Toward Autumn

Friday was my seventy-first birthday. My Dad's family celebrated birthdays by inviting a large group of extended family for cake and open faced sandwiches. They considered aging to be an accomplishment. They set an "over fifty" table as a mark of honor. Those aunts and uncles are gone but I think of them on birthdays. I didn't have a big party because that isn't my style. Instead we had a fun weekend with our son Aaron and grandson Austin who were in town. Saturday, I watched the Nebraska football game with the guys and knit on a sock. I am not a football fan but you know, a mother does what a mother has to do in order to spend time with a grown son. Sunday Aaron gave me a lesson in grilled salmon and it was delicious. We roasted some Yukon Gold potatoes and I made a green salad that included tomatoes, cucumbers, and chives from the garden. Our dessert was pound cake with a peach/butter sauce and sliced peaches. We fed that college guy as best we could. It was the best kind of long weekend. So here I go, another trip around the sun. Seventy one years hardly seems possible. I am grateful for every one of them. As I look at these sweater photos, I can see how much I resemble my Mom. That makes me happy.

Today I link to Kat and the Unraveled Wednesday Makers. You know you are a knitter when you take finished object photos of a sweater while wearing walking shorts. Doesn't everybody where a hand-knit sweater in September with walking shorts? Well maybe only for photos. At the time, the temperature was 68 degrees and I'll take it. This afternoon will see us back up into the 90's. Rain is in the forecast for the weekend. I hope it materializes. Our area had a trace of precipitation in August, one of the driest on record, and not much more in July. Regardless we are inching our way to Fall. The Forager sweater is finished and it is one of my most successful. I like the fit, the sport weight wool, and the details of the mock cable on the sleeves and body. The same mock cable runs down the center of the back. 

In other making, I knit on the second summer sock and started an embroidery project. I have plenty of floss left from my cross-stitch days. I have always wanted to stitch this little design so I traced it onto a piece of muslin and am giving it a go. My embroidery is far from perfect but I hope the imperfections add to the charm of the piece. I have two Christmas gifts to knit but this little fall piece was calling to me.

As for reading I have abandoned several books. One was an audio that had a narrator with an annoying voice. I have begun The Plague of Doves for the Erdrich read-along. For some reason, I am having trouble getting into this novel. I am sure I'll find something soon.

Here's to September and the gentle slide toward Autumn.