Fall's siren call

I know, I know; I said I'd try not to get caught in an avalanche of photos/topics anytime soon. But my favorite season draws my eye a thousand times a day, and I can't help but try to capture some of its beauty.

But I did promise a spinning and knitting update, so I'll share that first.

I swatched for my Dala Sweater on November 1, did the maths for my skinnier yarn, and started knitting soon after. I dyed my white yarn with Tropical Punch KoolAid and am currently working the charted section. I've found knitting with fine yarn on 2..5mm needles isn't as challenging as I feared as long as I wear my bifocals and have good light.

I've also been spinning the Inglenook Fibers Bat-In-A-Braid (BIAB) that I'm going to ply with my silk hankies single. This project is way outside my  spinning norm, and I am curious to see how the finished yarn turns out. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the spin!

I've also accumulated more IF fiber (My Preciousssss) thanks to the gift certificates some sweet people I proxy-shopped for have given me. Lots of lovely spinning to look forward to – some day!

The next spinning project, after the IF singles in progress, will be the Jenkins Junkies Holiday Snacks I signed up for on Ravelry as a December spin. This was such a fun project last year that I wanted to do it again. I also signed up for my very first 'knitting club,' Kate Davies' Knitting Wester Ross. Call me crazy if you want, but with the release of just the first pattern and blog post, I'm already thrilled.

Now back to Fall's siren call. Pertinent info in captions.

Our power went out for several hours on November 3. We enjoyed the quiet evening!

On a street in Salem, traveling from my PT to visit someone in rehab.

Poppy getting cozy.

A stereotypical fall scene from our deck: bright green, gold and gray.

First look at dawn from our bedroom window; more from deck below.

Our front Japanese maple in full flame.

Another look towards the valley.

I meant to transplant this fir years ago. Now it's too big and will be our Christmas tree.

My view when Poppy stands on me to look out the window.

Mt. Hood seen from Stella's back higher up our hill.

View from our bedroom.

Rick and Brian have continued to work on the shop, laying slope-stabilizing blocks outside, and building a storage loft inside. Rick moved the remaining milled wood purchased last year into the woodshed.

I think all of the above – the fiber, the spinning, the knitting, my animals, appreciation of the Creator's beauty – are semi-conscious mental health exercises. And I'm okay with that!

That's all for now from . . .

Life as avalanche

Reminder to self: pick a limited topic and blog (like the 'flock and fiber' of my last post). When I 'collect' a bunch of topics to blog about, usually because each one seems insufficient for its own post, it turns into an overwhelming avalanche, picking up more and more subjects and accompanying photos, until the task of covering them all buries me – hence the lapse in weekly posts. Time to start shoveling.

My favorite change of seasons always inspires a flood of photos, some of them related to other topics. For instance, we celebrated Rick's birthday at his mother's house so she and her husband didn't have to drive at night, and I took a walk around her neighborhood and the nearby park while waiting for the birthday boy to arrive.

My birthday gift to DH were tickets to the Fellowship for the Performing Arts' The Screwtape Letters, followed by dinner at a favorite restaurant. No photos of the production were allowed, but the Portland venue (NOT a war zone as those trying to distract would have you believe), inside and out, had lots to appreciate.

As for the colors closer to home....

I finally put the canner away when I filled my available space (on the bottom shelf) with applesauce.

Then there are the sunrises, striking light, cloudscapes, and rainbows visible from our deck,

the colors around the house,

the colors on and from the hill taken during walks and rides,

and the color taken along I-5 on our way back from Eugene yesterday (my son drove Stella and me to a horse show there). The setting sun made the colors glow!

I'll try not to get caught in another avalanche anytime soon. I'll save spinning and knitting for the next post.

That's it for now from . . .