Happy Halloween!

Trick or treat? Had so much fun working on my little pins that I blew the timeline. Still.... I think some of them can be year round adornments. Maybe not the Jack O' Lanterns, but definitely the bats (Yeah, Pro-bat!) and cats. Anyway, thought I'd share them with you all before they go their separate ways. (The black cat pin and the bat against the purple swatch are available at http://CatKnits.etsy.com.)

The orange swatches are Patons cotton Grace, black is Lion Brand's microspun, the purple and dark green are Lion Brand's Chenille Sensations, the dragonfly is against Red Heart Tweed, and the silver and black is Bernat's Matrix. I've never knitted with Matrix before and was pleased that it would cooperate with my miniature needles. The pins are approximately 3" W x 2-1/2" H.

It's No Secret...

My Halloween treat came early this year. Thank you, LF, for the lovely scarf and matching hat. I really liked that pattern from One Skein, but since I can't crochet, I didn't think I'd ever have that pretty scarf. But here it is. Wow! It's even more adorable "in person." The yarn (Knit Picks Decadence, Spring Leaf) you picked is absolutely luscious. And the cap fits perfectly. I can't wait for it to get cold so that I can wear it. Thanks!

Still Thinking Pink

It's great that the deadline for pink scarf submissions was extended and that more pink scarves are on their way to meet the Think Pink Challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing that Pink Mountain. Somewhere in there will be my ruffle scarf. It's KnitPicks' potato chip scarf (free) pattern, but I used a boucle-type yarn with it's recommended needle size. The ruffles are larger than the scarves I've knitted previously, but not as large as other ruffle scarves I've seen. Hope we get to do this again next year.

Natural Inspiration

The weather has been so beautiful lately and I've been taking snap shots around the neighborhood. When I drew and painted, the pictures were reference materials. Now that I knit, I've been trying to find ways to incorporate Nature and the environment into my knitting. I suppose, my stumbling block has been my literalness. (For instance, I've just about given up the idea of knitting with branches, but not quite.)

Well, the bittersweet moment arrived--a co-worker gave her two-week notice and announced that she was moving back to the Midwest--and I finally heard the Muse, who had been screaming at me for months to do something with my cloud pictures. I had been looking at the photos and had even e-mailed them to friends. So here is the result: the Cloudy Blue Scarf. I knitted it with one skein of Patons Divine (Denim Storm, no less!) in a simple lace pattern: P1, yo, p2tog.

My friend and I will always be under the same blue sky and my scarf will keep her warm should it be a stormy day.

Never satisfied, the muse urges me to keep experimenting. Perhaps, something less representational next time.

Perhaps, not....

A Pal to Chase Away the Blues

This was totally unexpected, but so much appeciated. Thank you, KSD! The care package sure did scare away those Boo-Hoo Blues! My new scarf is so upbeat, I can't imagine anything will try to darken my door anytime soon.

You must have the most amazing collection of knitting patterns. I don't have a clue as to how you knitted the scarf. Have never seen anything like it before. It sure is intriguing and beautiful. I'm ready for those Autumn job interviews now.