Fall Finishing for Friday

Fall finishing. This autumn had been so welcome in our home. I seem to be embracing it with open arms and trying to cram as much craft as possible into the weeks before each holiday. Thanksgiving is no exception. My holiday favorites are ranked in the order they come: Halloween is always the big day in my book, followed by Thanksgiving, then Christmas. It is not that I do not love Christmas, just that the other two take higher places in my heart.

This year I found the time to gather some scraps of glittered things and shining leaves that have lurked in our craft storage box and fashion them into a wreath. For years I had two red berry wreathes (target store bought) that graced each side of the mantel. But they had seen their use and were misplaced/given/gone and so now we have this pretty.

I love that it came from stuff I had bought previously and hoarded away. The remaining leaves ended up in an impromptu bouquet on the mantel, accompanying some very odd seed pods collected one afternoon. I have been good about gathering a few of nature's latest offerings when out and about with the boys, some pretty leaves and acorns, seed pods and sticks. It makes me recall those younger days when I loved getting these objects to take home and display.

I hope the simple example carries over to them and they find delight in the slight seasonal changes we do get to see here in California. Right after they stop tying to sample all my collected nature items.

Speaking of seasonal changes, we finally backed down from the 80/90 range and saw a few days of chilly temps, sure, we are talking 60s, but that is cold here, people. It gave me a chance to wear my Bandwagon (aka February Lady Sweater) for three straight days in a row.

I love this sweater, along with the other 1200 people who have knit/blogged it. It really is ingenious, just the right length/weight/style to pair with jeans or pants, trainers or flats. I layered it with a light shirt one day, threw it on over a sweater in the chilly afternoon park play another.

It is such a great pattern and I think any new knitter longing to try their first sweater should go to this pattern. The always genius Elizabeth Zimmerman has such an intuitive way of designing and the pattern by FLintknits could not be written any better. I am pleased with the buttons, a find on Etsy, some type of dark wood, not highly polished and truly beloved by little fingers. We are practicing counting to three with them, so thanks EZ for advancing the next generation.


The last project was a bit of a collaboration. I asked my brill brother Jon to sketch a turkey that I could use as an embroidery pattern. The kid is a natural, I handed him the pad and he was back in ten minutes with this cutie.

I ended up using blank shirts from this company, dyed them with Rit in a giant pot on the stove top and transferred the pattern with my trusty iron on transfer paper. The end result is the cutest thing I have stitched to date.

He captured the look I wanted to the tee. This plump turkey looks a bit desperate and googley eyed, hopefully he is the one that gets away this season.

I cannot say enough about the talent my brother carries with him so gracefully. He is currently in his senior year, contemplating art school. He has me contemplating an idea to help fund his education. I am thinking of having him design seasonal sketches that can be put up for sale in the shop and downloaded after payment. It might be a stretch, I do not even know how to do a pdf right now, but it would be so cool to do this with/for him.

And here is what Mason really thought of the modeling session with me.

Stay tuned for next week, if I can figure out the pdf thing I want to release the turkey sketch for you stitchers to try out and give verdict. Have a great weekend. Off to contemplate apple picking, some jam and applesauce making, oven cleaning and attic trips to figure out electrical problems. Whee.