Mid-November

Hello Gentle Readers. November evenings come early. Still there are days of bright blue skies and burnished oak leaves. One sunny warm day last week, I was driving west at midafternoon. Sunlight filtering through oak trees created a beautiful butterscotch effect. Prior to the weekend, the temps swung up to seventy plus degrees but have dropped after a Monday evening rain. There is a richness to all of the November days. 

Since I last posted about knitting, I've made progress with existing projects and cast on something new. I wet blocked the current sweater in progress to check the fit. I'm glad I added a few rows to the yoke because right now, this part of the sweater fits. In photos, the color of the yarn fades out, even with filter adjustments. 

In the meantime, Norah requested some mittens that "flip open at the top." Some of her friends are wearing them at school. I found a child-sized pattern called "Pop-Tops" on Ravelry and promptly started the project. Remember the pre-Ravelry days of searching for patterns in yarn shops and books. It would have taken me a long time to find a pattern and I might not have found one. Ravelry may not be perfect but it sure is useful.

I finished the hand of the first Green Thumb mitt and cast on the second one. When I knit mittens, I knit both hands and then go back and knit the thumbs one after another. This increases the odds they will be the same length.  

This week I read Port Anna a debut novel by Libby Buck. The plot about a young woman down on her luck returning to her family's old cottage in Maine is heartwarming, if a little predictable. It contains a touch of magical realism and lovely descriptions of the rugged Maine coast. What I enjoyed most was the physical presentation of the library hardcover copy. The front cover evokes the feel of an Andrew Wyeth print, the back is photograph of the Maine coast, and the spine of the cover is a soft gray-blue with a cameo of a lighthouse. The opening page of each section of text contains a gray silhouette of forest pines. Although I know nothing about fonts, the look of the chapter numbers was also striking. 

Kat, who usually hosts the Wednesday link-ups for these posts, and her family have experienced a great sadness and loss. My thoughts are with her as I write. 

And, I have another photo of a November leaf. This one came from some late turning trees on a parkway along my walk. Likely I will not post next week. Mindful that holidays can be difficult, I do wish you a good November and if you celebrate, a rich grateful day of Thanksgiving. 

 

Ravelry Links

Blue Cardigan

Blue Mitts

Pink Pop Tops

Stitching and Mending

Hello Gentle Readers. Today the sun shines and warms the day. The weekend was another story. As a rancher friend of my husband used to say, "the frost was on the pumpkin." The autumn colors peaked beautifully before the weekend cold snap. Now the ash trees are bare and the other trees are rapidly letting go of their leaves. Into November we go, being grateful for all the wool. 

Today I'm linking to Kat and the Unravelers. Over the weekend, I finished the stitch journal pages for October. I'm a little behind but no matter. The first page was a sunflower worked in the chain stitch and french knots. I wanted to represent some of the bright colors of autumn and I do love the wild sunflowers.   

The flowers remind me of my Grandfather Dewey who was a veteran of WWI. Several of his letters from France were addressed to his mother at Sunflower Farm, Cozad, Nebraska. I thought that was a name that someone in the family gave to the farm. Later a distant second cousin remarked that my Grandfather and his brothers had to chop wild sunflowers from fields with a hoe. It was hard tedious work for those boys. Likely, my Grandfather was showing his sense of humor, poking a little fun.

In the book American Wildflowers: A Literary Guide edited by Suan Barba and illustrated by Leanne Shapton, I read the short piece, "The Exile and the Holy Anomaly: Wild American Sunflowers by Gary Paul Nabhan. He wrote about the natural history of some of the 70 species of sunflowers. As is often the case in this country, Native Americans and scientists are joining efforts to preserve the diversity of these wildflowers. I know sunflowers don't grow on a vine but I wanted a dramatic flower with some green. I drew the shapes freehand so I'm chalking up the proportions to artistic license. And I use the word artistic loosely. I copied part of the poem, "Oh Giant Flowers," by Jill Bialosky (p.68 of the book mentioned earlier) under the flower.  

When Kate and Norah visited in early October, I traced Norah's seven year old hand. Of course, the page had to feature pink as that is her favorite color - for now. Stitching this page was a lovely way to preserve and remember the fun of those days. 

I also spent a good ten days mending the basket quilt, again. I used the eyelet stitch on small holes of worn fabric and feather stitch on fraying seams. I patched larger areas with fabrics and old linens. The white cotton fabric in this quilt has not held up well. I haven't had nearly so much damage in any other of my handmade quilts. Of course, I have no idea where I bought the fabric years ago. Generally I shopped at two local quilt shops but it could have come from a big box craft store. 

This week I read The New Book: Poems, Letters, Blurbs, and Things by Nikki Giovanni. Although it is a small volume, the writing is filled with emotion and joy. Giovanni was articulate, witty, and able to see beauty in the world. At the same time, she didn't shy away from the political turmoil and inequalities of our time. There is a short prose piece, "Toni Morrison," that references and pays tribute to Morrison's novels. It is delightful and heartfelt. Ms. Giovanni died in December 2024 and this book was published in 2025. I have to think she helped with the editing and knew it would be published. I hope so. I happened onto this book at the library proving that libraries are indeed wonderful places. 

And so, this is more than enough from me. What will you savor these rich November days?

Hello November

Hello Gentle Readers. November begins with glorious autumn days and sunshine. These days, even with occasional gusty winds, are beautiful. This last week we experienced the first frost so the dragon wing begonia is now inside in front of a sunny basement window. The contents of other pots of summer flowers are in the compost. The hoses are drained and put away for the winter. My husband did the heavy lifting as my low back has kicked up its familiar ruckus. Aging happens but there are times when it isn't much fun. A competent PA prescribed physical therapy. I hope to get in soon.  

On a happier note, I am linking with Kat and the Unravelers today. I finished this autumn pair of socks. I rarely knit with brown colored yarns but I really enjoyed the chocolate brown in the mini skein. The color has me thinking about mocha or coffee colored yarn for a pair of socks. I made some progress on the blue cardigan. Next time I pick it up, I'll section the sleeves from the body. I plan to knit an inch or so and then block it and try it on for fit. 

I cast on a pair of mitts using stash yarn and a tried and true pattern. Earlier in the year, I tried another mitt pattern with this yarn that didn't work for me. This is the seventh time I've knit the Green Thumb pattern. With a leaf as the thumb gusset, the mitts make a nice gift.    

This week I read Ma and Me by Putsata Reang as it is the November selection for my local book group. In 1975, when Reang was eleven months old, her family left Cambodia because of the war and violence of the Khmer Rouge Communists. This memoir is both the story of Reang's mother, a woman born into a society with rigid expectations and few opportunities for women, as well as the author's journey to acceptance of herself as a gay woman. The bond between the two woman is heavy with love, cultural expectations, guilt, and duty. In my opinion, the book could have been better edited. At times the narrative felt repetitious. Still I learned a little about Khmer culture. Reang's story illustrates inherited trauma in the lives of real people, as well as effects of repression of sexual orientation. She is a courageous woman. This is not an easy read but I imagine it will make for a good discussion. 

Sunday I picked up leaves on my walk and left them on the kitchen counter. Why, I don't know. When they dry I toss them out into the yard. It's not like I can keep that beauty in physical form for very long. Soon this too will come to an end. But on I go, making, reading, and finding my way into November. May you too find your way on these rich November days.