full circle

The September Circle shawlette is finished! Just in time for the return of the rain.

This project was quick and easy. I would've liked to've made it a bit larger by way of circumference, but it'll be very cozy and comfy as it is...my only mod was to add a couple of repeats to reach approx 43 inches in circumference (gauge matters!) and knit until I used up the skein.

This was my first foray into MadTosh Light...I loved it!!

This yarn is so chameleon-like. Depending on the light, its color-character changes. I love that!

Kind of like Portland weather! Hah!

I hope you all are having a great week so far!!

Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things,
man will not himself find peace.
~Albert Schweitzer

September Circle by Melissa LaBarre in Madeline Tosh merino light 'Burnished'

dessert first

Did you have a good holiday weekend? Hope so!

I took some vacation time and spent the week hunkered down, cooking, knitting, and just hanging out with Mr. NK. I was pretty single minded in my knitting goals and met all but one of them.

I made a cranberry conserve for the holiday, and while I had cranberries on hand I made some sugar-coated berries as garnish for our pumpkin bar dessert, too. They're yummy just to pop into your mouth and eat, too!!

oh...I almost forgot...the socks. The second Blackberry Bramble was started and completed between eating and more eating.

Hopefully the weather will stay on the dry side so I can run off some of those extra helpings of dessert and turkey (in that order)! Speaking of dessert, here's a link to a similar recipe to the one I used for the pumpkin bars.

All sorrows are less with bread.
~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

Blackberry Bramble sock pattern by IrishgirlieKnits in STR medium yarn in 'Mist'

thank you

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.
~Meister Eckhart

Wishing you and yours a warm and wonderful holiday! xo

sometimes...

...it's just about the color.

leafy

warm

golden

earthy

Seek the strongest color effect possible...
the content is of no importance.
~Henri Matisse

Little Leaves shawlette by Susanna IC in Wool Candy "Microbrew" (a sock summit special)

autumn's fire

Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods.
~William Allingham

I'm a little pooped. I'm 'voluntarily' starting a new work shift here at Chez NK...we're up at 4a.m., to work by 6:00, and home by 3:00ish...it's mostly to be in synch with Mr. NK's new work schedule, and to enjoy some light during the non-working part of the day. Gray light is still light, right? It's all good! It's 8:20p.m. as I write this post for Friday and I'm realizing it's well past my bedtime!! Yawn...again...better go before my head hits the keyboard!

Wishing you a wonderful and most restful weekend!! xo

ivy vines

I took these images over a period of two days...drizzle and light drizzle. Luckily I missed the deluge that was yesterday!

Still, I wish I could've been wearing the cowl rather than photographing it.

The cowl is Ivy Vines by Anne.

This pattern and the yarn, Great Northern Yarns 70% mink/30% cashmere has been on my to do list for a long, loooong time. I even bought the pattern twice I loved it so much!

The yarn is a beautiful red, so soft and with a lovely light halo. Scrumptious!

I hope you've had a good week! Happy Friday-eve!

Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
~Langston Hughes

wordless wednesday

tiger lily

Tiger Lily designed by Christna S. Wilkins (Rav link).

The minute I saw this cowl I knew I had to knit it. I had the perfect yarn (Yarn Daze in a yummy cashmere blend); sadly, I don't remember the color and no longer have the ball band. I knit this the weekend the pattern was released online...it was a perfect weekend at the beach project! Loved it!

I just recently photographed this cowl...Yay!! Now I can wear it!! Just in time for the November drizzles, I might add!

Happy Tuesday!!

'O Tiger-lily,' said Alice, addressing herself
to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind,
'I wish you could talk!'
'We can talk,' said the Tiger-lily:
'when there's anybody worth talking to'
~Lewis Carroll

coming up cowls

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else
is the greatest accomplishment.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did you have a good weekend? Ours was fab!! It was a gray, drizzly quintessential November weekend in the Pacific Northwest...perfect for knitting, hot spiced cider and an L&O SVU marathon!

I have some FOs to show you and yet another new item that I started. Stay tuned...I'll be back!!

I hope your Monday is treating you well!!

trinkets

I think Emily summed up the gala event that is autumn, beautifully!!

I'm looking forward to a weekend of stitching here at Chez NK! What about you? Any fun plans on your horizon?!

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!!

Wishing you all a good 'un!! xoxo

fog lifter

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. ~Anonymous

Something new and bright to break through the November fog.

The yarn was a gift from a friend and is a mohair blend sock yarn from Kid Hollow Farm in 'pinkie'...how perfect is that!?

The scarf pattern is Lubov and is designed by Kathy Veeza. It can be found in the Brave New Knits book by Julie Turjoman. This book is fab...there are 3 designs that are on my short list...

I hope you all are having a great week! Happy Friday-eve!!

p.s. can you believe I hit "publish" without giving it a title...LOL!!

autumn dreams

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
~C.S. Lewis

weekend update

Did you all "fall back" successfully? Did you do anything fun with that extra hour? I knit, got some photography accomplished, and taught my cousin to knit...cool, huh? A new (and very talented) knitter was born! :)

I was so refreshed from that one hour (hah!) that I even started a new project yesterday. More on that later...

In sock news: my secret knitting is finished and my South Fork and Cinder Block socks are at the top of the sock-queue for finishing; heels have been turned on both!

I hope your week is going well!!

South Fork socks by Linda Welch in STR Sunkissed Sands
Cinder Block pattern by Anne Hanson in STR 'rare gem'

leaf on leaf

Done! The Embossed Leaves socks got to take two, count 'em, 2! field trips to local parks for glamour shots in the leaves!!

You know me...I'll do anything for the photoshoot!! (wink!)

Yesterday, I stopped by Gabriel Park to squeeze off a few more shots. It was the most relaxing hour ever! Grass, leaves, trees, blue sky...a girl the socks couldn't ask for more!

I shaped the toes per the pattern on the instep, but not on the sole...

...they seem to fit and look A-okay.

Oh!! A sock groupie!! Really, everyone who was anyone was seen at the park yesterday!!

I also slightly modified the heel in that I didn't cut the yarn as written in the pattern, but just did my usual flap, turn and pick up stitches and had no extra weaving in at the end! Yay!

My cousin Becky and her hubby are in town and I'm hoping they will have time to come out and visit us! We had dinner with them last night and it was beyond fab to see them and visit and catch up. It had been way too many years, but we're going to rectify that now!! :) I'm sure there will be a fair amount of knitting and photography accomplished, too!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to "fall back"!! xo

Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore.
There is always something to make you wonder
in the shape of a tree,
the trembling of a leaf.
~Albert Schweitzer

Embossed Leaves pattern by Mona Schmidt in an STR rare gem

to the morning

How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity
under roses and violets and morning dew!
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

joy in the woods

Look who's finished and blocked!

I love it. My Autumn Joy shawl. Finished just in time to ward off the autumn chill! I used a combination of the ripple, medallion (cat's paw!!) and leaf pattern motifs found here.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful and warm birthday wishes. I had a great weekend filled with cake, knitting, a road trip with Mr. NK, more cake...and a fun photoshoot with my sister.

She learned some new techniques at an autumn photo workshop she attended earlier in October, so we went out in search of a grove of trees and played...and played.

Of course I carried the shawl along with me, as it was one of the few sunny days of the week.

One cannot look away from the gift of sun this time of year in Oregon!

This stand of cottonwoods did the trick...I'm not sure I have the technique down, but practice will be fun!

We also found some water reflecting some of the fall color. A heron was hiding in there, too...you never know what you might see out here.

Well...I'm about to the end of my photos and words.

I hope you have a great week!!

I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine
by staying in the house.
So I spend almost all
the daylight hours in the open air.
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Autumn Joy shawl designed by me and knit in STR 'Gail's Autumn Joy'