Seasonal September

Ahhhh, Fall! There's just something about it. Cooler temps seem to make the sun shine brighter, and shorter days urge me to squeeze all the daytime fun in that I can. They also make me stop to appreciate the perfect, golden glow on even the weeds just before the sunset.

Later starts and earlier finishes make it easy to find a moment to show off recent knits for upcoming seasons and holidays, like this fall garland I'm working on for my office. 

I think there will be a Frankenstein monster, and a little green apple. I really enjoyed carefully choosing yarn for this project...then noticing those same colors in nature on last night's walk! 

I'm also enjoying a shifting perspective on all the things in my life, which seems to happen bit-by-bit with each birthday. How is it September so soon, the season of football, apples and pumpkins? 

57 certainly seems to solidly settle into the autumnal zone of this lifetime... So, I'm settling in to enjoy it, and express it, in knitting...

...and maybe some baking later today, since a co-worker shared the bounty of his apple trees this week! (Thanks Adam!)

I hope you are having a good Saturday and finding things to treasure in your heart, whatever season of life you're in! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

PS - There's still some summer fun to be had...

Happy Things

Did you ever wear a sweater all day long, then find a hole when you got home?

Yeah, that happened last weekend. It was very sad, and I know that I can fix it, but my sweater is currently in timeout until I can face the repair process. In the meantime, rather than dwelling on this tragedy, I've moved to happy things! Like another pair of stripey socks,

three pair of double-knit mittens,

a colorwork hat,

and a tiny hamster, all knitted in the best of spirits!

I've also started my second pair of 2025 socks, and my new job is still going great!   

Yes, this year has started strong, and I've had more happy things than sad! Yesterday, I even started planning my cubicle-scape. Ive cleaned out sone desk drawers, and I've got loose plans roaming around my brain for some knitted decor...not trying to reign them in at all...lol! 🤣

Yes, I have plenty of ideas to keep my needles clicking and my whole self smiling! I hope you have things around you that make you smile, too!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and find your happy things) in Good Health! 

Holidays and Snow Days!

Last week was a good week. Super cold, yes, but such a good week! My first weekday minor holiday (not Thanksgiving, Christmas or 4th of July) from work was Monday, and I celebrated with sweet rolls, fresh from the oven!

Because it was so cold, many schools also had "Snow Days" (cold days? temps down to -8°F) on Tuesday and Wednesday, and students stayed home. Do you know who also stayed in, eating sweet rolls while working from home? This Pretty did! 

Holidays and Snow Days are the best!

While I enjoyed not having to drive to and from work, I also found that I missed the interactions with my new co-workers. I was glad to get back into the office on Thursday, and I pulled this mug out of the kitchen cupboard there to celebrate my return.

Being the "new guy," I'm not sure if the mug might actually belong to someone, so I dutifully washed and returned it when I was finished, but not before using it as a photo prop for mittens!

One of my goals last week was to finish that second pair of double-knit mittens. I didn't make that goal by the end of my work week (turns out I take fewer breaks while working at home...well, fewer knit-breaks anyway...). But it looks to my like mitten #4 will probably be complete today!

Another reason I didn't make better progress on the mittens was this test knit,  which I'll post more about on Instagram when the pattern goes live. 

The rest of this weekend will be full of boys! These three giant personalities will be coming for a sleepover tonight, amd we can't wait! 

I'm never sure where the fun will take us with these three, but I know we will have fun, and I can't wait!  I hope you also have good things to look forward to this weekend. 😉

For now, I suppose I'll sign off. After all, I gave cookies to bake and pictures to take, but I'm glad we've had this time together. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Soured?

During the pandemic years, many people made sourdough bread...for fun. Dutch ovens and proofing baskets and mason jars were purchased, and there were varying degrees of success posted to social media. So, when I was offered a sourdough starter, I gladly accepted. 

And then I made sourdough, with varying degrees of success,  though I did not buy any new equipment to make that happen. Mostly, I enjoyed the process, and the bread...the bread that sometimes took two days to prepare for the baking. Two, labor-intensive days of measuring and mixing and checking and folding and checking and shaping and resting before baking, with constants stops to wash the sticky dough (and all of the moisture) from my fingers and hands. 

The bread is good, but I'm not sure it's worth the 48-hours of attention I've lost to it. It's really more of a hobby than a recipe.

Today, as the snow continued to gracefully and lightly accumulate, 

I made French bread with yeast. It took about three hours, and the most labor-intensive part was 8-10 minutes of kneading. This bread will be every bit as good as the sourdough, and we will gobble up every crumb over the next few days...yummm! 

Some things are worth hours and days of my time and attention...like a handknit sweater, or pair of socks...

Or watching my grandkids jump off the end of the slide in the backyard, until they have tired of shouting, "Watch me! Look at me, Gramma!"

I'm not really soured on sourdough, but I think I'll save my attention for knitting and playtime and recipes for French bread (and sweet rolls and fresh, white bread).

If you have a starter, and you look forward to making and eating sourdough regularly, I am so glad for you and your bread hobby! If you'd ever like to learn to knit or crochet, I'd be happy to help you get started with that hobby, too.

Whatever you give your time to, may it bring you great joy! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Sometimes, my joy comes from a
ceramic chicken dish on the table.

Hearts and Turtles

Because that's what Valentine's Day is all about, right? Hearts...

...and turtles!

Well, maybe it's not hearts and turtles, but these multi-colored baby turtle tummies look a little like flower petals, LOL!

Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day? What about the Big Game? I'll be knitting...errr, crocheting a Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce-inspired item using this yarn...

Because the Girlie who wears the Swiftie Socks is totally knitworthy! 

All the grandkids are knitworthy, but this one also has a phone, and she texts me photos of her handknits in action! 

I ❤️ this Girlie (and her sisters and her cousins and their parents) with all of the hearts and turtles! Maybe a flower or two, too. 

And I love that you've popped in today, so thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Fall Frolic, cast on this month.

Busy, Busy, Busy Day!

Earlier in the week, I put up a random Facebook post about the probability of my survival if I had birthed three, rambunctious boys, like my daughter has. The odds are not good that I would have been thriving in the same way were this scene part of my daily experience:

Yet, thrive she does, enjoying sweet moments and snuggles...

Moments of defiance, as he will clearly go any direction he pleases on that ladder, Mama...

Moments of big feelings, when the little kids watch big kids get off the school bus, and then the bus just drives away...without taking them anywhere...

Even the joyful moments make my heart leap in unexpected ways, because this idyllic scene...

Can quickly turn into the scene where the baby is done, and he will clearly roll himself off the swing, all by himself...Mama, he done! 

Gah! Somebody catch the baby!

So, it's been a busy, busy week in the lives of the local Pretties, and our hearts are full! My Saturday is also full, I've been going since about 6am today, so this will be a quick post. I have cookie-baking plans with my daughter this afternoon, a hat to finish, and a pair of socks to start!

A favorite shortbread cookie recipe
New cookie cutters that I am pretty pleased with
Another Musselburgh hat in a Stroll Gradient
Some sock planning and design...shhhh!

These come on the heels of chili-making, muffin-baking, chocolate caking (I dunno. I guess I'd like some chocolate cake? Lol...), and more! 

All of this in preparation for a fun afternoon with the boys and their parents. Yes, even despite the rough patches that are sure to show up from time to time, my life is good. Yay! I hope you are finding some good in your life lately, too, but it's time for me to stop typing and get on with the day.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Hairy Choices...

Every year, at this time, I start to think about two things:

1. Woolapalooza, Babyyyyy! (Today is the day, friends! Whoop! Whoop!), 

and

2. My Hair. Most girls will tell you that hair is part of who they are. Mrs Maisel has a signature style, and my daughter tells me that I have a signature "swoosh." I suppose she is right...I mean, whether it is long,

short, 

or in between, 

I part it on my left, and Swoosh! There it is! It just falls that way, and most of the time, I really love it. Oh, I do have the occasional bad hair day, same as anyone, 

but by the time I decide to "just chop it all off!," it usually starts to behave again. Yes, I've good good hair, and I know it!

And I like it long, and I like it short, and I tolerate the in between pretty well, so there you have it. But the other day, as I was getting ready to take a shower, I noticed that my next haircut will likely bring a significant change. 

I mean, I know I am going gray, because I am 55...and I have eyes. But this pic just brought it home. Those auburn ends, swooshed and swept up from my shoulders, showing off against the gray on top...they made me think twice about the annual haircut. 

I'll probably get it cut anyway, because summer is coming, and it will grow back...but those ends. They will not grow back, will they?

They will not. And that's ok. Sometimes you just have to cut it off, mourn the loss, and wait to see how it grows...with hair and some other things in life, too. So, yeah, I'll get a haircut soon...and I'll check to see if anything else needs a little pruning. Chances are good that I will NOT prune my yarn stash though, because (see #1 above) today is WOOLAPALOOZA, Babyyyyy!

If you're headed to the Wayne County Fairgrounds for the Great Lakes Fiber Show today, look for me! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

So. Much. Hair.