smatterings

we have a winner

2009-10-14T19:36:16-04:00

sort of..

When I weighed the acorns the day I picked them up, I weighed only 2 oz. of them. There were seven. Multiplying that by 8 times gave me 56 acorns. They were full of moisture from the ground and the biggest I'd ever seen. When I went back on Sunday afternoon to gather enough of them to make up a pound, many had split. Although there were still a lot of them, there weren't as many as a few days before. I'm thinking fat squirrels, happy deer, cheerful chipmunks. The point is, that today, when I actually weighed out a pound, without choosing which acorns should or shouldn't be included, the count came to 59. Smaller, dryer, whatever. No two alike.. Mother Nature, after all. There you have it. Nobody guessed 59 acorns. The numbers ranged from, I think 10 (holy smokes, acorns that size would be on the government's list of dangerous weapons, especially if they were falling 60-100 feet from the sky), to 250. I assume that acorns are different in other parts of the country. Steph guessed 57. Good job! Great guess. If you email me your address, I'll send along your prize! I'll also email you privately so you have my address.

Those acorns won't go to waste. After adorning my table as a centerpiece, they will be sent along outdoors to those who will enjoy them the most. They sure look tasty to me.

long weekend

2009-10-13T16:37:48-04:00

Saturday was a late-ish night for me. There was a small party near Boston and a bit more wine than usual. When I got home, I checked the phone for messages. Nothing. Good, it was still drizzling and my plans for Sunday / Monday were 'weather permitting'. I could sleep in. I thought. Around 6:45am the phone rang. Arrrghhh!!!!

me: Good Morning..

Ready?? Looks like a gorgeous day, we're on, aren't we?

me: Yes..I need to wake up and make coffee. Do I have an hour?

No, less than that. Besides, we're going for breakfast.

me: I still need coffee to get to breakfast. I'm up and rolling. See you as soon as I can get there. (there being the local airport)

Again, let me say, there is nothing like New England in the autumn. NOTHING. G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S!

I love seeing the colors from above. See the reds? That would be the lower, wetter areas that support the maples. The olive greens are the oaks and the greenest, the softwoods.

And, breakfast.. yummm... smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber and egg on a panini. Oh my! We flew into the Stowe, MA airport, just for breakfast. I'll go there again, by land or by air. Really good.

If it hadn't been for that little morning respite, the weekend would have been endless. The rest of it was spent stripping my office and studio bare, in preparation for new paint and flooring. It'll be wonderful when it's over. The process.. not so much.

It took a few hours to get the computer, printer, router, and modem relocated for use this week. but, I'm up and running and the acorns have been weighed.

the sky is falling..

2009-10-10T09:51:30-04:00

Contest Alert!

When one of these falls from the sky and hits you on the head, it hurts. The acorns are huge this year. Walking the woods trails is treacherous, not only from above but from below. It's roller blades out of control. Or, maybe not.. hiking on golf balls. Slow down, watch out, and wear a hat.

Here's the question. How many of these acorns do you think are in a pound? I've weighed them out. Send me your guess in the comments. Next Wednesday, if I have an internet connection (I'm tearing the office apart this weekend) I'll let you know who guessed the number. The prize is a skein of Ball and Skein's Super Sock 416 in the Autumn colorway. I only dye it once a year. It's all about fall.

woodland confetti

2009-10-09T17:21:58-04:00

If there is a time when nature throws a carnival, autumn is it. There is as much color underfoot as overhead. Confetti's flying.

Hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy it. Happy weekend!

Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival !!

2009-09-29T12:06:54-04:00

It is high color in Vermont this weekend. There's no better time to see the hills than when they are aflame with autumn's color. Combine that with the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival and you've got a perfect reason to head for the hills this Saturday and Sunday. The festival has changed location from the northwestern corner of the state to a much more centralized and far more scenic venue. Tunbridge is near the junction of I-89 and I-91, making it an easy trip from the Boston area and points east on I-89 and all of you in southern New England coming up on I-91. I drove there over the summer to get the lay of the land. It is gorgeous! Quintessential Vermont. Red barns, white fences, winding back roads running along a creek and the steeply rolling hills. You couldn't ask for a more scenic location.

I couldn't find an autumn picture of the fairgrounds so I give you my own front yard to prove that there isn't anything like autumn in Vermont.

It isn't a lot, but the festival offers a coupon for $1.00 off the admission price each year. You can print it out here.

Not that it is necessary, but a dollar's a dollar. And, it is a wool festival. I know I hardly need any other incentive. I'll be there, with Ball and Skein in the main building. Please drop by and say 'hi'. If I'm busy, still say 'hi'. I really look forward to seeing you. By then, all the yarn should have been dyed, dried, and re-skeined. Whew!

Up... down.... color everywhere!!

still onerva

2009-09-25T15:27:56-04:00

Onerva has been good company while watching the season premiers of some of my favorite shows. What a relaxing knit. It's been the project I pick up for 'a few rows' before bedtime. After a few starts, I got the hang of the pattern and stopped worrying about the center stitches. The pattern's always handy, just in case. With a 30 row repeat, a bit of planning will have to happen soon. I've got 6 1/2 repeats done and I'm figuring another 8 rows of edging in addition to the 20 odd rows left in this section. The pattern, written in Finnish, wasn't as complete as I'm used to. Maybe if I could have read it, but then again.. I couldn't. Ravelry knitters were very helpful if you poked around the finished project notes.

The pattern starts at the center point, shown here as a very much rounded 'point'. Ahem.. Really, though.. I think it will all be fine.

walk with me wednesday..

2009-09-23T21:57:27-04:00

house to the barn.. barn to the house.. how is it my world is already getting smaller?

The studio has been a busy place lately. With less to do in the garden (did I really say that), or more accurately, less that I AM doing in the garden, beans excepted, Chris and I are spending more time working in the shop. I get a batch of yarn steaming and run to the house. A bit later, I'm running back to the shop to get the next run started and the finished one washed. I don't miss going further. There is much to see on this little walk, even more so now. The view changes everyday. One of my favorite spots each year, is a maple in the front yard, surrounded by ferns. They were green only a few days ago.

I have a new laptop that has one of the glaring hard finish monitors that they are using on all of them as protection against pointing, jabbnig fingers. Nothing looks sharp. The pictures looked crisp when I edited them. But now.. not so much. I'm walking a fine line with upload times and file sizes on dial up. Enough for now, Onerva calls.

That little feedjit thing is fun. I just saw one of my past posts showing a picture of a wooly bear. I haven't seen any this year. Have you?