Pumpkins & Halloween

This post, I'm going to start with my Fall knitting progress. For the Fall Festival Knitting KAL, sponsored by Custom Fit, I have decided to knit "Leaving",  designed by Anne Hanson.  I'm knitting it with Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk, in the colorway "Cranalicious.

 

It is hard to tell from the photos, but the color includes gray, wine and just a dash of coral.  I've been working on it for about 4 weeks, and it is coming along.  I have the back, sleeves and 3/4 of the front pieces knit.  If I could just focus on one project at a time, it would be long finished.  But . . . you know me, I have to be working on at least 3 things at a time.  "Focus . . . Lori . . . focus".  The KAL wraps up on November 15, so I hope to be finished and wearing this cardigan by then.

This is one of my distractions.  The The Salt Lake Knitting Guild has started a KAL of their own.  Everyone is knitting one of 3 difference shawl patterns together.  I have chosen The Flowering Weeds Shawl, designed by Karalee Harding.  I'm knitting it in black, which totally makes me blind, with lace weight yarn and small needles.  I'm knitting it of Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk.  

In addition, we started a fun yarn switch at the Guild, where everyone brought 100 yards of yarn in a plain brown paper bag, and we switched them around.  Everyone is to knit something to return to the yarn's original owner.  I selected 2 skeins of a superwash wool.  I'll be digging through my patterns, to find the perfect thing to knit of this yarn.

 

 

We have made several trips to the local pumpkin patch over the past several weeks.  It was fun to look through hundreds of pumpkins for just that perfect one for carving.

 

We've decored the house for my favorite holiday, and we set up an evening for carving.

I whipped up a batch of caramel apples, and we gathered up all the tools for pumpkin carving last night.  I even purchased a beater attachment for our electric drill, for cleaning out the innards of the pumpkins.  It was so slick, it cleaned those pumpkins out lickety, split!



 

You can see that we had a great time, even though there was a lot of photo-bombing going on. It is a great season, even for knitting. Happy Knitting!

The Witch Knit 2014

It is that time of year again! Time for the 3rd Annual "Witch Knit". Our yearly coven gathered again last night. Such a fun time. Great costumes, great food, lots of laughs, and even some knitting. Check out the fun:

 

 

First Place Costume Winner -- Jeri

Second Place Costume Winner -- Judy 

Third Place Costume Winner -- Emery

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the prizes.  They were darling!  Carolyn made 3 witch hat Halloween advent calendars.  Each cardboard witch hat was painted, and 13 candy treats were tied to the brim in brightly printed ribbons.  A treat for each days - for the 13 days leading up to Halloween.  Such fun prizes to win.  It made it totally worth the effort of dressing up in your best witch attire. 

We had a few more attendees, but I had to save my best news for last.

My daughter has her Halloween costume all ready too.  Look  . . .  we are expecting granchild #7 and #8!  Sooooooo exciting!!

 

Everyone was working on their "Lady Kina" sweaters.  Such beautiful colors!  One was even nearing completion.  The KAL is clipping along.  We'll soon have pictures of everyone wearing them.  Such good knitters!

You would think I lived in Seattle, instead of the desert of Salt Lake City.  We had torrential downpours all during the months of August and September.  There was a lot of flooding, and this most beautiful rainbow.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  I've never seen such a bright, full rainbow!  Each color was completely defined.  Even purple.

Our grandsons were even able to go kayaking in the makeshift lake at the water retension park near our house.  I love the rain, and with the exception of the hale storm that I was afraid would dent my car, it has been very enjoyable.

My "Leaving" cardigan is coming along nicely.  I'm at week 3, and I've just completed the sleeves.  The back is done, and I'm about to start on the front pieces.  Knit from Lisa Souza's Alpaca Silk, it has been a dream to knit.  I should easily have it finished by the end of the Custom Fit Fall Festival Sweater KAL on November 15.  I hope you are all enjoying your Fall knitting.  Happy Knitting!