These Autumn Days

Autumn is so beautiful. Walking the neighborhood is a joy. The bright days make me think of my brother John who was often out with his black labs on autumn days. He and his immediate family are on my mind. This year, the maples turning red seem more subtle with underlying brown tones. I wonder if subtle coloring is due to dry conditions or the way I am seeing them these days. A Cooper's Hawk has been in the backyard and managed to remove a few small squirrels. Squirrels do so much damage, I can't work up much sympathy for them. 

I wove in the ends and sewed buttons on Norah's sweater and will send it off soon. Maybe she will wear it and maybe not but I wanted to knit her a sweater so I did. I enjoyed (mostly) knitting it for her. I finished the red hat that is a Christmas gift. This week I need a car knitting project so I cast on a cowl from my handspun Cormo. I plan to use the two most consistent skeins. The yarn certainly has character. Somehow the variation in weight works itself out in a cowl. I'm not sure why I chose such white fiber. My recollection was I read about Cormo sheep and wanted to try the fiber. More white mitts or a white hat didn't seem practical.  I don't need another cowl but I wanted to knit with the yarn. 

I am enjoying Hamnet in a paperback copy. It is nice to have a book-book on my nightstand. The description of how the disease-carrying fleas made their way to the boy, Hamnet, and his sister, Judith, gives me pause during this pandemic. I am listening to Vanishing Fleece read by the author Clara Parkes. Hearing Parkes read her work is delightful. This is the story of Parkes' adventure with a locally grown bale of wool that she had scoured, spun in local mills, and made into yarn. It's a great story if you are interested in yarn. 

I am writing this Unraveled Wednesday post on Tuesday. The tag on my teabag read, "Be Guided. Listen to the whispers of the universe." I'm not sure the universe is whispering to me today but it is a nice thought. Our son is working remotely here before we drive to Iowa for John's service. We are enjoying having him here. A memorial service is a sad reason for a family gathering but the few days with Aaron are an unexpected gift. I hope you have some unexpected gifts this week.