November? Really?

So much for the discipline of sticking with a journal. Twins win? My last entry was Twins win?! Where did that month go? It's not like I haven't been doing anything. Honest.

There have been the usual "winter is coming" chores to take care of: cleaning out the garden, storing the porch furniture, raking leaves, etc. Both sunny days that we had in October (not an exaggeration , by the way) were filled with that kind of fun. (We even had two measurable snowfalls during October. Doesn't Mother Nature ever get tired of proving Al Gore is an idiot?)

Lots of hours have been spent with some volunteer work that I enjoy doing at church. It's satisfying to get back into the routine, but at the same time, a little overwhelming catching up after sloughing off over the summer months.

We even got a chance last weekend to drive to the North Shore. Even though most of the leaves were off the trees that far north, we did enjoy hiking. Nothing is better than that spicy fall air in the damp woods.

And I've gotten some knitting projects going. Months ago I bought Elise Duvekot's book, Knit One Below. (Free pattern available on the web site.) There was so much buzz about this book when it first came out that I just had to give the technique a try. Finally, this month I bought the supplies for the felted bag pattern. It was a quick project and definitely got me excited to try some of the other patterns. This technique appeals to me because it's a way to do color work by only working with one color on any given row, and it can be worked into multiple effects.

I've been knitting a long time, and it's always exciting to try something new, especially something new that's challenging. Even this simple bag pattern took some effort, and I practically broke out in a cold sweat when I had to frog back on a row. Once I got the hang of it though, I got more confidence. I'll be coming back to this book.

Another fun little project was the Chic Knits Mondo Cable Cap KAL. I had purchased a couple of patterns from their web site and received the instructions for the cap as a bonus. The first clue arrived on the day that I had purchased a skein of Berroco's Vintage wool to test. How could I resist? I loved both the pattern and the yarn.

The patterns on the Chic Knits site are sort of traditional with a modern twist. One of the patterns that I purchased happened to be another of the Mondo Cable designs--a vest. I took the yarn and pattern with me on our trip up North, and it's almost done. I think I'll like the finished project. The knitting is pretty boring though. It was good for a road trip. Maybe some pictures by next week.

Last but not least, I finally found some acceptable buttons for my Lopi jacket. For some reason, I had it in my head that I wanted red buttons and only red buttons. No luck, so I settled for some black/brown, sort of natural looking ones. The poor old thing looks a little saggy in the photo because I've been wearing it so much. It's terrifically warm and the warm red color lends a little cheer to our gloomy weather.

With a new month I'll try and be better about keeping the habit of keeping track here. In fact, I will put up the details of a cool sewing project I found online later this week if I get the chance. An easy project for Christmas gifts.

Twins Win!! Twins Win!!

...and that's all I have to say about that.

Baseball Knitting

Where has a month gone? Like Spring, Fall is one of those busy transitional seasons when there are long lists of things to be accomplished and now even less daylight to get them done.

I have to admit that I'm pretty grateful for a cold, rainy day. I couldn't possibly wash windows or clean out the garden, so I am inside today catching up on all the things I've let go. At least all of the things I can get done by 4:00--when the Twins play their AL Central Tiebreaker with Detroit!

I'm looking forward to another afternoon of baseball knitting. Just for fun, I cast on Chic Knits Mini-Mystery KAL as they threw the first pitch of Sunday's final game of the regular season and by the end of the ninth, I had almost worked my way through Clue #2. Before the Twins' fate is determined this evening, I should be ready and waiting for the next step.

The "mystery" part of this KAL keeps me from saying too much. I was mostly motivated by a skein of Berocco Vintage Wool that I had picked up on Saturday. I had heard about it on a podcast and wanted to give it a try. I'm always looking for good, reasonably priced, basic wool in lots of colors. So far, it lives up my expectations. It's soft and easy to knit and gives good stitch definition for this project.

The invite for the KAL came after I purchased a couple of knitting pattern downloads from Chic Knits. The designs on the site are basic, but with a twist--usually a big mondo cable twist, which seems to be the designer's signature on several items. Like the new yarn, the instructions for the KAL seem to live up to expectations. Looks like there was a glitch with the second clue, but it was corrected immediately.

Outside of baseball and knitting, it's been lots of volunteer work hours as we rev up our fall activities, the usual yard work that comes with the end of the growing season, and some family obligations. We did make time yesterday to make our annual trek to a couple of local apple orchards, too. I was hoping to take a few pictures, but it was such a gloomy day that it seemed pointless to even bring the camera along. Too bad. What's more beautiful than a tree heavy with ripe apples? Really, who could blame Eve?

Go Twins!!!

My Own Boss

Now that summer break is over, and I find that I'm my own boss once again, it's amazing how much I can accomplish in a day. One of the first things on my list was to get to some of the housekeeping chores that tend to slide over the summer months. Disorder is not my friend. After all, I have to keep up my OCD reputation. (I don't think I'm that bad, but then crazy people don't know that they're crazy, do they?)

I've also been anxious to get my Cable Band Cardigan project blocked and put together. Not because it was such a high priority, but I was dying to see what it was going to look like. And whoo-hoo, I think it turned out great--if I do say so myself--and it fits perfectly.

There aren't many sweater patterns that I can knit without making some modifications. Being somewhat height challenged, I usually have to adjust both the body and sleeve length, but this one was right on. There is also just enough shaping around the waist to give it a pretty, feminine fit.

After knitting cables with DK for the last several weeks, I wanted my next project to be something thick and chunky, so I cast on a fall cardigan--almost jacket--in some apple red Lopi on size 101/2 needles. It miraculously grows right before my eyes! I can imagine that by the time I get to posting the details, I could be done.

All right! The boss says it's time to quit loafing and get back to work.

I Love You Son, But Could You Get Your Crap Out Of Our Living Room?

As summer comes to its unofficial end, I'm getting the same overwhelming feeling I get every September to get back to a normal routine and spend some time getting my life and my house back into shape. By the end of August, I have usually surrendered myself to the fact that some things have to be compromised. However, I can only take disorder for so long. It's been great having our son home from college for the summer, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to, among other things, picking up the kitchen and having it stay clean for at least a few hours.

Now we have a growing mountain of apartment furnishings taking over our living room that will all have to be hauled off this weekend. Another moving day. Part of me envies his going back to college. Those are great years. Most of me is glad that I'm past living in an overpriced closet and eating boxed macaroni and cheese.

So, the summer in review. We got to Lake Vermillion for some fishing, Chicago for the Twins, went to the PGA, and made it to sunny CA. We squeezed in visits to aunts, uncles, and cousins. There were lots of hours in the garden, and I think I have perfected the art of making my own yogurt. I knit three sweaters and a baby blanket. We celebrated twenty-five years of marriage. We ate lots of great food, drank a few wonderful summer adult beverages, saw some great movies--and a few that weren't so great. And we must have gone to at least a dozen different golf courses. Whew!

It was a terrific summer, and I love you son and will miss you, but could you please get your crap out of our living room?

Monterey

For our last gasp at summer vacation, we scheduled one final trip and spent a few days out in Monterey, CA. This was a destination we had tried once before and had to cancel at the last minute, but this time the stars aligned, and we made it.

Not unlike San Francisco, this area can be quite cool in the summer. (Didn't Mark Twain say that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco?) Even though we got a little taste of that, most of the time we were there it was sunny and gorgeous with record highs. Good for us; bad for the fires.

Like most of our vacations, this one revolved around food and some kind of sport. Ahh, the food. What's better than fresh seafood, pastas, salads, and wine? Lots of good wine. What's better is that you get to look out at all this beautiful scenery while you're enjoying it!

Besides the food, this area is known as golf heaven. The guys got in a few rounds, but I think they got the biggest kick out of walking around the Pebble Beach course. To our surprise, this gorgeous course is very accessible, and we were welcomed to walk around to our heart's content.

After having seen this course for so many years through tournament television coverage, these signature holes were familiar, but like everything else, were so much more fun to experience in person. We could have sat by this par three along the coastline all day.

Between golf days, we took a drive down to Big Sur. It was a warm, sunny day and the traffic was light, so we were able to take our time and pull off the road a few times to admire the view.

This was the perfect way to end our summer--a great summer. So, now we're home and getting ready to take our son back to college for the year.

PGA 'til You Drop

Our last week was consumed by golf, golf, and more golf.

Cleverly hidden in the center of the country, Minnesota rarely plays host to international sporting events. So when over one hundred of the greatest golfers in the world make the trek to play in your backyard, you go.

Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly in our backyard. The journey was the most trying part of the week. With the drive, traffic, road construction, and shuttles, it could be over two hours each way to the course and back. But once we arrived, it was truly a great experience. The course was beautiful, the golfers were unbelievable, the tournament itself was well run.

And Tiger-mania is alive and well. To avoid the largest crowds, we spent most of our time watching the rest of the field. When we did stick around on a hole long enough for his group play through, the flurry of activity around him was just as fascinating to watch as the man himself. Security is tight. The media coverage is phenomenal. And his fans watch his every move. (When he used the bathroom after teeing off on one hole, more people were staring at the Biff than Padraig's tee shot.) I'm sure it's good to be Tiger, but it's got to be difficult to live with that kind of attention.

After a couple of practice rounds and the opening round of the tourney, I surrendered my ticket for the weekend to my brother. By that time, I was more than happy to watch the coverage from the comfort of my own home with a new appreciation for the phenomenal skills of these elite golfers. Even HD doesn't give you an appreciation for the challenges of the course, and these guys just make it all look too easy.