October's Gold

Last Thursday we flew home from Connecticut with full hearts. Full hearts is an apt description for the days after a wonderful fun-filled week as well as the bittersweet feeling when it ends. I hugged my daughter and those kids all week long. We did all the things and then some. Kate and I spent one day in NYC where we took in several exhibits, including one of Japanese Kimonos and other textile art, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We managed to visit a small indy bookstore close to The Met. The fall color was glorious. Norah, Jonah, and I looked at leaves while walking. Pops and I tagged along to baseball, soccer, and Kempo Karate. One morning, Kate, Norah, and I had our fingernails painted at a salon and then stopped for coffee and 'sants (croissants.) We packed in as much fun as possible. Both flights went smoothly which is a bonus. We are grateful that we are able to take that trip.  

At home, the fall color is beautiful but more subtle. The maples are red and red/orange. The ornamental pear has yellow/gold leaves. Some trees in the neighborhood are dull dead green or brown due to the drought. The weekend was exceptionally warm. Saturday we cleaned out the vegetable garden. My husband wrestled the tomato cages and drip hoses into the shed while I scrubbed out all the pots. Sunday the high temp was 84 degrees with strong wind. Two grass fires ignited in the county. Three homes were lost and two firefighters significantly injured. Between dust and smoke, the afternoon was eerie. Thankfully light rain fell early Monday. We are back to crisp October days. 

Since I'm linking to Kat and the Unravelers, I best get to my knitting and stitching. Yesterday I cast on a pair of mitts (see photo above) that I plan to give as a gift. Although I don't wear gold, I am enjoying knitting with this October color. If only October lasted a bit longer.  

I cast on a pair of socks before our trip and finished them Monday evening. Happy Trails is the October "Knit Lincoln" colorway from Lazy Bee yarn, a local dyer who sells her yarn only at Knit Paper Scissors. This colorway pays tribute to the walking and biking trails around Lincoln. It will also remind me of this Connecticut trip. I contributed four socks for my team during the friendly sock scrimmage at Knit Paper Scissors. Saturday is the S'mores party with some new colorways of this yarn available to the sock scrimmage participants. Really, I DON'T NEED one more skein of any kind of yarn. I plan to wear my new socks and enjoy the outdoor fall celebration. 

Sunday while the wind blew, I worked a little on this small quilted piece. I am quilting the layers together with leaf motifs. One fall I gathered leaves and traced their shapes thinking they would make good quilting motifs. In hindsight, I should have reduced the size of a couple of leaves so they would be more proportional to the embroidery. I didn't think about it and now they are traced onto the fabric. I decided the piece will be fine. The background of outside triangles reminds me of ginger cookies.   

I reread The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams on our trip. The first time I listened to the audio and I wanted to read the hard copy. I also chose something lighter as I knew I'd be tired by the time I got in bed at night. This historical fiction is narrated by a young girl whose father is one of the lexicographers working on the first edition of Oxford English Dictionary. Women were involved in composing the dictionary so Williams tells the story from their point of view. Esme, the narrator keeps paper slips of words used by women and sometimes not included in the official first edition. The question, "Do words mean different things to women than they do to men?" runs through the narrative.  I think it would make an interesting book group discussion. 

Enjoy this last golden week of October. 

Ravelry Links

Gold Thumb Mitts

Happy Trails Socks