This is Halloween

Well really all of this was yesterday. Today we'll go trick or treating but really you can't take pictures then.
And today being a Monday means no time for scary faced pumpkin pancakes. The mouths are apple, the noses are cranberry and the eyes are chocolate chips. Scary and yummy!
After a spooktacular breakfast Mr. Gnome and The Bug went outside (in their pajamas hmmm) to carve the pumpkin.
It's pretty spooky, complete with strands of hair all around.
Now if that wasn't enough fun we then went to Ghouls in the Garden at the Botanical Garden. This year The Bug is Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. She's had a hard month explaining this to too many people who have no idea. Sad and discouraging for a six year old. At the Garden though things changed. Many people knew who she was on sight; the Bug was thrilled!
Fantastic! This year was a bit of challenge for me. I like a challenge and it's become my favorite part of Halloween; creating her costume. The dress is all scrap fabric and I didn't even use a pattern. I'm a bit proud of that. I drew on the swirls, dots and stripes. Then did big stitches with embroidery floss. Her arms and legs are a shirt and leggings we found at consignment shops. We then drew on the stitches. I did the big lines then The Bug did the little stitches.
This year Mr. Gnome is going to be joining us for Trick or Treats! This is a first. To commemorate I finally made him a gnome hat. Can you believe it's taken me this long?
The garden was fun as always. They decorate various stations throughout the garden and it's always so creatively done. This weekend is also the last weekend this kids area is open for the season so they had the kids planting bulbs for the spring.

Hexed

It is the year of the sock. Accept and move on. Finished are Mr. Gnome's Hex Socks. Lovely, manly, and not at all boring. I finished them yesterday and he wore them today. That my friends is gratitude. Nice to see it somewhere.

In Season

You know how I'm a sucker for a good Knit along. This isn't just a good knit along it's a Mad Knit along. A small and crazy group of us in the Sock Madness group have taken on the Fronkensteek sock. There are five of us and five main pieces of the sock. We each will get someone elses pieces and knit our own lower tube for best foot fitting.
Here are my pieces a week or so ago, cuff, upper tube and most of the ace bandage.
Here is where I stand now from left to right. The Cuff which is knit as one piece with that red in the middle being taken out later leaving making two cuffs. The Upper tube, or leg which is both legs knit all around. It will be steeked in two places making two pieces of knitting which will be sewn together. Then the ace bandage which fits around the ankle like, well, an ace bandage. That will also be steeked to make two. Then last and still on the needles is the toes and heels which will be steeked in many places to make two toes and two heels. Then the hole mess gets sewn together to make a sock. This is my first steeking; meaning to CUT THE KNITTING. I am somewhat comforted that I will be cutting someone elses knitting. Or at least I think that makes me feel better.
Scared yet?

Harlot at the Church

The Yarn Harlot was in St. Louis yesterday! It was explained to the bookstore that we would overfill the library so they stuck us in a church.
We got there a weeee bit early. *ahem 2 1/4 hrs ahem*. This got us parking and front row seats. And lots of knitting time. Though it should be noted that knitting while sitting on a cold stone step may not be best for one's health.
The Yarn Harlot was very entertaining. Hilarious really. I had a great time. Got my book signed. Then got coffee. Upon walking back from coffee I was told I'd lost my knitting needle and realized that I had a giant hole in the front of my shirt which may or may not have been there all day. Nice. Classy. I did get my needle back. And I do have the Yarn Harlot's newest book signed by her. So not all is lost.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
As Inspired by SouleMama.

Lap Time

Most mornings this is the view of my lap. Sleeping Kitty and a Sock. She does love her morning loving time. The quiet time while the kid is eating and waking up and I'm just sitting enjoying my coffee and knitting. Shortly after this she'll choose to embark on Morning Crazy Time. This involves running to each window and crying all the way. And when I say running I mean more flying. She can be quite crazy.
The sock at the moment is Hex, one of the sock patterns in the latest Cookie A. Club installment.
The yarn is Fleece Artist's Sea Wool, a merino seacell blend. This is the first sock and just needs to be kitchenered.

New Madness

I finally cast on the final Sock Madness Pattern; Pisqu. I was way out by this time of course but I wanted to do the complete set. (I can stop anytime.) This is a lovely color work pattern. Lovely and the most challenging sock pattern I've ever done. Lots of all over oh wow color work. It starts with the Kihnu-Troi Cast on, the lovely braided cast on you see at the top; that's the front and back of the sock you get a braid on the inside and outside with this cast on. Lovely but wow fiddly! Then a bit later the Two-Color Vikkel Braid you see there in the middle. This was actually a bit fun if not really slow. Both very new to me and both I feel proud of the results. Now I'm just past the gusset and getting my first twinges of second sock syndrome. I will do this all again. I will have a pair of socks. I can fight this thing.

Psychedelic Tiny Tea Leaves

This sweater has been finished for a week and a half. Right after I finished it the temperature went back into the 80's.
It's a tiny bit big, which means it'll fit next year and that is always a happy thing.
We found the buttons at the Best of Missouri Market. Love that thing every year. She had wanted roses on her sweater. The main yarn is Knit Picks and the contrasting yarn is Cascade. Pattern is Tiny Tea Leaves.
I do believe that it is fun, flirty, and funky. Just like The Bug.

Pumpkins!

No, we didn't go pumpkin picking. But for the first time in a few years there have been pumpkins at the farmer's market before November. The last two years I haven't seen a pumpkin until the November winter market and only then. It's been sad. I love pumpkin! These three were chosen over the past two weeks. Yesterday I roasted and pureed them. The Bug called them a family of pumpkins. Now they are frozen in half cup portions equaling 7 cups total. Oh the wonderful small of roasting pumpkin, the anticipation of pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, creamy pumpkin pasta, and I really want to try these pumpkin pull-apart rolls.

Knits at Sunset

This Knits at Sunset thing is working for me. Last time I forgot an on the needles and included it this time. So....it's not as bad as it looks. Just a little bad.
How bad? Well you don't see The Bug's sweater. That is done. More on that next time. My sweater hasn't been touched. The brown bit there is the alpaca piece I worked on at the Alpaca Farm Day and forgot to include last time. It hasn't been touched since the Farm Day. It's will be a lacey scarf and Holiday gift. Someday. Before the Holidays. The Short Socks for Summer Use have theirs heels almost turned. And then....Those lovelies in the front. Yes, I've cast on for three more socks! THREE! I can stop any time. Really I can......

The Joy or Yarn

I'd forgotten today was the day. Really I'd forgotten what day it was.I will forever have a fondness for orange tissue paper.

So lovely. Tomorrow we get the patterns; and the cookie recipes!