Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Hello October


A soaking rain ushers in October. I am glad to see both. The last day of September was a windy hot 90 degrees. Our yard and garden beds were quite dry. Besides, crisp autumn weather pairs well with a cup of ginger tea and a book or knitting. Today I happily pulled on a pair of wool socks after coming home from an errand. What about you? How is the weather in your neck of the woods?


Last week I went for one last walk through The Sunken Gardens. I wrote about the Garden last year in a post. This year's theme was "Moon River." The plantings included a lot of white, lavender, and purple flowers and foliage. The day was warm and the interesting flowers were full of bees and butterflies. These plants sported very vivid purple foliage.


This plant's foliage was such a dark color it looked almost black. The berries were deep purple.


Beautiful lavender flowers (a water lily?) floated in the ponds.


I have no idea of the names of these plants. The plantings are not labeled and the available brochure listed names of plants but no locations in the garden.

I am enjoying knitting the sweater in the photo. Last week I unraveled some rows and changed the rate of increases to lengthen the raglan line. Since I was going to rip back anyway, I also changed the cable twist. The pattern provides two options and it would have been a good idea to swatch the two. In this version the cable twists pull toward instead of away from the center. Given the weight of this yarn, this option doesn't leave a big hole in the center of the cable. The sweater is heavy and pushing the stitches along makes my right arm ache a bit. I am pacing my knitting time on it. I have been working on Kate's sock. I may cast on a shawl for some lighter weight knitting on a different needle size. The good news is the sweater fits and the tonal variations in the yarn are spreading themselves among the knitting.

I listened to Louise Penny's latest book A Better Man and throughly enjoyed the trip to Three Pines. Wouldn't we all love to visit Merna's used bookstore, drink cafe au lait at the Bistro, stroll around the square, and even meet Ruth? Penny's characters are old literary friends and she keeps this latest novel contemporary with the Spring flooding, social media, and developments in the lives of the characters. I am still reading Arctic Dreams. I am also reading a birthday gift from my sister. She gave me Late Migrations, a thoughtful collection of essays by Margaret Renkl. You may have read Renkl's writing in the New York Times. The book blends her observations of nature around her home in Tennessee with stories of family and growing up in Alabama. It is beautifully illustrated by Renkl's brother. This nonfiction work is a treasure.

I'm linking with Kat and the Unravelers as we knit and read our way into October. Happy Autumn.

9 comments:

  1. We had a crazy 97 degrees here in the east today, but tomorrow is supposed to be 30 degrees cooler. I will say "at long last" as I slip on my wool socks! I will have to look for Late migrations as it sounds very interesting. The gardens are lovely as is your beautiful raspberry sweater. Such a rich color!

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  2. It was insanely 90 degrees here today - overcast. I shudder to think what the sun might have wrought! But, Friday is supposed to usher in more fall-like temps! My reading feels "slumpish" but I am on the cusp of an avalanche with my library wait list and it is full of good things!

    (I too LOVED the latest 3 Pines book.)

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  3. We had the super-hot-and-muggy blast earlier this week . . . today the rains came and the temperatures cooled. Fall is yo-yo-ing it's way toward us! :-)

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  4. Wow--everyone's got such hot temps! In Northern Maine it's been in the 40s and raining.

    I also loved listening to A Better Man. Totally transported.

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  5. The last picture is called water hyacinth. It can be invasive in southern waterways as more northerly climes it is killed by freezes. So if you have it in a water pot or pond that won't let it get into the natural waterways you are okay. And if you decide to buy one...a small piece multiplies unbelievably which is why it is banned from natural water ways. :)

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  6. Oh those amazing purple flowers Joyous!!!! Sweater knitting always impresses me

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  7. We finally have cooler temps!! It was rainy yesterday but the sun is shining today and it's 55 degrees. I'm reading Glass Houses right now trying to catch up with you all!

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  8. I am waiting for "A Better Man" and really enjoyed "Late Migrations.". Hope you do too!

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  9. I really enjoyed A Better Man for all the reasons you listed (and that I was in Quebec when I read it ... and heard stories of flooding in Montreal - thankfully while we weren't there and when we returned, no sign or words about it) ... fall is MUCH slower to arrive here in Georgia but I am hopeful. and I LOVE the color of your sweater.

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