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It's November.  And even in Alabama, that means fall.

My garden hasn't gotten that message yet.  It's still in full bloom with high summer color.  And inevitably, that impacts my knitting choices.  At a time when I'm thinking about this turtleneck in a fuzzy haze of almost-black and blue and am planning a Marled Hat in these lovely, muted red-browns, held together, my garden is calling out to me to knit, just one more time before cold weather truly hits, with some of my brightest, most flowery yarn.

I have holiday knitting to start and some works in progress to finish.  I'm trying to fight off the urge.  But every time I walk outside and into my door garden, I'm tempted to dig out my brightest pink or my juiceiest green and cast on without a care. My garden is a temptress, and it is calling to me.

There is nothing like picking up a lot of stitches to make you nervous.  Will your stitch count match the pattern?  Will the button bands like flat or pull your sweater into an unflattering shape?  A lot of things could go wrong.

Somehow or another, though, I survived.  Arlo is now blocking so I can set in the sleeves and sew up the side seams.

I had quality help.

Harry, with that typical Maine Coon Cat personality, was deeply concerned about my progress and kept sitting down on my knitting.  To show that he cared, of course.

At the end, he was very proud.  Me too.  Arlo is the most complicated sweater I have ever knit and I wouldn't have gotten to this point without a lot of help from my knitting friends.  And from Harry.

I love fall.  It makes me happy when the trees have that golden glow and the weather turns cooler.  So, I thought I would catch you up on what has been happening here on this first true fall weekend.  

My handsome young man got a hat trick in his soccer game yesterday.  Allow me the Mommy brag.  He's the youngest of four, and doesn't always get the attention he deserves.  He is, however, getting the sweater of his dreams.  He picked out the yarn, the color and the pattern, and the pieces are blocking so I can do some seaming when I get a moment.

Although it looks like a mismatch, it's okay.  Don't panic (that's what I had to tell myself)!  The fronts are being blocked for the first time, while I'm just opening up the side stitches on the back to make the seaming easier.  It should all work out okay as the fronts will shrink back down a bit once they are released.

This reminds me, because a couple of people have asked, to show you how I keep my ballwinder and skein set up so they are ready to be used anytime I want to wind yarn.  I've got them on an old bookcase, with a low stool nearby so I can sit down while I wind.

I also started swatching for a marled turtleneck yesterday.

I'm not a fan of these two colors together, but am going to try and find some black or dark gray yarn to work with the blue, because I want to envelope myself in a huge, soft turtleneck and keep it on all winter!  Preferably in cashmere.  But not these two colors together.  Just not feeling it.

Finally, I dyed a little yarn for the Wooly Wormhead Hat KAL, which starts November 1.  It called for a solid, aran weight yarn, and I didn't have anything on hand.  Since I've been obsessed with deep, turquoise blues for the last several month, I pulled out my notes and dyed the Margery colorway I did last year when Mommajnine  knit these gorgeous socks for me.  Turquoise never seems to photograph well for me, and this color is a bit different that in the photo.  It's richer, brighter and deeper and I'm in love.  I'm really glad I did a couple of extra skeins so can have a matching scarf.

I  hope you're having a great weekend too, whatever you're up to.  Enjoy fall!

 

I keep a lot of different knitting needles at hand, ranging from Clover bamboo to a variety of Addi needles and on into Chia Goos and Dyak Craft.

As with anything else, I have favorites. At the top of my list are my Dyak Craft needles. I was fortunate enough to get two full sets of Darn Pretties before the fire that destroyed their wood laminate supplier, Dymondwood. And more recently, I invested in a set of their Nickel Northern Lights.

I like them both, but have never knit with them in a head to head comparison. This opportunity came up last weekend when I decided to knit both the left and right front pieces of Arlo at the same time and needed two different size 6 needles.

Spoiler alert: I love them both.

I have nothing negative to say here. I expected the nickel needles to be a bit slicker but in reality the stitches slide off of the wood laminate with ease. The tips on both sets of needles were sharp enough to make cabling without a needle a simple and efficient process. The needles stay connected to the cables without any of the annoying slip off I’ve experienced with other needles, although I do tighten them by placing a rubber band in between my fingers and the needles. And best of all the joins are smooth and there are no rough surfaces that snag my precious yarn. My conclusion, and I have no connection to the company other than being a satisfied customer, is that these needles are well worth the price and the wait. Since the waitlist can be lengthy, you may as well go ahead and get on it now!

1-I've started both of Arlo's fronts, thinking that if I knit them together I'll be happier.

2-I've got a lot of ends to weave in at some point!

3-Reading ahead, it occurs to me I've made the same mistake I always do of thinking I'll be done once the pieces are knit.  In reality, I have a lot of finishing work to do, starting with picking up mega-stitches to knit the button bands and collars.

4-My arch nemesis, short rows, are about to be conquered.  I am doing a class on Craftsy.  They will not be the boss of me anymore. (Any thoughts on using the traditional wrap and turn versus German short rows? Leave me a comment)

5-Set in sleeves.  I have not done this before.  But I am determined.

All this for my teenager, right?  I hope he will appreciate it.  He had better not plan on growing this winter!

Knitting is a wonder.  I saw a very wise woman refer to it as a way of "finding your tribe" earlier this week, and although that thought had never occurred to me before, it's true.  Knitters tend to be like-minded, kind people whose commonalities cut across race, gender, color, economic background and other demographic factors that often keep people in their separate worlds.  The tribe of knitters is encouraging and supportive.  A year or two ago I could not have knit this.

But, with my tribe's inspiration, help, and some occasional cheering from the sidelines, I've now got the back and sleeves of a lovely cabled sweater.

Psychology Today did a nice piece in 2013 touting the benefits of knitting, including medical benefits for those dealing with addiction or disability.  The Guardian noted, "Einstein is said to have knitted to clear his mind, while textile designer Kaffe Fassett thinks it's 'the most therapeutic thing in the world.' "  In a world where people can sit in a room together but communicate by texting (watch teenagers if you don't believe me), knitting offers benefits far beyond just the final product.  Of course, as knitters, we know this.  It's just the non-knitting muggles who don't understand.

So while I'm grateful for the sweater that will keep my youngest child warm this winter as soon as I knit the fronts and do some finishing, I'm equally grateful for the tribe of knitters who bring so much to my life.  You know who you are.  Thank you!