Chicks with Sticks do like to Stitch & Bitch

Blue squares

2006-07-30T23:19:00.002-04:00

There are blue squares made by Tracy, Chris and me for the Knit a River project from I Knit. It is packaged up now, and will be at the post office soon!

Wedding Cake and Stripping Class - does it get any better?

2006-07-12T14:59:00.003-04:00

Belated congratulations once again to Chris & Joe on their wedding! And thanks again from all your knitting gals for inviting us to join in the celebration. What a fabulous day, fantastic spread and great company to dance away the day with... and just look at that cake!

Here we are on the train heading into the city for a day of aerobics and dancing, umm, pole dancing, that is. Off to the S Factor studio we go to learn the art of strip tease dancing. And of course, on the way we knit. You can't get more well rounded than this group of ladies :-)

(photo's deleted upon request)

AND to top it all off, Christ taught herself to knit!

Kensington Knitting

2006-04-27T22:43:00.000-04:00

Kensington Knitting
.

Here is one photo from our knitting group's night facilitating knitting and crocheting for the residents of Kensington. I thought for sure I caught the elusive Tracy, but I was foiled again.

Update on the Harlot....

2006-04-20T09:44:00.000-04:00

She blogged about our little trip and even posted us on her site. Now we really do need to get the matching T-shirt thing going!

http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/

(I'm rushing at work, sorry it's just a boring link and tiny post)

Yarn Harlot!

2006-04-18T08:54:00.000-04:00

Here's the girls getting their books signed by Harlot!

Knit-In @ Jana's!

2006-03-19T19:12:00.000-05:00

Here's more pictures... you guys probably don't need me to recap the days events again huh?

Not for the faint of heart

2006-03-06T15:52:00.000-05:00

Yes ladies, Needful Yarns has a pattern available for crocheting your own wedding dress! Yup, that's right I said crochet. We can't help knit this one so you're on your own here Chris (well, maybe Jana can help you). Good luck with this pattern I'm sure it's a breeze!!!

more stuff that you can do...

2006-02-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

My friend JJ forwarded this link along for us
http://artistshelpingchildren.org/charityknittingforchildren.html

Eventually, I'll turn it into a nice neat button on the sidebar but right now I'm off to work on clapotis!

Update: I played with the buttons. They're not great looking but they should be functional.

Down with the football, up with the needles!

2006-02-12T17:44:00.001-05:00

In retaliation to super bowl Sunday, Chris invited us to her house for an anti-football Super Ball of Yarn knit-in! The food was great, the laughs were many, and the knitting was superb! Best super bowl I've ever been to!

Food, glorious food!

I can't believe I didn't get a picture the spread, duh!

(photo deleted upon request)

Chris crocheting yet another baby blanket!

Yay for Adam and his very first handmade hat! (we like him even if he did care about the score that day.)

Chicks with Sticks do like to Stitch & Bitch (with Tracy's 2 cents)

2006-01-30T14:18:00.006-05:00

Chicks with Sticks do like to Stitch & Bitch

Came across this site and thought I should share...Sorry Erin, I know you like Bunnies...but there's something about this one...

http://www.yumlum.com/galleries/knitwear/knitwear_art.htm

(hey Chris, I found this in our draft folder. Is it ok to post it? Well how about this, I'll post it and you can always put it back in the drafty bin if you weren't down with it. It's a surprise to me too b/c I'm posting it without looking at the link, hope it's not bunny porn!)

Old Bitty Knitty

2006-01-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

Hey Girls,

I forgot to mention it tonight, but my mom spoke with the people at her nursing home and they said if we're still interested they would love for us to come have a knit-in on February 7th with their in-house knitters.

We could meet up over there around 5:30-6ish (directions to follow). Please let me know if you're still interested, if not, then I'll ask them to either change it to a non-Tuesday and those of us who are interested can go there separately or we can cancel. Thanks!

~Tracer

Red Scarf Project

2006-01-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

Hi All!

I just came across this project tonight and thought you may be interested in making a scarf for goody bags going to college age orphans. These are for kids who were never adopted and don't have the family support to help get them through the transition from high school to college.

The only problem is that the deadline is January 20th so you'll have to start soon if you want to get them out in time!

Orphan Foundation of America's
Red Scarf Project

Love to knit, crochet or know someone who does?

Send care and encouragement to America 's college bound foster youth. OFA needs 2,500 hand made knitted or crocheted scarves to put in our Valentines Care Packages. Your handiwork will truly be the personal touch in these packages and bring students the support they need to move forward and graduate to a brighter future.

Unisex colors black, blue, green or yellow are welcome too. Please attach securely to each scarf a small tag with your name, city, and group affiliation that the student will receive. Send scarves with your name, address, group affiliation if any, and email address enclosed to:

Orphan Foundation of America
Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive
Unit 130
Sterling, VA 20166

Deadline: January 20, 2006
Contact: Annalisa Assaadi, National Events Coordinator
aja@orphan.org, 703.821.8669

For More Info on OFA's Care Package Program go to: www.orphan.org.

Earlier this fall, 2,500 college students without families across the nation received care packages assembled on Capitol Hill by members of Congress, their staff, volunteers and caring individuals who know the importance of feeling connected to others. On Valentine's Day, those same college students will receive care packages containing individually hand-knitted or crocheted red scarves. For young people without loving families and homes to serve as a practical lifeline, the scarves send a powerful message of hope.

The care packages are part of a comprehensive program of initiatives created by the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) to ensure that young people aging out of the foster care system are encouraged to succeed as adults. The need for such programs is great. It is estimated that some 13,000 former foster kids are attending colleges and universities this year, most without any family support. They are success stories merely by showing up: Studies show that less than 50 percent of foster youth graduate from high school, and less than 10 percent go on to post-secondary or vocational training.

Boys Knitting!

2006-01-11T00:02:00.000-05:00

They came, they knit, they survived! I'm proud of these guys for giving it a shot, I have a feeling we may suck them over to the dark side yet! And thanks to the regulars for helping out as teachers tonight, you guys rock too!

Brave Model

2005-12-28T22:50:00.000-05:00

As promised, here's Chris's Joe modeling the elepanties I made him for Christmas (sorry it's sidways, I'll try to fix that tomorrow)

Three cheers!

2005-12-21T19:21:00.000-05:00

Three cheers for the best knitting group. Recently we had a Secret Santa, and everyone gave thoughtful, lovely gifts. More thanks to Colleen for the stockings. Someone even said we should do it again in a few months. Well here's something I found: http://secretpalseven.blogspot.com. What do you think?

Merry Knitmas

2005-11-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

This was passed on from Erin, who I think didn't want to be the dork to post it, so I will...

KNITTERS CHRISTMAS EVE
'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both
Dad and the boys.
And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick, I knew in a
moment it must be St Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplex-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected,
"Move, Ashford! Move, Lopi! Move, Addi and Clover!
Move, Reynolds! Move Starmore!
Move Froelich --move overPaton, don't circle 'round; stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep will work out just fine!
I know this is hard; it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned 'round St Nick I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf 'round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spied a small label,
"S.C." was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
And I asked, "Hey, Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair,
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two,
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks.
While I sat back drinking scotch on the rocks.
So quickly like magic his needles they flew
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me,
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

Where did you get that hat?

2005-11-29T22:45:00.000-05:00

OK, so as most of you know, Erin knitted a lovely blue Lion Suede hat about a month ago. I was then inspired to steal her pattern and knit it in purple. I finished it last week and upon placing it on my head, found out it was FAR too small (I guess they mean it when they say check your gauge).

So tonight, having upped the needles by a size and a half, I finished a second hat hoping to have one that didn't stop the blood from flowing to my brain. Much to my surprise, it worked!

Below are the pictures of the two hats. Why? Because I had space on my camera and well frankly I'm a knitting nerd.

Oh yeah, and when comparing our hats and stitches tonight, it looks as though the Susan Bates book I learned to knit from taught me that ever referenced "continental" style... Not what the rest of the group is doing! Not only do I knit "backwards" as a lefty but I do the opposite stitch than the rest of you when I'm called to knit or purl. What madness!

(in this order, don't the pictures look kinda like a smilely face? OK, I think it's time for bed.)

Goodness gracious great balls of yarn!

2005-11-25T16:19:00.000-05:00

Colleen you were with us in spirit last Tuesday! The spirit of the yarn ball! I love this photo, for some reason I think you guys look like archaeologists or something, like you've unearthed this great find from the Zebu table and this is the first landmark photo of it or something. This is definitely the keenest thing to show up at Zebu's since man-flops were in!

Jersey girls need knitted suits too!

2005-11-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing resists sand and water better than cotton yarn.
Can't wait to make this for next summer! I'm gonna look soooo Hot!!!

Fur is BAD!!! (Not fun, not fun at all)

2005-11-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

I am only wearing this because they pay me.

It's an odd mix between Cruella Deville and a polyester zebra.

GRRRRRR, I'm a relative of big foot.
A fabulous cousin to be precise.

WHAT?!?!? And what's wrong with her feet?

Oh, pretty for the holidays! And not itchy at all.

I'm all for faux fur, but is any of this really necessary?

Fondue & knitting!

2005-10-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

I can't beleive I don't have a picture of the fondue. It was Grrreat!

More Pictures!

2005-10-23T12:23:00.000-04:00

I like the happy feet in the pic

When did it get so dark out?

What was so funny?

Knitting is a blast!

Please see directions for CUTTING open your new scissors!

You show me yours (knitting) and I'll show you mine (crochet)

purls gone wild!

2005-10-09T19:22:00.000-04:00

Hi there, I'm finally posting some photos from the knit out! Woo hoo! I'll spare you the 64 pictures from the fashion show that ended up in my recycle bin anyway. (What was I thinking???)

Is it me or does it look like Tracy & Chris are trying to hide their smokes in that last one? Silly knitters! Anyway, like I said, I'm sparing you the tons of pictures I took of the back of peoples heads. Maybe the heat was getting to me or something?

By the way, this is my new obsession:

It's called spork and it's a felted bike messenger bag. How kewl is that!!! You can read about it here: http://www.larissmix.typepad.com/spork/

The only thing is if I make it I might do it bigger, a lot of people say it's coming out kind of small. That's if I finish all the stuff that's already sitting here waiting to get done... Sigh... Later ladies!

Stitches

2005-09-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

Have fun this weekend, I can't wait to hear about it on Tuesday.
Also, can't wait to go to the Knit-Out next weekend!!! So much fun with yarn!!!

I'm so confused!

2005-09-22T15:51:00.000-04:00

Why is the Craft Yarn Council of America offering these patterns to the general public? Are they mad at us or something? Does offering them as "free" somehow make it ok to wear these eye-sores? Someone please explain!

My what BIG needles you have!

2005-09-19T21:53:00.000-04:00

Jezz Jana, you're right... those are HUGE. But personally, I like a guy with big needles.

WOW they look WAY too much alike!

2005-09-18T23:04:00.000-04:00

Greetings

2005-08-29T17:51:00.000-04:00

Saludos...Greetings!

After no pressure whatsoever from Tracy (ahem), I have decided to join this blog of my own free will and accord. I love the hooker poem, I wonder who wrote it? Anyway I look forward to knitting, and to practicing my American as the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of Castillian, British, Catalán, French and Italian.

I will begin that blanket, sweater curse and others of that ilk be d*mned.

hola

2005-08-25T19:22:00.000-04:00

Yea that's me, hooking all the time! Woo hoo! I also adore the Miss Piggy quote. I didn't know she wrote a book! Anyway, speaking of S.A.B.L.E. I've been meaning to send you guys the links for this stuff anyway, so now here you go. First of all the link for stitches which is in Atlantic City in Sept. http://www.knittinguniverse.com/

Second the link for the knit out in New York city October 2nd is http://www.knit-out.com/

The knit out I definitely think everybody would enjoy. Stitches is fun, but not cheap, and kinda far. The knit out though I think is really cool, or maybe I just like the idea of knitting in a park in the city in the fall. That too.

I'll post more links on here later on. I have a ton of them to share if you guys are interested.

Anyway, I'm signing off, going to get some knitting done. Toodles!

Hello Everyone!

2005-08-25T15:32:00.000-04:00

I'm on a couple of "knitting for lefties" lists (among others) and randomly I'll come across something funny or cute or maybe even useful, and I thought, who better to share it with than my partners in crime right?

So I was thinking, why not have a blog where we can share these little thoughts amongst our own group when we think of them. It's dorky, it's true, but so what? If it's a flop of an idea, I will lose no sleep over it, because frankly my dears, losing free things doesn't affect my day very much.

Oh, plus we can figure out some of our field trip plans, share patterns, good website links and help one another if we get stuck on a project mid-week. Hey this is sounding better and better the more I think about it.

OK, so to get us started here are a few fun knitting tid-bits that you may or may not have come across already....

FROGGING: rip, rip, rip - the best way to fix a mistake, rip it out and start over

S.A.B.L.E.: stash accumulation beyond life expectancy (please see my attic for an example)

On Chinese food and Chopsticks: "You do not sew with a fork, and I see no reason why you should eat with knitting needles." Miss Piggy, 'Miss Piggy's Guide to Life' (1981)

OK, this one is for Jana since I do believe she's the only one of us who goes both ways...

My Wife The Hooker

My wife, she is a hooker
Of this she's very proud
And the stories of her exploits
Are legends in our town
She's shameless with her talents
She'll go hooking anywhere
And if people want to watch her
Well, she really doesn't care
It seems to be a family thing
Her mother taught her how
Her grandma was also a hooker
And my daughter's hooking now
She goes to hookers meetings
To learn the new techniques
And when she's hooking in a frenzy
She won't talk to me for weeks
She doesn't do the housework
And she doesn't make our bed
She says she hasn't time for that
She would rather hook instead
My wife she is a hooker
And I curse that awful day
When she picked up a hook and yarn
And crochets no matter what I say

So how come this guy never comes to any of our meetings?