Good Morning Everyone!
You can just feel the change in the air, I love it! No more mosquitos swarming me at Hard'ack, the leaves are beginning to turn, the apples are ready for picking, and the monarch butterflies and geese prepare to head south. The warmth of the sun balances perfectly with cooler air allowing the best introduction to my favorite season, FALL!! What better way to greet Fall but with a BRAND NEW SWEATER?!?!? I just finished my Efa sweater, it fits me to a "T"! I don't know why I'm always surprised by this, I'm relieved when I try it on and it looks amazing. It's like I dodged a bullet and the universe isn't against me. The sleeves are the same length, the armholes aren't binding, I can pull it over my head, and I figured out the mystery of positive ease, SUCCESS!! Despite the dozens of sweaters I've knit through the decades, there's always that fear that some little detail or interpretation of the pattern is going to bring me to my knees. My Efa has boosted my confidence, reminding me that I do know what I'm doing, just in time for my next conquest, STEEKING...
Steeking, not for the faint of heart. I've got some brave KAL gals who are up for the challenge, poor souls have me as the fearless leader. We had our first gathering this past Saturday, there was lots of excitement, mostly over the Apple Cider donuts Leslie brought. The conversations were lively and no one seemed too concerned that we'd eventually be cutting up the fronts of our sweaters. The fact that we recognize doing colorwork in the round is much faster than carrying colors and purling was enough reason to take on this new challenge. Most knitters will look for the quickest way to get the best results and if that means no purling, than bring it on. I have no idea why most of us dread purling, but it seems to be a common denominator amongst us knitters. If anyone cares to shed some light on this, I'd be interested in hearing why I don't love purling, I honestly don't know. I did manage to get my sweater cast on despite eating 2 donuts. I also discovered a fool proof way of not making any crumbs, simply shove the entire donut in your mouth, viola!! I may have done it in two bites, my cheeks were pretty full, boy was it delicious. I managed to wash it down with a big swig of coffee that I perhaps infused with Maple Cream liqueur. As Natalie said, "It's 5:00 somewhere."
Vermont Sheep and Wool is this weekend which means I'll be off this Saturday, October 1st buying more yarn for more sweaters. I only have 1 project in mind, Isabell Kraemer's Venia, but if there is something else I see, I am quite certain it will end up coming home with me. I'm actually on the hunt for a basket, Kathleen has one that I'm just crazy about. I'm hoping that the woman who was there 2 years ago with her gorgeous baskets will be back, fingers crossed...Mark your calendars, the shop will be closed Saturday October 1st. We will be meeting tomorrow evening for Stitch and Bitch from 6-7:30, I hope you can join in the fun. A big thank-you to Andra for joining us last Wednesday with her marvelous TRUNK SHOW, it was so much fun. Andra also took the picture of the beautiful Monarch Butterfly featured in my newsletter. Make it a great day and I'll see you soon!
Katy