Summer's End

I can't believe that another Summer has past, and so quickly too.  Lots of Spring/Summer rain made the season seem so short.

The garden has grown great this year.  Lots of tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, beets, cucumbers, spagetti squash, radishes, pumpkins, lettuce, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and of course, lots of zuchinni. 

I hope the first freeze holds off until all of these tomatoes ripen.

This is my strawberry patch.  I've learned alot about raising these this year.  A little mixture of dish soap and water, sprayed on the green berries and leaves, keep the worms from eating the strawberries before they are ripe enough to pick.  We have gotten a lot of strawberries, but they have been really small.

My strawberry pots filled out nicely, but not many berries came from them. 

Like always . . . the zuchinni plants went crazy.  We were disappointed to find that two of our cucumber plants were mismarked at the nursery, leaving us with 4 zuchinni plants, and only one cucumber plant.  I have been trying every zuchinni recipe known to man.  The best one yet, has been for zuchinni brownies.  They are super moist.  However, I'll always think zuchinni cakes (made like crab cakes) are my favorite.

My flowers have been beautiful this years too. These are the pots we have on the front porch.  These are my favorite color geraniums (strawberry fizz).

I've been babbling on about this knitting project for months now.  My "Carmine" is finally finished!  You can read all of the detail on this project at: Lori's Ravelry Projects. 

I'm always a little afraid to try my finished knitting projects on.  I guess I'm always just a little scared they won't fit, and I will have spent all of that time and money for nothing.  Thus, I let "Bula" (my body double) pose for these pictures.

Since Bula is exactly my same size, without a head and arms, I am sure this sweater is going to fit me perfectly.

I learned so much from knitting this pattern, designed by Belinda Boaden.  Along with some new stitch designs, I learned a new method for increasing a raglan sleeve, how to knit perfect waist and arm shaping, and a fabulous neck binding.  We are going on a New England Cruise in a few weeks, and this sweater will get it's maiden voyage (no pun intended) then.

The yarn suggested on the pattern was "Scrumptious" from Fyberspates.  It truly is scrumptious, and a true joy to knit with.  The yarn cost was little "spendy", but the DK weight blend of merino wool and silk were well worth it.  I had 2 1/2 balls of yarn leftover, which could easily be knit into a hat, scarf or socks to match.

I'm knitting away on a new design.  It is a bulky, cabled cardigan, with a hood.  The samples are being knit for my daughter-in-law's Mother and Sister.  They will be warm, mother/daughter sweaters, to be given as Christmas gifts.  However, I hope to have the pattern written and test knit for release at knit-zilla-ravelry-downloads, before Thanksgiving. I'll have some sneak peaks in my next post, along with lots of cruise photos.  Happy knitting . . .