Fall is Here

 This is our dogwood tree, it is turning color and looking like it is Autumn!  We are starting to see robins and that is a sure sign that the season has changed.  The nights are in the 50's and the days in the mid 70's.  Just about perfect!

 Out by the pond, this poplar is a beautiful array of color for here.  The little tree to the left is a maple.  You can see the goldenrod in the front left is just about done with its golden color.

 Mums are doing their thing throughout the yard.

 Bill has been continuing his work on the pond.  He has about doubled the size of it with his trusty tractor.

 But he still needs me on occasion to pull him out of a tough spot!
 It is good to be needed!

 I finished the Gator fan socks.

 And immediately cast on for a second pair; I will be overdyeing these with some pink.  This is the third attempt for these; the first they were too wide, the second too narrow and now, they are just right.  I will call them Goldilocks' socks!

I also UNweaved all 18" of this scarf.  The colors acted like their neighbor had cooties; they just didn't sit well with each other....

I used the rest of the plant fiber samples I had previously spun and this is just a beautiful blend of natural colors and work well with each other!

Soles and Shawl

 I finished the mystery shawl called Moonpaths.  It blocked out to 30" deep and 56" long.

   Here it is laying down on the pool patio.  (It doesn't have a point at the top, it is just how I got it to hang on the patio screen!)

 I finished a pair of socks which will be a Christmas present so I have altered the color so it will remain a surprise....

 The Gator fan socks are knitting right along-isn't it interesting how the yarn is working up?  The color changes every half skein which ends up working a single row of each color with the bit of white between you can see how it spirals around the sock.  Couldn't have planned it like this but it is good information to have.

PuffDaddy just had to inspect the shawl.........he loves on it and likes it for naps.

Color Sated

Hit the dyepot in a little different way this time.  I tried to get a two color result in one skein so put 1/2 in a mason jar and put it in the sun to heat!

 My first batch didn't work right-it came out more red than orange and I had to try again!  I am calling this skein a popsicle rocket.  Remember those popsicles you ate as a kid?  Bill we be getting these socks.
                              
 The second batch turned out the right color of orange and blue.    
                          
  I even dyed another bit of roving to match the last skein of yarn so there is enough to make mittens and hat.

The Gator yarn is wound up in a ball and ready to be knit into a pair of socks for a special Gator fan.

Bill brought these in today-radishes from the garden-just so crisp and tart!  Delicious.

The other fruit are persimmons.  I have never eaten one but will try one now.  The color is just right for this color sated day.

EnShawled!

 I finished knitting the Seasons of Life Shawl from Kay Meadors.  I set it out to block in the sunshine.

 And it immediately got inspected.  The cats do love the smell of the wool. 

It is beautiful!  I do love the feel of the sock weight yarn for the shawl.

 This also has beading on the lace edging which adds just the right amount of weight to the drape.  I prefer to add beads to the skein of yarn instead of working with a crochet hook to add them to my knitting but I might rethink it for this pattern.  It was a pain to slide the beads out of the way for the return row and I did have trouble keeping the beads where they belonged when I had yarnovers on either side of the bead.  I will be returning to this pattern again and again.  Why not give it a try?!

Sorting.......

 The Lion Brand Suede scarf is off the loom........it is so squishy and soft!  66" x 4" with twisted fringe.

 And a new scarf is on the rigid heddle loom; this time I used some hand spun bamboo and soy silk  in the warp with a commercial weft of Silk Bamboo by Patons.

 I started out looking for something and couldn't find it but it sparked a big time clean out of lots of boxes of my craft/fabric that were in this, we aptly call the PG for the portable garage.  We put this up when we moved here 4 years ago because we had way too much stuff after moving from the big farm house with garage, barn, and storage shed!  I think we had just had an overload on the decision making trying to get rid of all of our belongings in an auction and moving.  It was a bit of a blur, too!  But anyway, I tackle a box a week usually but today I did some big time weeding out.

 I threw out and organized 14 boxes and took care of all the stuff I did decide to bring into the house! 

 For example, this box of corduroy was sorted and then cut into 6 1/2" squares so it can be a quilt instead of a big pile of fabric!

 Now it is going to be pieced up and put to good use instead of sitting in the box another year!

 I loaded up the men's suit samples top and began the quilting.  I am not using any batting, instead I have backed it with a large piece of polar fleece Marsel had given me during her big clean out a few months ago.

This is kind of quilting heavy but the pattern flows right along and looks kind of whimsical for this rather  unorthodox quilt!  I am ready for a good evening with my knitting-

I have loaded the last skein of yarn with all the beads for the final edging design for the Seasons of Life shawl.  This has worked up pretty quickly and I will be anxious to get it blocked out to see what I have-as it is all squished on the needles (I should have used a longer cable with the circulars but I didn't for some reason!)  Hope I finish it tonight.......

Ta Da-A Backpack!

I finally got to the store to get the hardware to finish the backpack!  It went together very nicely once I had the right accessories. 

 So, from this..........woven yardage of hand painted cotton yarn and gold perle cotton weft.

 ........... to this!   I am so pleased with the results!  It is almost enough to make me want to go on a hike!
(Actually, it is going to hold my knitting -you really didn't think I was going to take up hiking, did you?!)
                                                
  The lining is cotton fabric from my stash.  There are two inner pockets.  I used a backpack pattern from See & Sew B4583.  I could have woven the straps but I opted to go with nylon webbing this time.  I would definitely make another one-I would make more fabric this time but it was fun to squeeze the pieces to get them all cut out-you know, the thrill of it all!  My Gram would have been proud of me!

Fall Jamboree

Bill and I went to Pioneer Settlement just a half hour south of us.  We enjoyed the sunshine and chilly temperatures and all the crafts displayed at booths.  They had lots of reenactment areas and of course, my favorites were the spinning, weaving and dyeing areas! 

We did enjoy the corn on the cob  where they boiled the corn in this big cauldron.  The warmth was appreciated, too!  (We have a cold snap pushing through and it was only 60F!)

I learned of a group of fiber enthusiasts that meet monthly at the Settlement and I will be joining them in a few weeks!  This was my goal for going-to find other women who want to explore spinning and weaving. 

I also discovered the joy of the indigo dye pot and have plans to grow some of my own next Spring!  Nice place to savor the then and now of fibers!

Scarfing from the Stash

 The cotton scarf is off the loom-delicious and Spring-like in color!  Measures out to 5" x 65" with a twisted fringe.

On with another stash buster combination-Lion Brand Suede yarn, think chenille, on the rigid heddle.  I am  savoring the slow weave projects.  I have to fuss a bit to carry the colors up the sides but it is working out.

This is the first 'family' shot of the cats.  Nothing like some steak scraps to bring all factions together. 

Spun and Warped

 The Gator yarn is ready for knitting.....I have another hank of roving that I think just might want to match this; pull out the dyepot again!
                                         
A new scarf is on the rigid heddle loom.  This is a cotton boucle-like yarn that I bought last year while in a Cocoa Beach yarn shop.  I had bought two balls so one is for the warp and the other is providing the weft.  It is giving a slight plaid look to the scarf.  I have to be careful because the cotton has a bit of something that is giving it stretch but it is a quick weave.

Touching All My Bases

 I drafted out half of the roving.  It becomes so light, soft and shiny after doing this.  The dyeing really compacts the roving and you can really see what you have after you draft it out.  (Stretching out the roving to make it longer and thinner for spinning.)

 I have one bobbin spun and will do the second today so I can ply them.

 I quilted a table runner for my neighbor.  Very patriotic!

I began the Seasons of Life shawl.  The superwash merino feels more like a cotton than a wool-I think the color is influencing my touch!  This is a crescent shaped shawl-lots of stockinette until the border. A very relaxing knit.

All in Good Time...

Bill hooked up the ceiling fan in the livingroom.  What a nice finishing touch! 

I put some wool in to soak so I could dye it in the afternoon.  The Gators squeaked out a win in overtime  in their last game and I think that accounts for the color combination!

The roving turned out very nicely-I can't wait to begin the spinning! 

 I also set some merino superwash from the stash to soak in some brown dye.  It is hard to leave it alone so that the color turns out uneven.

But after several hours in the sun, it is heated up just right.  I am going to start a new shawl-a Seasons of Life shawl by Kay Meadors.  Can't wait to get it on the needles!  This is a fingering weight yarn on larger needles so it will work up very quickly! 

I am still knitting on the mystery shawl but I finish the clue in just a few days and then I don't have any lace knitting for the rest of the week so the new pattern is just in time!

I am still faithfully plugging along on the sweater for Marsel........I have only 12 more inches to go and it will finally move along because it is on fewer stitches for the lower part of the sleeve.

Bill took this interesting picture......Crescent Lake is rarely so smooth and still but it perfectly reflected the pier and the clouds......the egret is watching a small (6') gator off the end of the pier.