[Note: I just posted photos of a couple more knitted Christmas Stockings for those interested. It is Thursday morning at about 9:20 EST.]
First of all, thank you very much to those of you who joined me for coffee the other day ... whether you sat silently sipping without leaving a comment, or made your presence known with one. It was a good day, and a good time. The past few days I have actually started thinking that sometime in the future I might like to host a retreat here on our farm for some of the readers of my blog. There is such a lovely sense of a growing community here at the blog ... who knows. I was imagining several of us sitting around the fireplace one autumn or maybe during snow in the winter, knitting and chatting and sipping whatever we each would have: coffee, tea, cocoa, cider, Pepsi ... what have you. Maybe spring would be better, perhaps summer. It is an enchanting thought to consider.
The golden light this morning has a ginger glow to it; must be another sign of autumn. As I sit here at my computer, I look out the window to my right and one cedar tree in particular is simply glowing with ginger golden light, and a stand of trees back by the road glows with a less intense version of the same warm light.
I am beginning to build up a good sized stash of items from the outdoors for the Christmas tree ornaments I will be making. My favorite are the teasels ... the longish thistle looking items with spikes all over them. I think they are beautiful, and we found a huge field over by the apple orchards with perfect teasels growing everywhere.
Side Bar: Wow! I just glanced out the window again and the intensity of that ginger golden light is magnificent. Makes me want to run outside and hug the world and say, "Good morning!"
Back to Teasels: The teasels require prep work in that they have to be gently cleaned by rubbing two of them against each other. The stalks they grow on are very prickly and there are a lot of pokey little thorns, so I wear an old pair of my husband's work gloves when I am handling them. After cleaning them, all of the prickly thorny parts are trimmed off and then they are perfectly easy to handle. The teasels will be the bodies and heads of various critters I will be making. Other items will be used to make eyes and noses and hands, and hats, and feet, and various props. I anticipate much fun and a great outlet for my imagination.
Yesterday I made the prints of various photographs I am entering in the competition at the agricultural fair we are attending this weekend. One of the categories for entries is sorks of art, including photography, depicting the buildings, animals, horticulture, and life in the country village where the fair is being held. I am entering four photographs, and have them all printed out (8" x 10", matted in 11" x 14" boards) and ready to go now. Friday night I am making the pumpkin pie I am entering, and then Saturday morning I'll make the buscuits I will also be entering. My husband and I are excited about the fun of it all, plus we are looking forward very much to spending another day in the village and museum there, exploring the many old buildings (early 1700's to late 1800's) they are preserving. It is an interesting concept for a museum I think: a museum of old buildings moved there and arranged in a village and lived in and maintained by people in period costumes who bring it all to life for visitors.
Yesterday I also knit up this pretty little bag, creating a variation on my knitted Itty Drawstring Bag pattern. This bag isn't itty, it is small (small is larger than itty, in case that wasn't clear). I wanted to see what size the bag would come out if I knit it up with worsted weight yarn on size U.S. 8 dpns. Plus, I wanted to try out a picot edging along to the top and mostly I wondered if a small "itty" would accomodate one pair of knitty.com's "Fetching" fingerless gloves ... and it does. My Fetching gloves were in the bag when I shot this photo.
My thought is that as a gift idea it would be nice to knit a drawstring bag out of a complementary color and yarn to go with a pair of Fetching gloves. Naturally, the small bag could be used for other gift items as well. I am pleased with the detail of the little french knots on the peak of each picot point. Also, I knitted an I-cord for the drawstring, using a little scrap ball of Sirdar baby yarn left over from a sweater set I made for my nephew's baby girl a couple of springs ago.
I will prepare pattern instructions for this new bag and post them shortly ... sorry I don't have time to prepare the pattern this morning, but I have a couple of new projects going for writing clients and have to focus on that today. I should be able to put up the pattern this Friday, so check back then if you are interested.
The golden light outside is fading as clouds move in, covering the sun. Looks like the clouds are only patchy though, so there is certain to be more delicious ginger gold in the air before long.
I hope you have a beautiful day with hidden surprises in ordinary things and for which you will feel grateful.
~firefly
First of all, thank you very much to those of you who joined me for coffee the other day ... whether you sat silently sipping without leaving a comment, or made your presence known with one. It was a good day, and a good time. The past few days I have actually started thinking that sometime in the future I might like to host a retreat here on our farm for some of the readers of my blog. There is such a lovely sense of a growing community here at the blog ... who knows. I was imagining several of us sitting around the fireplace one autumn or maybe during snow in the winter, knitting and chatting and sipping whatever we each would have: coffee, tea, cocoa, cider, Pepsi ... what have you. Maybe spring would be better, perhaps summer. It is an enchanting thought to consider.
The golden light this morning has a ginger glow to it; must be another sign of autumn. As I sit here at my computer, I look out the window to my right and one cedar tree in particular is simply glowing with ginger golden light, and a stand of trees back by the road glows with a less intense version of the same warm light.
I am beginning to build up a good sized stash of items from the outdoors for the Christmas tree ornaments I will be making. My favorite are the teasels ... the longish thistle looking items with spikes all over them. I think they are beautiful, and we found a huge field over by the apple orchards with perfect teasels growing everywhere.
Side Bar: Wow! I just glanced out the window again and the intensity of that ginger golden light is magnificent. Makes me want to run outside and hug the world and say, "Good morning!"
Back to Teasels: The teasels require prep work in that they have to be gently cleaned by rubbing two of them against each other. The stalks they grow on are very prickly and there are a lot of pokey little thorns, so I wear an old pair of my husband's work gloves when I am handling them. After cleaning them, all of the prickly thorny parts are trimmed off and then they are perfectly easy to handle. The teasels will be the bodies and heads of various critters I will be making. Other items will be used to make eyes and noses and hands, and hats, and feet, and various props. I anticipate much fun and a great outlet for my imagination.
Yesterday I made the prints of various photographs I am entering in the competition at the agricultural fair we are attending this weekend. One of the categories for entries is sorks of art, including photography, depicting the buildings, animals, horticulture, and life in the country village where the fair is being held. I am entering four photographs, and have them all printed out (8" x 10", matted in 11" x 14" boards) and ready to go now. Friday night I am making the pumpkin pie I am entering, and then Saturday morning I'll make the buscuits I will also be entering. My husband and I are excited about the fun of it all, plus we are looking forward very much to spending another day in the village and museum there, exploring the many old buildings (early 1700's to late 1800's) they are preserving. It is an interesting concept for a museum I think: a museum of old buildings moved there and arranged in a village and lived in and maintained by people in period costumes who bring it all to life for visitors.
Yesterday I also knit up this pretty little bag, creating a variation on my knitted Itty Drawstring Bag pattern. This bag isn't itty, it is small (small is larger than itty, in case that wasn't clear). I wanted to see what size the bag would come out if I knit it up with worsted weight yarn on size U.S. 8 dpns. Plus, I wanted to try out a picot edging along to the top and mostly I wondered if a small "itty" would accomodate one pair of knitty.com's "Fetching" fingerless gloves ... and it does. My Fetching gloves were in the bag when I shot this photo.
My thought is that as a gift idea it would be nice to knit a drawstring bag out of a complementary color and yarn to go with a pair of Fetching gloves. Naturally, the small bag could be used for other gift items as well. I am pleased with the detail of the little french knots on the peak of each picot point. Also, I knitted an I-cord for the drawstring, using a little scrap ball of Sirdar baby yarn left over from a sweater set I made for my nephew's baby girl a couple of springs ago.
I will prepare pattern instructions for this new bag and post them shortly ... sorry I don't have time to prepare the pattern this morning, but I have a couple of new projects going for writing clients and have to focus on that today. I should be able to put up the pattern this Friday, so check back then if you are interested.
The golden light outside is fading as clouds move in, covering the sun. Looks like the clouds are only patchy though, so there is certain to be more delicious ginger gold in the air before long.
I hope you have a beautiful day with hidden surprises in ordinary things and for which you will feel grateful.
~firefly