Weekending | 10.15.18

Weekending | 10.15.18

Happy Monday, Gentle Readers!

Fall arrived in the ‘Burgh over the weekend… crisp days, very cool evenings, and yes, someone caved and turned on the heat but it was not me! And, my advice of putting on long pants versus shorts fell on deaf ears…

It was a weekend full of decorating for fall, but especially Halloween! Steve and I have been debating Halloween – do we give out treats? Do we pass? We decided that for the sake of the couple of neighbors with young kids, we will. These are the difficult decisions in life, I am telling you! Ha

It was not a weekend with much knitting. However, I did get my wheel out! I gave it a good tune up and I did some spinning! Saturday, I finished up the last bit of a braid of fiber from David at Southern Cross Fibre and yesterday, I plied it. It just needs a bit of a soak and I will see how much yardage I got. I don’t have enough for a pair of socks, but I think there will be enough for a pair of mitts!

There was also no baking – even though we got some lovely apples this weekend. I am hoping that I can solve that problem tomorrow! Today I have training to be an election worker!

How was your weekend?

P.S. Amazon has Still Life for $2.99 today!

Re-entry and Withdrawals

Re-entry and Withdrawals

Re-entry is really no fun and coupled with Genevieve withdrawals today is going to be a challenge!

Grocery shopping is on the top of my list today – we ate out a lot and are craving some home-cooked meals! Also, cream for the coffee is a necessity!

But, for one last morning I am going to imagine myself on the dock at the cabin, drinking in the waking day, breathing deeply that Up North Air. Ahh!

And finally, listening to the echo of Genevieve chattering away in my head will fill my heart to overflowing.

Happy Tuesday All!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Almost as if a switch was flipped, the temperature on Friday went from almost 90 to the 50’s overnight ushering in a most autumnal-like weekend.  And, the weather man has said we won’t be seeing anymore 80-degree days until next year.

That means just one thing, Gentle Reader, SWEATER WEATHER has arrived!  I rocked my Rock the Lobster all weekend long and I LOVE IT! (although I think it needs one more round of crochet at the neckline to snug it up just the tiniest bit more… or maybe I need to do what Lena did at the neckline of her amazing sweater dress)

Also, this weekend I finally reached the GREAT SLEEVE DIVIDE!! Unbelievably, I did not have the right amount of stitches and I am not quite sure how that happened, but my solution was to knit an extra round to decrease those odd thirteen stitches. Now, I hope that my “fix” works because ripping back miles and miles and miles of knitting to figure out where I made my error might mean that Tegna would die in the Frog Pond. I will continue working the back and see how it looks as I get further along.

The Great Blanket Layout is complete and Blanket Assembly has begun (stay tuned for photos later this week!!) I feel a bit like Sybil with the knitting rotation I have going on –Blanket Knitting by day and at night selfish knitting! And, I might be contemplating starting a Guernsey Tam to try to get done before Friday! I have an issue with this tam as written as I really dislike knitting garter in the round… I hate how clearly you can see the jogs between the knit and purl rounds so my solution will be to knit it flat and seam it when I am finished.

Finally, in the TMI category: this weekend saw me doing some of my least favorite shopping on earth – that’s right, the dreaded find a bra that fits and is comfortable expedition. In my weight loss journey – getting a well-fitting bra sort of fell off the list and I have been living the make do with a sports bra theory. It worked well for a while, or at least that is what I thought until I saw myself in some photos. Wow…sports bras really are about the most unflattering thing ever created! However, this weekend I was insanely lucky to find not 1 but 4 (yes… it is feast or famine apparently here!) good fitting (and uplifting!!) bras! They fit well, are quite comfortable, and they were all on the clearance rack for $8.40 each!! There’s a perky joke in here somewhere, but suffice it to say that I am now reconsidering dart placement in any new garments I make!

That is all I have for this first Monday of fall! Have an awesome day and may your list be short and completed early!

Countdown Friday’s

Countdown Friday’s

Why is it that approaching vacation time equals diminishing brain function? Or am I the only person experiencing this phenomenon? And, it seems all things are conspiring to remind me that vacation is coming! Airbnb sent a reminder this morning… just in case I was not already thinking about it!

But, there are some random thoughts rattling around my brain that I am just going to dump out here to close out the week!

First up, Kym posted about the abundance of fungi that are flourishing thanks to the recent rains. My back yard has become one such area… we have a fungi explosion here too, as you can see in my photo. I am not sure what kind of mushrooms these are, but they sure are interesting – they “open” like an umbrella!

Next, did you see that The Man Booker Shortlist is out? I am significantly disappointed that Warlight did not move from the longlist to the shortlist… boo!

One of the blogs that I really love is Tom of Holland – he never disappoints and almost always wows and there are lots of wows in this post. I simply love the idea of taking something that is unwearable and turning it into a true work of art.

Next week Friday, Issue 6 of Laine Magazine will be out. But!!! You can start planning your knits today as the images are up on Ravelry this morning! There are a number of things that I am entirely smitten with!

I have been most disappointed recently with Knitty, but the Astronomer’s Beret is really quite wonderful – and it combines knitting and embroidery in a very unique way!

Sally Melville’s All Ages Vest is fun… and easy install zippers FTW!

My friend, Sarah Jordan released a new hat pattern this week: Emblematic. I love that it began as a doodle!

Hats were definitely the winners this week and Berrit has a discount through Sunday!

And, that is all I have for this week! Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!

On a Random Monday | 9.17.18

On a Random Monday | 9.17.18

The Sedum is just gorgeous this year and I caught this lovely little bee in my photos last week. Summer was full on again over the weekend, which I will count as a blessing especially with the rain we are having today. But, for all the summer weather it was a weekend of thinking, list making, and planning and, yes, my list for this week is long!

This Instagram post made me laugh. 50-60 pairs of mittens??? What??? Maybe I need to up my mitten game…but, all those mittens are surpassed by the airing of the socks…I just love knitters!

There was a bit of sewing and, I even finally got the binding done on Rock the Lobster! I could find no ribbon that inspired me for the sweater, so instead I made bias tape in just the right width to cover the zipper and the steeked edges. I am just thrilled with how this turned out. As for the sewing, I made another Esme tunic – this time with a bit more of a scooped neck from some repurposed blue chambray. It needs some adjustments at the neckline and at the armscyes, but once those are done I think I will be ready to sew a flannel version!

Now, I am off to tackle that list – have an amazing Monday everyone!

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