Touch of Fall

Here in very South, Southern California we still can look forward to another month of summer weather. We don't dare put the fans away until Thanksgiving - it's a superstitious thing. If you put the fans away or make soup we'll be slammed by a Santa Ana within days - don't laugh! I've seen it happen too many times to tempt fate. (Many years we put the fans away to make room for the Christmas Tree.)

Saying that, I'm going to wave a red flag in the weather gods face and show you the first red leaf on our Liquid Amber tree.


Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the colors in the trees, enjoy the family around the table with it dark outside and I especially love the foods of Fall.I picked the last of the tomatoes off the bush yesterday; we sure are going to miss the taste of fresh tomatoes.


Maybe this touch of Fall will finally inspired me to finish some of my knitting projects. All summer I haven't been able to focus on a single project. I've started a dozen different things and still felt at loose ends. None of my projects have really felt like they were doing it for me; my knitting has been spread through out the house. The Totem sweater was the living room sofa project, Mystery Shawl 3 was the family room project, I made a baby sweater that traveled room to room over the hot Labor Day weekend (I actually finished it, washed and blocked it this morning - picture next time), there's the UFO bolero sweater I pulled out thinking maybe an old project would hold my interest, then there's the three socks that are piled waiting for me to just sit down and kitchner the toes and three other sock patterns that I have in various stages. That doesn't count the four or five projects that just weren't right and were frogged. I have no idea what my problem was this summer; sure hope Fall will cure this severe case of startitis.

I did finish my Tour de Fleece spinning project. Remember the dyed fleece that the squirrel drug around the backyard? Here it is finished; bright isn't it?

fingering weight, 2ply, (haven't counted to figure out the yardage)

Of course, my knitting quagmire hasn't stopped me from buying more yarn!!
Working in a yarn shop is dangerous to my wallet; rarely do they have to pay me. My daughter bought me a pin for my birthday that says it all


So here's the yarn:
Mama Blue in Penny,


Paca Peds, a superwash 20% Alpaca, 65% Wool and 15% Nylon
in 604 Fireside (left) and 605 Deep Seas (right)
the colors are as rich in person as in their portraits


And last of my acquisitions are two installments from the Simply Socks Yarn Company Sock Yarn Club. The first is from Sleeping Dragon Yarn called Ramble

I have my reservations about the color mix; have to wait and see how it knits up. The yarn feels and looks very nice.

The second yarn is Skinny Socks from Spunky Electric in "The Berry Brigade"

Now this is a yarn with me written all over it! It's a lighter fingering weight that I can see in socks but I think it would be a wonderful weight to use for lace. The label says US size 1-3 needles at 7-8 st per inch.

Annie can hardly wait for Fall and cooler weather; the colder the better.
She's so over Summer!