Autumn trees swept with dawn
Look as if they've been lacquered,
Rooted around an old battlefield.
The mist lingers here like ghosts.
Deng Ming Dao

Man oh man it's been a crazy time around here.  We had a wonderfully relaxing vacation the end of August and since then I feel as though I have been chasing my tail in circles.  With 2 back to back show weekends, orders and a yarn club that went out a full month late due to production problems at one of the mills that I use, it has been b.u.s.y and stressful.
Yesterday was the first day in a long time that I didn't get up, throw on the dye uniform and stumble out to the studio to work and it felt glorious!

I have managed to get out for a walk 3 or 4 times a week though and took one day off to see my youngest daughter to take her shopping for some business attire.  It was an amazingly beautiful day to go for a ride with the foliage in full bloom. 
Autumn up here has been exceptionally colorful this year, so between visiting Hannah and getting out to walk, I was fortunate to take some beautiful pictures of our Northern NH fall.

The reds and oranges have been more vivid than they have been in a number of years.  I have been living up here for almost 25 years now and the display of color that we are always gifted up here never grows old. Every year I am always humbled to witness it.

I snapped this picture on my morning walk today and you can see now that a lot of the trees are now losing their leaves.  It was a very brisk and windy morning that had me reaching for my mittens and hat as I headed down the road.  There's no doubt about the chill in the air and what's to come.

I will keep these treasures in my heart and mind until the trees come alive with color again next year. 🙂
 ~
Have a wonderful weekend in your corner of the world.

I love Autumn…it's my most favorite time of year.  Yes, I know it is the season before the one we may not love quite as much, but I always embrace it every year.  It is a celebration of color before the quietness of early winter settles in.
While I love the amazing display of color that we will see in a few weeks up here in the mountains, I also love the quiet dusty colors of early fall that greet me on my morning walks. 
So soothing….it makes me smile.
So, I thought today that I would would share some random thoughts that run though my mind on my daily walks.

• I am so fortunate to have my daily walk in such a beautiful place that makes my heart smile.
• Damn pigeons!  The summer birds are leaving now and the pigeons are settling in again on the electric wire that goes through our side yard and will eventually try to settle on our roof when winter arrives.  Not a fan!  Sling shot?  The summer birds obviously feel the same way as they shun them away.

• What are my priorities today….not always easy for an ADD drifting mind, but I do try to make a mental list as I walk.
• Oh…the cows are out in the field near the road today….Hi girls!"
• Flo Rida's new song, "I don't like it, I love it" as I complete my first mile makes me smile.
• The bills…blerg, what do I need to do to stay on pace today.  Yes, my mind works overtime.
• Family…each one of the songs on my playlist makes me think about one of my children and Ken.  These songs empower me as I walk along.
• The MOUNTAINS!  So beautiful and never changing.
• Watching the seasons change.  Each season brings it's own beauty on my path, I love my path…it's so beautiful.
• Damn…that last hill…suck it up and get it done!
• A break at the traffic light to sit and catch my breath when the light is red…thank you!
• The light tells me go…..almost home….second cup of coffee and planning out my day.

  …and there you have it, a little glimpse into what runs through my mind as I walk.  Nothing life changing or earth shattering, but it's never a quiet mind.
  I will leave you with a portion of my favorite Vivaldi Four Seasons….Autumn.

I want to make myself an empty room.
Quiet whitewashed walls with slant sunshine
And a fresh breeze through open windows.
Deng Ming ~ Dao

This has been a busy work week for sure!  Given that one of the yarn mills that I typically deal with could not get the yarn to me that I needed for the August yarn club after patiently waiting for many weeks, I switched gears and went with a different base yarn from another reliable yarn mill.

While I was waiting, I took some time to process the pictures that Ashley was so kind to model in the Moon Shadow Shawl designed by Romi Hill.
I've already told you how much I enjoyed knitting it and every day when it greets me in the shop, it makes me smile.
It was a wonderful knit!

The yarn for the yarn club mailing finally arrived on Monday and the dye-pots have been full steam ahead.  Most of the yarn is now dyed and either drying or shipped thankfully.
After dyeing this yarn, I'm thinking this base may have been a better choice.  It's been delightful to work with!

Next week will be a busy week getting ready for Amy Herzog's retreat in Sebasco Maine and then the following weekend with be my favorite Fryeburg Fair.
I am so looking forward to visiting and chatting with old and new customers!

“Hark, now hear the sailors cry,
smell the sea, and feel the sky
let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic…”
~ Van Morrison

9 years ago, I decided that every year on my birthday weekend I wanted to journey to the ocean to spend time watching whales and embracing their gentle spirits.
My birthday falls on a difficult day in history and this has been the way I have chosen to celebrate my day while thinking of those who were lost, in a quiet way.

For numerous reasons, I told Ken that we could skip this year, but after reading this story, it reminded me of why I want to go every.single.year.
This is longer than my usual Friday Sparkle, but it touched my heart and spirit..

This year we were treated with a visit from over 150 dolphins which we were told was very unusual this far north in the waters we were traveling.  What a treat to see these beautiful animals jumping and swimming all around us!

We also spent time with the 2 whales above…a mother and her baby.  It was fascinating to watch the baby nurse, coming up on one side of her mother and then the other for a long spell before they showed us their tails and went down for a deep dive.
It was a beautiful and extra sparkly day!
~
Tomorrow we are heading off to the marshes of Maine to kayak.  It will probably be our last ocean visit of the year. 

I'm always sad to reach this point in the season, but the ocean is forever unchanging and it will be there again for us next summer.  I think this is why I love the ocean…it always just is.
Have a wonderful weekend!!

Pattern:  Three Sisters Shawl
Designer:  Anne Podlesak
Yarn:  The Woolen Rabbit Lucent
Colorways:  Suede and Butterscotch Pudding

I am now in my 11th year of blogging and have met some of the most wonderful people.  Some of which have become my best and dearest friends.  Amongst these friends is the person who introduced me to the world of blogging all those years ago, Anne Podlesak of Wooly Wonka Fiber

Anne and I met through our love of angora rabbits and became fast friends, having a lot of things in common…our rabbits, our dyeing and our love of beautiful designs.  Over the years, her designing talent has grown so much and she is now a very talented designer.
We have collaborated on a number of projects over the years and I have to say that this shawl is one of my most favorites.  It is knit with my Lucent yarn and these colorways are 2 of my favorites.  Such lovely fall colors.  A perfect time of year to knit this shawl!

I love the attention to detail in this design. It is so beautiful.
Go on over to Amazon and take a peek.  You just may want to pre-order this book filled with scrumptious patterns!
~
Thanks Anne!

Imagination is pale and fragile,
Dreams grip with a false reality.
Imagination can build bridges,
Dreams can deceive.
Deng Ming~Dao

It's no secret that my ADD gets the best of me at times, so I have learned that while I am dreaming of that sweater I can see myself wearing if I do not swatch….I usually run into trouble.

I have been busy working on the less exciting parts of knitting which is swatching.  I am swatching a new yarn, Neshobe, with the needle sizes that would be usually recommended and also swatching for a looser knit sweater, Helvetica, with a larger needle in 2 different yarn bases.

An example of my ADD brain is that I frequently do not read directions carefully.  I have been diligently working on my Morning Coffee sweater.  I finished the back, the sleeves and both fronts while we were on vacation, but then came the moment……….crap!

I am using Amy Herzog's Custom Fit, which is a wonderful program, but you have to remember to go back and forth between the pattern and the custom pattern and I totally missed that I needed to keep the first 8 stitches in moss stitch.  In my mind I was thinking I would have to pick up the button band and then there was that OH NO moment.  Yes, Kim, you need to read directions slowly.
I ripped out both fronts on the beach and have been slowly working my way back.  The second front is almost finished now and I should be wearing this sweater soon. 🙂

In addition to the knitting, I have been working on pictures for my website.  This is a glimpse of my finished Moon Shadows Shawl that I will talk about more next week.  I love Ashley's little Indigo Moon that works so perfectly with this Moon Shadows Shawl designed by the very talented Romi.

Last year, I had the opportunity to work with Elizabeth Doherty of Blue Bee Studio, and what a fun adventure it has been!  I love her work and I love that I get to call her friend.

Elizabeth was one of the talented designers who designed a pattern for last year's "Once Upon A Time" yarn club choosing Rumpelstiltskin as her fairy tale and created the most beautiful hat spun out of a golden yarn and named it "Into Gold".  I fell in love with the hat and Elizabeth fell in love with the stitch pattern…thus the e-book, Metal Works was created.

All of the designs feature a similar stitch design along with the lovely coin stitch that edges these "Copperline" mitts.  All of the designs were knit with our DK weight yarn Emma and one of the shawls that you see above was also knit with Opal in the larger size.  (more about the shawl in a bit)

Then there was another fun hat called "Antimony".…I really love this one, especially with the fun pom-poms on the ends.  Shown here in the Silver Fox colorway, created just for this hat.

If you like something fast and easy, while still stylish….these "Redox" boot cuffs are the perfect choice.  I think even this painfully slow knitter could crank these out in a weekend!

Last but not least is my favorite design in the group…."Rose Gold".
Knit here in the Rose Quartz Colorway, this shawl knit with Emma is just beautiful.
This is the smaller sized version of the shawl.  I know what I will be knitting this fall…I love it!

Shown here in Opal is the larger version and again, such a beautiful, beautiful design!

You can purchase this e-book here on Ravelry
…and you can visit Elizabeth's page here…it's a beautiful website.
~
Thank you Elizabeth!!

Friday's Sparkle is brought to you by the start of Football Season and a sparkling win for our New England Patriots!  Go Pats!!

It is also my birthday and a day that is and will probably remain an internal struggle for me and all of the others who share their day on September 11th.
It's hard to find the right balance between celebration and mourning, but it can be found.
Life is short and while we may wander and get lost we have to go back to the places that ground us, especially in times of tragedy. 
Next Friday, I will share my grounding place and what a Sparkly day it was indeed!
My heart and prayers are with the families who are missing their loved ones today.

Oh, I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow
Leapin and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow

Pattern:  Moon Shadows
Designer:  Rosemary Hill
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Opal
Colorway:  Rose Quartz and Figgy Pudding

I have to admit that this shawl has been finished for quite some time, but because I loathe blocking shawls, it has been patiently waiting.  Seriously though, this was one of the easier shawls I have blocked, so why did I wait so long?
Can you see it??? I just groaned when I saw the hole. Thankfully it is not a bunch of dropped stitches, so it should be an easy fix.

This has been one of my most favorite knits.  Romi is a genius when it comes to pattern designing.  I love her charts and clear explanations.  I was truly sad when this shawl came to an end.  It was like reading the best book or spending time with a friend.  A true joy to work on.

As you can see, the details in this shawl are exquisite.  I will be heading up to Plymouth with Ken to help Hannah with a few things in her apartment this weekend so I am hoping to snag Ashley for a little bit of modeling, as she lives close by.  More to come soon.
~
Thank you Romi!

Carole says…."When it’s a holiday weekend, the Ten On Tuesday topic is 10 Things I Did This Weekend." Ready?
I'm ready!

1.  Ok, so this picture completely cracks me up and if you saw the comment war between my son and his best friend, it would have made your weekend…ha!

2.  The picture above was taken during our family Labor Day party on Sunday.  I am kind of working backwards here.  Sunday before Saturday, but this was just to rich not to start off with.  I love the stink eye my littlest grandson is giving here…ha!  Both boys are just so precious!

3.  So…Friday night, our usual dinner at the Moat.  Sufficiently Lemon Dropped by my best bartender friend, Sherri.

4.  Up and out early for a Tai Chi class in Bridgeton, Maine.  It's a little bit of a haul, but traveling with friends and the reward that we get from the class is worth it!

5.  Weeding out and clipping back the dead heads in my flower garden.  God bless my flowers, they are thriving in spite of me.

6. Playing Bananagram with Ken after dinner Saturday night.  I worry about my aging brain, so I am determined to fight genetics….and I have completely remembered why I so loved some of these games after years of refusing to play.  Silly me!

7. Trying out a fancy Pinterest appetizer on the fly.  Um…no.  They may have tasted good, but they were U.G.L.Y.

8.  Eating too many of those Pinterest apps even though I knew they were full of things that would make me groan the next day. (and I did)

9.  A Labor day spent not laboring, but rather relaxing on the beach after the morning chores were finished.  The beach was full of red tide and kind of gross….but you can never steal away the sounds of the waves and seagulls.  It is a sound that my heart will always remember and love.

10.  Embracing the end of summer and getting ready for the amazing season that is coming.