Mid September

Hello Gentle Readers. The past week I enjoyed walking on summer-like mornings and literally watching the flowers bloom. The bright yellows and oranges of marigolds, pink and yellow zinnias, red roses, dark purple lavender, chartreuse sweet potato vines, variegated coleus lift the spirits. Sunday I went out to cut a few zinnias and black-eyed susans for a mason jar bouquet. A swallowtail on the zinnias paid no attention to me. Neither did the small brown furry caterpillars trundling across the sidewalk on Monday. The natural world does its best in spite of human beings. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. Monday I finished the pillow in the photo. I can't remember if I ever included it in a post. Last summer I embroidered the center design on a piece of tea-dyed fabric. The embroidery pattern, a line drawing on a piece of paper, was something my Mom once purchased. If it came with instructions or a designers' name/company, the information is long gone. She was not a knitter but she very much enjoyed embroidery and cross-stitch. This summer I added borders and quilted it as a pillow top. 

I used a piece of an old sheet to make a pillow form and then made an envelope back so that the pillow form could be removed and both pieces laundered. Do I need another throw pillow? No, but I enjoyed making it and thinking of my Mom. 

As for knitting, I continue to work on these two pieces. I finished the second lace section of the wrap, knit a second garter and mock garter rib section and now am knitting the same texture as the first section. Perhaps it's the nubbly handspun but this is so much fun to knit. I have another lace stitch in mind for the next section. 

Changing colors keeps this scarf/shawl project moving while the rhythm of the garter stitch makes for peaceful knitting. I added a remnant of gray sock yarn in order to make it a decent size. After I complete the second green section, I have one more mini-skein to knit.  

Both Kat and Bonny recommend the Bruno mystery series. I borrowed the audio of the first book in the series, Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker. Hearing French pronunciation of words was lovely. Bruno is a gentle kind enforcer of law and champion of his village. He views teaching tennis lessons to children as crime prevention. Even if it's a  tongue-in-cheek remark it says something about his character. My library only owns one more of the series in audio. I audiobooks are expensive for libraries but I don't understand why the system purchased the first and the eleventh book. 

Several nights when I had trouble falling asleep I reread The Dictionary of Lost Words. This historical fiction imagines a bright young woman who worked with the men compiling the Oxford English Dictionary. At an early age, Esme falls in love with and begins to collect words used by ordinary women. Often these words are not deemed worthy for inclusion in the OED. World War One and the Women's Suffrage movement are also part of the story. Although the main character has her ups and downs, the novel with its strong female characters is a comfort read for me.

This is more than enough words from me. What brings you comfort these days?

Ravelry Links

Handspun Wrap

Wild Atlantic Shawl