october yarn along,worsted wool,and a garden

Of course, I knit, and I read... no matter what comes my way.

 And I join along with Ginny and other fine ladies from time to time blogging of my experiences as part of the monthly yarn along.

My calendar was flipped this morning, I stepped outside while it was still dark and beheld a luminous waning gibbous moon and several large lights in the sky. Coffee mug in hand the cooler air was inviting as I drew my robe tighter around me.

 A visit to the Salty Sheep Yarn Shop in Swansboro while at the beach in May triggered a decision to knit this sweater, The Weekender, by Andrea Mowry. This little shop, while not my local yarn shop, holds a fond place in my heart for several reasons, one being that I was there the very first spring that it was opened for business in 2008. My friend and I, knitting in hand, joined the local ladies knitting circle one morning sitting  by the opened windows where the salty air stirred our hair. 

 A worsted weight wool from Blue Sky Fibers, Woolstok, was purchased as this wool and pattern seemed destined to be a desirable match for an autumn knit.

After knitting the Swans Island Madison ( I call mine the Amethyst) all summer,  I was very ready to begin a project using a worsted weight yarn. Thus far, I have knitted the bottom ribbing beginning with a tubular cast on, tonight I will begin to join these two pieces as the sweater will be knitted in the round inside out.

Perhaps you have heard of Elizabeth Von Arnim? If Enchanted April rings a bell then you know of her work. Upon first picking up this little gem of a book you are aware of its simple and plain bearing, written as the journal entries of an aristocratic German woman in the late 1800s. She loves her garden, even in the frigid German winters, and she weaves her stories of home life, visitors, and experiences throughout its pages. However, I am thankful that I was not born of a particular class or during a specific time in history that the rules of society possessed such strict restrictions regarding women...gardening demands that one get on their knees, pick up a spade and dig in the dirt!

This book can be read online as a free ebook.