Ode to Fall

Fall begins and I enjoy the cooler days

I love the swirling leaves that
decorate the sky

Inside I sip apple cider and cheer on the Fighting
Irish of Notre Dame

A pumpkin sits on my doorstep I wonder what
ghosts and goblins it will attract

A harvest feast of bounty
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect

Why must the magic of Fall ever pass
away

By Mr Puffy

I wish you could have seen my mother's face when I brought home these skeins of yarn. I was so excited at having found yarn positively ablaze with Fall color - how lucky was I! It was with barely repressed glee that I spilled the yarn out onto the dinning room table. I waited for the exclamations of oohs and awes. They were not forthcoming. Perhaps she thought the yarn was too bright?



I have found it somewhat difficult to wear these socks. They really don't match anything in my wardrobe. This is a good point to keep in mind when selecting yarns. Those skeins that are beautiful twinkling on the shelves aren't always the easiest to wear. Kinda like these socks.

But they look smashing to my eye and are wonderful as house socks! I wear them plopped on the couch with great enjoyment.



Specs: I do not recall which basic sock pattern I used. But if I was going to knit a pair of basic socks I would turn to the iconic Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka: Yarn Harlot and her free basic sock pattern (this pattern has gotten rave reviews on Ravelry); 2 Skeins Koigu hand painted merino wool; US 1 needles.

And the Award goes to.....

An award for Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog? Really? Look what Hilary at The Yarniad gave Puff and me! It's a Blue Ribbon Award! Thank you very much Hilary :))))



The rules of the award are:

1) Post the award on your blog;
2) Add a link to the person who gave you the award;
3) Nominate at least 4 other bloggers and add their links; and
4) Leave a comment at the recipients’ blogs so they can pass it on.

My nominees are, in no particular order...

Monika at Smoking Hot Needles

Amanda at Fancie Pants

Elin at Byelin

Jillian at Snitty

and

Anna at Flying Needles

As is my practice, I like to mix up the bloggers I name for these awards so that readers have a chance to meet a variety of the talented knitters in blogland. In practice I actually only read relatively few blogs on a regular basis so please know that if I'm reading your blog - it's because I love it!

Award Time!

Linda at You're History and Dances With Wool has kindly bestowed upon me this award. Thank you Linda - I'm quite flattered!

Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you;
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs;
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog; and
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I believe I've mentioned in the past that I think these awards are a fun way to share new blogs with readers and highlight some of the many talented knitters that write blogs from all over the world. And, if I haven't, then I'm mentioning it now!

Here are some bloggers I have not mentioned in the past, but are part of my regular reads:

1. Kelly at Celtic Cast On. Kelly is an Irish girl who lives in Canada. She has been knitting since age 6 and is a very talented knitter. She lives in a rustic area with two dogs (one of whom is a German Shepherd who strongly reminds me of our Alex who passed away in 2001) and the pictures of her knitting and country side are always gorgeous!

2. Theresa at T Does Wool. Theresa lives in Chicago and is very much the city girl. Her taste in patterns and photos reflect her city lifestyle. Her writing can also be very humorous at times - a feature that I'm told my blog is missing. Things that make you go hum. I like to think my humor is subtle although I will conceed I'm not always on form.

3. Amanda at Joli House. Amanda lives in England. My mother is English and I have an affinity for all the English knitters out there. Amanda also happens to be a very talented knitter (who shares my taste in patterns - imagine that) with two gorgeous children and her blogging is a delight to follow.

4. Ally at Born to Read and Knit. When I popped over to Ally's blog I saw that she had already been nominated for this award - which confirms my good taste! Ally lives in Auckland, New Zealand has 4 children, pets, knits, reads, sews, and as a result has lots of interesting fodder for her blog!

5. Channon at Chan Knits. Channon lives in Virginia and is one of the few southern bloggers that have crossed my path. She writes about her family life, dogs, and knitting adventures - of which there are many! Channon is a delight and always has something new to share and is a great daily destination.

6. Sue at Knitter Sue. Sue lives in Australia with 2 children and lots and lots of pets! Sue is one of the more prolific knitters that I read and is currently on FO 32 for 2008 - wow. Many of the things that Sue knits are for babies and children, something that I don't do a lot of myself, so I find that she is a great resource for children's patterns.

7. Willow at Willow's Cottage. Williow lives practically in my backyard! She lives in Camarillo, California which is only about an hour from where I live. Willow has recently designed an aran sweater. Nuff said about her knitting skills. She is also very well traveled and her blog will take you to all sorts of interesting places!

When I told Mr Puffy about the award - he didn't say anything - but his smile said it all!

Mr Puffy and I have actually been away for a few days and have only just returned from a lovely visit in Santa Barbara with my parents.

When visiting my parents, a typical day begins with my mother and I walking downtown to enjoy cakes and coffee and browsing through the shops. When we are ready to come home, my father kindly drives down to pick us up so we can enjoy a nap before afternoon tea! My Dad always brings Mr Puffy along in the car and seeing his little face in the window peering out looking for us is so cute to see.



In the evening we enjoy a glass of wine before we watch the evening news and a movie before bed.



As you can imagine, after a couple of days spent like this, I feel much the better for it.

Briefly, as Linda (Dances With Wool ) mentioned that she likes hearing about books that I'm reading, I'll share what I'm currently reading. Yesterday I picked up In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, the sixth book in a series of stories featuring Precious Ramotswe, a female detective living in Botswana, Africa. The author is Alexander McCall Smith who is well known for this enormously popular series that all began with The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The stories are filled with the local color and flavor of Africa and the insights of Precious Ramotswe a charming and very down to earth woman. If you are looking for a good read this Summer, you might consider this series!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer. I, for one, look forward to the Fall with its cooler days and beautiful change in color!

Twice as Good

I'm sharing an older project today where you have seen the more current version already. It is rare that I will knit the same pattern twice. There are just so many different patterns and yarns that I want to try that I never seem to go back to one I've knit before. But the Sursa shawl is different. I've knit it twice now and I wouldn't be surprised if I knit it a third time.

I like the Sursa shawl particularly well because it combines a rustic style wrap with a more modern look that is achieved by the use of a constrasting ruffle trim. It is also unlike anything I have ever seen in the stores and I like to knit things that I could not otherwise buy. It also doesn't hurt that the yarn is Noro silk garden and a pleasure to knit with.


I also love the Sursa shawl because it is a quick knit and I think a superior use for the Noro silk garden yarn. You use US 15 needles with the yarn doubled so it moves along very quickly and before you can say lickety split you are done! Using the yarn doubled also gives the yarn a complexity of color and strength that shows off the fiber to it's best advantage in my opinion.

I can remember when I first saw the Sursa shawl. I was in a LYS and the knitting instructor was wearing it. I thought it was the most beautiful yarn and pattern I had ever seen. This was, of course, well before I had discovered knitting blogs and all the wonder of the infinite variety of yarns and patterns available on-line. Yet, to this day, for the reasons given above it remains a favorite combination of yarn and pattern.

Project specs: Sursa Shawl from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Book Number Two; US 15 Needles; 5 skeins Noro Silk Garden; 3 skeins Debbie Bliss Cashmerino; finished dimensions: 23" wide and 75" long.


We would now like to take just a minute to thank Vicki from Knitting Dragonflies for specifically awarding Mr Puffy the You Make My Day Award. Mr Puffy would like to say a few words in thanks.

I am incredibly thrilled by the honor of receiving this Award. I can't believe that my contributions to this blog should be so recognized by one of the knitting community. I would like to thank those that supported me and encouraged me throughout this process. I would also like to thank my mommy and daddy; my grandparents who live in Santa Barbara and have always encouraged me in whatever I've wanted to do and feed me lots of treats; my friends who live on my street, Mia and Ralph, who always want to play with me; and mostly I would like to thank Uno who recently won the first major Award for beagles ever and made it possible for other beagles to succeed in this highly competitive world! Now all I want to do is go to Disneyland and celebrate! Ah-Roo! Ah-Roo!

Sorry about that. He's just a little beagle and doesn't have a well developed sense of proportionality. We won't be going to Disneyland but I think we can manage a trip to our local Three Dog Bakery for a special treat. Thank you Vicki - you make our day too - along with all those other bloggers who have enriched our lives with your shared experiences, humor, and creativity!

You Make My Day!

It's Award time in LA - and apparently not just in Hollywood! The amazing Monika of Smoking Hot Needles (and her needles sure do smoke) has honored me with the You Make My Day Award. Thank you Monika!

I think these awards are lots of fun because they are both a great way to discover new blogs and share new ones with others!

You already know my regular reads (I have them listed on my blog "sidebar") so instead I'm going to use this as an opportunity to highlight other knitters that you may not be familiar with. Some of these knitters I've found on Flickr or on Raverly and, alas, are otherwise blog less but nevertheless fantastic knitters. As an aside, the first knitter I've listed, I do not believe even speaks English but her knitting says it all. Enjoy.....

Jatta Soheltaa
Sherry - Pink Knitter
Carly - Kasiaiscarly
Pat - Pumpkin Knitter
Gravityvp - Ravelry
Colin - Knitman
Marie - Knittedgems
Adrianne - Yarnforbrains
Tiennie Knits
Candance - Sittinandknittin

I could go on, but rules are rules, and according to the rules I can only pick ten.

Isn't It Ironic?

It's ironic, in the midst of a particularly difficult time, Mr Puffy and I received something that put a smile on my face. I'm talking about receiving the "You Make Me Smile Award" from the talented Monika of Smoking Hot Needles. This was a real compliment for which I thank you Monika. Monika is, by the way, without a doubt the most amazing knitter on this planet (and trust me - I've checked out a lot of knitting blogs - so I know of what I speak). If it's knitting lace, socks, dolls, hats, cardigans, vests, or spinning, sewing, cute dogs, and good writing that you like - head on over to her blog - you won't be disappointed! (She's also really wonderful about answering questions and sharing her patterns).

As a recipient of this award, it is my great pleasure to pass it on to five blogs that make me *smile.* This was not a hard choice for me because, while I surf a lot of blogs, there are only a handful that I regularly read. Those blogs (and reasons why) are as follows:

1. The Ravell'd Sleave. Bridget makes me smile because her taste, thoughts, and experiences (and books she has read and/or is reading) are so similar to mine.

2. Snitty. Jillian puts a smile on my face because she is a great one to go "shopping" with. If there is a cute new pattern or a "hot" yarn sale - she'll be the first to share it with you. She's also a fantastic knitter.

3. Fancie Pants. Amanda makes me smile because she is so elegant and her knitting is so beautiful.

4. A South Park Republican. Amy flat out makes me laugh - I simply find her writing amuses me. Be forewarned, her title says it all.

5. Knit the Classics. This blog makes me smile because I enjoy seeing the books they have chosen (typically books I have read and love) and seeing how that book has inspired their knitting.

There you have it. If I don't post again until after Thanksgiving, please enjoy a wonderful holiday with your friends and family.