Ready For the Next Clue

What's more difficult to photograph than unblocked lace? How about black unblocked lace?

Mystery Stole 3, Clue 4 is done.

I'm so looking forward to Clue 5 on Friday. That's when we'll find out the theme as well as the reason we were instructed to put a life line in Row 287, a right side row.

It's my first life line ever, but I was afraid not to do it since we don't know its purpose.

When I make mistakes in my lace knitting I frog back to a right side row and then tink down to the wrong side row, finding that much less bothersome than fiddling with lifelines. If I ever knit "real lace" without a plain wrong side row, I will bite the bullet and install lifelines.

The complete tip of my stole can be seen here along with the details of the project.

Emerald City Socks Done

I'm having fun reviewing my sock yarn stash to decide what to knit for the August Sock A Month KAL 4.

Meanwhile, I needed to get the Emerald City socks done and off the needles.


Pattern: 60 stitch cuff using stitch pattern 107 from Japanese Knitting Pattern Book 250.

Yarn: Lisa Souza Sock! 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon

Color: Emerald City

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch in stockinette

Here's a close up of the stitch pattern.

It's interesting and I like it, but it isn't going become one of my favorites.



Once my socks were done, I used up most of the left over Emerald City yarn with some dark green Bretton to make a pair of small kid socks for CIC.


Pattern: Winging Worsted Weight Socks on 32 stitches.

Yarn: Green Patternworks Bretton with left over Emerald City yarn.

Needles: #5 Addi Turbo circulars

Gauge: 5 stitches/inch 7 rows/inch

Saturday Sky and Stuff

Once again it's a beautiful summer day in SW Michigan, sunny and hot - mid 80s.

Temperatures are forecast for the mid 90s next week. Not my favorite weather but not unusual for this time of year.

We long for a good, soaking rain here, but it isn't going to happen soon. Just now I went to check out the 5 day forecast to see if there was any mention of future rain. There wasn't.


The creek is the lowest since we moved here 16 years ago.

I've been transplanting many plants because of the destruction of our shady frontage. This is not a good time of year to be moving perennials. That plus the lack of rain explains why they're all looking sad in their new homes. I'm hoping most will just die back for this year and come up again for a new start in 2008.

Even some of the weeds are looking bedraggled.

Sympathy to the area farmers. Their problems are much more serious than wilting perennials and brown grass.


An exception to the botany blues are the Rose of Sharon bushes. They're blooming more abundantly than normal this year thanks to their long tap roots and our high water table.

In the background are a couple of big old oak trees. We may have lost two oaks to the road widening, but we still have plenty left on the rest of the property.

Friday's Feast for July 27

It's Friday, so let's have a Feast.

Appetizer
Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.

I was fascinated by an erector set at my grandparents farm in Minnesota. We visited once a year and I always pulled it out and tried to play with it. There were so many pieces missing it was difficult to make anything with it.

Other than that, I was much more into books than toys in the childhood years I can remember.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

I do the entire scale, 1 to 10 depending on subject, circumstances, and state of mind.

On average, I give myself a mediocre 5.

Salad
Where would you rather be at this very moment?

I would rather be sitting in my favorite knitting spot in the back room with Pappy in his favorite spot over my shoulder and Sunny in her favorite spot by my side.

Instead, I'm getting ready to drive a sixteen mile round trip to pick up the mail. While I'm in town, I'll drive through Burger King to pick up lunch for us. We rarely get fast food, so that will be a treat.

Main Course
When was the last time you learned something new?

Last night at doggy school.

I was asking trainer Gail about the best way to get Pappy to drop his highly prized moles that he's been catching. One of the other dog owners quizzed me about the size and appearance of Pappy's moles and told me it might be a shrew.

Today I checked it out on the internet, and sure enough. He's been catching shrews.

The problem of getting the little animal out of his mouth remains.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have a picture of one of the box turtles (Terrapene carolina) that roam our back three acres but I haven't been able to get the picture I'd like of one eating the wild blackberries.

The box turtles are terrestrial, eating slugs and earthworms. They also like fruit and eat the little wild strawberries that fruit in the early summer and the wild blackberries that fruit in the late summer.

The blackberry crop is pathetic this year because of the drought. We usually pick and enjoy them, but this year I'm leaving what there is for the wildlife.

Bluebirds, Garbage, and SAM4

Just ten days ago I showed you four fragile naked baby bluebirds here. Now they're cute little bundles of fluffy feathers.

Click on pictures to embiggen.

Today they're two weeks old. All four are in this pile and looking healthy.

I've opened the nest box for the last time. The chicks have started to exercise their new wings and need to stay safely enclosed in the box for three or four more days. Then their parents will take them out into the real world for flying and food gathering lessons.


The male on the right was annoyed at me poking his nest and turned his back on me.

All the better to show you his cute little tail.


Destruction Picture of the Day
(Details on what is happening are here.)

Typical of SW Michigan country roads, our two nearest cross roads are a mile apart to the east and west of our house. We live closest to the east crossroad.

The tree crew started on the east end of the road and has moved on west with their noise and nasty habit of throwing their downed trees in the middle of the road.

Most of us have rigged up temporary mail boxes, but the mail lady won't come down the road because she can't get all the way through. We're driving a sixteen mile round trip to pick up our mail at the post office. This could go on for weeks.

Totally inconvenient and expensive with the current price of gas.

Yesterday the neighborhood optimistically dragged our Herbys (garbage cans)out to the road. In our hearts we knew - the garbage man wasn't coming down this way when he had a good excuse to skip us. It is the second week we've not had garbage pickup. This could become an ugly problem.


After much thought about being careful not to over commit myself, I joined the Sock a Month 4 Knit A Long.

The rules are pretty lenient. To get all possible points five pair of socks are required, one pair finished in each of the remaining months of the year.

In September I'll be knitting Bob's birthday socks. In November I'll be knitting Gail's Christmas socks. In December I'll be knitting Anne's birthday socks. That leaves August and October for some Me socks.

Finished socks are posted on the SAM4 blog. I'm looking forward to seeing all the different socks the group makes.

First month is August, so there's still plenty of time to sign up and join us.

Destruction Picture Of The Day

Destruction Picture of the Day

This is the second largest oak tree almost ready to topple into the street and be dragged away.

I'm hanging out the front window taking this. Those are Tulip Tree leaves hanging down between me and the chain saw guy. The Tulip Tree isn't coming down.

Oak Leaf Knitting has Begun

Click on pictures to embiggen.

This is the front or maybe the back. The front and back are the same, so I'm knitting them at the same time, although not on the same needle. Whichever this is, the other side of the sweater only has the ribbing completed.

All the swatching paid off. I'm totally happy with the yarn, the color, and the gauge.

Altogether there are 28 oak leaf/acorn motifs - 8 on each sleeve, 6 on the front and 6 on the back. This is not going to be a fast project. I'm wondering how often to post a progress picture. Any thoughts on that?


Pattern: Herbstlied (Autumn Song) from New Style of Heirloom Knitting. I call it the Acorn Sweater.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, 100% wool.

Color: Firecracker heather

Needles: Options #5.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8.4 rows/inch in pattern

Click on the label Herbstlied at the end of this post to see all posts on this blog mentioning Herbstlied.

Pat asked for more detail on the ribbing. Here's a close up shot.


It's a fairly common lace ribbing that I've seen in other places.

Multiple of 4 stitches, 4 rows
Row 1: (WS) k2, p2
Row 2: (RS) k2tog, yo, p2
Row 3: (WS) K2, p2
Row 4: (RS) yo, slip 1, knit 1, psso, p2

Destruction Picture of the Day

This is the second largest oak tree almost ready to topple into the street and be dragged away.

I'm hanging out the front window taking this. Those are Tulip Tree leaves hanging down between me and the chain saw guy. The Tulip Tree isn't coming down.

The Biggest Oak

Against the neighborhood's wishes, our wooded dirt road is going to be widened and paved. The first thing the county thinks needs to be done is the elimination of all trees in the right of way.

In the past week our frontage lost approximately 35 trees. Some were not very large. A dozen pine trees were over 30 feet tall.

Two large oaks, the largest, about five feet in diameter, came down last.

First the chain saw guy cut a notch on the road side of the tree, the direction he wanted the tree to fall.


Next, he cut a slit in the other side of the tree just short of going all way through the trunk.

The big green machine pushed the oak over into the road.


SW Michigan is having a drought. It's very dry here. The tree cutters create dust with everything they do, but they exceeded all previous dust clouds when the biggest oak hit the road.



The tree was cut up just enough so it could be dragged down the road (creating more dust) to the neighbor's saw mill.


All that remains is the stump. It stays until the bulldozing starts.

Too many rings to count.

Red White Gansey Finished

Click pictures to embiggen.

Pattern: White Gansey from Beth Brown-Reinsel's Knitting Ganseys

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish, a worsted weight superwash wool. 17 50 gram skeins of 110 yards.

Color: Pepper Red

Needles: Knitpicks Options #3

Gauge: 6 stitches/inch, 9 rows/inch in stockinette. A very firm gauge for this yarn but great for showing stitch definition.

Red White Gansey was knit as a utility sweater - something warm, casual, comfortable, and a little nicer than a sweatshirt.


Swish is a nice yarn but like most superwash wools it doesn't feel wooly. It feels soft against my skin, even when modeling in the sun on a summer day.

It was smooth knitting even at this tight gauge. Caution: At looser gauges it might well "grow" when washed and/or end up a baggier fabric than you would like. Most superwash wool is like that.

I will use Swish again. Knitpicks has introduced a DK weight Swish for fall which I plan to try before the coming winter is over.



This picture shows - but not very well - the faux seam up the side and the underarm gusset.

Normally I wonder throughout sweater knitting if I'm going to be able to sew the sweater together decently. All the ganseys in this book are knit in one piece. No finishing except for a few ends to weave in.

The book is written tutorial style. For those who like learning from books, this book is like your own personal class with Beth. There's even a small, doll size sample gansey to practice on.

All the patterns in the book (Three for kids, three for adults) are very easy to follow with good pictures on techniques that might be new to a knitter.

Two child size sweaters I've knit from this book are here and here.


The background plant is Crocosmia lucifer, common name montbretia. Hummingbirds love them.

I love them. They multiply and thrive with no care, not even any watering during dry times. They bloom for over a month in mid summer and appear to spend the winter multiplying. The ten foot island of montbretia in the sweater pictures was grown from one little $10 bag of bulbs planted about ten years ago. With no help from me except admiring glances and appreciation.

My kind of plant.

Harry, Noise, and Bluebirds

No Spoilers Here

I'm
a Ravenclaw!

The tree destruction crew didn't work this weekend so we propped the mailbox up and Harry Potter was delivered on Saturday as expected.

No knitting or plant moving was accomplished once HP arrived.

I finished the book late this evening and award it an O. O = Outstanding, the highest grade possible at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Tomorrow the Noise Begins Again

This extremely loud tree eating machine is parked near our property line.

When the trees get cut down they get thrown in the road. Then a machine that drags trees around pulls them to the tree eating machine where they are turned into chips. The chips go out the chute into the semi.

All the marked trees on our property are down except for two very large oak trees which require special handling. I'm sure tomorrow is their day to fall.

The large oaks and our large pine trees are going/have gone to a young man down the street who has a saw mill.


Bluebirds at Ten Days

The bluebirds are ten days old today and no longer willing to pose nicely for the camera. They have eyes now and know that I am not their mother. When I open the nest box flap, they dive for cover.

The box will stay shut once they're 14 days old. That's when their wings will be developed to the point there is a risk of them flapping out of the nest.

Friday's Feast and Bluebird Update

It's Friday, so let's have a Feast.

There is only one question foremost in my mind today, and it has nothing to do with Friday's Feast.

How is the UPS man going to get here tomorrow with my Harry Potter book?


See this picture? This is my road.

See the STOP sign at the end of the road? See the intersection blocked with chopped down trees? Behind them is a barricade that says ROAD CLOSED - like it requires a sign to know that.

Now, on to the much less important Feast questions. Answers will be very short today since my body aches from moving plants out of the right of way and I want to go recline and stretch out.

Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?

2

Soup
If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?

Even if I could, I wouldn't.

Oops. Does Dr. Seuss count? I do know some of his books by memory.

Salad
What is your favorite breakfast food?

Creme brulee french toast from the Coeur d'Alene Resort Sunday brunch.

What do I normally eat for breakfast? Lately it's been oatmeal topped with a sliced peach or nectarine.

Main Course
Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.

Monitor my nest boxes. Doesn't cost a thing. As long as things are going well, it's enough fun to put a smile on my face.

This picture was taken yesterday on the bluebird hatchlings one week birthday.

Click on picture for a larger view.


Dessert
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?

Five minutes or less.

A more interesting question might be about how long it takes me to wake up in the morning. One cup of coffee usually does it, ideally before the dogs need their first walk of the day. But some mornings like today I have to stumble out of the house without coffee.

Right now with the fence gone and the road work going on, all three dogs have to be leash walked. The dogs don't seem to mind. Bob and I are coping.

Good Week for Knitting, Bad Week for Trees

Click on any picture to embiggen.

Monday I finished the third clue of Mystery Stole 3.

Here it is in all its unblocked frumpyness.

I think it looks like a bee theme. There's a bee in the pointed end followed by honeycomb to the left. The clue we just finished starts a field of flowers.

Once the stole clues were current, I started stalking the mail lady for my Knitpicks order needed to start Autumn Song.


Then the unthinkable happened. The advance crew for the tree removal/road widening/road paving arrived and removed the mailbox.

What's a knitter to do?

Stand out at the end of the driveway and wave the mail lady down, of course.


And, I was lucky! She pulled up with a box of yarn.

Last night while trying to relax after a day of heavy machinery, chainsaws, choppers, and falling trees and branches, I sat in the back room and knit the ribbing for the sweater front and back.


Pattern: Herbstlied (Autumn Song) from New Style of Heirloom Knitting. I call it the Acorn Sweater.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, 100% wool.

Color: Firecracker heather

Needles: Options #5 (#4 for the ribbing).

Gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8.4 rows/inch in pattern

Click on the label Herbstlied at the end of this post to see all posts on this blog mentioning Herbstlied.

Soon the road was officially CLOSED.

This is the view out my driveway this morning. Hundreds of trees coming down. They haven't started on our large pine trees and oaks yet. More pictures as the carnage continues.

The baby bluebirds are safe on the back side of the property.

Singin' the Feed Me Blues

Four day old Bluebird hatchlings.

Click to embiggen.

Picture taken July 16.

Swatches for Autumn Song

Click on picture for larger view.

Pattern: Herbstlied (Autumn Song) from New Style of Heirloom Knitting.

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, a light worsted weight 100% wool.

Color: Firecracker heather

Needles: Options #5.



The pattern in the book is written in one size, 39.2 inches around. The gauge is 5.9 stitches/inch and 8.5 rows/inch.

I need a little larger size, some where between 40 and 42 inches around. Before starting to swatch, I calculated my ideal gauge to be 5.5 stitches/inch and 8.5 rows/inch. But, I'm not afraid to do math and am ready to work with whatever gauge pleases me most in the swatches.


#4 (3.5 mm) needle, bottom swatch.

Resulting gauge: 5.8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch.

Notes: Too tight. The stitch patterns didn't come out even in length and the oak leaf is warped from being knit too tight. Since this is close to the gauge of the actual pattern, I'm guessing the sweater in the book is knit using DK or sport weight yarn.

#6 (4.25mm) needle, top swatch.

This swatch is missing the 4 garter stitches on each side found on the other two swatches.

Resulting gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8 rows/inch.

Notes: Resulting fabric is a little too floppy.

#5 (3.75mm) needle, center swatch.

Resulting gauge: 5.5 stitches/inch, 8.4 rows/inch.

Notes: Nice. Good stitch definition but not too firm to hang attractively. I'll be using #5 needles for my Autumn Song. Ready to cast on as soon as my yarn order arrives.

Click on the label Herbstlied at the end of this post to see all posts on this blog mentioning Herbstlied.

Peaceful Saturday

Finally we're getting a few minutes of rain. It's been a long dry spell here and we desperately need it.

So far it's been a peaceful, gentle type of rain and not anywhere near enough to satisfy the thirsty plants. I'm hoping for more.


After writing Thursday's post, it was obvious the quickest way back to knitting peace would be to finish the Red White Gansey.

By Friday bedtime the Red White Gansey was done - really done with every last end woven in.

This morning it got a bath. It's wet in the picture.

Once the sweater is dry, the weather is dry, and I can snag a photographer, there will be modeled shots.

The knitting scheduler in my head is happy and knitting peace reigns once again. From now on swatching will count as a project and I will not exceed three projects on the needles at one time.


Pattern: White Gansey from Beth Brown-Reinsel's Knitting Ganseys

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish, a worsted weight superwash wool

Color: Pepper Red

Needles: Knitpicks Options #3

Gauge: 6 stitches/inch, 9 rows/inch in stockinette. A very firm gauge for this yarn but great for showing stitch definition.

This morning I picked up Mystery Stole 3 and finished Clue 2.

With the knitting urgency gone, less mistakes were made and it didn't take long at all to complete the second chart.

Clue 3 is printed and ready to roll. It's only 50 rows so there will be no problem getting it done by the time Clue 4 is published next Friday.


Pattern: Mystery Stole 3 By Melanie Gibbons

Yarn: Regia silk fingering weight. 55% merino wool, 20% silk, 25% nylon.

Color: Black. As part of the KAL (Knit-A-Long) we were told that white or black best fit the stole theme.

Needles: Options #4.

For the first time ever, I'm glad it takes a Knitpicks shipment with free shipping over a week to arrive. The Acorn Sweater yarn was ordered last Saturday and still isn't here.

This weekend I'll be listening to Harry Potter audio books, knitting the last swatch for the Acorn Sweater, and sketching out a plan to knit the sweater so it will fit.

Friday's Feast for July 13

It's Friday, so let's have a Feast.

(Posted a day late with yesterday's date.)

Appetizer
What is your favorite fruit?

Michigan strawberries in season.

Soup
Who is someone you consider as a great role model?

After giving this considerable thought, I don't know. Although there are many people I admire, I work hard at trying to be myself.

Salad
If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?

My own bed in my own home.

Main Course
Name something you do too often.

Eat sugar.

It got left out of Bible, but I suspect part of the fallen world is to have everything that tastes good be fattening and/or unhealthy.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I really like ___________ because ____________.

I really like living in a wooded area because of all the wildlife and because on a hot day it's ten degrees cooler here than in town.

The Screaming Knitting Scheduler

I have a knitting scheduler in my head that keeps track of my projects at a subconscious level. When things get impossible, it creates a feeling of stress and I have to face my overextended knitting goals.

Right now my knitting scheduler is in full screaming mode. There is nothing that's going to be done when I think it should be. Time to adjust expectations so I can get on with enjoying summer without knitting guilt.

Acorn sweater swatches

• Status - The #4 needle swatch is done, blocked, and too tight. The #6 needle swatch is done, blocked, and too floppy. I need a #5 needle swatch which I think is going to be just right.
  
  Now, after the fact, I wonder why I didn't knit the #5 swatch first. That's the needle size I used for FLAK and it was perfect for the cabled Peruvian worsted. Isn't hindsight wonderful?
  
  
• In my dreams schedule - I want all the swatches done and blocked by Friday (tomorrow), the first possible day my yarn shipment might arrive.
  
  
• Reality schedule - The yarn is going to arrive and I will not be ready to cast on for at least a week. That hurts.

Mystery Stole 3 Clue 2

• Status - I'm about one fifth done with Clue 2.
  
  
• In my dreams schedule - I want it done by Friday (tomorrow) when Clue 3 is published.
  
  
• Reality Schedule - Maybe next week I'll be able to catch up with the rest of the group. Actually, in reality, a large percent of the rest of the group isn't done with Clue 2 either.
  
  Why do I feel the pressure here? This is not a race. A realistic goal is to catch up during the Clue 4 knit. We have two weeks for that one.

Red White Gansey

• Status - I've been so intent on the stole and the swatches, I haven't considered knitting on it since I returned from Idaho. There are three inches of one sleeve left to knit. It could be done in an evening.
  
  
• In my dreams schedule - Finished yesterday. We had a cool day and I got a haircut. Would have been the perfect day for a photo shoot.
  
  
• Reality Schedule - I will finish the last sleeve before casting on the Acorn sweater. It will take super will power.

Emerald City socks

• Status - I'm past the gusset decreases on the foot of both socks. I pick a sock up when I'm too tired to knit on something that requires a brain.
  
  
• In my dreams schedule - None. I'm in no hurry to finish these socks.
  
  Now why can't all my knitting projects be relaxed like that?

Closing note for those who know my New Year's resolution was to limit myself to a maximum of three knitting projects at one time: I have rationalized the four projects above by declaring that swatches are not a project.

Once I'm back under the three project limit, I'm changing the rules to include swatching in the project count. Obviously if I had to write this post I have exceeded the project limit my brain can handle without knitting stress.

Joining the Crowd

I've joined the thousands of internet knitters who are knitting Mystery Stole 3.

For those who aren't knitters (Yes, I have non-knitters who read this blog. Isn't that amazing?), Mystery Stole 3 is a Yahoo group of approximately seven thousand knitters who are all knitting the same pattern but with different yarn and needles. Many are adding beads.

We don't know what we're knitting. Each Friday from June 29 to August 17 a clue is published, except for July 27 - we're taking a week off to read Harry Potter. The clue is the pattern for the next section of the stole.

The stole has a unknown theme which we're told we'll be able to see by the fifth clue.

This picture is my completed first clue. Two clues have been published. I'm a bit behind because I didn't decide to join until I saw how pretty the first clue knits up.

If I can get the second clue knit by the time the next clue is published on Friday, I won't be behind anymore. The pressure is on and I'm trying not to give into it.

The group is closed. But at the end of the summer, Melanie will be selling the pattern on her website Pink Lemon Twist.


Pattern: Mystery Stole 3 By Melanie Gibbons

Yarn: Regia silk fingering weight. 55% merino wool, 20% silk, 25% nylon.

Color: Black. As part of the KAL (Knit-A-Long) we were told that white or black best fit the stole theme.

Needles: Options #4.

Green Heron and Pink Flag

It's hot and I'm swatching the Acorn Sweater. Once the swatches are done, I'll post everything I've learned about Autumn Song/Wool of the Andes gauge. Meanwhile, here are a few non-knitting pictures.

Click on picture to see more detail.

Sunday morning I spotted a Green Heron (Butorides striatus) hunting at the edge of the pond.

The Green Heron is supposedly the most common Heron in the Great Lakes region. The Great Blue Heron is a much more frequent visitor to our property, so this sighting was a treat.

According to one of my bird books, "The Green Heron, even at a short distance looks almost black and is much more dark blue than green in its body plumage." Which is why it looks blue in the picture.


The dirt road where we live is right on the other side of these large, old pine trees.

The county right-of-way is on the pond side of the pine trees.


There's an ominous pink flag planted between the pine trees and the pond.

Next summer our road is scheduled to be paved and the pine trees will likely be gone. We're working on accepting their demise.

Yarn for Autumn Song

Remember Autumn Song, the Acorn Sweater from the Japanese pattern book New Style of Heirloom Knitting?

It was going to be my summer knitting project, but I couldn't decide on a yarn to use and ended up knitting the Red White Gansey as an interim project.

Before the Idaho trip, I ordered some sample yarn from Knitpicks and vowed to make a decision and order yarn when I got home.

Done!


These three colors are Swish, a superwash, worsted weight 100% wool.

Swish is a lovely yarn, but none of the three colors is perfect for my Autumn Song.

From left to right:

• Fired Brick - too dark and too blue toned. Will use yarn for CIC socks.
  
  
• Copper - A beautiful warm brown. Made the final cut before elimination. Will use for CIC socks.
  
  
• Light Coral - Loved it, but it really isn't an "oak" color. Plus I have two similar colored sweaters in my closet as it's one of my favorites. I may stash it a while for possible future swatching on a yet unknown project.

Here are three Wool of the Andes Worsted weight, 100% wool colors.

• Firecracker Heather (top) - Winner! I ordered 22 skeins of it today. This shade of warm red with the subtle heathering just screams Autumn Song to me. Yes, I just finished a red sweater. Firecracker Heather is different enough so I won't feel like I'm knitting the same color.
  
  
• Forest Heather (bottom left) - This gorgeous dark heathered green yarn is the color of mature oak leaves. If I wasn't in love with the Firecracker Heather, I'd swatch it for stitch definition. My guess is that it's a little dark for a cabled sweater. I'm going to keep it in mind for future projects.
  
  
• Amber Heather (bottom right) - Another lovely color and it does look "oaky". This type of color was high on my list when I was younger and red headed. It's not so great with white hair. Red is better. These skeins will be CIC socks.

Catching Up With Feast and Sky

The Friday's Feast chef is taking a week off.

No problem. I'm a week behind with my feasting, so here are last week's questions.

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?

Two. My wedding band and my retirement watch.

For most of my working life I wore earrings and necklaces. My ears are pierced but the left ear hole is crooked and droopy after many years of using it to hold the phone to my neck at work.

Someday I'll have the left ear re-pierced to match the right ear and wear earrings more often than I do now.

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?

Handel's Messiah.

Yes, I know it has words. It's also my favorite choral piece.

Salad
Who has a last name that you like?

I do.

Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.

Titanic. I avoid movies where everyone dies at the end.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.

Nothing makes me enjoy my dog walks like the prospect of a new bluebird family in one of the nest boxes.

The first egg was laid on Sunday, June 24, so estimated hatching date is July 12.


I'm also a week behind on showing Saturday Sky, so here is the Idaho sky from last Saturday, June 30.