A View from Sierra County

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

What would fall and Halloween be without a visit to a local pumpkin patch?  We are lucky that the folks who developed and run the Nevada County Traction Company have spent the past several years going all out in putting on the Haunted Train Ride... our toddler and preschool programs spent Monday morning on the train with our families, enjoying the beautiful fall day and the spooky decorations round every corner.

The open train cars wind through the woods, up and down hills graced with ghoulies and ghosties as well as historic mining equipment and old-time miners... in keeping with the multicultural character of California's Gold Rush, there is a skeletal mariachi band as well as skeletal Chinese miners....

Our children were entranced, and some a bit scared when we drove under a canopy of spider webs, complete with animated spiders as large as their heads!

However, all were delighted when we stopped at one of the loading platforms and got off to choose our pumpkins.

The return trip was equally delightful, followed by a group lunch at the train station...

today will bring trick-or-treating at the few remaining downtown visits in North San Juan, our nearest town.  Those children not all tuckered out will probably join older siblings in visiting one of the neighboring communities in the evening, maybe even our spooky old house on the hill in Camptonville, where scary sounds will be emanating and flickering candles lighting the path to our large old wooden door.....

Happy Halloween to all and a special thank-you to Knit Wit Momma Jenn, who located the Denim Silk I needed, and Zinlizzie, who sent me a detailed explanation for blending yarns from two dyelots together... I just knew you Knitbloggers would come through for me!!

I will have a finished pair of gloves to show you tomorrow, as well as my October UFO Resurrection, Delicato, which I completed on Sunday.  Whoo, hoo... or is that booooo??

In Need of Knitterly Help

Ok, really, this has never happened to me before.  I do not have enough yarn to finish my Lacy Kerchief Stole and can't get any more at the shop where I work.  The yarn is Berocco Denim Silk color #1404, a taupe color, and sadly Berocco decided not to continue Denim Silk (don't ask me why - this is one of the few blends of many strands that doesn't split!).  Allison, my yarn shop employer, has put out an appeal through a shop 'hotline' to see if she can find any for me, and I am asking you, my knitting buddies, for help too.  I don't need it to be the same dyelot, just the same color number, and promise to send you a nice, fiber-y gift (as well as pay for the yarn) if you can get me one or two skeins.  I am so close to finishing this project that it is really hard to have to set it aside... I actually have only a foot or so left, as the shaping narrows back down to a lacy point!

My other question for you knitters who have blended in slight color variations is this - how many rows/inches do you recommend I alternate the two different balls to achieve a harmonious, blended effect?  Of course, that's if I can locate the yarn rather than ripping back and narrowing the stole into a scarf..... another option to 'save' this lovely lace.

In order to keep my knitting spirits up, I started a new project last night and it is going quickly...

This is one half of one hand of a pair of Glad Hand Gloves... as you can see, the gloves are made flat, using short rows, binding off and casting on for shaping the fingers and the piece goes very quickly.  I will finish the other side, then fold in half and seam around... and only have two ends to weave in!  This design is from Jeanne Eaton Hoffman of iknitative and very clever.  I am using Berocco Ultra Alpaca, which is a very nice blend of wool and alpaca and a wonderful worsted weight yarn... and they will match my Dot Bag I finished earlier this month.  I am also planning to make a felted beret from the same yarn.

Yes, as a matter of fact, that is one of the new Harmony interchangeable wood needles from the Knitpicks set - my birthday gift to myself.  I just love these needles!  They are very high gloss and glide much like my Addi Turbos.  They also have very nice, pointy-points.  I am guessing they are going to be my 'new favorites'.

Eye Candy Friday

I took this photo yesterday afternoon while at Mountain Bounty Farm, the CSA farm where our Headstart programs get some of our veggies...

John Tecklin is 'our' farmer, and we look forward to having him to lunch with the preschoolers.  We are really lucky to have a local connection with some of the (mostly organic) foods we cook and serve to our children.... and to be able to appreciate such a fine and abundant fall day.  Have a glorious fall weekend, and think about picking up some local fall produce in your area... pumpkins, squash, apples and pears are all at their prime!

Color in My Life

I intended awhile back to post the answers for Kristi's Color Meme questions, but find that not only has the time slipped away from me but Kristi has turned out an exquisite tutorial on color... if you haven't been following along, go by and get caught up.   Here are my random thoughts on color, as prompted by her questions:

1. What is your current favorite color?

My favorite color has been green, in almost all shades, for many years. I think this has developed out of my strong connection with the natural world, as it has evolved over the years I have been living in the mountains.

2. Had your favorite color changed over the years?

Yes, when I was young my favorite color was blue. I often have a secondary 'favorite', which changes periodically.

3. Is your current favorite color one that is currently trendy? (Do you see it in the fashion rags or on the clothes rack or in the linen aisle right now? How about 5 years ago?)

There is almost always some form of green available in the stores, though it is not a color that makes the fashion runways much. Lime green just went through a big phase of popularity, both for home and person, though that is fading. Olive has been a favorite in the 'alternative/grunge' fashion market for several years now, especially as the basis for camo wear. Five years ago I am not so sure which green it was, but ten years ago, teal was all the rage.

4. What is your favorite color combination?

I love to see green and purple together, and designed and made a whole quilt around this theme about six years ago.

5. Is that combination a popular one? (Is it use in prints you see in the stores and catalogs and magazines now? How about 5 years ago?)

No, it is not a popular combo, and I don't think it was five years ago, either. I had no trouble finding fabrics of each separately, but not in prints together. I did find some novelty yarn two years ago with those two intertwined... a multi-stranded yarn with tufts of each that I had to buy because I like this combo so much.

6. What is your favorite way of using color in your knitting? (Are you a stranded knitter? Do you prefer simple stripes? Do you prefer just accents at the hems/collars?)

Lately, my favorite way to use color in my knitting has been to have multi-colored yarn:) I do like stranded knitting, though only now and then and not a steady diet. I tend to wear solid-colored garments, and tend to knit the same way... lace knitting is one of my favorites, so I am more inclined to select a yarn with subtle color variations and make a semi-solid lace piece than any other item... though some of you noticed I just finished and felted a bag using stranded colorwork and three colors that blended quite well together (one was a heathered forest green). I am also eyeing the Fair Isle tam featured the this year's Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts ... wearing prints or patterns is something I do more for an accessory piece than a whole garment.

7. What colors look good on you?

Sage green, olive, persimmon, ginger, garnet red, cranberry, most browns (that aren't too yellowed), creams and beiges, pale turquoise and teal.

8. What colors look bad on you?

Black, white, purple (oops, yeah, I know, but I also tend to love color for its own sake!)

9. Do you wear colors that don’t look good on you just because you like them?

Sometimes... if I like the item or have a specific reason such as nostalgia or a specific occasion.

10. What is your favorite neutral color? black/white/ivory/tan/brown/gray – if brown or gray do you prefer cool or warm versions of those or does it matter? And, how dark?

Cooler versions of medium to dark brown - think lattes and dark chocolate! I like grey but it is not as compatible with my complexion... though I love weathered silver, pewter or bronze jewelry the best.

11. Is there a sweater pattern that uses more than one color that you’d like to make, but you wish to change the colors from what is published? If yes, which one? What do you not like about the published colors?

Actually, the sweater pattern I plan to make this year featuring several patterns is a Bohus kit, The Wild Apple, and I love all the colors... the body will be a dark forest green and the multi-stranded yoke a mixture of many greens highlighted by the rest of my compatible colors. DH bought it for me online two years ago, sight unseen, and my first reaction when it arrived was that the dark green body was too dark for my liking, but I have been wearing more dark forest greens, olive greens and dark browns this fall and am really looking forward to starting this sweater... though the list of little projects I have to finish before I get to start it is quite long!

Color has taken a new turn in my life this fall. Fibers, the LYS where I work on Saturdays, sponsored a Color Harmonies workshop by Bonnie Humiston in September and I 'had my colors done'. This process is far different that the Beauty for All Seasons approach that was popular back in the 1980s. Bonnie was trained by Suzanne Caygill, author of Color, The Essence of You, and started the process by mixing watercolors until she captured the shade of my skin tone... she also matched my primary color to the deep olive green rings around my irises.. as well as capturing in fabric swatches the pale sages and cinnamony-gold flecks in my eyes (while most people have always just assumed they were some shade of brown, though I always knew better). The colors she selected really are very harmonious to my coloring, however I realized as we worked through the process that there are some colors I have a deep-seated bias against, especially bright orange. While it is not a flattering choice for me, neither is its complimentary color, true purple. The bias against bright orange and avocado green goes all the way back to my mother's kitchen of my teen years, a color combo that was very popular at that time. My mother often tried to enforce her favorite colors on my clothing choices, and though she had great musical and dramatic talent, the other areas of the arts were not her gift. We quarreled about what I got to buy and wear, and even what fabrics she would buy me when I started sewing my own clothes at age 13, and right up until I started buying my own wardrobe at the thrift stores when I was 16... I also suffered through hand-me-downs from my cousins until that point, and couldn't see why she objected to me buying 'used clothes' from a shop when I had been mostly wearing 'used clothes' from relatives all of my life! (Don't worry, we did mend our differences in my early adulthood and were always quite close). Those color aversions kept me from wearing the flattering deep olives and gingers, though I am working to try them out this fall. Some new colors will be appearing as finished objects in the next few weeks, and some yarn purchases will be passed along to others as well. Live and learn, I say!

September UFO is Fini

I was feeling guilty for wanting to start some new projects while I still had so many to finish, casting about for my October UFO Resurrection, and realized that I had neither finished up September's, nor had I written about it!  Time to remedy that.

In early September, I pulled out this project, just about a year after I had last made a stab at finishing it.  It is the Fericy top from Bouton d'Or Number 82 (a spring collection, but printed in December 2004).  I had bought the pattern book and a different yarn than called for back in March 2005, because the original yarn had already been discontinued (don't you just hate that?!).  DD Nikki had picked out the pattern and it looked straightforward enough, in fact knitting the front and back fairly flew.  Then, I derailed myself by making two different sleeves (as in, they didn't match) and had to make a third to figure out which was the correct version).  By that point, winter had set in, so, being the seasonal kitty that I am, I set the pieces aside for warm weather... I mean, she probably wouldn't be wearing it anyway, right?  Last year, I had managed to set in the sleeves, but when I tried it against her, she informed me that it wasn't going to fit since she had gained so much weight... not entirely true, but enough to discourage me, as she had gained 10 pounds while living over in Chico.  I put it away and hoped that she would lose a bit and that I would finish up in the spring.  It didn't help that all the yarn I had left over to sew up the seams with was this tiny bit...

I know there's nothing but the wood grain for scale, but trust me on this... the leftovers were alarmingly small.

Last month, I looked at the pieces, did some of the sewing and was disgusted enough by the instructions to fold it away and pursue something I liked better.  Bad attitude.  I also thought even more highly of some of my knitwear-designing friends.  They put hours of time into writing several pages of highly readable instructions, while I was faced with one cryptic paragraph about finishing this thing.  Ugh!  Eye surgery intervened and so the top sat in a bag in my office while the pattern book was stuffed into the bottom file cabinet drawer next to the computer the past month.

I decided on Sunday that sometimes you just have to suck it up, get tough, and get finished.  I told myself that I couldn't start ANY thing more until Fericy, and October's UFO Resurrection were both DONE.

I am relieved to present to you a finished object, the Fericy top...

done in Lana Grossa Point

I need to go shopping with DD for ribbon to thread through the diagonal rows of holes in the front, but otherwise I am done... and not sure that DD will pose for a photo shoot, so hung the top up for this picture.

The yarn was splitty, even down to the last sewing, and the pattern was poorly written, but it IS very cute.  And pink.  And done.

I would feel bad about my attitude, except for feeling good about making something for DD besides a hat.

The last time I knitted anything resembling a garment for her was this knitted yoke for a toddler-sized dress that she wore incessantly each summer while she was four, five and six years old.

Guess it was time for something new....

Henness Pass Wagon Train Gets Drenched

I have spent most of this weekend suffering from a nasty cold that started when I came home really chilled last Wednesday night.  Our weather has been up and down and back up again, with lots of rain for the usually-dry month of October.  In fact, the weather was so threatening early in the month that the Henness Pass Wagon Train Association decided to cancel their 2nd Annul tour because there is now snow covering our mountain passes, though still a light cover.

However, the true die-hard drivers and riders that form the backbone of this group decided early last week to give it a shorter go, and so on Friday evening, in a pouring rain, we were at the Forest City Dance Hall awaiting their arrival, with wood fires going and a tri-tip BBQ dinner ready.

This photo of the first wagon pulling in is blurred by rain, and not my shivering!  That is John Schwartlzer of Greenwood Ranch and his team of Belgians.

There were only three wagons and a freight stage, accompanied by about a dozen humans, and all were mighty glad to be stopping for the night.

Even though DH and I had mapped out the route with John last November, and he had driven it a few times in the summer, the group still headed east when they had meant to go west as they started out in dense fog Friday morning... they had made a six-mile loop on an alternate road only to end up almost where their vehicles and trailers were parked in the afternoon... luckily, they could re-group and get to our tiny town before dark.

This mother-daughter pair of Fjords, driven by Steve Souza, proved to be much stronger than their short stature would indicate, and also won the heart of a little boy from a neighboring town when Sherrie Souza let him sit on Petra for a half hour yesterday.  His smile, which didn't stop the entire time he was up on the big girl (and bareback!), made the long, wet, cold day before entirely worth it for her, she said.

Jeff Shinn's matched 4-up team of black Percherons were dripping water when they stopped here and are a big favorite every year at the Draft Horse Classic.  You can see how grey the afternoon was in the background....

There was quite a turn-out for dinner and a country-western dance Friday evening, though once the dinner was served, I headed up the hill to our house to take care of my cold.

I woke up yesterday morning with barely any voice, had to call in sick and lie around a bunch, but did get a lot of knitting done on the Lacy Kerchief.  I skipped helping with the Apple Harvest Festival in the afternoon, but the wagon train decided to lay over for the day and let animals and people, clothing and gear all dry out a bit.  I did get to admire the animals up close...

and check out the fall color, heightened by the spate of cold weather.

Sunday has been spent finishing up September's UFO Resurrection (that I forgot to write about, back in September, before getting interrupted by my eye surgery, last month's cold and general busyness) and choosing October's UFO.  More on both tomorrow!

Eye Candy Friday

I don't usually post a random photo, but I have been wanting to share this one since we stumbled upon all of these ladybugs on a hike over a week ago.  It has been a very hectic week and I haven't had much time to knit (though the Lacy Kerchief stole is finally on the decrease/downward slope) and even less time to post. 

If you have never seen this phenomenon, let me explain that this is how ladybugs 'hibernate', by piling into a big mass to keep each other warm and waiting for spring... a true sign that winter is coming.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

A Wealthy Woman

This year's birthday really made me realize what a very wealthy woman I am, in the things that really matter: family, friends, laughter and love.

First, I received a huge number of birthday good wishes from my blogland friends, and even total strangers that Margene sent over.  You all must love a good celebration as much as I do!

Then, there was the rowdy family birthday celebration at Dos Banditos, my new favorite Nevada City mexican restaurant.

Glenn got to be there, probably the first time he has been home for my birthday in several years... usually, he is off on a fall fire assignment, but this year winter is starting early in these parts and there are no ongoing fires.

Then, there were the rowdy sibs.. all four of them, though we couldn't manage to get everyone into the same picture.  We hadn't seen Rex in a few months, as he also works in fire, on the Tahoe Helitack unit, and they just finished their last day of the season, with a bit of a break for him, so he and the other sibs were making all kinds of festive plans.  Most of which a mother probably shouldn't know about.

Nikki and Cody are on either side of me in the traditional "Mom loves me best!" photo.

Of course, they all really love each other, it's just for show but makes for a lot of laughs.  When the restaurant owner came over to see how we were enjoying our meal (don't you just love that personal touch?!), I apologized for how loud we all must have seemed to the rest of the guests.  That might not have been the best idea, as it gave family members the opportunity to announce that, of course they were being loud - they were celebrating my birthday after all.... which resulted in this embarrassing photo.

What I'm willing to go through for a free dessert!  Eric, the owner, insisted that I keep the hat, and my preschoolers will love it, I am sure.

Nikki and BF Tony.  Tony's birthday is next weekend, and he doesn't want a celebration... could our family have something to do with that?

Jesse clowning around with Tony.  Did I mention that all three of my kids share a rental house, where Tony spends most of his time as well?  It is amazing to see how they all get along and how much fun they have!

 

But, there was more...

I got fibery gifts as well.

Margene sent me a big pile of lovely grey-green thrums from Spinderella's, along with a lavender sachet and a bar of Blessed Juno soap (Hand Spun flavor, of course), and Gail, my yarn shop co-worker got me a wonderful skein of Colinette mohair in the Primavera colourway....

Life is more than good....

Fall Accessories

Fall has decided to descend upon us earlier, windier and damper than usual... a blustery storm kicked up overnight and it is the third such in the past week and a half.  It is probably snowing in the high country as I type.

Now, this kind of weather makes some people think about cozy fires and others plot warm, hearty meals, but for me, it means time to whip up some fall accessories......

Two weeks ago, when Fibers sponsored a Color Harmonies program by Bonnie Humiston, I decided that the fastest and most fun way to pull into my life some of the colors that match my skin, hair and eyes the best and were also being underutilized by moi
(who thought of Miss Piggy just now?) was to make a handy, dandy felted bag.  This pattern is "Dot" from one of Berocco's project pamplets last fall... I used their Ultra Alpaca in three great colors - garnet for the dots, sweet potato on top and green heather on the bottom, and got enough green to make these to go with it.  Ultra Alpaca is a lovely yarn, half wool and half alpaca, and made up a dense fabric for felting.  I would happily use it again for other projects.

The pattern suggested re-purposing a leather belt to create a strap to attach to leather drawstrings and casting about the old Camp, sure enough there was a child-sized cowgirl belt that just did the job.

My bag is hanging on the back of one of our front porch chairs... we will be moving from the green, garden-y side porch of summer to the front for fall, where the last of the late afternoon sun warms and the skyline captures our attention.

Of course, another important fall accessory is The Scarf; I was still enamored with my Lacy Kerchief but now that I realized the colors I was using weren't going to be that flattering, I decided to put the bluish-purple version on a holder and start over with a soft fawn color of the same Denim Silk (our shop carries a lot of the Berocco line; unfortunately this nice silk/rayon blend yarn has been discontinued and I grabbed all of the color I wanted, just in case).

Here is a close up of the leaf pattern; I am still enjoying this pattern, even though I am only halfway through one wearable version, but have now knit a whole scarf's worth.  I am saving the other one to finish off after the new year as a gift.

There are a few more accessories in the works or the queue... and only two three gifties to finish by December, although there are still a few of those nagging UFOs.

I am plotting for a fall afternoon when I can knit up all the beaded part of my Spring Thrills shawlette and then get to finish and wear her, though my Wooly Wonka Salt Marsh colored yarn works well for any time of the year (and is a perfect match with my new colors... whoo, hoo!).

What have you been inspired to start, now that summer is definitely over and winter is looming on the horizon?

The Wild Soothes My Soul

Thanks so much to all who commented and sent condolences... my heart swells to know so many care. We devoted yesterday morning to burying Rita in one of our pastures... knowing more than one local backhoe owner is one of the equine ownership responsibilities many people don't like to think about but was an essential part of this process, as DD's boyfriend was offering to help but the truck that he needs to haul his backhoe had broken down so a nearby neighbor helped us while boyfriend was down getting truck repaired.

Since yesterday was a holiday for DH (and a few others of you probably had the day off too), we spent the afternoon in a healing way, taking a long hike near our high country house and picking apples and pears... a day that Rita would have loved.

Fall is coming early to our mountains this year....

The dogwood is already turning red and the maples and oaks yellow.

We enjoyed our hike along the upper reaches of Oregon Creek, and were grateful to have such a lovely life, even when sorrow and loss touches it.