Pattern:  Rimefrost
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Pearl
Colorway:  Blue Moon
Needles:  US 2.25

Whew….they're finished!  I LOVE, love, love how they came out, but these were not the easiest of socks to knit.  Anne's sock patterns usually have a very easy flow to them and I can usually toss aside the charts early on, but not so with this pair.  I had set these aside during the summer for some easy beach knitting, so I waited for the cooler temps and quiet days to get back at knitting these.  I'm so happy that I didn't toss them in the UFO pile!  Speaking of that pile, I am working on finishing a few things up including another challenging sock.

I am really pleased with how Pearl knit up……beauiful stitch definition and still soft.  Yay…I can't wait to wear them!

I spent Columbus day putting the summer's garden beds to rest.  As you can see from this picture that I had let it just keep growing, and growing and growing.

The month of August was a crazy busy and fairly stressful one with Woolen Rabbit demands and September was pretty much a bust for working in the garden because of back issues, so as you can see things are pretty darn over-grown, but not any more.  All of the beds, except for the herb bed have been emptied and turned over for winter's rest.  I did leave some carrots in to sweeten over the next few weeks though.

This year's garden had some high points and low points.  Tomatoes, peppers and corn really didn't do that well.  I had enough roma tomatoes to freeze a number of quarts of sauce, but my heirlooms did nothing…boo.  Broccoli on the other hand was the plant that kept giving and giving and giving.  We had amazing broccoli all summer and I collected another batch when I pulled the plants out.  Bush beans, lettuce, carrots and onions all did well too.  The herbs were amazing this year.  That bed is exploding right now with herbs to dry…and as you can see my marigolds were ginormous!

Remember earlier in the spring I did some companion planting.  I can honestly say that I don't think it made a whole lot of difference.  I didn't find that one thing did better than usual in the garden other than the broccoli, but the Rosemary didn't keep those pesky cabbage loopers away. 

Next year I will try a few different things.  Now that the kids are mostly grown there is not the same need to plant so much.  I really love strawberries, so I think I may try dedicating a bed for strawberry plants.  I will plant less tomato plants, but definitely a yellow tomato plant.  I discovered how much I really love them in a Caprese salad…mmm.

Every year when I face the task of putting the beds to rest I groan because it is a lot of work, but when it's finished those empty beds make me smile.  Another clean slate for next year…..

This week's ten on Tuesdays top is 10 things you did this weekend.
This is a good topic for me today as my weekend was pretty full. Full enough that this was the only picture I took all weekend…sheesh!

1.  Lot's of people watching (you learn so much about people by quietly observing)
2.  Spent time with my fiber sisters
3.  Spun up a braid of roving
4.  Wove a scarf (almost finished)
5.  Blueberry Crisp…mmmmm
6. Color inspiration from the Poultry Barn
7. Finished a round of Prednisone and I'm feeling a little more human again
8.  Enjoyed the amazing foliage on my trip into the fairgrounds every morning
9.  Shared Sunday afternoon with Ken at the fair….he's a great Woolen Rabbit helper
10. Enjoyed dinner with a good friend who lives too far away now.

There were a few other things that happened as well, but best one….all of the downstairs floors have been installed.  Ken did an amazing job, but I will save that for another post.

What did you do on your weekend?

Remember I mentioned that I might take a short trek around town to snap off some pictures?  Well it turned out that Tuesday was the only day this week that saw the sun shine for more than 10 minutes and those 10 minutes were only minutes here and there.  It's been a very dreary week with a lot of rain and clouds, which makes me feel a bit sad for all of the people who travel from near and far to see the amazing NH mountain foliage.  It's still so beautiful, but a little less enjoyable with the clouds and rain.

Tomorrow promises to be a beautiful day however and the scenery above is what I see each day when I walk out the door into my yard.  I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place, and for the last 22 years that I have been up here, each autumn season still even now continues to take my breath away.

….and as I walk out the door tomorrow to my car, it's off to the Fair I go. 
Have a great weekend!!

as
I am running into the house for a quick break.  The skein winders are
clacking away, labels are printing and the loom is strung for a
merino/silk scarf that I will share with you next week when it is
completed.

I hope that you have a wonderful day in your corner of the world ~

The mind that turns ever outward
Will have no end to craving.
Only the mind turned inward will find a still-point of peace.
Deng Ming~Dao

Well I am in the thick of getting ready for Fryeburg Fair.  It's not as crazy as in past years because I am only doing the weekend, but the few days before a show are always busy ones….and sometimes when you are trying to do 10 things at a time, something usually happens and not always good.

You see that sweet adorable bunny that I got from Julie of Little Cotton Rabbits?  Do you see that shoe?  Yep, a tub of powdered dye fell and voila…that pair of shoes is now a pair of slippers…boo.

Shortly after all of this happened however I received such an uplifting phone call from Ashley that quickly brought me back to my center and helped me find pespective again….thanks Ash…I needed that. 🙂
It's going to be a fun weekend!

As September came to a close it gave one last gift…..this amazing nightline as the moon rose!

I love the big harvest moon that we see this time every year…..and why is it referred to as the Harvest moon?

The shorter-than-usual time between moonrises around the full Harvest Moon means no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for days in succession. In the days before tractor lights, the lamp of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather their crops, despite the diminishing daylight hours. As the sun’s light faded in the west, the moon would soon rise in the east to illuminate the fields throughout the night.  (earthsky.org)

Even amongst the clouds in the sky, the moon was so beautiful and bright!  I hope it was clear enough for you to enjoy as well.  Maybe even again tonight. 🙂

Wow….how did it get to be October already?  It seems like it was just yesterday I was telling you all the reasons why I love September and now it has past…poof, just like that.  I did have a lot of fun last month however and I am looking forward to the first full month of Autumn.  Foliage is in full swing here, but the weather has been a pretty damp and dreary, so there has not been much picture taking. Tomorrow promises to be a beautiful day up here in the mountains, so maybe then…it is SO amazingly beautiful up here come this time of year.

You might be wondering what all of this has to do with the picture of yarn at the top.  Well, nothing at all really, except that it is the first of the month that I send a wholesale order to The Yarn Company in New York City.  As a rule of thumb I do not do wholesale because I am just a small business, but I really like the owner of this store, Tavy Ronen, so I send her a small order.  I will be sending her 50 skeins every other month in a yarn base that is only available in her store or when I go to shows.  It will not be available in my online store (but I will have it here in the studio)

This yarn is called Sumptuous Sock Yarn and is a sock weight blend of Merino,Cashmere and Nylon with a nice soft twist to it.  I really like it and I think some of you may as well.  This month's colorway that will be in her store is called Spiced Cider, perfect for the month of October.

If you are anywhere near The Yarn Company, go check them out….they have some wonderful yarns!

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

I love this little meditation and I actually designed my studio around it.  White walls both in our minds and in our space allows the colors all around us to be the stars.  There is no competition….the colors shine in all of their gloriousness.

This past week I have spent my time guarding the dyepots as they do their magic while I quietly spun on the little Hanson spinner.  The rovings are now all spun and the book has been purchased. (thank you Amazon for your inexpensive used books)
Each night as I retire for the day, I have spent time knitting my Blue Moon socks and once they are finished I will start Pat's lovely mittens.  Mine will be a bit different because I only spun a two ply (should have read post again), but I am sure they will be lovely.  The question for me will be…..can I do colorwork without it being waaay too tight. Time will tell. 🙂

…and a little more color…
I am so blessed to live where I do come this time of year when Mother Nature shares her own touch of color with us.  It always happens this very week, the week of
The Fryeburg Fair.

Normally I only get to enjoy the amazing color on my very early morning drive into the fairgrounds, but this year I decided to only do the last weekend of the fair so I didn't have to shut down my website.  I am thrilled that I will get to spend time with my fiber sisters, but I am also thrilled that I will get to enjoy our amazing foliage week…it's been many years since I have been able to do this.  Another bonus is that Ken and I will get to go to the fair together one evening this week, so there is lots to look forward to in the up coming week.

I hope that your week is just as special in your corner of the world…enjoy and embrace the colors in your life. 🙂

 

Every year for what seems like forever, Ken and I have always looked forward to the fall season of school sports.  For the last 15 years we have had a child play soccer, starting with my son, Miles who is now 30 (yikes!).  This year however, Hannah decided that she just didn't want to play and I won't say that I wasn't a little disappointed, although I understand it's just not her thing….she loves track but not soccer and that's ok.

So….when my granddaughter who entered middle school this year announced that she wanted to play soccer Ken was so happy.  He really enjoys attending the kids sporting events and McKayla is a very good little athlete, so it looks like there will be many more years of fall soccer in our future. 
Great job Mckayla!!