Ok, I'm A Joiner, I Admit It

I'm just the latest joiner on this, I'm sure, but it is rather intriguing. Check out this person's blog to see what I'm talking about. As I say, it's an interesting experiment and I've still got enough academic curiosity to want to see what happens. And yes, I'm going to follow his instructions and ping Technorati. If I've done it right.

Please join me and we'll all find out how fast a meme can travel!

Happy December!

Since it's already late in the day, I can't say happy First, so I'll just wish you a whole month of good stuff--whatever floats your boat, whether it's error-free knitting, happy stash enhancing, fun with family and friends and all the rest of the holiday trimmings.

I'm feeling rather proud of myself tonight, and I'm hoping it won't turn out to be one of those pride-goeth-before-a-fall kind of moments. One of our LYS started a month-long sale today, 30% off yarn and needlepoint canvases. Naturally I had to stop off, since I'd had a couple of personal invites--a hot pink postcard from Alison, the owner, and a note from Larry. I've been wanting to meet him, but today wasn't the day: he had been cornered by a customer who was wanting help with her cast-on.

But I digress. I'm really proud that I was able to walk into that paradise of wonderful yarns, and beautifully hand-painted canvases, and walk out with--nothing. That's right, nothing. There was one canvas that really was calling to me, but realistically? I don't think I would get to it. I may go back on Monday, and if it's still there, it might come home with me.

But no new yarn! Did you feel the tremors??

Carrot Says...

He's hoping your Thanksgiving was as great as his was!
Lots of hugs and loves from aunties, cousins, uncles, grandma, friends. A big ol' family gathering, complete with big ol' turkey and all the trimmings.

Garrett got a taste of whipped cream. Just a taste. His doctor hasn't put him on "food" yet.

So this year we were thankful for many things, including this newest addition to the family. D1 and her family made the trek out from Colorado, which added extra fun to the mix.



Not too much knitting content today, sad to say, as all I've done is work on one or the other of the Lady E's. I do have a project with a deadline, though: a square for the NETA charity-raffle afghan. A 12" square in a rusty brown--I'm going to practice a little for gauge tonight, although since it's wool (Paton's Classic Wool) it will be block-able to the right size if it's a stitch or two off either way.

I'm being a pretty bad Lacevember person, too. I've got the Hanging Garden going, but so far am only 6 rows into the pattern. I think I might have to resurrect Birch, since she's also lace, and work on her instead. I don't know what it is about the HG--it's a pretty pattern, not complicated, nice yarn, using my KP Options needles, but I'm just not feelin' it.

Maybe I'm coming down with something. I certainly hope not--with a job in retail, I'm certainly needed at work and also exposed to all sorts of "stuff" floating around.

I've made a classic "me" decision for this year--I'm not making any of my gifts. None. Zero. Zippo. Nada. Rien. Pas du tout. Now, I've made this kind of decision before, with rather laughable results as I'm sitting up late finishing stuff, but I think this year I can say it and mean it. With Christmas and New Year's Day both falling on Mondays this year (and, yes, D3's birthday, which is Jan. 8 and the completion of our holiday marathon) there will be some extra weekend time to get ready. D3 is hosting the family celebration this year, since she feels strongly (and I agree) that the Carrot should have his first Christmas in his own home.

Anyway, I'm currently thinking that this will be a year for books, gift certificates, and my old standby, magazine subscriptions. Do watch this space for meltdowns, though, as my mood and inclinations change!

Eye Candy??

First, a recuperating-from-being sick boy, and his goat: Notice the wild hair!!

Then, a slight miscalculation on my part. I had bought 2 skeins of the yarn on the left, which is an unknown Schaefer yarn, in a colorway called
Snoopy's Crayons. Found some Schaefer Elaine in the same colorway and ordered it. Well, my yarn is obviously not Elaine.

I think it's Miss Priss, but so far I haven't found any more in that colorway. There may not be any, I may have bought the last 2 skeins in the entire world last June. In W. Hartford. Which isn't very close to me, now is it? Actually I'm hoping that the 2 skeins will be enough for a sweater for the Carrot. The third was for insurance. Now, I guess it will become a scarf or a shawlette.

Then there is my "substitute" for that wonderful pink and grey Socks That Rock that Fay Lynn got a couple of weeks back. I really loved that.
So, here's my attempt to recreate that: Araucania Nature Wool in shaded greys, and some Valley Yarns in black and a couple of pinks. Very very yummy. I am currently thinking, rather lacy sweater in the grey with bands of pink. And maybe some white.
Lastly, my big indulgence: some Fleece Artist BFL in Sea Storm. This is 1000 meters, folks, and I am thinking it will make a nice PNW shawl. Or maybe the sheepy one.

Enough yarny posts. I have been rather busy since D1 and her family are here, and staying with D5. That's the family with the two little girl-bugs (you saw them knitting). They came to see me just as I was getting off work today and we had a lovely romp through the children's dept. of the bookstore. Yes, they are taking some new books home. We all went to Shogun tonight--these girls have very eclectic tastes, love sushi and steamed dumplings. It was a new adventure for me, never had been, so it was very interesting.
I'll try to post a bit more in the next few days, but we'll see how I do. I've been fighting some kind of "nasty"--allergic reaction to something, complete with hives, red itchy spots, etc., and concomitent fatigue. I even missed a couple of days of work, that's how bad it's been. So I'm trying very hard to keep my work commitments, and then of course there's the time I want to spend with my family. Always something, isn't it??
And, Lady E has grown a little more. Hopefully we'll have some "done" shots soon!

Thanks Y'All!

Well, thanks to Joan and Madge I now have a photo on my profile--and it's the original mehitabel! Isn't she a cutie??
The blurb for this book says that it will appeal to lovers of humor, poetry, and talking vermin.

Here's your eye candy for the day--my favorite grandcarrot, sitting in his stroller at Starbucks while his mommy, his auntie and I all had coffee. And didn't share it with him, either!
There are two suspiciously yarny packages waiting for me to open them (gee, the "Webs" return address on one might be a clue??) so there will hopefully be a little yarn porn to share. I've got one more item ordered, but since it's a third hank of something I already have 2 hanks of, I'm not going to count it.
Yes, I am once again going to try to rein in the stash acquisition. You heard it here first. I have way way too much yarn. Alert the media, she is once again going on a yarn diet. Although, reading diet blogs--Debbi is one of my favs, since she also knits and beads--has been raising my awareness that what I need is not a diet, but a Yarn Management Plan. In other words, a "diet" is something you go on and off of, kind of a punishment for past sins of overindulgence. Yeah, overindulging in food or yarn is not a good thing.
I know that part of it is that I've been self-medicating with yarn--better than with booze, or drugs, or even food, but still not terribly healthy in the long run. Depression is the pits. I'm working my way out of it, bit by bit, and I've got lots of good support.
And thanks to all of you who are providing that! I mean it--without y'all, kids, friends, knitters, quilters--I don't know where I'd be. Curled up in bed sucking my thumb, probably, and that only looks good on people The Carrot's age!
Off to knit now--if I spend a couple of hours knitting, it will assuage my guilt over having SO MUCH YARN!!

Stuff with my Cat

Simon is very easygoing and quite accommodating. Witness him posing nicely with Lady E II and her ball of yarn. This is the Woodland colourway and it's rather intriguing. In some lights, it's greeen and gold. In other lights, it's grey and beige. I keep finding bits of different colors as I keep knitting. One thing, though, is that I don't think it's Simon's colors.

Now here, Simon has bee joined by the moose cub and the little "computer bear" as well as Lady E II. As I said, he's pretty mellow. On this picture, you can actually see his enormously long whiskers--even his "eye whiskers" are exceptionally long.
No, I don't have progress pics of anything else. I spent the weekend working at the bookstore and also at a stamping workshop. I made 10 cards (2 each of 5 designs) and when I'm not quite so tired (yes, I worked again today) I'll take them out and photograph them. I took Lady E II to the bookstore meeting and got a whole tier knitted, along with getting up to speed on new books for the holidays. Lady E I is looking like more of the same--she doesn't really show progress now, and she's too bulky to take very many places. So she and Hanging Gardens are "home" knitting and there hasn't been a lot of that in view recently.

Now a question for the Tech Set. Please forgive my massive ignorance as well as fatigue tonight.

This is the picture I want to use for my profile photo:

... but I don't want the arrow, natch. So my two questions are, how do I remove the arrow? And how do I upload this to my profile? It won't let me just upload it like I did to get it in here. (BTW, mehitabel is the cat; archy is the cockroach. He can only type in lower case because he can't hold down the shift key and type a letter at the same time. I know, my "cat" is named archy; he was named for our late-lamented black cat Archie, who was named for an Australian cat we met in '88. TMI??)

My Victorian Lace book came today, so I am planning an early bedtime: just me, my book, and a cat or two if they behave!

Lacevember Photos

The current lace project: Hanging Gardens by Sivia Harding; yarn is Kid Merino from Crystal Palace, color 9800--lavender/blue/pink/gold but reads mostly lavender. I have beads for it, but the yarn frays if the beads are strung on it so IF I add them, it will be with needle and thread after the piece is completed. Here you see it after Row 12--not very far along, but then it's just been started! How far will it get in Lacevember? Who knows?? Needles are KnitPicks, which are turning into my very very favorite for everything.


Okay, this is flash-your-stash time--stash with cat. Here's a small part of my lace stash--some random balls of Kid Silk Haze, aka Kid Silk Crack cause it's sooo addictive.
The maroon-y red is what I'm doing Birch in--she's in that old WIP round-up picture down there, front and center! So, yeah, two lace projects OTN now unless you want to include the AbFab, which is Feather-and-Fan, as a lace project too. Anyway, back to the stash photos. There are some beads in there which will probably go onto one of the (many) projects in the future. The little "cakes" of yarn are wonderful Artisan NZ Merino, lace weight. I have a couple more of the pink-and-lavender colorway and want to use those for the Romance shawl from Fiddlesticks. Oh, the Great Wall of Rubbermaid? Just a small part of it. This is living on top of the trapdoor to my basement. The green-lidded one is holding my Rowan Tapestry, which is rapidly being transformed into Lady E I and Lady E II.

Now I am feeling a little better about all this stuff. Of the WIPs in this picture, the blue shawl on the left is done, just needs a light blocking and it will go into service; the two pink things are also done and moved along to new homes. The MOTW has its last sleeve done, needs to be washed and blocked and sewn together, get a neckband added and it will be good to go; Birch and the Ab Fab have both had a bunch more added to them. I think Birch is going to move to a KnitPicks needle too, she's on a Bryspun right now which is OK but I don't like the thick cable. I sure hope I have the right size KP to put into service...

There you have it. Or part of it. I'm going to go look for something to cast on for Peacock Feathers with--I'm sure I have some blue/green/purple something somewhere in that wall of tubs...

Lacevember

The knitting questions, or the usual suspects

How long have you been knitting?
Since I was 7 or 8--I can't do the math.

How did you learn to knit?
My mom taught me, and then I learned a lot more from books and patterns.

Favorite thing about knitting?
I'm a process knitter, so that's the best part for me. I love learning new tricks and techniques, too, just taught myself how to knit back backwards and I love it!

How long have you been knitting lace?
Let's see--made knitted lace dresses for my oldest daughter who's now (oops) 40.

Favorite thing about knitting lace.
Watching it come to life when it blocks. Oh, and mastering the challenges!

The yarn questions, or flash your stash

Favorite lace yarn?
mmmmm... Kid Silk Haze and its clones

variegated or solids for shawls?
Depends on the pattern, I love both!

Favorite lace color?
no such thing--I don't play favorites. I mean, I have a favorite oldest son, and a favorite younger son, you get the idea...


Technique, or show us your skillz

Circs or straights?
Circs, every time.

Favorite lace knitting trick?
Don't really have any; just plug away at it.

Lifelines? If so with what?
Not usually.

Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet?
Quilt pins on the spare bed.


Pattern, or can you follow directions

shawls or lacey items?
both--have done lots of shawls though

triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls?
triangles or rectangles, my big circular one was not a hit

Charts or printed instructions?
Either or both, I've done both ways--I usually translate charts to directions muttered under my breath as I go along

Favorite lace you've knit?
See above...

Favorite lace you want to knit?
Got a whole collection of patterns I want to do. I need to live to be 145, with no arthritis!


Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun

Favorite jelly belly flavor? The minty ice-blue ones

Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red.....
Seriously? I used to teach 4th grade. My favorite thing about him is he brought Forest Cats over to the US and they bred with the native cats to give us Maine Coons.

Coke, classic or with lime?
Cherry Coke. Or the Black Cherry Vanilla.

Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves?
Love to sing along with the carols, but hate the jazzed-up versions. Ick.

What is the definition of irony?
Listening to Alanis Morrisette and realizing she's describing your life!

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?
Dunno, I always crunch them!

Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door?
Because he won't let her in so she can puke in his bed, of course!

What is your superhero power?
Mighty Mom, of course...

If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be?
They'd be Bachelder tiles in lovely warm tones, with lots and lots of figurals mixed in.

What's for dinner tonight?
We had corn cakes and apple strudel. It's so nice not to have to feed a family any more!

What is clogging my children's bathtub drain?
Check for missing toothbrushes. (Honest. We had a sink that wouldn't drain--plumber pulled 15 toothbrushes out of it.)

Don't you just hate it when...

This happens:



Well, or this:


For some reason, Blogger isn't playing very nicely today. So it uploaded the pictures I took, but is only showing them here as HTML code. Sigh. So I don't know which is which! One is a "still life" on the coffee table at Zephyr--they do lovely floral arrangements all over, and Patty had put her unfelted fuzzy clog down next to the bowl of posies. The other picture is Annette, dealing with a huge wad of "yarn barf." She was all set to start a nice project, and lo and behold, her ball of DB Cashmerino Aran exploded!

Don't you just hate when that happens??

Okay, changing the subject slightly, I hope you've all been over to see what Wendy is doing with the Heifer Project. This is a cause that's near and dear to my family, and I've already sent off my donation. Prizes schmizes, I think the real reward is helping people, who have little except determination, get a helping hand. If I was in that situation, I'd love to get a critter to help me feed my kids, educate them, make a better life for them.

Another one of those things...

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
Take this quiz!








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| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Outed!

Yes, it's true--my family has found my blog. Welcome aboard, kidlets, and feel free to make as many snarky comments as you'd like!

Now on to the good stuff! Since I've mainly been working on Lady E lately, here's a picture of her at (I think) 24 tiers. Or maybe it's 23. Anyway, she's rapidly approaching the limits of portability, so it may be time to cast on Lady E II. This week alone, she's been worked on in the car on the way to the airport, in the Starbucks at the international terminal, at Zephyr, and during both the Biggest Loser and Survivor. Yeah, I have totally declasse taste in TV shows, but what can I say?? I love watching reality shows, my very own form of train-wreck-watching.
This is Padua doing what he does best. Or at least, what I like him to do best! He has the most raucous meowowow of the whole crew, and when he's not happy, we all know it. But he sleeps nearby when I'm on the computer, and tonight during Survivor he slept on my lap while I knitted.
Thought as long as I had the camera out, I'd take a progress shot of the latest (maybe last?) Ab Fab. This is the Sorbet colourway and I'm liking it, although the blue in the one mohair blend comes across awfully strong. I'm starting on the third repeat of the progression, probably will finish at least 4 repeats and perhaps take it to a 5th. We'll see how the proportions look after the last of the 4th.

Don't look at the messy part of the chair. Please. I throw an afghan over it since the cats like to nap on it, but then they pull the afghan down and get nice and cozy in the wrinkles. Funny how, if I make my bed in the morning, and the quilts are nicely flat, I won't see a cat on it; but if I'm running late, and leave it mussed up, I'll come home to 3 or 4 of the little darlings sleeping in the folds.

Oops. Looks like I'm turning into one of those old ladies who yammer on and on about their cats. Just call me Mrs. Figg. (And here I've been identifying with Mums Weasley!)

Maundering

That's kind of like musing, only more aimless. It's what I feel like these days, loose ends, unravelings. More hours at work = less energy, less time for knitting, less time to plan stuff and take care of "business."
Here you see what happens to my printer when I'm not looking. Yes, it is covered with a poster and there are books propping up its little shelves. I don't think it was designed to hold 15 or so pounds of cat, let alone all that fur. The books are galleys of new releases that I'm reading for work.

But who could move that adorable face?

Then there's this one--he's perched on top of the shredder, which lives next to the computer and printer. Gee, I hope it's heavy-duty enough to withstand cat hair.

Today was trippin' down to LAX with youngest D to pick up her friend, who was arriving from England. Now, Mel lives in Australia, so this was a detour of sorts, but she'd been visiting her grandparents in Sussex. Last time she visited? She arrived from Dubai. The girl is well traveled. She'll be here for a couple of weeks, right in the middle of the Halloween extravaganza. D5's husband loves Halloween and spends hours decorating and planning his presentations for the lucky (?) trick-or-treaters that dare the porch. I'm going to miss it this year--and the grandcarrot's debut as a puppydog--since it's Tuesday, and if it's Tuesday it's quilting night. Students can cut class but Teach needs to be there. (Yes, there are people there who call me Teach. Otherwise very nice people, whom I love dearly.)

So there was knitting on the way to the airport--it was dark on the way home--and in the Starbucks in the international-arrival waiting room. Still working on Lady E, who is rapidly approaching a lack of portability. Wonder if that means I can cast on Lady E II (the Woodland colourway) for traveling??

I have some grandcarrot pics to post, too, but I'll save them for next time. I'm hoping that the Ds will all take plenty of Halloweeny shots, too. Since I'll be quilting and all...

Fiber "fix"

Time to get a quilty sort of fix for today--I did bring the camera to SnB today, but we spent so much time moving from one area to another, that taking pictures just kind of got left behind. It was a real Mad Hatter's Tea Party effect--you know, "Clean cup! Move down!"

So we're going to treat you to some alternative stuff. First, we have Judy's Flower Garden. This is mostly hand pieced and will be all hand quilted. Judy inherited a whole lot of partially-completed projects which she's been finishing up. Thanks to the great variety of 30's reproduction fabrics available now, she can get a finished quilt that looks completely "period." Then there's Louise, who after swearing mightily that she'd never do another one, was caught doing a second Bouillabaise. This is two sets of fabrics from Pincushion Boutique--the green is Margarita with Lime, and I can't remember the pink's name. I think this is going to be one POW!! quilt!
Remember how last week, I showed you the fabrics Anne had picked out?
Well, she added a couple more from her stash, and got busy. Not only is this a fantastic quilt, folks, but this was done in less than a week. I am truly awed and amazed at her skills!

Finally, a little fur for your enjoyment. What's life without cat fur in everything, right? I must say, though, this boy (Hi-Hi) doesn't shed and doesn't tangle--he's got the greatest coat, thick and plush. Here he's curled up on the shelf under my computer--I didn't even know he was there, till he gave me "the paw" to say hello.
Not much knitting to report on today, did most of another tier of Lady E but she's not looking all that different from the last pictures so we'll have to give her a little more time. My next challenge is going to be finding a nice flat surface where I can set up the swift and ball winder--I'm really eager to get busy on those BWA sweaters, in spite of the fact that today is HOT and dry and windy--Santa Anas, doncha know. (Most flat surfaces in this house are covered with stuff--great stuff, but still stuff.) Ah, the joys of packrattism!

A Fond Farewell, and other things

Tonight, there won't be those two crazy Maries out there on the patio at Starbucks. No knitting needles flashing in the lights from the passing cars,* no yarn flying all over the place. The crickets will search in vain for their favorite purple hiding place** and the baristas will just have to go without their nightly laughs.
One Marie is on her way to Seattle--about an hour on the road, as I write this--and the other is blogging sadly. Dear friend, have a safe trip and do warn the Seattle yarn shops that they are going to be invaded by a horde of Pasadena knitters!
*KnitPicks needles are shiny and bright and reflect the light.
**that Jordana Page purple knitting bag/carryall/holdall


Okay, now here (just for you, Madge!) is some of my latest eye candy.

First we have some Skye Tweed, in a pretty light blue, from Webs. No color name, unfortunately, but it's a nice greyish-blue with darker and brighter flecks in it. I think this will make a nice cardi for *moi* n'est-ce-pas?
Okay, now these beauties are from Black Water Abbey yarns. They are a nice heavy-ish weight and each hank has 220 yards. (Hmmm...why does that number sound familiar?) The upper one is called Bluestack and will probably become a Celtic Dreams gansey, while the Ocean will become Marilyn. You can see the patterns and more about the yarn here but I warn you, if you love arans and Celtic designs, stay away! Marilyn (the owner, not the pattern) also included color cards with my order; now I am anxious to get these knit up, so I can order more. And I heard that "someone" might like to make Rogue out of the Mountain color... a really pretty lilac/lavender color. Since that someone originally got some apple-green Lamb's Pride for Rogue, we'll see what happens, no?

I may have shown this lovely woodsy color of Sea Silk before, but I know I didn't show the beads I got to go along with it. Found them here and the little clear-top containers are from Martha's defunct web store. The beads come packed in little plastic baggies and I was able to peel off the label and stick it onto the side of the container, so if I run out I can run right back to the bead store for more. This might become a beaded Diamond Fantasy Shawl, which is a Sivia Harding design and which you probably already saw on Madge's blog.


Lastly, what's a good blog post without a shot of the grandcarrot? (No, Bad Gramma has not yet sewn the buttons on Pea Pod, hush up now!) Mom is at her wit's end with that hair and it may be getting a trim soon.

All together now: Awwwwwww!!

This N' That N' S'm Other Stuff

Some random things for a Friday, to distract you from the fact that I have no new knitting to post--I'm having way way too much fun "bonding" with Lady Eleanor. Talk about a perfect match of pattern, yarn, and needles!

Now, unlike Patty, I am not so fanatic about coffee that I roast my own. Yet. However, we have recently graduated from Ye Olde Standard Coffeemaker, i.e. the Greenie, to the new, deluxe (Mother's Day gift) version--the Red Hot Momma.









Ergo, the Red Hot:







This baby grinds the beans (seen next to her on the countertop) then brews the brew, all done via timer so I don't even need to get my lazy self out of bed to come downstairs to hot fresh coffee. My kidlets love me, even though I can't quite figure out why.

What I don't love? That countertop. It's been the focus of a love/hate relationship ever since we moved into this house. Did I ever mention that this house was built in 1920? True. The countertop is the original. Which means that, while it's "period" and therefore desirable, it's also had 86 or so years of being scrubbed and cleaned, and it no longer shines. Just sits there sullenly. And that grout has been replaced, and bleached. That's as clean-looking as it gets. Coffee stains, probably.

If I stay in this house, I may need to remodel the kitchen. Enough with the Period Ambience!


Okay, now on to something fibery. Remember the blocks I showed you last week, made by the M&Ms? Well, here's another one. Thank you, Nonie!

Now to wait and see what mine will look like. Always a surprise, even to me!


This is Fran's quilt top. Don't be deceived by the difference in scale due to the size of the photo; this is one big quilt-to-be! What I thought was really interesting, and the reason I took the picture, was that there's a very strong pattern that emerges when you look at the quilt from a distance.
Because: it's four-patches, matched with blocks the same size, and I don't think that Fran expected that it would develop that strong diagonal line in the red and white. But it's sure there!
Well, it's nice that people are still working at stuff and getting things done. I'm getting a few things done, but nothing that can be photographed and blogged about.

I mean, you don't care that I got the dishes done, now do you? And you don't want to see my trash cans lined up at the curb, etc etc. Nor can I show you photographs of the nice displays I put together at work, since they were thoroughly picked over within five minutes.

But, some new yarn came today, and it needs to be released from its bags and photographed. And I need to try to capture how pretty my Sea Silk and its beads are together.

I'll leave you with this link to some really amazing pictures--I guess it's true that you can, indeed, hand-feed hummingbirds!

When You Have Nothing New to Say:

You Are Pecan Pie Soda

Sweet, but totally nuts

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

Something To Do

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Playing Possum

Here's the Possum from the title of this post:
Cherry Tree Hill's wonderfully soft Possum yarn--and no, it's not those scuzzy American opossums, it's New Zealand possum, a whole different critter. I was able to score some red and some black on sale, and I should have some dark blue on its way from a cyberfriend who's destashing.
What's that you said? I should be destashing too? But of course I am! Why, I have a large box all ready to go out today, and if I can get myself into gear, I'll have another box too--the shawls for St. B's and some extra yarn. I just need to go pick it up, is all.
That's all. Really. Uh huh.

On the quilting front, I want to present the latest additions to my block collection:
And in close-up, so you can see the details and the fine workmanship:

No, I didn't make these. They are part of the M&Ms mini-group swap. I owe these nice people each two blocks. They will get them, and soon (I hope). Okay, I understand that in this area, as in so many other areas of my life, I'm behind in my commitments and obligations. I really am trying to do better. Sigh. I guess it's time to remind myself: there is no "try." There's "do" or "don't do." Time to get my achy self up and "do." I have been "playing possum" for too long now.

I hope that these nice ladies will read this and let me know who made which ones. I think they should get the credit, don't you agree?

Last bit of eye candy for you today, still in the fibery realm although not yarny:

Tuesday night, Anne mentioned that her older son wanted a quilt with "jewel tones" and did I think I could help her pull some? Well! Here we are--emerald, adventurine, turquoise, sapphire, blue lapis, amethyst, tourmaline, garnet, ruby, topaz, carnelian, and yellow diamonds! I got the black to set it off. SHE managed to get all her stars cut out so I am quite hopeful that she will be showing off a completed top shortly. Have I mentioned that she is the current reigning Speed Queen Quilter??

Knitterbugs

Now, here's a sight to warm a grandma's heart! These are my two youngest granddaughters, aka Lizzie and Tori, showing their knitting. They really have made some progress, haven't they? Please do pardon the burst of grandmotherly enthusiasm here!

I forgot to bring my camera on the City of Hope Walk today, which is probably just as well. None of us were looking our best, especially after the first mile or so--sweaty, sticky, sore. But we finished! I was making great progress on a pink (of course!) shawl but then I got hungry. Let's just say, if you are walking and knitting, it works fine; but if you then eat a sticky granola bar, you will wind up with sticky needles and sticky yarn and a royal mess, and you will finish the walk clutching a water bottle and carrying the knitting in its bag. It was a lovely day for a walk, though, and it was a very good feeling to get those 5 kilometers hiked! Plus of course, it's a good cause.

Not to mention, where else can you see big burly men wearing t-shirts that say "Save the ta-tas!"

Some Serious Eye Candy

...since we are being good and avoiding the other kind--family weight loss challenge, you know! First, here's Marie's Celtic Knot. (She doesn't take pictures of her WIPs, but she lets me.) The yarn is Lamb's Pride in a wonderful grassy green, the pattern is from Knitter's Arans & Celtics book. Isn't it pretty? Next up, a sky shot. This was the scene outside of work the other day.
Next we have a couple of shots of my Lady Eleanor, in progress. The yarn is Rowan Tapestry in Rustic.
The color is super deep and saturated and this yarn is soooo soft and warm to work with. I've been mastering the art of knitting back backwards and it's going really well. Truly addictive!
That's it for today! I know, I promised a WIP roll call, but right now I am just loving this one so much, I've abandoned the others for a bit.