indeed, it is an important day of change in so many ways. we all know what the big change is and no one needs to be told what they have to do. so i turn my eye to other changes all around me that are sweet and savory and moving all too fast.
our maples are all decked out this week in glorious gold. and it’s been sunny enough that the striking color really jumps out at me.
in another few days they’ll drop their fall clothes and change again. the change is good . . . it helps us to cheerfully make the transition into the darker days of early winter just ahead.
not to be outdone, the japanese maples are flashing their finer regalia as well. in fact, as i walk around out there a bit, i notice that the whole yard is suddenly having a liberace moment
the garage looks like it took its cue from chris’s dye pot.
and wow, the cranesbill in one of my beds is going nuts . . . i don’t even remember that it had fall color in other years, but it must have
just look at that—i’ve got a veritable carpet of it there (mental not: transplant some of that stuff to other beds in spring . . . )
even the ajuga has wonderful color. it’s so funny; each summer i swear i will rip this stuff completely out when it looks bleached and sad in july. it tends to be invasive, spreading its ugly summer tendrils everywhere.
then in fall it redeems itself by blazing with renewed raspberry and purple color and i soften up a bit towards it, when i’m missing the just-finished basil.
all i can manage is a trimming each spring after all.
here’s a good one . . the squirrels are packing on pounds so fast that they can’t keep up with themselves.
i keep catching them tipping over when they try to scratch, or falling back on their butts when they try to leap up a tree real fast. i mean last week they were svelte enough to do that stuff, but not now.
these lily pods are drying on their stems and beginning to crack open
reminding me that one project leads to another . . .they have a similar shape and feel to the butternut motifs in my scarf on the outside.
on the inside, they look like a swatch i am considering for my new stole, only it’s purple
i’ve had it on my mind since last winter that i wanted to do something with motifs that look like frost or other winter skeleton shapes (i may not be putting that right but that’s what comes to mind—maybe “winter architectures” is a better phrase . . .)
anyway, i immediately came up with a composition i liked using the old frost flowers motif. but now as i set out to work with it, i see it all around me in other magazine and designer pieces. so i’m feeling like i need to find something fresh for my piece, but i’m struggling a bit. i can’t erase the frost flowers from my mind, heh.
i know i’ll find the right thing—i just have to keep swatching. something good is coming, i can feel it. just, um, not this minute, haha.
in the meantime i’m working finishing small projects you already saw and submissions that i can’t show you. so, i give you my yard. it’s a mess but it’s a brilliant mess.
31 thoughts on “change”
That is too funny about the squirrels! Your yard is still very beautiful. Here, the autumn show was at its best about a month ago already. Now, pretty much all the leaves are gone.
I noticed the same thing about the squirrels in our trees and yard. Very chubby. Does that mean a hard winter? Or, just an Ohio winter? I like that little piece of knitting that looks like the lily pod.
I want to dye yarn the color of the ajuga!
The colors are beautiful. Isn’t mother nature
wonderful!!!!!! Your knitting is great too.
Oooh, that swatch looks intriguing. I hope it grows up quickly!
This is such a great post — from the first sentence to all the beautiful fall pictures. The swatch looks lovely and I love the purple!
Brillian, Indeed. The colors are spectacular. That’s pretty funny about the squirrels tipping over. That must be very entertaining to watch.
You know, I can’t really wear much red, but this time of year I’d love to be a Japanese Maple just for a day or two!
I just ripped out all our dead & dying plants from the garden, and it looks so sad. Thank goodness for the beautiful foliage!
My totally volunteer and ever propigating cranesbill hasn’t ever changed colors like that. I have so enjoyed taking the progression of autumn this year and sharing it on my blog, just as you do on yours.
Those colors are gorgeous (Liberace, ha!); I love the pictures. And I know you’ll figure out something good for the stole, it’s just getting through the gestation process that’s sometimes time-consuming… 🙂
Your thoughts about winter architecture reminded me of this poem quoted here: http://www.potw.org/archive/potw121.html in it’s entirety…but mostly the last line: “Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art to mimic in slow structures, stone by stone, built in an age, the mad wind’s night-work, the frolic architecture of the snow.” Emerson
Hi Anne,
i love your photos, but it´s really hard to wait for your new stole regarding the pattern, it´s my favorite color. What do you think how long it will last. i already love it, please hurry up – i hope you understand my “joke”, but i really want to have it
thank you for the maple leaves! i miss them tons – and you reminded me that i MUST have a japanese maple one day. and even more, thank you for being an island of silence on election day, when i couldn’t stand just one more “go vote!” and oh, the purple and the frost! sounds like a winning combo to me 🙂
What beautiful fall color you’ve had, and _still have_, and thank you for the photos. They give me such a lift – our VT color departed in early October. Then the leaves finally crashed to the ground and we are seriously into Stick Season (waiting for snow).
It IS a popular stitch right now. Funny, cuz the shawl I just designed is inspired by frost… 🙂
i love the fall colors. there’s a tree outside the office which is just gorgeous right now.
that little swatch is quite intriguing. can’t wait to see what you do with it.
The fall colors are beautiful. With all the rain many areas had the weather set us up for perfect fall colors. The cranesbill does indeed have a lovely fall color this year and for the past few years, I have never seen that vibrant of a red on the leaves. The delicacy of the Japanese Maple and the red just makes it perfect. The colors do just call to you to head into the dye pots and mix and match for beautiful fall colored yarns and roving. I look forward to seeing your next shawl. Also, thanks for all the wonderful picture. I look forward to reading your blog and seeing the wonderful garden pictures that are only an asset to the knitting.
Your garden looks spectacular in those colors ! I just love fall colors !
The squirrels are so funny, wished I had some in MY garden 🙂
Beautiful autumn colors. I love your Butternut scarf – another one on my list!
what fabulous photos, Anne.
Does the lily pod make a seed that can be planted? or is it more like the iris, that doesn’t?
Love the idea of a winter frost stole, and you already know how I swoon over purple. (grins)
What terrific photos! (Not only in this post but also the other recent posts which I’m just catching up on—hope our computer problems are now resolved so I can get back to regular blog viewing!) We’ve had a very colorful fall here, too, but I’ve no idea what most of the plants are called! (In any language!)
Thanks for the pictures. I love Fall! It’s my favorite season. The little squirrel is preparing for a cold winter, so says his coat!
I love squirrels! I know they’re nothing more than rats with a fluffy tail and a good PR agent, but I still love watching them.
Fablous photos of fabulous Ohio. The colors are beautiful in kansas city this year as well but nothing like the upper midwest and northeast.
This is a fabulous day as well as my guy won!
Thank you for the glorious photos, Anne!
What a fabulous way to celebrate this momentous time in our history by celebrating the glory and joy that surrounds us daily by just looking out the window! Thanks for sharing.
A beautiful mess indeed!
And I’m glad to see you’re not totally off of frost flowers. Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s uncool.
Those photos are absolutely stunning! It seems as though everything here in Maine has already shown it’s prime. Enjoy that color! It’s so inspiring.
The cranesbill is so photo-inspiring – I posted a shot on my blog yesterday and smiled when I just saw yours!
I *love* your photos of your fall color. Oh! how I miss autumn. I’m drooling here in the wastelands of southern California. Ick. We had rain a week ago, so the hills are going from brown to *green*. In November. It’s a confused place, southern California.
OOoh, I love the purple and the winter architectures hint. I wonder if I will catch up to the end result tonight or if it will take me a bit longer.
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