Kitties, fall harvest and knitting*

The kitties have been closely watching the birds that are hopping around the backyard these days. There have been robins, flickers and assorted sparrows.

Claus & Teddy are quite the team. Always checking out what the other one is doing and then deciding if it is interesting enough to participate.

We've been having wonderful Indian Summer the last week or so. Temperatures in the 70s and even 80s yesterday and also for today. But there are signs that fall and the unavoidable winter is on it's way.

The county road crew has been getting ready for the winter snows.

They have shaved the roadsides down as close as a new Army recruit's first haircut.

The freezing temperatures from a couple weeks ago has turned the leaves yellow on the trees and killed the soybeans and corn.

In the next day or two the late fall harvest will start. We could have really used more time for maturation of those crops but Mother Nature can't be deterred from her plans.

The wheat harvest was bit disappointing. The amount of straw suggested a big crop but the amount of grain in the heads was a different story. And the quality wasn't the best either. This summer just wasn't the best for any of the crops. It was too many things. Too cold. Too hot. Too wet. Too humid. But farmers are basically eternal optimists. Next year will be a whole new chance to try again.

And I'm doing another Iceling Cardigan. This time it is for a niece's partner who is expecting a little boy in December. The yarn is acrylic which I'm not totally happy about and I'm not sure about the colors either but the new parents are inexperienced in the baby department and I thought it best not to burden them with a sweater that needs special care.

I hope to not wait quite so long to post next time!

*This post brought to you by a suggestion from Cookie! Thanks Cookie! :D

Why oh why??

The weather has turned. To fall. Overnight. We might get 50 for today's high. There's a killing freeze warning for tonight. It's windy, too. Brrr.

And I have a cozy, soft sweater that I could be wearing. Notice I said could.

If it wasn't missing a sleeve.

And only had part of a sleeve on this side.

And still needs it's hood and button bands. I'm knitting furiously so that by the next cold snap I'll be ready. But why oh why didn't I finish it last spring so it would have been ready to go NOW!

Interesting contruction

A few days ago I finally convinced DH to go through his sock drawer and get rid of the old ones. I could barely squeeze all of his socks that he owned into that drawer! No. They aren't hand knit ones. They are store-bought cotton ones.

Anyway, we came across these hand knit slippers made by DH's Gramma. We've had them for years and years but I'd never really looked at them very closely.

Side view.

Top view. They make me think of mukluks.

The interesting part to me is the seam down the bottom of the foot....

from the base of the toes....

to the heel and up the cuff. It looks maybe like it was knit flat and then seamed. The toe and heel construction are different than anything I've seen before, from my limited sock knitting knowledge.

But they are very special to us because they were knit by Gramma Stein who was an industrious little German from Russia with a big personality. She raised 7 girls and 2 boys and lived to have a 60th wedding anniversary with dear Granpa Stein.

Keepsakes.

I've got nuthin' but some randomnesses...

This is the 3rd time that I've started this book. If I can't make it through this time it'll probably be 3 strikes and you're out. It's just so wordy. A whole page to describe a woman's face. It could have been done in 1 sentence.... Taken separately her features were unremarkable or even unbecoming, but all together they made her a beauty. There. That wouldn't have been so awful for the author, would it?? But then I'm a bit of a believer in "Less is More"...

Onward!
The Sea of Dreams baby blanket is coming along. It's the next on my "finish this project NOW" hitlist. It is really quite easy going except for a few rows in each repeat that make no sense to me and so I'm constantly checking the chart to make sure I'm on the right track. Uff.

The fall flowers are doing their best to show off.

Russian Sage.

Joe Pye Weed and Veronica.

We've got apples! The squirrels are having their way with them though and so I'm thinking that I need to get ahold of 1st DDIL and we make a raid on the tree and get them picked. Ready or not!

There are plenty of apples but the bulk of them are at the top of the tree. /sigh

The bugbane has yet to bloom but the hostas and columbine are finished.

I love my ruffly daylily that always looks a little deformed.

And the rose is still going strong. If I get out and clip off the old buds I'll have blooms for a long time yet...

Well, that's it folks. My life is dull these days. Harvest is going on though. Maybe I need to get out to the field today and get a few combining pictures...

Exercise!

I've...

started...

walking!

After having a few minor complaints at my last doctor appointment, (Almost a year ago now! I don't follow directions very quickly...), my doctor advised that I should try walking. And so after a year of thinking about it and just not taking any steps (get it...steps...walking...oh well, bad joke) this July 5th I decided I needed to try it out.

I didn't go far at first. I was afraid I'd be out of breath and have to sit on a curb for awhile and someone would drive by and see me. Horrors! Actually, in a small town it would be slightly horrific. We all know each other...

I'm almost up to a mile now. I try to keep a steady pace. I've been going every day except for a few when it was just too hot and humid. There are a lot of people who walk in the evenings but for me the morning is best.

Winter could be a bit of a challenge but my 2nd DDIL runs outside during the winter and so I'm thinking I can walk too...with the right clothes that would of course include some nice warm hand knit socks!

I plan to keep it up. I feel stronger. My brain seems clearer and sharper. I get fresh air every day. And my doctor should be impressed!

Iceling Set ready to go!

The Iceling Set is finished, washed and photoed!

It went quite well although I had never done an I-cord bind off and especially one with buttonholes but You Tube saved the day.

I didn't have luck with the one-row buttonholes. They would have been MUCH better looking than the 2 row that I did but since the buttons are big you can't see them while the sweater is being worn anyway.

That is my only comfort.

It is a sweet cardigan and yet so manly with the double breast front and shawl collar. I like the pattern but have a bit of a frustrated feeling left over from the problem with the buttonholes. That is my problem though and not the pattern's!

The hat only took 3 hours to knit and it is just what I was looking for. Simple but with the turned up edge for warmth.

The only thing left is to show it to the baby's Dad, who is working for us this summer, and get the address in Moldova where baby will be born. Then it's into the mail for this sweet set!

Ravelry info for the cardigan here and for the hat here.

I'm like a kid at Christmas!

I have this plan to "stockpile" baby clothes and blankets for grandbabies and anyone else who is expecting. I've been doing a lot of advanced searching on Ravelry to find extra special things.

This book is just one such find. But do you see where it came from??

Here is a closer look...

England! It came all the way from England. And it got here in a week! I've waited longer for things from right here in the U.S.

Isn't it a cute book? I was so excited when I opened it.

This is the blanket pattern that originally got me to order the book. I didn't really know what else was in it...there wasn't a whole lot of info about it.

But look at what else is in there. A christening gown and bonnet that matches the blanket.

And these darling things!

And these! And many other things that are just as darling. :D

And this is the wonderful company that I ordered it from.

I'm in baby knitting heaven!