Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Changing Season

I look out my window at a November day. The sky is gray with rain in the forecast. A few yellowy gold birch and ornamental pear leaves hang on to the branches. The yard across the street is covered in red maple leaves. The fall colors have been glorious. The season changes and with it the menu. I have four tomatoes and a sprig of basil. It's hard to let go of the fresh tomato/basil combination but a pan of roasted root vegetables also sounds good.

Today is Wednesday, the day to link with Kat and the other Unravelers and write about knitting and/or reading. I finished the toe on some scrappy socks. I used a clasped-weft join so I could clip off all the ends. I wove in only the beginning and ending pieces of yarn. They were fun to knit and make me smile when I look at them. Striping notes are on my Ravelery project page. Honestly there was a method to the madness.

I decided to finish a small nine-patch Christmas quilt that has been languishing for years. I can't remember when I began the piecing but I did embroider four spacer blocks last December and then sewed a few more nine patch squares to complete the blocks.

By January, a red and green project lost its appeal. Last summer I put the top together, marked it, and basted the layers. A few weeks ago, I was ready for a quilt on my lap. Most evenings, I quilt a few blocks. My hand-quilted stitches are not as short and even as in the past. However after a few evenings, I found a rhythm in scooping up stitches and pulling thread through the fabric. There is a bit of magic in evening lamp light reflected from the tiny quilting needle. Who knows what I'll do with it when it is finished. I'd just like to finish it. 


I finished Hamnet. The writing is beautiful and the portrayal of grief is poignant. I enjoyed the novel but wasn't as taken with it as I thought I might be. Maybe I read too much hype or maybe it's just the way the book struck me at this time in my life. Currently, I am reading Monument: Poems New and Selected by Natasha Trethewey, a two term U.S. Poet Laureate. Her poems tell such stories. I enjoy the way she her view of artwork inspires her poems. Her insight about women portrayed in art and photographs is thought provoking.  

The sky is turning autumn gun-metal gray. If I am going to walk, I should get going before the rain arrives. My sister has invited us for Thanksgiving and so I will be looking through recipes for a side-dish. I also need plan a few meals for the week and make a grocery list - the eternal grocery list. 

What's on your menu this week?

Ravelry Link

Scrappy Impossible Girl Socks

The Best of Both Seasons


 

9 comments:

  1. I enjoy how your post spans the seasons and looks back at the best tastes of summer and also appreciates the color, coziness of striped socks, and taste of what's to come. Wishing you magic and rhythm in the evening lamp light.

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  2. Who knew that you were still spanning seasons in Nebraska?! I wore flip flops to walk Holly this evening and should've taken a photo amongst the fallen leaves. sadly, flip flops aren't the same as tomatoes and basil, but my toes enjoyed the fresh air.

    I am quite smitten with your scrappy socks. and the clasped-weft join. but mostly, I want some of that stitching mojo. I noted this lovely sentence "There is a bit of magic in evening lamp light reflected from the tiny quilting needle." and wonder if a cross-stitch needle might hold similar magic? I hope so.

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  3. Love those socks.

    We will be getting your rain tomorrow night and I do believe we will be feeling the icy fingers of winter for a few days.

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  4. Your scrappy socks honestly look like a random self-striping pattern, so I can believe that you had some method to how you put them together. It sounds very much like you are beginning to settle in for the cooler weather and shorter days. Hand-quilting sounds like a very meditative activity.

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  5. I really like those fun socks. They looks so warm and comfy. The quilts are great too. I want to learn to quilt one day, but right now, I just have too much on my plate. Someday! Glad to hear the have lovely Thanksgiving plans and that November is going well. See you again soon!

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  6. Your socks are perfect! I love the colors you used.

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  7. that quilt is beautiful! I'm sure you are happy to revisit the project and see it to completion. Your socks are lovely and I love the cable detail!!

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  8. I love the colors and the stripe combinations in your socks, Jane. Such fun! And I love the charm of your quilt. I know exactly what you mean . . . when red-and-green just doesn't seem to work anymore in January. I'm so glad you were able to find inspiration again for the coming season. XO

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  9. Love that last picture with the gorgeous tomato and the beautiful Fall leaf. Your quilt is so pretty too. I imagine hand quilting could be quite relaxing and soothing - good for a blustery day. I'm late catching up on your blog post, somehow I missed this one. Hope your weekend was lovely and that the new week is off to a good start for you.

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