Pumpkin Sunrise

I've had a rough beginning of the week, so much so that I've been chasing away anxiety and worries, my imaginary broom sweeping thoughts here and there, under the rug, tucked away but still there.  Each day dawns and I feel a little better, a work in progress.  I believe we will have a cold front this weekend and that just puts a smile on my heart!  Wearing some woolens would make any day a fabulous one. I'm loving my maples who have decided to do a leaf dump all at once, so so so beautiful!  They are vying for the attention over the mighty oaks.  I love the oaks as well in their brown showy-offness.  It's like loving all your children but in different ways. What do you do when you need a little self care?  Here's my list: -be kind to yourself -soak in the kindness of others, kind thoughts, their loving actions -get busy!  I've been knitting furiously and making some progress with my knitting -rely on comfort food, mashed potatoes a...

My knitting and reading this week are both new, oh sweet joy!  I am on my last cowl for holiday knitting and I think I just might knit one for myself.  Maybe.  This yarn is malabrigo sock but I'm not too sure of the colorway.  I want to say rayon vert (yup just checked).  I've had this in deep stash and the tags were not attached. I continue to knit my own version of grey loop cowl , the pattern is burned into my memory. My novel this week is The Mathematician's Shiva which I picked up while in Cambridge, MA.  The back summary was interesting and funny.  As you know, my son is in graduate school for mathematics.  I do like the abundant dialogue that was absent from my last novel (the signature of all things).  And the ease of reading.  So fingers are crossed that I picked a good one. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. This was a not travel stay at home weekend and was much needed.  I: -ate out at my one of my favorite places for dinner with my husband -squeezed in two walks nearly every day getting a little sad knowing the time change next week will end the after dinner walks -prepared more yarn into balls for my last holiday knitting -gathered with friends and shared a meal, enjoying our friendship -savored a meal made by my husband, curry, rice, dal and a surprise vegetarian samosa ! -I enjoyed my meal but the dishes.....oh my goodness.... -evenings were knitting away on my gift projects -spying the red fox in our neighborhood once more-no camera shot.....yet! How was your weekend?

Frodo had a rough week and he's been in his thoughtful spot (Winnie the Pooh).  I love when I walk by the ottoman and see a pair of feet or a tiny black nose peeking out.  Sometimes it's rough being a dog.  Luckily for him he doesn't need to have any shots for another year. The days have been dark and cloudy.  I could go for some sunshine and soon that wish will become a reality.  Frodo and I took a walk around the yard and while I was outside just daydreaming, I knew I was in my thoughtful spot.  I love going to new places and seeing cities, historical buildings and magnificent shopping meccas that are not in my area. I will be honest, I pine for home while out of town.  I dream of my walks, my house, my kitchen, my mug, and my routine.  Going away forces me to appreciate all over again my simple days.  When home, I'm productive and purposeful. The leaves on the maples are nearly done falling and the oaks are half way through...

I completely forgot to take my photo yesterday, so here is a somewhat bleary photo from early this morning.  My knitting this week has been hopping from my cowl , to my blanket , to this fair isle hat .  The hat is a "make it as I go" kind of knit.  I'm enjoying the color play and love the feel of the yarn in my hands.  Originally when I arrived at the fair isle knitting section I thought " Goodness, this will take a while!"  Now I'm hoping that the fair Isle will last forever.  That is good knitting. My reading is the same but nearly finished.  I'm reading The Signature of all Things  and overall the book is okay.  Sometimes the plot drags on, sometimes I wonder what a detailed section has to do with the overall novel or theme.  I keep reading because the writing is pleasant and I guess I want to see what happens.  I know this is an ambivalent review however I'm being honest. What are you reading and knitting this week? Jo...

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. My weekend was BOSTON.  Yup, we went to visit our son and spent the better part of our Saturday walking about Boston seeing the sights, walking part of the freedom trail.  I loved seeing him and what made the weekend better is our daughter went with us. I have sore feet and joints but luckily for me I take medicine for that and a few days of rest I should be good as new.  I'm happy to be home sweet wonderful home.  You know I'm a homebody and thrive with the same old same old.  I'm looking forward to my cheerios tomorrow. So this weekend I'll share some aspects you might not know about me, but then maybe you do: -I gave a friendly hello to anyone with a cute dog, especially if they were just standing there.  I met a miniature schn...

Can you believe the amount of clouds in that photo?  I think we are on the third day of sunless skies.  I'm starting to wish for a ray to poke through and shine.  Just a little tiny wee one :)  Cloudy days are easy to photograph in, no sun to fight with, no changing angles, no changing camera settings or heading under a tree for shade. Yesterday was endlessly rainy, dreary, and humid.  I watched the rainfall with Frodo, me sighing and wondering when the sun would peek out.  He wanted to be outside, but drizzle is all he can tolerate-downpours are just not fun.  I know now that the duck pond probably has more than enough water after the past two days! Rainy days lead to some extra cleaning in the house, a little bit of daydreaming about the upcoming holidays and having all my children home.  I browsed through some patterns on Ravelry looking for ideas never settling on one, however I have some new thoughts for presents. Each fall I t...

There's been a whole lot of knitting going on around here.  I am plugging away at my sock yarn blanket, enjoying the color changes and loving the way the blanket is keeping me warm while I knit.  However, we have a temporary warm front today so I'll be shelving this project until the warm front passes. I finished one cowl and started another cowl.  A simple variation of the grey loop cowl .  When I get a chance I will write up what I did.  This time around my wool is alpaca so I went down a couple of needle sizes.  I'm pleased with how this cowl is knitting up.  I'm planning on one more cowl after this one and then maybe that will be it. My reading is the same, The Signature of All Things .  I do love the writing but sometimes the story ebbs and flows.  I find that when the characters are interacting and there's conversation, I'm wrapped in the story, flipping pages faster and faster.  When the author goes into long descriptions...

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. October is turning out to be a spectacular month to behold.  Each day I walk about outside and notice something different.  This photo was taken before the leaves were mowed and blown to the side. The oak trees have barely started so there's more to come. The weekend was an at home weekend kicked off by dinner out with our daughter Friday night.  We shopped a bit afterwards then headed home.  Saturday, I cleaned and readied the house, taking my time and stopping for some much needed knitting breaks. Sunday after church and more kitchen preparations, we welcomed to our house my daughter and her fiance and his parents.  We had a fabulous time getting to know each other and share our life's tidbits. For dinner we had grilled chicken, roaste...

Oh Autumn, you thrill me so!  In honor of a spectacular show of changing leaves and temperatures, I bring to you the happy list: -warm houses, cool breezes and a shift in the sunlight's angle -crunching leaves under foot -spying bouquets of mums in driveways, on porches and in stores -maple trees, oak trees, and walnut trees -squirrels who see the glass half full as they cross the roads -my deer who know me and I know them -blue skies, gray skies, cloudy skies, and rainy skies -fleece wearing mornings -pumpkins!!  on porch steps and in desserts -the scent of cinnamon and cloves -turning on the heat instead of the air conditioner -thoughts of holiday list making and gift making -wearing wool socks, mitts, cowls -hot cups of tea in the evening -country drives for aimless sight seeing miles What would make your Happy List this fine Friday? Have a wonderful weekend :)

Remember all of that car knitting?  Well I'm nearly done with the cowl I started last week.  I altered the pattern quite a bit and I think I'll be making more if I like how it blocks and wears.  I have a few skeins in my stash that would look lovely.  And this could be my Christmas knitting. My reading continues to be the same.  As I said last week, I'm enjoying the story and I'm taking forever to read the book. What are you knitting and reading this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

I finished this shawl a few weeks ago and was delayed sharing the results but here it is.  I enjoyed the construction of the shawl, short row shaping and asymmetry were paired together to create an almost triangular shawl. I wish that the shawl was bigger, much bigger.  I usually do not block garter stitch shawls aggressively because I love the garter stitch squish factor.  However, this shawl needed to be blocked for the length needed to wrap around comfortably.  Once blocked I was pleased with the shawl :) I wonder if a thicker yarn would have been a better choice?  If I do make this shawl again, that is what I would chose-a heavy fingering weight.  I loved how the pattern was written, and the construction was fun to watch unfold.

Weekends are for memory making,  relaxing and enjoying quiet moments of our days.   If you would like, please share your weekend moments  in the comment section with a link to your blog. This weekend I traveled to London, Ontario to visit my husband's parents.  The weekend was jammed packed with activities.  We managed to spend a bit of time in the downtown area.  While walking I saw this fabulous artwork that begged to be photoed. And that is the ONLY photo of the weekend :)  I find wall art on this grand scale amazing.  I cannot even begin to imagine the planning, the scaffolding and the amount of paint that goes into these creations. My weekend contained: -seeing the trees in PA, NY and ONT in the beginning leaf color changes -hours of knitting, car knitting and talking knitting. -seeing my breath while taking a walk because the air was chilly -missing my dog every time I saw someone walking their dog -getting throug...

Today feels like a lifetime away since I went back home to be with my family for my uncle's funeral.  While there, summer was surging on, flowers were abundant and traces of fall were only evident from the pumpkins on my sister's patio table.  Was it only two weeks ago? Moments ebb and flow, we gather, we mourn, we gather, we celebrate.  Oh life is wonderful with the ups and downs on a roller coaster.  Seasons seems to flicker by faster and faster.  I stop and capture the moment with my camera, trying to memorize that second-what I see and hear.  The hum of the cars down below my hill, the leaves changing colors before me.  Squirrels are scampering and acting foolish in their darting about, nut gathering becomes a frantic activity involving death defying road crossings. I want October to last forever.  I want the leaves, the chill and the coziness of the month to drag on and on.  I know it won't.  I will one day wake up, the...

Yesterday I posted about my hitofude cardigan , I think I'm going through cardigan knitting withdrawal...As I type this post, I'm wearing it and smiling with sheer joy!  All knitting should be this joyful.  Anyways, I started a Christmas project!  I'm knitting a grey loop cowl , but following the pattern quite loosely.  The yarn is dream in color smooshy  that has been in my stash for a while.  This is perfect tv knitting. My reading is the same, The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Overall I do like the novel but as you know I read at night and sometimes I'm tired and  -poof- I'm asleep.  I think I need to read this during the day so I get engrossed and stay awake. What are you reading and knitting this week? Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams