sorting out

Yesterday was the beginning of a week's vacation for me.

A week with no commitments...a week just for me.

I spent Saturday sorting through my art supplies 

and straightening up my drawing table.

(It took 6 hours and two large garbage bags!)

Sophie is thrown out of sorts when I move things around,

but she also loves to adventure through the re-arranged spaces.

Besides, it's good to shake up our little world once in a while.

Many closets await my attention this week but the leaves are changing 

so I'm looking forward to a walk or two in the woods and making some things.

Maybe a day trip to the city?

Wishing all a peaceful Sunday.

xo, j

wednesday scarf

I've started a very simple shallow triangle scarf

with a beaded picot edge.

This is my first time beading a knit piece.

It's not as difficult as I had thought to place the beads

and they lend a bit of sparkle to the black cash merino wool.

The pattern is all garter stitch with a row of eyelets along the fore edge.

This will be quick and fun to knit up while watching a movie or two.

Only three weeks and three days to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival!

Have a great week.

xo, j

autumn

dogwood fruit, wild apples, yarn, pumpkin

Today I went for a drive to my favorite stretch of local road

and took a few photos of the changing landscape.

The wind crackled through the drying corn 

and set the goldenrod tops dancing.

What appeared to be a golden eagle hunted over the field.

I admit it's early to see these majestic birds migrating,

but the size, level wing span, golden head 

and lack of white had me convinced.

The photos aren't the best, the bird was quite high up.

(I cropped them down to the last point of focus.)

You can see the bird as a dark spot in the upper right corner of the first photo.

Back home to an afternoon with a new knitting project  

and a bowl of vegetable soup for dinner.

Happy Equinox!

xo, j

in the mailbox

The latest issue of Selvedge magazine came the other day

and with it a pair of lisa b socks as a thank you for my renewal.

I already peeked at my online copy but treasure sitting

down with the paper issue and my morning coffee.

Also, I was surprised to find a copy of the 

October 2013 Knit Picks catalog in my mailbox.

How unusual to see a mail order type catalog for yarn.

I must admit to a slight gasp when I opened to the page above.

Perhaps my stash would look this way if not squirreled away

in moth proof bags and storage containers.

It's a more than perfect day here weather wise.

The sun still warm and bright but cool enough for a light sweater.

Our autumnal equinox only three days away...

cloudy monday

The cowl I knit this weekend didn't work out

so it's a simple ball of yarn again.

Spent two hours wandering around the library today.

The Snow Child was such a beautifully written fairy tale

it was difficult to find another book to interest me.

The story will remain with me for quite a while.

Perhaps I should have read it a second time...

The days are growing shorter and cooler.

 Box elder seeds hang like chandeliers outside my window.

campsite

Here are the last of my camping trip photos.

My tent is 30 years old and still going strong,

an extra sheet of plastic kept the heat in and the rain out.

The quilt was one of the first I made.

The colors were randomly placed but it's great

for bundling up around the campfire.

A vintage truck and camper went zooming by

looking for a camp site.

What fun!

I took a new shawl pattern and yarn with me

but struggled to figure it out.

After four attempts that were all ripped out

I went back to my glove project.

The little cherry wood box is designed to hold double point needles safely,

 I don't know how I managed without it!

No more bother over dropped stitches in transport.

More knitting to come.

hardenburgh trail

"At some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough."

-Toni Morrison

On Saturday I took a hike up the Hardenburgh Trail

into the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest.

The rocky trail was sometimes steep and always uphill.

At times it was a challenge to find the next blue trail marker.

By the end of the hike my knees were burning!

Uphill and downhill both took their toll.

mushrooms, lichens, moss and ferns 

an afternoon spent in the company of trees

it was oh so quiet 

I wonder what it's like up there tonight,

what creatures are shuffling about the forest floor...

catskill mountains

beaver kill

underwater hole 10-12 feet deep and full of trout

looking downstream

apple trees in the wild forest

the valley

I'm back from the woods and missing it already.

I'm hopelessly enamored with the Beaver Kill 

(kill is another term for creek)

and the mountains it winds through on its way to 

the Delaware River.

Pleasantly tired but rejuvenated.

Tomorrow some photos from my Saturday hike.

xo, j

escape

A beautiful long weekend awaits

and I'm heading for the mountains.

I'll raise a glass to the campfire!

Wishing all a wonderful adventure this weekend.

xo, j

september

My single day off and where does it find me?

At my favorite local yarn shop, of course.

I wonder what these beauties will become...

It's still hot as blazes outside but the light has changed, 

robins have flown and the leaves dimmed to olive green.

Busy needles as I listen to the radio all afternoon.

Wishing a wonderful weekend to all.

xo, j