Thursday, October 21, 2010

Random Fall Photos

A selection of photos, unrelated to UFO's, taken this morning by myself.



Our very handsome and vocal rooster. I'm glad he is sleeping in more now that fall is here. And so are the neighbors.

The girls, we have 9 chickens in addition to the rooster. They are just about laying age. Only one of them is giving eggs. We have had 4 so far. They are all green. We are saving them til we have six and then we will make Green Eggs and Ham  for breakfast.

Hot peppers finally turning red.

The tail end of the produce in the greenhouse. The pumpkins are being saved for Halloween.

Gerbera Daisy, left over from the wedding. I have high hopes I can make them survive through the winter.

More greenhouse pics.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

I can't believe it has been about 6 weeks since I last had a blog entry. Where has the time gone? It has been a busy 6 weeks, I assure you. It is a misty fall morning, with a nip in the air. I have been forced to break down and turn the heat on. My feet were too cold, and I was shivering in bed last night. Well, I almost made it to Halloween!

Ash Street this morning in the fog

And what have I been up to, you may ask?

There is this:
Canning Fall 2010


And this:

Spinning: My first yarn, Oct 2010
This yarn was spun out of a Blue-faced Leisteshire Top I purchased at the Gibson's Fibre Arts Festival. This is my first kick at the spinning cat. I fear I will get hooked. My singles were pretty variable in thickness, as you can see. Once I started plying it was so exciting. Repeat after me: I do not need another hobby, I do not need another hobby, I do not need another hobby....

Then I finished this:
Red Hot Chili Pepper Socks, Circa Mexico Holiday Feb 2009
These socks were for myself, from a pattern by Cat Bordhi, called The Milkmaid Stockings. The yarn was Knitpicks Undyed fingering weight, dyed by myself. The pattern was very interesting but required a bit of concentration, as most of the patterns from her book, New Pathways in Sock Knitting , do. None of these designs follow the traditional way of turning a heel with side gussets, her increases are located just about anywhere, on the bottom of the foot, the top of the foot etc. This leads to incredibly beautiful design possibilities, but these socks are not for KIP (knitting in public).
Check this book out if you want a challenge.

Alas, because I finished the socks, I allowed myself to cast on:


Fingerless lace gloves, from Fall 2010 Vogue Knitting
Who could resist? Here is a photo of the finished project, by Shiri Mor. This is a fun and easy knit, pattern is easy to memorize, although it looks challenging. The sizing on the gloves is done by changing needle sizes throughout the pattern. Alas, I have lost one of the pairs of needles on a trip to Nanaimo. But I am sure I can find another in my stash.  Am I trading one UFO for another? Time will tell...


I also finished my baby Sweater:


Sweater for Leota, knitted from Baby Bamboo. Love this yarn. Silky smooth and with a beautiful lustre.

And, finally, there is this:



Fall Leaves Project from Nanaimo Stitch-In

 Ta-dah. Although, I must admit there is one bit of finishing to do. I have to put a button and buttonhole on the back to close the pillow up. It is held in place with a pin at the moment. I will try to do this today, or it will remain pinned for eternity.

I have a whole day off today. What should I do with it? My choices are:

1. Study for the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course I am taking this weekend.
2. Help my brother Ron edit his book "World of Legends", he finally has a publisher interested, and is doing a fast revision at their request.
3. Deal with these:
Almost the last batch of tomatos from our garden.
4. Work on the retirement gift for my co-worker Maureen. Deadline: November 13th, 6 PM, at her retirement party. Project "N is for Nurse Sampler" by the Victoria Sampler. I am half way done, or maybe slightly more than halfway. I will accomplish 2 objectives by completing this gift. a) thoughtful handmade gift b)UFO to cross off the list. Link to pattern: http://www.victoriasampler.com/Catalogue/VS_Samplers/p79Sampler.aspx

5. Work on delinquent thank you cards for our July wedding. I have had them laid out and ready for weeks. Bad Susan for not working on them sooner.

Thank you cards, not done yet.
7. Blow off all these and work on something else...

Hmmm. Tricky.