Fall Cooking Weather

We are just too warm and dry around here. I suppose there will be a time when I feel whiney about it being too cool soon enough, but right now I just want it to be cooler. It was supposed to rain this weekend. It was cloudy and cool, but we never got any rain. It still felt like Fall and I felt like cooking. I haven't felt inspired to cook much lately. It was fun. It's supposed to be much warmer again tomorrow.
Wednesday was Yarn Deli's 2nd Anniversary. They had a great sale. I wish I had decided already what I want to make for the holidays so I could have bought the yarn on sale. I still got a few skeins for other things. I have been spending lots of time on Ravelry trying to find the inspiration to get started for holiday gifts.
Finished my Wollmeise Sonne Crusoe socks last week and I LOVE them. I am almost finished with my third string bag. I may finish tonight if I get off the computer. I started some socks with colors that remind me of my dad this week. I am designing for my brother for Christmas. Owl socks. I am adapting Ruthieknits Owl Hat to make a design on a pair of socks

Two new projects and lots of cooking

I've been in the mood to finish things for a while rather than starting new projects. All of a sudden I want to cast on again. So I did.





This is my Dream Swatch. I am using Lion brand Incredible. I have several balls of this that need using and it is a pretty colorway.











These are my attempt at Sidewinder socks. I am using KnitPicks Bare that I hand dyed a few months ago. I am not at all sure they will fit when I am done. If they don't I guess someone will be getting a pretty pair of socks for Christmas.
Spent hours baking pumpkin and making pie and breads and soup and roasted pumpkin seeds. Hmmm, is that all I ended up making? Of course I had to go grocery shopping in the midst of it all.
I love extra days off on the weekends. It gives me the feeling that I can do what I really want. Just can't wait til Thanksgiving week when I have the whole week off, well not counting cooking some more.

Lazy day???

Well, I didn't go anywhere. My close friend Leigh Ann came by to bring me a copy of Crazy Aunt Pearl's book.Then my wonderful cousin Mark dropped by with his gorgeous daughter to say "hi," and show my son how to play Bach's Partida #3 on guitar. Three visitors in one day, what a blessing.
I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Then knitted. Made Salmon Chowder, then Pot Roast. I was going to make Apple pie, but ran out of steam. I think I may have caught the cold everyone else seems to have. I had a glass of wine, but my headache isn't any better.
I finished the back of the "Tiger" cat sweater for Merlin. I bound it off rounded along the bottom so that it will cover more of Merlin's back. He seems to be sore there a lot. I thought keeping it warm might help a little.
I've been checking out knitting blogs. It's been a while since I have spent any time doing that. Firefly at I Live on a Farm made me wish I could run back to the Adirondacks to see the leaves change color. Our camp is so close to Blue Mountain Lake where she went last week. I've never seen the change of seasons being a native Californian. I was hoping to change that soon. Just can't think how to get away from work on a year when our principal has warned us not to take any unnecessary time off. Is it necessary to see leaves change color? Is it possible to continually put life on hold for work? Of course it's possible, most people do it all the time. I've done it most of my life. If I knew I would never be questioned about it I would do it in a minute, but this is my evaluation year.

Happy Easter!

It was a very quiet Easter. Paul barbequed the ham and some beef ribs and I made the rest of the food inside. My youngest daughter made cookies and dyed eggs. (I'm saving the dye in case I can finish a pair of socks tonight to dye in it. I thought it would be fun to dip dye some springtime color socks.) My younger son helped our friends move. He got home about 5 minutes before the food was ready. Great timing. My older daughter and son celebrated elsewhere. My oldest son is in New York still. He's saving his leave to get out of the army early. My oldesr daughter had plans with her boyfriend's family. Hopefully next year we'll be spending our holidays together.

These are the washclothes I've been making my sister-in-law. I adapted the dragonfly pattern with each cloth. The pink one was the last and I am happiest with the shape of the head. The original one seemed to have antennae.
This is a wrap I've been working on. I have used more than half of one of the yarns and can't find any more of it so it will be slightly less than twice this length. I think it will be acceptable. I wish I'd cast it on a little narrower so it would be longer. The mohair is too clingy to consider frogging it to start again. Perhaps blocking it will help. I really love the stitch pattern and color though. I can't wait to wear it.