Right now...

That's a lot of leaves!!

Acknowledging... That my birthday, which falls just two days before Election Day, is going to require some serious attention and damn good mojo.

Anticipating... Election Day! While I doubt the madness will end, it'll at least be... the end of something. I can't complain about the ads because I don't watch live TV, and I use NoMoRobo to curb the unwanted calls and soliticitations, but FB is full of it (and I admit to getting caught up a bit... sometimes...). Mostly, hopefully, GOD PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I am anticipating not having to even think about the possibility of Donald Trump as our president. I do not understand it one single iota -- never did, never will -- the man is as unfit for office as he is disgusting.

And that's a lot. /sorrynotsorry /iamfinishednow

Delighted by... Junah playing with an old Fisher-Price Family Farm that my mom had. It's been in my trunk for months... but Jun came grocery shopping with me yesterday and he spotted it when we loaded up the groceries! We brought it in the house and he played with it for quite a while -- first on the kitchen floor, then in the living room. Then we played "jump" -- where I sit in my chair and he stands on my footstool -- bounce & JUMP! Then we played with "circles" -- an old Discovery Toys game -- and then he was goofing around and bonked his head and wanted to go home... or to the farm. ?? His other grandparents live on a farm and I thought he was telling me that he wanted to go home or to the farm... which is fine, because they're amazingly great and wonderful people (love you, Bob & Kathy... but REALLY, Junah??). Heheh, he wanted to take the farm home with him! And so we did.  ;)

Knitting... Squad Mitts and some stealth Christmas presents for the kiddos. I would likely have a pair of mitts finished had I not gone full-on AUTO and knit well beyond where I was supposed to begin the thumb gusset on mitt #2... so a little rip & re-knit was in order. Back on track and for sure tonight! It is definitely getting to be mitt season, and I like that these are in fingering-weight yarn.

Looking forward to... WINTER! For the simple reason that it marks the end of road construction around here. OhMyGOD, it has been something else this year.

Planning... NaBloPoMo! Call me crazy, but I can't NOT do it after all these years.

Reading... PAGES: Room... making progress. AUDIO: The Time Traveler's Wife -- that's a long book -- I'm about half-way. I've been enjoying it, for the most part, but they just got married and I've rolled my eyes a time or two... I should stick with it, right?

Sewing... Hopefully soon. I've had some fabric for a while now to make new window treatments in the bathroom.

Wondering... What's up with you right now!?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Weekending

I slept. A lot.

I cooked. A lot.

I did some shopping, some laundry, some knitting.

I chatted with my sis.

I had a hair appointment.

I hung out with the fam.

A trio of Color Break Hats... fini! So adorable.

Squad Mitts... like knitters' candy! So many flavor combinations... perfect for leftovers and mini-skeins (things of which I have plenty!).

Reunion

B-bye Wisconsin!

Hello New Jersey/New York!

(Statue of Liberty is a shadowy dot just to right of center.)

I had a wonderful return trip to the New York Sheep & Wool Festival, aka Rhinebeck, again staying with my besties, Cara and Ann! One big highlight of the trip was meeting Cara's kiddos! The last time I visited, her eldest was 9m old -- now she's 8, and has a 6yo sister! They're gorgeous, sweet, and lovely. And, of course, it was lovely to see Poe again at Ann's, and to meet the girls -- Violet & Hyacinth -- at The Pugshack! They are adorable, funny, and playful!

And the merriment begins!

We headed north late Friday morning, checking into our Airbnb in Kerhonkson before going over to the Indie Untangled trunk show in Kingston. I met & hugged Lee Wittenstein there after many years of online friendship! I laughed when she said that she recognized me because of my shoes. Who knew? Those "foot selfies" could be just as important as those with your face!

Saturday dawned frosty...

...and so beautiful! This are views from the deck at our house.

It just kept getting prettier! There were deer out there both mornings (a couple of visible in the lower right-hand corner) -- I counted at least 8 on Sunday!

I didn't have a "Rhinebeck Sweater," per se, but I did have a quickly sewn top-length Alabama Chanin Sweater that I cut out and made by machine on Sunday afternoon!

I wore it on Saturday with my skirt, tights & ankle boots, and my "Rhinebeck Shawl." (No photos of that shawl yet!)

I was delighted to run into Beverly, organizer of the sew-along that prompted the making of that skirt, who was also wearing hers! I was really a bit surprised at how many people recognized my skirt for what it was -- some because they'd "watched" me make it via Facebook, Instagram and/or blog posts, but I think others just recognized it as "Alabama Chanin."

Documentation was not my thing, apparently; my one and only photo from the festival is above. It was crowded on Saturday but not overwhelming. I heard people talking about how it seemed a bit lighter compared to some of the previous years. There were certainly crowds and very long lines at some vendors' booths on both days, but I had zero interest in that kind of frenzy -- in terms of yarn, anyway. I did stand in line for food -- both days -- specifically, falafel -- both days. Yes, it was that good!! Had there been chicken pot pies, I'd have been there at least once; inexplicably, I skipped the artichokes french altogether. I did treat myself to a chocolate milkshake (or two).

Of interest to me, instead, were the people -- my people -- family! I was so happy to meet up with so many old friends & new: Bookish Wendy, Amy Herzog, Margaux Hufnagel (check out her new Etsy shop!), Thea Colman, Teresa, Brunilda, Caro Sheridan, Jennie The Potter (check out her new Kickstarter campaign!), Kay Gardiner, Ann Shayne, Kirsten Kapur, Gale Zucker, Angela Tong, Yarny Old Kim, Lisa Souza, JessaLu, Kathleen, Ruth, Leigh Spencer, My Sandy... even Rachel from Wisconsin, who I used to regularly knit with a few years ago before she moved... I am sure I've forgotten some!

Rhinebeck felt just like a family reunion! Everyone gathered in one place, run-ins and quick chats with bunches of lovely people, but always left feeling like you didn't get enough time together...

On Sunday morning, we stopped by Kelder's Farm to see Gnome Chomsky -- once THE largest garden gnome in the world (now, apparently, third-largest)!

That's a new Baggu tote bag from Mason-Dixon Knitting resting at the toe of that undeniably LARGE gnome...

Cara carried it all weekend, while also wearing some pretty spectacular sweaters -- but this bag garnered a ton of attention, comments and questions!!

Before we knew it, we were headed south again. Yes, I wore my Catamount Tunic (over an A-line Dress) on Sunday! Ann & Cara convinced me to wear it -- there are precious few times I can wear that around an appreciative audience! That's another Color Break Hat, this time for Junah.

I regrouped on Monday, sorted through stuff and packed my suitcase. Ann took Peggy and I to Swell Taco for crispy chicken tacos... and margaritas! Yum.

On Tuesday morning, I bid a fond farewell to the pugs and began my journey home.

LIRR > NJ Transit > Air Train > EWR-MKE > Shuttle to Parking > Find my Car > 2-hr Drive Home!

I'd finished Junah's hat on Monday night and started one for Kate. I had plenty of time at EWR, so had some lunch and even little knitting/phone-charging time.

Michigan's western shoreline.

Wisconsin's eastern shoreline.

It was a wonderful trip! I'm so happy I went. Not sure when, but I hope to return again...

The head game

This cute new hat is so... TASTY!

I don't even remember the pattern. I do know that I knit it when Jün was wee, but already too big by the time it was finished.

Meanwhile...

YIKES, SPIKES!!  ;)

Weekending

Yes! I downloaded & started listening to The Time Traveler's Wife over the weekend. I'm glad I did... so far, so good.

It was a beautiful early autumn weekend. The leaves are starting to fall and gather... it's just the beginning!

I did some sewing (a new top), some knitting (a new hat for Gin, my current shawl), some cleaning out and getting rid of stuff (big stuff, even, like a desk and an upholstered chair), some cooking (roast beef, split pea soup), and some hanging out with the fam.

I had Ali drop the kiddos off for a while yesterday afternoon... I should have left the football hat on Gin when I took the photo! It doesn't get more "game day" than this!!

I started a Color Break Hat for Gin. The pattern uses slip stitches for interesting texture and to help prevent pooling in highly variegated yarns. My yarn is more along the lines of "very" rather than "highly" variegated and I am loving it so far. This hat and/or one or two more will be my airplane knitting later this week.

Right now: (already) October

Admiring... A freshly painted/touched-up garage! The back door is nice & bright again!

The gable isn't supposed to be purple, but the maroon fades in the sun. Apparently, red is a difficult color to make both lightfast and environmentally safe.

I'm going to have to find a spot for that sink before long.

Anticipating... Rhinebeck! I'll be winging my way east in a week to hang out & knit in the Hudson Valley. I'm so looking forward to seeing, visiting with, and hugging some friends. It's been a long time.

Delighted by (still)... my favorite (so far) artwork by Addison, done when he was in 2nd grade. He's now in 4th and I just had to have my own print of this... 11 x 14 arrived in the mail yesterday!

Dreading... some book work that I've let slide. I've concentrated instead on people, events, the moment, enjoying the weather... knowing full well that I'll have to bury my head in the books at some point. Better to do that when it's not so nice outside, though, non? We all know what's coming...

All the colors of the rainbow! And more!!

Knitting... I've finished a pair of undocumented mittens for Jun, a sweater & hat for Gin, worked a bit on LOLA (until I lost a cone of yarn) (yet not found)... and have begun a shawl called Close To You (free pattern on Ravelry) using some freshly dyed yarn.

(I've been dyeing!)

Kvetching... LOLA was to be my "Rhinebeck Sweater." It looks like that's not going to happen, but... I have a pretty solid back-up plan!

Looking forward to... a clear calendar! After Rhinebeck, there is almost nothing but a hair appointment on my calendar for months. Pinch me! I can't even believe it. (Knocking on wood!)

Planning... a big trip that's a long ways off. I've never planned a trip so far in advance... it's so early that I can't even buy a plane ticket yet!

Reading... PAGES: I've finished Across Five Aprils, and have picked up Room... which I've sort of dreaded, but so far so good. AUDIO: I've just finished listening to Code Name Verity and liked it a lot -- I'm glad I listened to it. (I've been reading a lot of wartime books!) I'm not 100% sold on The Time Traveler's Wife for my SciFi square, but whatever I decide, it's going to be audio!

Sewing... I've been working a bit, here and there, on my "Magdalena" Alabama Chanin A-line Tunic. I may do a little bit of machine sewing over the weekend, if things come together.

Watching... Masterpiece Mystery: Inspector Lewis. We recently caught the last season on PBS, so have been catching up on some that we'd missed.

Wondering... What's up with you right now!?

FO: Murre for Gin

I knit this adorable hat using leftovers from Gin's Elwood, and I couldn't be happier (except that I wish I'd knit it one size larger) (listen to the voices in your head!).

• Ravelry Project Page: Murre for Gin's Elwood
• Pattern: Murre by Meiju Knits (free pattern on Ravelry, sizes 3m to adult)
• Yarns:
• Sweet Georgia Yarns "Party of Five," Snapdragon colorway
• Make.Do Realize Worsted
• Needles:  US 6 & 8 - DPNs
• Start to Finish:  September 28-30, 2016

I used my I-cord maker to make the ties (in mere minutes!).

I used all of the purple leftovers, subbing in the white to finish that section and also to carry throughout for the lifted stitches. With the exception of white, the other colors are striped in the same sequence as the sweater. It coordinates with the sweater in a very matchy way without matching.

There are still leftovers! I will likely riff on this pattern again...

This is the best modeled shot I could manage yesterday. Selfies with a wiggly, grabby 5-month old aren't easy! She grabs for everything and is almost desperate to instantly get whatever-it-is into her mouth -- a continuous motion. (I had to save my phone!)

Her mum says that she had a bad night last night and the morning wasn't so good, either; she may be getting close to cutting a tooth.

Or she has a cold.

Also, I predict that she'll be sitting up on her own for extended periods this month. She is absolutely fascinated by Jün and his antics... I get the feeling that she can't wait to join in!!

_ _ _ _ _

Breaking news from New Zealand via Snapchat:

Madventures. She's been adventuring like mad, but will soon be settling in for a little bit...