Having two people in the house in walking 'casts' (boots), one on crutches because it is much faster, presents all kinds of previously unconsidered challenges.  The simple act of carrying mail or for that matter, anything, up two flights of stairs is daunting.  In typical fashion, I'm figuring out systems, cheats, to get us through.  Getting that big can of bird seed up a flight.. there's one that hasn't happened yet.  Each of us have a large Guatemalan crocheted bag that hangs from our shoulder, an extra large pocket to keep our hands free as we lurch around the house.  There are no graceful movements.  Thanks to Cheryl, I have a pair of boots that I realized only this morning, were the right height to balance off the orthopedic boot.  That makes it so much more comfortable and lessens the limp.  Nice boot(s), huh?   

Last weekend, my friend Cindy, took me to the Harvest Fair at Coggeshall Farm.  It was a glorious day.  We sat and spindled outdoors on an immense green lawn overlooking salt marshes.  Also, it was a learning experience.  Everything is.  My folding chair doubled as a cane.  I carried my knitting bag on my shoulder. But oh, was it heavy.  I love my Ellington bags and carry them everywhere. 

 This one has pockets within pockets, too many to keep track of their contents without a written inventory.  Sunday afternoon (that accounts for the incredibly contrasty light) I dumped it out to see why it weighed what it did.  Can you believe that?

This only goes to reinforce my feelings about "sealing" a woman's bags upon her death.  A friend emptied her's one night as an illustration to me.  When she'd pulled out the third loaded pistol… well… that's when I knew. 

Tuesday was one of those days when I needed a laugh.  Big time.  Turns out that the fall I took on Sunday broke my foot.  I had been sort of laid up since then, between pain, not being able to put weight on it, and the constant icing. Then there was the logistical problem of having to get from point A to point B, 270 miles apart, so that C could have surgery on his foot today. It has been a bit overwhelming.  Getting it, my foot / leg finally into a boot was more of a relief than anything else until the full ramifications set in.  No driving.  No mobility.  Weeks of this AND C will be more of the same.  What are the odds that both of us would have broken feet at the same time?  (I mustn't think about that now, soon enough I won't forget it.)  But the boot allows me to move about and slowly, oh so slowly, get to things that need to be done before C gets home from the hospital later this morning.  Like laundry.. and thus the smile.  When I opened the dryer, out fell dollar bills, lots of them.  And as I pulled out more dry jeans and things, more bills spilled out.  I had to laugh.  Look at that pile.  Too bad they're all ones.  Finders keepers, right? 

There was a second bright spot.  This morning early, after a friend came by to take C to the hospital, I went online and saw this:  

It's Anne's new scarf pattern, Punch and Judy.  I love patterns that have that play of positive and negative space.  The yarn is Ball and Skein's new dk wt. merino / silk yarn, Sirena, in Bittersweet.  On size 6US needles, it will be a quick knit, perfect for gift giving or a new fall winter accessory.  It is available as a kit.  If you prefer it in the Northwoods colorway, please let me know.

 

As our neighbor warned, the hill on the far side of the pond was logged, leaving only a fringe of mostly softwoods edging the pond and clearly marking the property line.  In the distance, I can see a hill that wasn't visible to me before.  The next week or so should tell me if it is primarily soft or hardwood by the colors it becomes.  To the visiting eye, nothing much changed around the bowl I live on, but to me there is a sparseness to the skyline, more air and of course, that hill.  I kind of like the hill. 

With the coming of fall came dyeing for the fall shows and of course, dyeing fall colorways.  This year, there are five new colors in the merino / silk lace wt.

bittersweet . riverstone . elderberry . turquoise . northwoods

Sirena, the new dk merino / silk blend in Northwoods and Bittersweet.

And, in the Super Sock 416..  Fallen Leaves, Northwoods, and another not shown (it sold out and the new batch is still drying) Copper Pennies.

It is fun coming up with new colors.  Inspiration is abundant, with nature bombarding your senses with all that seasonal color.  I read about the designers using Pantone, and I remember a time using the ColorAid pack.  Who needs that?  Look around, take a deep breathe of fall fragrance and pretty soon…. color!