Autumn is in the Air!

I really love this time of year. The stifling summer heat and humidity are finally gone, replaced by much cooler and drier fall temperatures. It’s a lot more pleasant to be outdoors now, so I’ve been taking advantage of it whenever I can between work and errands and some rain. My husband and I have been working hard on getting our yard ready for winter, raking leaves, cutting back plants that need cutting back and just generally making things look nice.

Yesterday, I decided the outdoor landscape looked fall-ish enough to dress my front porch for the season. Usually, I do this about the third week in September, but it has been a warm fall and the leaves are just now turning color. Maybe it’s silly, but I don’t like to put my fall decorations out while it still feels like summer because I don’t like rushing the seasons. It reminds me of the retail stores putting the Christmas decorations out at the same time as the Halloween decorations, but that’s a rant for another day.

I snapped these photos while I was arranging the front porch. I have a few more things I’d like to add (including a life-size scarecrow that will sit on the love seat in the photo), so it remains a work in progress for the moment since it’s windy here today. I’ve already had to rescue a few things to keep them from blowing across the yard into the street, but I’ll put out them out again when the wind settles down.

A couple of blog entries ago, I mentioned that I had ordered the yarn to swatch a fall afghan. The yarn has arrived, and I’m busy stitching it up now. What fun!

Love and fall colors,
Brenda

The Best Laid Plans…

I had high hopes for spending some of my time this summer updating and promoting my blog but, with all the travel, the time passed in such a whirlwind that some days I almost wondered which state I was in. Things are finally settling down, though. My travel plans are at an end for the year so I have time once again to concentrate on getting creative. While there were “only” 4 trips, it amounted to a whopping 3700 miles by car with lots of things to do in between. While the summer months didn’t leave much time for me to design, you can bet that I was putting together ideas in my design notebook, many of which I’m busy swatching now.

Even though I didn’t have a LOT of time to design, I did manage a couple of projects for one of my editors which I’ll tell you more about as soon as I know they have been released. In addition, Carol Alexander, editor of Crochet! magazine, used one of my dishcloth designs, Dishcloth Duo, in the At Home section of the November 2009 issue. In case you’re wondering, it’s a single design but worked in two different color ways with Coats® Crème de la Crème cotton yarn.  Even though it’s my own design, I have to admit it is my favorite dishcloth pattern. The reason is that I really like the convenience of working with medium weight cotton yarn, but I don’t like the bulk that many dishcloth patterns have. So, the simple (sc, ch-1) pattern is my answer to reducing the bulk without leaving the gaping holes which can occur with double- and treble crochet stitches. You can check out this issue at the Crochet! magazine Web site, but hurry before the next issue is published and replaces it on the Web site. To view the Crème de la Crème selection at the Coats and Clark Web site, click here.

Since summer has faded into fall, it’s getting chilly here in the Midwest now, especially at night. I had to give in and turn the furnace on last week, and it’s cool enough that a trip outdoors any time of day requires a jacket. Now I wish I’d made myself a pair of those cute fingerless mitts that are so popular, but you can be sure they are at the top of the list of things I plan to make just for me. I love the changes of seasons, and fall is an especially great time to bring out the heavier yarns and stitch up something warm and wonderful!

Speaking of the changing seasons, the leaves turning color on the oak tree outside the picture window in my office has inspired me to swatch an afghan in all the rich autumn colors. I’ve just ordered the yarn and can hardly wait to get started on it. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my mind on my work, though, as the view through this same picture window also provides a great deal of entertainment. With oak, walnut, pecan and evergreens in my back yard, it’s a true haven for all the neighborhood squirrels. They are especially active right now and have been putting on daily shows for me as they chase each other up, down and around the tree trunk and across the canopy of the trees in my back yard. 

And now, it’s time to get back to work!

Love and yarn,
Brenda

Favorite Fibers

As I mentioned in my last blog entry, I’ve been in Illinois for the past several weeks while my mother recuperated from an injury. She’s made great progress so I’ll be on my way home again in just a few days. I’ve enjoyed my stay, but it will be good to be home again.

Although most of the past few weeks have been spent in family-related activities, I did manage to finish a few designs including a doily and swatches for a baby afghan and an adult afghan. I also have a layette underway, but will finish that when I get home. In the meantime, I’m starting another doily, a floral this time.

Most of my designing career has been spent working with yarn. While I’ve always admired thread work, I found it difficult to work with for many years. About 10 years ago, I finally decided I was going to master it one way or another, and so I did. Since then, thread has become my favorite fiber to work with. When I am between projects or just looking for something fun to work on, I usually pick up a steel hook and a ball of thread to see what I can create with it…but I still love yarn, too!

So, if you have ever suffered the frustration of working with thread, I urge you to give it another try…and another…and another…until you feel comfortable with it. It’s really no more difficult to work with than yarn, just different. Once you get used to it, it’s easy to switch between the two.