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!!

So, how was your weekend?  Did you enjoy the amazing weather that we had here in the Northeast?  I do love these brisk mornings and warm sunny days…I hope that they stay around for a while.

I had a busy weekend and believe it or not I once again headed towards the ocean, but this time it was to take some senior pictures of Hannah.  It was pretty chilly with the wind coming off the water, so we didn't linger too long, but it was still beautiful all the same.

I've been having some real problems with my back again (grrrrr…), so I took the day yesterday to rest it.  I alternated between working on my Bluemoon socks and an online photoshop class, so I can learn how to better process pictures for my website and Hannah's yearbook picture.  What have I learned?  I learned that I have a LOT to learn…LOL.  You will be seeing my progress as I go along here….hopefully it will start to click in my memory, but right now it's a little daunting.

Have a great start to your week!

Kicking a pebble by the side of the road,
Watching it tumble pell-mell.
Chance and randomness become order.
Deng Ming~Dao

This picture probably is a completely meaningless picture to most of you, but to my children it will be bring big smiles.  When Ken and I were spending a few days in Newburyport this week, I snapped off this picture of the board walk along the wharf where the kids and I spent many enjoyable days.  This one's for you kids. 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend in your corner of the world!

Another pair of socks finished!  I started these socks while we were on vacation this summer.  Made from the same Claudia Handpaint, I had better luck with completing full socks this time around.  I love the mindlessness this pattern offers….so easy to knit in the car or when visiting with friends…around and around and around.

Normally I am not a fan of yarn that pools, but this particular yarn when it pooled made me think of Cherry Tootsie Roll pops, which were one of my favorite treats when I was a kid.  That yummy cherry flavor mixed with the chewy chocolate….Mmmmmm! 

Do you remember this commercial when you were a kid?  I do…I was 11 years old and loving every bit of that tootsie roll pop. 🙂

I may have to go pick up one for old time's sake…LOL

If you read my Ten on Tuesday list yesterday you saw that one of the things I have really been trying to include is some time at either a spinning wheel or this little electric spinner.  The fiber that is sitting on this is from FatCatKnits.  It was part of a paired colorway.  The skein that you saw last week was the other color.

I had seen these fabulous mittens (scroll down a bit)on Pat's page last year and really wanted to make them, so I scooped up one of the last packages of this Mixed Blessing paired colorway. Now I just have to find the pattern.

I've been wanting to learn a bit more about colorwork and how much more fun if the yarn is hand spun.  Pat is wonderful about using her handspun yarns…I need to try to do that more often too.  Check out some of her fabulous projects!

…and this was another thing that I enjoy on the weekends.  I actually was able to spend the entire day sewing last Saturday.  It's been a while since I have been able to do that.  I can't show you what this fabric became yet, but I can tell you that working with it was SO much fun!

….now I'm off to do some work. :-)  Have a great day!

Carole's Ten on Tuesday this week is  10 Things You Love To Do on the Weekend, so here we go….

1.  Exploring new places.  This weekend we visited Strawbery Banke for the first time and really enjoyed it.

2.  Visiting old favorites.  We also spent an evening and day in Newburyport as well.

3.  Spending time with Ken.  Now that the kids are all older, we have been enjoying a little more freedom away from the house.

4.  Football in the fall.  We usually plan our weekends around the Patriot's game..not always, but usually.

5. Visiting with family.  My parents almost always come for a visit on Sunday afternoon if we are home.

6.  Spending an afternoon sewing, knitting or spinning.  I don't have much time during the week, so I really look forward to squeezing in some time over the weekend.

7. Going to the gym.  It's quieter on the weekend and I really enjoy my time there when it is quiet.

8.  Friday night's wine and dinner out with Ken

9.  Waking up in the morning knowing that I do not have to jump up and get working.

10. Sitting out in the yard enjoying the garden and the birds who call my yard home.

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?