Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!! the trick or treaters are going to get chilly here tonight.
It was a busy week last week but not much that was blog worthy, I had son's dog for a few days we had lovely weather for long walks I got my 10,000 steps in those days.  She forgot that at my house she has to stay in the kitchen or dining room I ran downstairs for something when I came up she was sitting on the carpet waiting for me so I sat in my spot in the sun room and read and knit for the duration for her visit. My sweater is the same color as her fur. In natural light they match, the flash really washed out the sweater.  Then son came and took her home so I had to vacuum and scrub the drool spots from the floor.

Darling daughter came for a long weekend since the guys went hunting again.  We spent a day shopping we bought apples from the orchard, I bought yarn and we had a delicious lunch.  The rest of the weekend we watched movies and I knit some more and she went home.  Then I did necessary things like rearranging my closet so I could get at my cozy warm sweaters without using a stool and put the short pants out of reach until next spring.  The trees are almost bare,  the wind is cold and the sky is grey tomorrow must be November.  --Ann--

Design Wall

 Sometimes it is just too hard to decide on the fabric for a completely new project so then I dig into the strips that are cut or the bags of leftovers.  Does anyone else have that problem??? What do I start on next???  I pulled out the neutrals from last winter,  In a Fog,  Crop Circles  I always learn something when I work in a series either using the same group of fabrics or the same pattern with different color palettes.  There will be sashing of a very light value and the cornerstones will be much darker.   There is an elegance with a neutral palette, I like more contrast in values with definite lights, mediums and darks.  I did this pattern years ago in earthy colors Hopscotch and Butterscotch and wondered how it would be in neutrals.  --Ann-- linking to Judy's DWM

On the needles

The autumn blaze maples to the east of our house turn more red every day, one of these next days they are all going to fall into a glorious fun filled heap unless the wind scatters them in all directions.  Growing up we had to go to a state park to play in the leaves because our trees just weren't big enough to produce a fun filled heap.  The giggles as we threw the leaves into the air and flopped unto the piles.  The sound of crouching leaves always takes me back to my childhood.

I have made progress on my sweater but since I am working on a short cable it just looks like a dishrag, a very soft expensive dishrag maybe next week there will be a photo.  Just plain knitting on the socks, the dark is a Regia 4 ply yarn by Schachenmayr and the red, black and yellow is Schoeller and Stahl yarn both are super wash.  The color changes are too long to really show off the slip stitch pattern of the Geek socks thanks to Judy for the link a couple weeks ago.  Shorter color changes would echo the zigzag of the slipped stitches better.  I'm going to keep going on these and see what happens when I start increasing for the gusset and the heel. Happily knitting as I watch the leaves fall.  --Ann-- linking to Judy's OTN

Red

--Ann--

Pink

--Ann--

Quilts on the Walls

Quilts on the wall it feel like home. I had a great week and weekend.  My oldest son took me out for supper and I had him all to myself, (hubby was off doing stuff).  Its such a treat to converse with my kids one on one like when they were little. Cherishing and making memories  --Ann--

On and Off the Needles

Another pair of socks for Christmas are finished!  I have one more pair to make for Christmas.  This yarn and pattern had been calling pick me, pick me!  It took 4 starts not counting the times I short guessed how much yarn I needed to cast on or I allowed way too much.  With the final cast on I watched some videos on how to slip slip purl and purl front and back.  The pattern looks so much nicer when those two things are done right.  A few more rows and I will divide for the sleeves and then it should knit fast.  I'm using Mrs. Crosby Train Case sock yarn the color is winter wheat and the pattern is Vida Dulce by Vera Sanon.     Its time to wear the hand knits here.  Linking to Judy's OTN  --Ann--

Sail Away finish

Machine quilting is so much fun when the tension is right.  I just sewed waves across the lower part of the block then  meandering clouds across each block.  All that is left is to sew a label then send it off to the new baby.  --Ann--

Shades of Orange

--Ann--

Fall Yellow

--Ann--

Sail Away

Somedays I sit down to do something and everything goes wrong.  Machine quilting on this was one of those things.  I could not get the thread tension right for anything.  I finally got the book out and adjusted the screw on the bobbin case and then the upper tension and adjusted and adjusted some more and I got it right.  Then I ripped everything that I had machine quilted.  Fortunately since the tension was so off it pulled right out.  Better days in the sewing room.  --Ann--