either.  However, Michele did leave her yarn at Leslie’s, so we passed it around and spoke to it as though Michele was embodied in the wool.  Here is Carol speaking to the surrogate Michele:

The Ouija yarn doubling as Michele.

Speaking of Carol, she had big news!  She’s going to be a Grandma again!!! Yay!!  This makes number three and we all are thrilled with her news.  Getting to be a lot of grannies in the group.

I've gathered you all here to make an announcement.

Last time Mary told us about her news as a coming grandma.  She sent me the email that she got from her son and daughter-in-law that was the announcement.  It involved the baby hint that Mary had knitted for them last Christmas.  Must’ve worked, Mary!

Mary knew at once what it meant.

Mary is still working on her newsboy cap, but Linda finished hers.  It’s so cute that Marylane wanted to model it.

Very cute hat...and model.

Marylane, Francy and Leslie were all working on various projects, but they paused to smile and make sure I got a good photo.  Apparently, some people aren’t happy with the quality of my photography…hmmm. Well, this one’s a keeper.

Happy knitters, good photo.

I used Leslie’s wonderful chair to photograph the fingerless mittens that Francy has been working on.  She is beading them – thanks to Leslie’s workshop last week – beautifully.  They look great.  This may be the next pattern that grabs a lot of us.

Love these mitts.

AGAIN, I used the wonderful chair to show off my mohair shawl that is much longer, but still not completed.  It looks great against the chair, too.

Marsha's shawl.

After I was through with my staging, Linda decided to sit in the wonderful chair to work on her mohair cowl.  It’s going great and promises to be one of those garments that we’ll all love.

The cowl will look great in the wonderful chair too!

Julie finished her baby blanket and it looks great – we especially like the basketweave pattern that she used.  Jules is going to back it with fabric and brought it to show us.  This will give the blanket a longer life.

Blanket with fabric backing to be added.

Closeup of the basketweave pattern that Julie used.

Now she’s back to working on the blue afghan for her in-laws.  Julie says that one row takes 10-15 minutes.  Yikes.  Hope she’s finished by Christmas.

The afghan that will eat Julie's time.

It is a pretty pattern though, even if it is complicated.  That’s what makes afghans so special – the time and love knitted into them.

I’ll close with a shot of Leslie modeling the asymmetrical shawl that she loves.  It’s very versatile and very striking.

Great scarf. She's got another one in a different color scheme.

We’ll be at Carol’s house next time, so until then keep those needles blazing and hope for more fall weather.  The snow will be here soon enough.