Saturday Autumn Sky

Today started out as a cool almost cold day but it warmed up to cloudy and then cleared. It didn't feel like autumn all day. In fact, I was wondering how the leaves will look in Rhinebeck; I'm suspecting they'll be at peak in two weeks. Here on Long Island, things are just beginning to make the change. It's nearly Autumn in New York.

I went back to visit the tree from yesterday's Eye Candy so I figured I'd show you the rest of it.

Kids got new boots today, they've grown so much since last year. They're like, real kids now. I look at the moms pushing strollers, changing diapers and thinking how foreign that is to me. It's somewhat bittersweet I guess but it seems like eons ago that I was doing that. Not that its all that much easier now but at least I don't have to carry food, drink, extra diapers, diaper changing pad, wipes and a change of clothes for all of us. Instead, I carry half knitted socks.

BTW, please notice she got HOT PINK boots and wanted their picture taken. No way that I'd lose her on the playground!

Other than her shoes, I know everything looks pretty ... well, green. I wanted to head over to the Massapequa Lake today and we may do that tomorrow morning depending on how the kids feel and how the days going. The leaves ARE changing closer to the water but there was some color at the park. Just a hint here and there...

But you can't really notice it unless you look, see what I mean?

Let's hope they change nice and slowly and we don't have a hurricane or a bad wind storm that will knock them all off.

I know, I know, I'm keeping you all in suspense about actual knitting and even some sewing stuff. I promise, tomorrow's post will talk about both and even have some pictures. Maybe NOTHING about leaves, architecture, roots, flowers and the sky.

Ok, maybe almost nothing. You know I like things that are outside.

It's FALL! There's Frost on the Pumpkin!

Well, with this freaky weather we've been having, there isn't much frost at all. In fact, it hasn't really been cold. The coldest I remember was...that week in August that we were in Lake George where the temperature didn't get much above 60 on most days. Of course, now that we're home and back to work and school, it's been HOT. This is New York, it's supposed to be crisp and cold at this time of year. the leaves haven't really even changed. They're green and just kinda drying up a bit and falling off. No real color to speak of!!!

We went pumpkin picking this weekend. This wasn't the place we went last year, out towards the eastern end of Long Island. This was suburban pumpkin picking. For my friends in the Midwest, get ready to laugh. This was a bumper crop of pumpkins though!

Suburban Pumpkin Picking 101:
They have this open field, right in the middle of an industrial / residential area. They have some corn there to make a corn maze, a shed for a haunted house and a grassy area. They cart in pre-picked pumpkins and put them in a field. People get on a hay ride and ride about 350 yards out into the field an select a prepicked pumpkin. Then, they pay for it up front, 67 cents a pound. DD couldn't decide on what she wanted so I wound up getting $45 dollars worth of pumpkins and a sack of apples for pie.








The sock picked out a pumpkin to sun itself on. Note the big expensive houses in the back of this 'farm'.


Here's a few shots of the kids, see the cornfield and the hay ride in the background?

While I'm at it, what do you think of the Iris Afghan? Coming along nicely, isn't it? This is five days worth of work, not too shabby. I have also done some work on the spindle sock but nothing overly noticeable. I really want to get this done. Nice now that you can see the texture. It's a really nice pattern and I think it's going to come out very lovely.

I suppose I should get ready to go to work sometime this morning. I guess it's going to be another hot one, high of low 70s and possible rain this afternoon. Ho hum....

New Picture Wednesday! Tofutsie Time!

We went away for Columbus Day weekend this year. For those of you outside of the Northeast, we've been having a massive warm front. In fact, the south shore of Long Island openned the beaches, lifeguards and all, this past weekend. Everyone here enjoyed record breaking heat in the high 80's. We were in Lake George and Saratoga, 240 miles away from here and it was warm and beautiful.

My son was very happy that he grew to be 42 inches tall and was finally big enough to ride one of the grown up rollercoasters at the Great Escape! DD was unhappy that she wasn't big enough and is now faced with an entire year of eating broccoli so that she'll grow a bit.

Now for some nice pictures. Blogger won't let me upload these in massive giant size so we'll have to make due with small ones.

First we have a view of Lake George through the mighty oaks on the grounds of Fort William Henry in Lake George Village, NY. Sadly, leaves weren't at peak color yet...

The second picture is of one very scary 'ride' called the Skycoaster. That pole is 175 feet tall. There is a dock located several feet in front of it where they load people. The people are strapped in (1, 2 or 3 together) and then hoisted up on a cable. They're on a bungee cord and they're pulled diagonally to near the top of the pole, or as they say, "165 feet is the launch point". And then, it's free fall. They just...drop you. The second group of people went head first and then they went into the swing, like a pendulum. Eventually, you're reeled in like a fish......you grasp onto this loop at the end of a pole. The whole thing scared me and made my palms sweat and my heart race and I was merely a spectator.
These are my kiddies at Bolton Landing, NY, saying CHEESE. They didn't go on the Skycoaster but she wanted to! GEEZ!!
Another view of Lake George Village from Fort William Henry, some color is there!











Here's Tofutsie socks at Saratoga, going to the Spa!










Not to be outdone, the Jaywalker twins were there as well. I spent part of the ride up un-knitting the toes of these in hopes that I will finish them up very soon. The Tofutsies are on the foot part and I could sail through them very quickly now that the gusset decreases are done. In order to satisty my need for wool, I hit the yarn shop in Saratoga. Its a very nice shop and I got some Lang Jawoll and Baby Ull. The Baby Ull is steel gray, not as blue as it looks in that picture. I am going to make another pair of socks for my dear husband in the Baby Ull. Something nice, ribbed and manly; they'll have reinforced heels and toes. I haven't selected the pattern yet but retro-ribbed socks from one of the books I have (Favorite Socks?) is a possibility. We'll see.

Speaking of socks, I have elaborated even more on knitting two socks at once. I was putting one on a holder to get through the gusset but I think that I've solved that problem. I put part of the sock on a DPN and I'm able to turn once when I start the gusset and once again at the end of the gusset decreases. When I finished up, both socks were on the needle, instep on the back, sole on the front, ready to sail through the foot. I didn't have the reinforcing yarn with me. If you're reinforcing, you'll need to have two spools of reinforcing thread. I think I could devise a way to keep them both on the needle, so one entire heel with reinforcing thread and then switch over to the other and do the same. hmmmn...when I figure all of this out on my next pair of socks, I'll post how I did it. I'll try it again and this time: DOCUMENT for future reference.

Coming home from vacation took a very long time. Long enough for me to get through alot of my socks while DH drove. Unfortunately, there were several accidents on the road. One person turned a camper on its side, closing the road entirely. We had to drive on the grass. It appeared that no one was hurt badly, thank goodness.

I leave you now with one last photo. Only a few short hours earlier I was in beautiful Lake George. Alas, sunset over the Whitestone Bridge. Even the Bronx and Manhattan are beautiful at sunset.

No New Picture Friday, Part Trois

The truth of the matter is, I have nothing to show you! Why, you ask? Well, the heel flaps on the Tofutsies are now 2/3's of the way done. Time for gussets, hopefully today. We'll see. Nothing new there and I'm sure you're tired of looking at them. That seam in the baby blanket is still open and two cute guys from the Seam Police stopped by last night and served me with a violation. I have ten days to fix or...or else they carry me off somewhere.

I will show you the Tofutsies in some interesting shots to be. Stay tuned!!

It's now October 5. It's NY..The high today is supposed to be ..80. I think I'm going to have to start believing Al Gore and this global warming. If I didn't have that puppy who is now a dog, I could've grown one giant pumpkin in my backyard this year. So, instead of new pictures, here's DS, last year around this time.

So, let me tell you about my next project...it's call Iris Afghan and the pattern is here, free from the Daily Knitter. They used Lion Brand Thick and Quick which I would never use. It goes against my passion for itty-bitty sts and this should only be used to do macrame hanging baskets. Yuck. This is something I would never do. Back in the 70's, it was all the rage and I hated it. I couldn't get the sides even and the plant would lean. Then I noticed that the ones in the store are like that, too. So, needless to say, I am not doing macrame.

ANYWAY, I will make this pattern out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Cottonball. Cottonball is white. I will cast on not 88 sts but 212, 6 sts on each side for a garter st border and 10 repeats of each pattern so I will have 10 boxes across. I will use a 6 or a 7 needle, have to see if I like the gauge. This should be piece of cake mindless knitting. That is, until I mess up a stitch and have to take out an entire row. This will be for the the baby this is currently in the works and is due Christmas Day. I saw the mommy the other day and she is well and the baby is truly growing. I hope he or she fits under my blanket of itty bitty tiny stitches.

The problem: The yarn isn't in yet. I ordered it and it's not here. I bet it's coming across the country in the back of a truck as we speak. But...it's not here.

So, that means I have to work on the Tofutsies and perhaps fix the toes of the Jaywalkers and add the fringe to the poncho which needs to be blocked.

I also have to get the kiddies up and off to school!


I promise to have beautiful surprise pictures for you next post.