Fall

I very much enjoy fall. Yesterday I went to the post office downtown and got to drive through some of the neighborhoods near downtown. I like those neighborhoods. There are places where the houses are not so nice, but for the most part (at least where I was yesterday), the houses are well-maintained. And they're not in a subdevelopment, so they have individual characters and it makes them more interesting to look at. There are lots of trees that have been there for a long time, and they're all changing colors and are gorgeous to look at. The wind and the rain yesterday caused a lot of the leaves to fall off, so the trees are getting more and more bare. But the colorful carpets of leaves that cover the lawns and sidewalks make me smile. I also like that once I finish a knitting project, I can wear it immediately. The weather is now appropriate for knitwear. I've been wearing my wool socks, now that I have a few pairs that I can wear frequently. I forgot to post a picture of the socks that I finished most recently. I like them. They're the perfect fall socks.


The pattern is Monkey by Cookie A, and I've lost the band, so I don't remember the brand or colorway of the yarn. I love the socks, though. I finished them last week, and wore them the next day. I also wore them again yesterday. They're even better after a washing.

I finished my flip-top mittens, too. They didn't take very long. I wore them today for the first time. It was chillier this morning than yesterday, so I thought it was perfect for a trial run. They kept my fingers nice and toasty, and I had the benefit of being able to flip back the top to use my fingers as necessary. They only issue I have with them is when I picked up stitches across the back of the hand to knit the flip-top part, I didn't go all the way to the outside edge on either one. It's not a huge deal, and if it really bothers me I can tack the edge down with a darning needle and extra yarn. But, for making them up on the fly, and the first pair of flip-top mittens I've ever made, I think they're pretty good.



I've also been making yummy things. Yesterday I baked pumpkin bread. I found a lower calorie recipe on allrecipes.com. I ended up using a whole cup of buttermilk (well, sour milk, actually) by accident. I soured a whole cup of milk and intended to only use half (and save the other half for the next time I make it). But, without thinking, I dumped the whole thing in. It turned out fine, though. I didn't even have to extend the baking time. It's very moist, and tastes great. I had two pieces last night and three so far today. I'm currently making apple butter. It's done in the slow cooker, so it takes quite a while. Slicing and peeling a 5 lb. bag of apples takes a while. The apples have to cook for about 12 hours total, so it'll be done around 10:00 tonight. Hopefully it's worth all the effort! I have a few more recipes to try in the next couple of days. We'll see how those turn out, too.

Endings and Beginnings

I finally finished the argyll kilt hose I had been working on. Here is the finished object:

I actually finished them on Sunday. They have been blocked, but took nearly all day Monday to dry completely. I haven't quite made it to the post office yet to get them sent off. My guilt over that is assuaged by my suspicion that I've contracted the ever popular H1N1 flu and that I shouldn't be in public. My days of illness have given me lots more knitting time. The raging headache and general malaise makes practicing a non-event, so I've been watching shows on Hulu and knitting. Kind of a lot. And mostly for me. I have been working on the finishing details of Katrina's sweater. The ruffle collar takes an eternity to get through one row. And it's 11 rows. Normally, that would seem easy. But each row takes about an hour to get through. No joke. So, it's slowly progressing. Plus (sorry, Katrina), I'm feeling selfish. I want to knit things for me. Here's what I've got so far:

The first picture is the back of a sweater I've started for me. It's simple...stockinette stitch, nothing fancy. But I have a feeling I'll wear it a lot once it's done. The second project, as you might be able to tell, is a mitten. It'll be one of those convertible, flip-top mittens. I've got the main body of the hand finished, I'm currently on the thumb, then I need to do the flip-top part. This will be perfect for the winter since they'll keep my fingers warm, but I'll still be able to use my iPhone without having to remove an entire glove.

Observations

1. When I have several things going on, I blog much less.

2. I'm really tired of working on these argyll kilt hose. These ones are small and I'm over halfway done with the second sock. But I want them done, and I want them done now. I have other projects that I would like to work on, and Christmas gifts to get started. I did finish the green kilt hose and delivered them to their owner in Portland a week and a half ago. I actually dropped them off at his wife's store, as he and his wife were out of town that weekend. I haven't heard how he likes them, but I think they turned out pretty well.


3. I think the cold makes me tired more. Since the weather turned I've been a lot more tired. That, or I'm still getting used to my new schedule. I'm teaching the 5th grade strings classes at a few schools, and I have to be there by 7:20 am. That's early for me. I'm not a morning person. Maybe it's just that getting up early on a regular basis makes me more sleepy, even if I go to bed on time. Also, I have a headache today, which doesn't help with feeling tired. And before you ask, yes, I take my vitamins and as far as I know I'm getting sufficient levels of iron.

That's all for today...nothing too fascinating.