Local Leaf Peeping

Autumn! This is my favorite time of year. There is cooler weather and lots of color. Here in Colorado most of our color is yellow, as in aspens. Sometimes in odd places with the right mix of minerals you will find some "flamers" as I call them. This is where the aspens are more orange than yellow. It is less seen so very special when you do.

Usually my folks and I try to take a "fall trip" that incorporates looking for fall color and seeing somewhere new in Colorado. This year we will not be doing that. They are busy with siding and steps and a variety of other scurry-about projects that must be completed before the snow flies.

This year I just found some color in my own backyard. I hope you are enjoying your autumn revery before Old Man Winter arrives.

Moebius Update or Diabolical Plot and SPRING!

Sheepy is demonstrating how easy remembering the Moebius cast on is, or not. My mom and I are beginning to think it is a diabolical plot to tie us up in knots or to test the durability of the yarn that we are using. This past Saturday we sat for 4 hours and cast on at least 47 times before we got it figured out again. Finally, as the sun was waning and the snow flurries were beginning again, we both got the cast on and first row done for another basket.

Of course she has one completed from our class and my first one is still in this stage. Here is where the bowl part is just opening up. And now I have a second cast on. At some point I will have to finish one or the other.

But while they both sit idle I have been working on all the swatches I have to knit for my KIC Level One. I am happy to report that I am one swatch away from completing the first submission to finish my Level One.



Here is the first batch drying on the blocking board.


And while I am finishing that Pedro and I are looking for spring. Here in the Rockies, Spring is a tricky beast. It shows up one day and tempts us with warmer weather and some early bird song. Then the next day we get more white stuff and, voila, we have glorious pictures of winter again. This picture was taken from the Woodland Park Safeway parking lot of the back side of America's Mountain - Pikes Peak - on Saturday.

The on Sunday, the weather map was a wide array of colors with ever version of possible weather imaginable. From this map I got a great idea for a knitting project. It will be my secret knit. Once I get it done I will offer the pattern to you as a spring gift.

Pedro still has high hopes that the warmer weather is just around the corner and begs to go out every evening that it is still light and mostly warm when I get home from work.

And he has supervised the inaugral flight of the swift I received as a much-appreciated Christmas gift. He watched intently from his perch while I assembled it but as soon as I made it "fly" he ran off. Then he came back as I was photoing so he could be in the picture.

I hope you are finding evidence of spring in your world!

Happy New Year!

Years ago I gave up on specific resolutions. Instead I make a list of achievable goals. This year I plan to eat healthier and get more exercise (the standards) and, more specifically:

Successfully complete Level 1 and 2 of the CYCA Knit Instructor Certification program

Update my blog weekly

Learn all the features and functions of my digital camera

I hope all your dreams come true this New Year.

Blog Hiatus or What you can do when your computer is broken.

Hi all: it has been a long time since I was able to sit down to a working computer and have the time to update my blog.

While I have been on hiatus, caused by the motherboard in my 10-year old computer finally beaming back to the mothership, I have done some fun stuff.

This little guy to your left posed so nicely for me while he was eating a seed at Crystal Reservoir on the drive up Pikes Peak. Fall is coming quickly here to the high country and everyone is getting ready. Our high country trip was planned around a visit from an East Coast sister. We took her to see the sights around Colorado before returning her to the Denver airport for her trip home.

Here is Dad and Mary enjoying the thin air on the top of Pikes Peak. We lucked into a beautiful day and the temp at the top was pleasant 48-degrees, quite a treat after continual days of 90+.

The scenic route to the Denver airport consisted of a visit to the historic mining town of Leadville; Camp Hale, the site of the 10th Mountain Division's winter training; a side trip through the popular ski area of Summit County and a fabulous dinner at Tommynocker's Brewery in Idaho Springs. And for the third weekend in August, we saw quite a few trees with the beginnings of fall colors. After that trek you know summer is on it's way to an end with the 30th Annual Balloon Festival in Colorado Springs on Labor Day weekend. This year there were 90+ balloons in attendance and the best weather anyone had seen. Lots of fun colors and shapes like: Marvin the Martian, one that looked like the dragon from Mulan, a farm scene, an inverted pyramid, the owl and the pussycat, and a patchwork quilt. And at some point, the sky was full of them.

















Besides summer fun and travel, I have been keeping up with the triumphs and tribulations of my favorite fellow bloggers. and I have a few observations.





Of Crazy Aunt Purl, all I can say is: You go, girl! She found a new dining room set on the affordable side, uncovered wood flooring that is gorgeous and has accomplished all of this in a scant month or so after her declaration to make her "house a home." I am so inspired by her fortitude and stick-to-it-itiveness.

Of the Yarn Harlot, her latest fleece washing endeavor is quite amusing. The squirrel repellent device looks like it worked. The squirrel looked perplexed as he viewed the coveted fleece, yet could not find a way to get to it.

Of Wendy Knits, she is the queen of the summer sock challenge. And I am certain it is because of Lucy's unfailing assistance.

Of What Housework? Milo is my new super hero. (don't breathe a word of that to my own Pirate Prince, Pedro). Milo gives barn cats something to aspire to. The flowerpot incident is too funny for words.

Of the Loopy Ewe, Sheri is amazing. All the energy she has goes into unpacking all the goodies for the store, keeping up with the kids, cooking yummy things and being up-to-date with the most important events, like the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Starbucks.

And during the no computer at home down time I have been knitting -- a lot. I have several Christmas gifts ready for felting and at least two more to knit. No, I will not tell you what they are, it will spoil the recipients' surprise. I hope to have all the gift items finished by September 20th so I can work on a couple items for myself. I like to have the holiday things finished early so I can enjoy the approach of the fun days.

I am hoping that my home computer is back, up and running a couple weeks so I can be more active with my blog.

Enjoy what is left of the fabulous weather.