SWEET NOVEMBER

I LOVE FALL!





This is about as close as we get in North Florida to fall - I travel a lot to Auburn Alabama and last week when I was there I actually saw fall leaves on the trees. It was beautiful! Usually in mid October it starts cooling down here and gone are the oppressively hot humid summer days.





What have I been doing since I posted in June - Wasn't that just a month or two ago????? EGADS! NOT - I can't believe how fast the time is flying by.





My blog is predominately about my love and pursuit of needlework bliss. I fully intended to write a trip blog about my September visit to the ATHA rug hooking national in New Orleans with 3 of my friends. Well - Sept came and went and no trip log - oh well - we did have a nice time at the national - took 2 classes and bought 2 cool new rug canvases and a few toys from the Spruce Ridge booth in the boutique. They had some awesome rug hooks made from exotic woods along with scissor point protectors and magnets to hold your scissors on the hooking surface. I believe everything I bought was burled cedar or some exotic beautiful cedar. Love the new hook and YES I am able to hook with it! Got a great canvas from a Texas designer named Bea Brock - I had met Bea two years prior on a trip to Texas with my friend Karen. She does interesting designs and I bought her Angel Sampler in a runner size along with a 2 X 2 rug for my mom which is adapted from an antique quilt pattern. New Orleans was still somewhat deserted - lots of businesses and restaurants are still closed down. We ate several meals out - Emeril's NOLA, brunch at Brennans', a cajun place which was just a block from the Marriott and very good. Had a great class with Susan Quicksall of Holly Hill designs and a class with Judy Quintman from NC. All in all we had a very nice trip.





I am still trying to finish up my monkey rug - maybe I can put up a WIP photo sometime soon. It is coming along nicely - just have a small amount of back round left and 2 sides of the border.





In my stitching world - I have been focusing for the past several months on a class piece that I was doing with the Dixie EGA chapter in Columbus Ga - Jane Timmers of Fancy Work was down to teach her Charleston Sewing Box class - awesome project - just lovely work from Jane. I did attend one day of the two day class - I got my drawstring (twisted cord) and 2 tassels made - and that was with Jane sitting right by my side helping me! YEP - I am "finishing" challenged - I am well aware now that I need to leave the fine finishing to someone who can do it well. I am going to finish up the blasted little necessary bag on my own but the actual box insert and scissor case and pinkeep - I am sending to a pro!





My other stitching focuses are Faith Hope and Love by Workbasket - my DF Teresa took some WIP photos for me but I have not been able to get them from my home PC to my work PC so I can upload to my blog and the stitching boards I belong to - one day I'll get it done!





In my needlepoint world - I am mainly focusing on a Lee canvas which is to be an insert for one of the Lee tote bags. Very nice little piece done in silks and metallics. Hope to have that finished in the next few months so I can actually use this tote bag to tote my WIP's in!!!!





And the knitting project update - lions and tigers and bears OH MY! ( yep I watched the Wizard of OZ over the weekend) that is the usual state of my knitting world focus - Fall is the worst time of the year for me and my knitting - I get so excited about new yarns - new patterns - I just can't focus too much. I have gone back to my Blue Sky cardi and am finishing up the first front on that one. Also just became reacquainted with my Colinette Cadenza cardi and am also finishing one front. Our LYS (Knit Witz) has 2 knit nights every week and an occasional midnight knitting. I chose the Cadenza cardi for my focus piece for those nights in recent weeks. Kathe just received a lovely shipment of Cadenza and I'm sure it has flown off the shelves. I would love to have more Cadenza but instead bought more Jitterbug from the same shipment and the accompanying book for which I am in love with the cover Swing jacket. I am doing the Copperbeach colorway of which my friend Corrina said "it's a Melody color for sure" My other main knitting focuses are a lovely pullover in Rowan 4ply tweed called Lava by Brandon Mably - it was in a winter mag from last season. Colorwork is very tedious but I do try to devote at least one night a week on this project. Also in the bag are a simple shawl using the new lace weight Malibrigo in a lucious color called Hummingbird and a wonderful shawl in Sea Silk - can't remember the name of the pattern but I got it at my fave LYS Knit Witz.





Well - turkey day is upon us - my mom and I have finalized our menu. The bird is bought so we just need to tweek things and we'll be ready! I am hoping for a 4 day that weekend but haven't gotten the word from my boss yet.





Hope well all have a sweet november with many happy memories!