Happy Thanksgiving!

Just about Thanksgiving, and am engaged in the mad scramble to get ready. Going to the in-laws, where it is said no one is happy unless someone leaves crying. I used to be the one crying, but thank heavens for the gift of middle age and not caring.

I've been working on a sweater for Mom. I'm using woolly-nice Cottage Craft, dark blue. It's beautiful yarn, full of texture and squeezability. I've never used Bartlett Yarns, but I understand it is a lot like theirs. (The link is for informative purposes only and unfortunately, I would not recommend ordering from them. PM me if you would like to hear a bit of sadness.)

She had picked out a pattern called Sea Captain's Pullover (basic ribbed turtleneck) but just the thought of all that ribbing made my hands ache. Three patterns later, I started a sweater using the Top-Down Raglan Generator and have loved knitting it. I've made so many mistakes though, and have a sinking feeling she is going to look like pre-juiced Violet from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The fact that I threw in quite a few increases across the front, giving it a pulled in effect just under the neck, greatly enhances my mind's eye picture of Mom rolling around Maine as a blueberry.

She's going to love it.

The girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=8rpvSse1X0s

Carnival Tee

I finished this top a couple of weeks ago.  It is Carnival Tee, designed by Helene Rush and knit with Knit One Crochet Too's Ty Dy Cotton.  

I knit the skirt once and it was huge. It would have been too big for my husband. So I frogged and took a nice, three month break from it. After knitting it again, I did not try it on after finishing the shoulder straps. I remember as I set it down to work on the sleeves, a neon traffic sign the size of a billboard flashed across my brain, "That looks too short". The same image burned across my eyeballs when I forged ahead and knit the shoulder straps together, finished the neckline and attached the sleeves. Long story short, it is too short and only fits when wet. More than happy to bequeath it to a friend but I really should have known better! I'm happily knitting dishcloths now.

Walking Stick

Saw a walking stick today on the wall at work.  It's been a while since I've seen one!

Something

There is something in the woods tonight.  My girl has picked up a scent and has been yelling since we started out.  The cicadas are so loud, I can't hear if anything is there when she pauses to smell.  It makes Phoenix very nervous and stops often looking for me.  He used to lead the way.

Its getting dark so early now.

Red Salamander

We saw a red salamander today in the woods.  Its spots looked golden in the light.

Spent the weekend trying to lose myself, but wherever I went, there I was.

Angel's Rest

Finished these socks for Mom last week and loved knitting them.  Its a quick pattern (Peak Experience from Fiber Trends) and so pretty to me.  The colors of the yarn (Opal) remind me of baseball.  I love Opal.  It doesn't have as much softness as others, but I know these will last for years. 

Three pairs down, three to go for her.  I have a self imposed goal of sorts to finish by October.  It took me 19 days to finish Angel's Rest.  October is quite a while away, but I haven't started a few other projects yet - a hat for a co-worker, Tom's socks of the year, Fall shawl, Aunt Fran's birthday shawl.... and so it goes. 

Doing a sugar roll to check for mites with the bees later!   They seem to be doing really well.  We moved too fast by putting honey supers up and so removed them a couple weeks ago.   Solaris (hive #1) had 60% of the second brood chamber filled out.  We will be able to see how Helious is doing this afternoon.   We got them so late in the season, they are still building their colonies. They've been foraging in the clover and I hate to, but I have to mow the lawn.