Hello Gentle Readers. Early autumn is in the air. Last Friday we drove to Nebraska City to buy some apples from Kimmel Orchards. The corn stalks are that beautiful straw color that comes as they dry just before harvest. All concerns about big business agriculture aside, the sight of the fields against a September blue sky is part of the autumn landscape. The apples are delicious and the outing made for a nice afternoon. The drive is about an hour, each way, so I knitted washcloths. I like to keep a few tucked away for small gifts. They go so nicely with a bar a soap.
I am joining Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading this week. I spent some time mending a hand-pieced and hand-quilted quilt. In fact I pulled a needle through layers so many times that my hand became sore. Oy. I am getting to be a delicate flower. I don't remember any soreness when I did all the hand quilting but I was younger. I did cast on a large size scarf with an all over leaf lace pattern. I enjoy knitting leaf shapes so this pattern (Rav Link) caught my eye. Every row is slightly different which slows my knitting but that has been good for my right hand. I wondered if the design would be too complicated to be fun but the pattern and charts are well written. So far, so good.
I'm reading Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray. My daughter recommended and gave me this work of historical fiction about the life of Frances Perkins. Perkins was FDR's Secretary of Labor and the first woman to serve as a Cabinet officer. Trained as an economist, her professional life was dedicated to better working conditions for men, women, and children. Perkins was also a wife and mother and quite keenly feels the pull between professional and personal life. Her story is fascinating and has some interesting parallels in our current time. I am sorry to say, I never heard of Perkins until my daughter mentioned this book.
A family who lives just down the street from us has a little patch of parkway on their yard. Both parents have a generous spirit, and the three children are often outdoors. The Mom and the children plant sunflowers in the parkway. Catmint also grows there. One day I walked down to get the mail and saw morning glories blooming in the catmint. I just love the wildness of this little spot. Even among the concrete and a few weeds, flowers grow. This week, I wish you the joy of unexpected flowers.
When our daughters went to college in eastern Washington, we used to go and get apples each year. What a gift to have those fresh apples.
ReplyDeleteYou are knitting your Leaflette in a delightful fall shade and dishcloths make for perfect apple-fetching knitting in the car. I'm a bit ashamed to say I have never heard of Frances Perkins before, but I am glad that I am at least aware of her now. The bright blue of those morning glories is glorious!
ReplyDeleteI do miss cornfields and sunflower fields where I used to live, but I do love living here more so!! It's still warm and yet the pumpkins are for sale! gorgeous knitting!
ReplyDeleteYesterday as Fletch and I sat on the patio, I saw a few remaining apples in our tree. This morning they are gone. I found one (almost) perfect apple on the ground. It is small, but will be good cut up to go in hot cereal.Your new leaf scarf/shawl will be so pretty and you have chosen a lovely color to knit it. Your post reminds me I should knit a few washcloths/dishcloths to have on hand for gifts.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, we used to drive out to a local orchard every fall to get apples and pumpkins and fall treats (cider, caramel apples, etc.). It's still there, but it's grown and gotten very popular, so it tends to be overly crowded on weekends. A good apple still makes me think of it, though! I like how your scarf/shawlette is knitting up and am looking forward to seeing it blocked. And I have heard of Frances Perkins -- but I learned about her from watching "Dirty Dancing"!
ReplyDeleteApple season is one of my favorite parts about fall ... sadly, there aren't orchards that close to us, but Whole Foods usually has a good selection of different varieties. I'm so glad to see your positive review of Madame Secretary; it's the next book for my neighborhood bookgroup (and I'm guessing none of us know much of anything about Frances Perkins either).
ReplyDeleteLeaflet is BEAUTIFUL! I wish you good luck with the pattern. It sure is lovely.
ReplyDeleteSteve and I were up in Lancaster County yesterday. We also enjoyed seeing some of the corn. A lot was already harvested. We saw one field of tobacco and it was getting pretty dry. They'll be chopping tobacco to hang in the drying sheds soon. We also saw several fields of pumpkins. Definitely fall is coming on here.
Leaflet is just lovely, Jane! And that is the perfect shape... it is so wearable! And the color reminds me of our burning bushes... that scarlet is one of my favorite fall colors! I did not know about Frances Perkins either, so I am off to find that book! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWe have many apple orchards here in western Michigan, and when our kids were young we loved taking them on apple-picking adventures every year. Now, I just stop in and pick up apples for Tom and I (no picking adventures for us). So tasty! I love your leaf-shawl. I always tend to have a special fondness for horticultural "structures."
ReplyDeleteJane I love the leaflet shawl. It's been in my que for a while now. Always love to see your quilting! Knitting washcloths on a drive is a great idea....I'll have to try that....I have a few longish drives coming up in October. Have a nice week.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know the pattern for the quilt….i love mixing embroidery into quilts. Your shawl is going to be lovely!
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