not in the foliage (yet) but in this wonderful box that arrived today from heather at shivaya naturals. she sent an incredible array of yarns that she currently has in stock—everything from exotics to merino sock yarn, and all dyed with natural dyes. the richness of the colors just blows my mind . . . we’ll be working together with some of these in the future for sure.
right now i’m most smitten by this silk/cashmere blend in a colorway she calls eloise
it’s actually just a little more brown than this photo shows. of course there are several others that are pulling my heartstrings with equal force . . . including those wonderful turquoise-y blue-greens.
ok. be still, my brain. earth to a-anne.
i do have projects on the go that should be my main concern right now.
i put a few inches on this dainty piece last night when i needed a break from stole knitting (breaks are good i find; they give me energy to go back and do some more even when i thought i was done)
this scarf will probably proceed a little slowly for a while, as long as the stole is still on the needles. but once it’s done, we may see much faster progress. for now though it’s great the way it is. it’s always fresh when i do pick it up.
and then there is my sock. you last saw it looking like this
and even i could see that lying there collapsed like that was not doing it any favors. but i’ve been working on it, and by last night i had it as long as i needed to start the toe, so i decided to try it on.
now, i am not one for trying on socks before they are done . . . that just doesn’t normally do anything for me, but . . . wow. i could not believe the transformation. suddenly, i was really enthused to talk about it. so this morning i reconstructed the try-on to illustrate what i mean
i like it a lot now. this is the kind of sock i don’t have very many of, but always wish i did. i like my handknit socks, and for the most part i like them thick and warm. but when i slip on a nice pair of shoes to go out, a thinner, dressier sock would work a lot better for me—something i could wear with nice trousers and pretty loafers that would provide a layer of warmth but would NOT bulge out the top of the shoe and make my feet look like granny clampett’s. and if it’s fun to knit, all the better.
this is totally that sock. vanessa and i had a conversation about such socks earlier in the summer and i promised her that i would do some designs with allover interest that could be knit in thinner yarns for all foot widths (kinda like little nothings, but for feet). well i haven’t progressed all that far but we can call this the first one.
the yarn is the perfect weight for it—sylph, from spritely goods, in the eaving colorway—light enough to skim the foot but still knits up to a nice density on size 0 or 1 needles.
i finished it on the way to and from a doctor’s appt. today, but didn’t get a chance to take a final photo before dark (we had other photos to do). i even started the second sock right there in the car (the driving was a bit slow today; there are still lots of trees and lines down and many areas without power or traffic lights).
(and, speaking of vanessa, that little sorceress is all done with her stole . . . she puts me to shame. she’s sending it along so i can block it and take some photos to share; it should be here any day now.)
the mail carrier brought another interesting package today, too. this is one i was expecting—a few weeks ago jo from the nantucket bagg company asked me if she could send a sample of their #711 bag which she thinks is perfect for knitters. and you know what? it is pretty handy
i chose the canvas model in natural, but this style also can be had in a lighter-weight polyester fabric (something to consider if you think you’ll be traveling with it). for myself, i like canvas a lot because it will stand solidly without support—i’m thinking it will make a good spinning basket to hold roving and other tools
the cool things about the bag are many. it has a jillion pockets that are sized to hold lots of different knitting tools securely without releasing them into the barrel of the bag. it has straps that can be resized for carrying, or for wearing the bag in backpack mode (great for taking to festivals).
but that’s not all
see this zipper? it unzips all the way down so you can access things at the bottom.
but that’s not all either—the zipper keeps going down and around the bottom of the bag so it can be completely flattened
and either hung on the wall or worn as a work apron. the bottom flap even has a pocket
but you know what else?? that’s not all at ALL.
the zipper is two-way so that once you have it unzipped, you can re-zip it so that the bag is completely reversed with all the pockets on the outside, in case you prefer it that way.
snazzy, eh?
i am so going to try it out at rhinebeck.
now i think i’m going to close with something more beautiful than i could ever make . . .
these seem to be showing up each morning in ever larger sizes, which they say is a sign of a cold winter (whoever they are)
25 thoughts on “i see fall colors”
Mega spider web!! Wow! Yes, I’ve heard that about the sign of a cold winter. If you keep finding bigger webs, whoa! Lookout! I’m really in love with your new yarn. You’re so lucky! Everyone just flings yarn at you! I would love to see that bag in person. Interesting. The sock is a quick-change artist, for sure. I love the color. Yea Fall!
Hehe..seems spiders are inspired by your fiber work! It’s really pretty to see…that’s saying a lot, I have this fear of spiders (It’s from find a tarantula sized wolf spider in my house one day).
Oh I wish I could wake up and find boxes of yarn by my front door. Man, that would be the day. Those yarns are gorgeous!
The fall colours are beautiful…my eyes are green.
what beautiful colors! That yarn looks luscious, and the scarf is gorgeous. I enjoy reading your blog, Ann:)
Ang
wow, cool bag! “I really like those socks on your foot. What a difference.
Those yarns are stunning — I’ve bookmarked the pages and may just have to make an investment 😉 And I love the idea of little nothing socks! You are absolutely right, those just came to life on a leg; now I’m dying to knit them. And last (so much to comment on), that bag has to be one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time, and I am a fan of the bag. Let us know how it works at Rhinebeck…
Great bag, tempting yarns in amazing colors, beautiful web, and the socks — delicate, lacy, different, and sexy. They should be knit in black!
Oh, the sock is pretty!
Beautiful knits as always 🙂
I wonder if the spider web gauging winter is true. I had a spiderweb last week span from my house to the neighbors house. (that is the width of a two car driveway) It was insane! I rather felt bad for breaking it after all the work that spider put into it, but I don’t believe that calling in stuck due to spiderweb blockage would go over all that well. heh
eloise at a bit more brown reminds me of sumac which reminds me of a sumac shape which reminds me that you could be devising one mighty terrific shawl pattern. (giggle)
Those colors are marvelous and autumnal. I’m trying to think what shrub gives that pink leaf around here!
Enthusiastic endorsement on the socks, here!
And — I’ll see you at Rhinebeck!
: )
I have one of those bags in the pink fabric. FANTASTIC! and it does stand up on it’s own very well.Even when it is full of knitting!!I bought one of the large canvas ones for my husband. He loves his too.
Love the yarn colours. And the scarf is wonderful.
Oh wow, that sock is fabulous! I never thought it would look like that when you were knitting it…
What a lovely, inspirational post! I think if I lived near you, I’d never get anything done because I’d always be knitting and showing you what I’m working on… wait! I’d be getting a lot done, and loving every moment of it! Hmmm… now that I think of it, I could always be knitting now and showing you pictures of what I’ve accomplished. Thanks for getting my brain spinning with ideas again!
I received one of those bags yesterday too….I am amazed at all the pockets!
Love, love, love the lace sock!!!!
Farmers Almanac is forecasting a bitterly cold winter here in the North Country and it seems the spiders are agreeing 🙁
Hi, Anne!! How are you sweets? I adore those new socks!! And I totally agree with what you’re saying. I had to come in to work today in a complete suit (instead of business casual) for an early morning meeting but I wouldn’t be Rosi G. if I didn’t throw on some knit socks under those slacks! LOL That new pattern you’re working on would’ve been perfect today.
BTW, I got your email the other day and you are VERY WELCOME! It would’ve popped up sooner or later, with or without me because you know you have many people that loves you, chica!
I hope I see you again at Rhinebeck! :o)
Wow! Those are like two totally different socks. I am in love 🙂
Oh my gosh, if I lived close to you I would wander over everyday just to see what you get in the mail! How fun!
Thanks for the link to that canvas bag. I’ve been searching for a bag that would work well for a while and have had no luck. I might have to give that one a shot!
Yikes, I have those spider webs in my yard now, too–have you seen the spiders that made them? They look like they might be able to take down the dog. Makes a girl wanna go around to the other door, and I’m not even skeered of spiders.
I can’t wait for that sock pattern! Beautiful. 🙂
Little nothings for the feet–HA! I like that. 🙂 My husband doesn’t like my handknit socks because they are “too thick”– he thinks all socks should be like nylon-blend trouser socks from the store. His loss, right?
I wish I wasn’t pathologically terrified of spiders. Even their gorgeous, dew-spotted webs freak me right out. AIEEE!
I love the idea of Little Nothings for feet. Here in California, and probably most places I’ll be for the next few years anyway, lighter weight socks are useful for more of the year.
Very Cool Bag!!!
OOh, that is one beautiful lace sock. A Little Nothing for the feet is a great idea. The Sheviya Yarn is also very attractive. I headed over to her site and couldn’t resist some of her colors.
Hi,
I sent Anne the bag, what a great job she has done of showing it off. I am a professional crocheter and love the freedom of crocheting but, but, Anne’s lovely leafy soft golden scarf makes me want to grab my knitting needles and start immediately.
Jo
Heather’s yarn is beautiful. I can totally see getting completely carried away with it (you lucky dog!)
and the sock. (vanessa was wonderful to encourage this new style! elegant for sure)
and the spiders… I have been noticing the exact same thing. They seem to be out en mass this year.
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