...and I am ready for some football and some Scoreboard knitting!
Maddy will be home, there will be Howling Wolf BBQ Ribs for supper (if Rusty remembered to turn on the slow cooker before he left for his teaching gig today)...
I am so ready!!
Last Saturday was the annual "Fall Fest" edition of our local Farmers Market!
It was chilly in the morning, thus Ali's sweater sleeves pulled down almost gauntlet-style while heating milk for a cup of hot cocoa.
The sun came on strong as the morning progressed, though, and the hot drinks gave way to iced lattes and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
I had some of my creative work on display at market for the first time all year, including some of the fruit of this summer's indigo labor play.
I also brought home my first bouquet from our market neighbors' booth. I love all the flowers and admire all the bouquets, but the fall combos are the ones that grab me most.
I'd taken a few extra days off of work late last week. Home alone, I had some fun puttering and doing things on my own schedule...
I worked on my Scoreboard KAL cowl.
I cut out the pieces for another sleeveless boatneck top, similar to this one but without the embellishment, and with a slightly different shape. I am sensing a pattern where immediately after finishing an intense sewing project, I need a QUICK slow-fashion fix! Or a simple project, anyway, even if I may not quickly finish.
I made things blue! Over-dying a few previously dyed hanks, refreshing some of my stepdad's jeans (a couple pair yet retained for some mending), and playing around with some sock blanks! I'm looking forward to swatching/making something with those.
But first, apparently, a new pair of Mim's Dimorphous Mittens por moi -- and a more portable project. I made a pair five years ago, ended up giving them away, and I miss them!! The yarn on the right is Hello Yarn Fiber Club Light As Feathers spun by my friend Ann; that will be the outer mitten. The inner mitten will be made from some Dream In Color Everlasting yarn (old version) that I picked up last winter at Susan's Fiber Shop. I've already half an outer mitt on the needles -- and knitting 2-row stripes from both ends of the yarn cake... we'll see how that works out. I'm pretty confident that I'll have enough of this to also make a pair of fingerless mitts.
Happy weekend, y'all.
I finally finished my "muslin" of the Alabama Chanin Wrap Skirt! I used three thrifted t-shirts for the main skirt pieces (one black and two mismatched-but-close green), stenciled the fabric using my airbrush and compressor set-up for the first time, and used a variety of techniques to finish.
A skirt is a tricky garment for me to wear, and I'd make mods* next time, but I was comfortable enough to wear it out to lunch yesterday!
Alabama Chanin Wrap Skirt
*Because of my body shape, and this is whether or not I'm packing 30 extra pounds -- it's just structure/posture -- I would make an adjustment to the front (shorten) or to the back (lengthen), and probably play around with the darts a little. Some people make a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) when they sew... mine would be a Full Belly Adjustment. Haha.
In other news, the image above was included with permission in a recent Alabama Chanin Journal post about The School of Making (#theschoolofmaking)! I am rubbing Instagram shoulders with some very fine company there. Check it out... it's an inspiring community.
Ten on Tuesday: 10 Foods I Am Looking Forward to Eating Now That Fall Is (almost) Here.
1. Chili. All Day! With Fritos and Football.
2. Soup. Nothing says "warm me up" like a bowl of soup!
3. A Roast. Any kind. With carrots, parsnips, and potatoes.
4. Lasagna. It's always been my go-to in any season, but particularly as it gets cooler outside. And made with some Roasted Tomato Sauce? Divine.
5. BBQ Ribs. KC&T just began selling my favorite BBQ sauce, Howling Wolf! (And will soon feature the Cranberry Orange sauce on a panini.)
6. Apples. Worth the wait.
7. Roasted Veggies. Any and all!
8. Cranberries. In bread (sparingly). In sauce. I love their tartness!
9. Zucchini Bread. Also sparingly, but it seems every year I somehow have one (large) zucchini that I just don't know what to do with except make bread!
10. Pumpkin Pie. This is the realm of my husband. He *loves* pie... pumpkin and apple, in particular, so this is definitely pie season around here. I can protest 'til the cows come home... there will be pie.
* * * * *
Wisconsin Weather (Fall)
3 Days ago I posted: "I am having warm thoughts about my furnace." It was mid-60s in my house. In spring that feels amazing, in fall... not so much.
Today I posted: "It was a little warm at work today. We had the door open and a fan going but, really, it was warm enough for A/C. We just couldn't do it! It felt as though we'd have been closing the door right in summer's face... (sad face)."
For the record, it's 7 p.m. and still 83F outside.
Tomorrow (day off) is supposed to be much like today. (Yay!)
Hi there.
I've been SEWING.
Out on the pergola amid the overgrown tomatoes!
Out on the pergola with a visit from the inspector.
The end is drawing near! The waistband is completely attached now and I'm working on just a bit more embellishment on the inside front, then closures! I "tried it on" the other day and am pretty happy with it... my "muslin" heh!
I've also added to the fabric stash for future projects. I'm so ticked with this 2XL t-shirt that I found on clearance at Macy's. It will become a romper for Junah to wear next summer!
Toad!
I haven't been KNITTING, but I've been making plans... and I will be knitting on Sunday for sure!
Scoreboard! Go Pack Go!
I've been COOKING.
That is the incredibly delicious Leek, Olive & Potato Pie from a favorite cookbook The Olive and The Caper! We have not yet been steered wrong by this wonderful and informative book, and it might be time to attempt some of the more adventurous/exotic dishes!
And I've enjoyed HANGING OUT with my family.
My husband and my sister... we had a nice cookout and meal together at Joe's last weekend.
When it hasn't raining or hot & humid, it's been really nice outside, so I've been enjoying the great outdoors.
Farmer market morning.
Another lovely pergola afternoon.
There's been time with KIDDOS!
Aw... not one but TWO stubbed toes!
And there's been some TIME FOR ME.
Before.
After. Trimmed, thinned & curled! Kate, my stylist, asked me if I thought my hair was getting curlier... and YES! I do! There's a very straight layer on top but underneath, especially in back, it's incredibly wavy... which makes me wonder what would happen with a short style! It could happen!!
And I've been an ARMCHAIR TRAVELER.
Kate's on a westerly road trip... through areas that don't always have cell service... but when she does have service, I'm enjoying following along!
* * * * *
9/11. I'll never forget.
The boss is on vacation and I'm working everyday this week... long days. They can leave me tapped out. I managed to stop at the store on the way home last night and then cook a pretty stellar dinner (if I may so so), though I used an amazing number of dishes/tools/utensils to make it. Luckily, Rusty is quite willing to clean up the kitchen... especially when dinner is so yummy! We don't mind eating sometimes on a more European clock, either, so that helps. I can settle in and decompress for a bit and then take my time cooking. We've been doing that more and more, and I really like it.
I've been working on my skirt... the slow fashion is going even slower this week! But I've made progress even since I took these photos on Sunday. I've gone as far as I'm going to go on the outer front (black over green)... and I *love* it!
I'm trying a new (to me) technique on the inner front, and inking in addition to stitching. A few motifs will be inked only, some not at all, and much of it will never be exposed so I'm not spending time on that part.
At first I wasn't going to cut this piece, either, but I have... some, not all of the inked & stitched motifs... and I *love* it, too! (Pardon the terrible lighting.)
Let's see... what else has been happening?
Oh, hey, it's Maddy in her new (used) JEEP Wrangler! I drove over on Saturday morning to help her with the purchase... and then teach her how to drive a stick shift in :20 before she had to get ready for work. Let's just say that it's about a million times better to learn a manual transmission in a JEEP than, say (ahem), a SAAB. She loves it... truly a match made in heaven.
This guy spent a couple of hours at our house on Tuesday night. Is there a single photo here that's in focus??? He doesn't sit still for a second, and he's F-A-S-T! And so incredibly cute, though I might be somewhat biased.
One of his favorite things is going in and out the back door, the knobs and latches more easily reached and manipulated than some others. Ali, Rod & Junah left on Tuesday night to head home and a minute later, there's the undeniable sound of Junah at the door. He wasn't ready yet! He hadn't played with his caterpillar gear puzzle yet (apparently)!! He needed an extra :05 and then he was ready. So funny.
I am looking forward to the long weekend. How about you??