Knits: Late summer.

I have to confess: I am tired of living places where autumn doesn’t begin until October (or November… or sometimes December). In San Antonio, leaf-raking was a Christmastime activity—-that is just wrong. Still, “home is where the Navy sends us” (at least, that’s what all the cutesy hand-painted signs say) so we do what we must… and once school starts, I must believe that Fall has arrived. Ninety-degree temperatures be darned. We may keep the a/c cranked up, the kids may wear sunscreen out to recess, and we may not put away our cutoffs for months yet… but knitting waits for no (wo)man.

Now we’re on the cusp of October and finally, FINALLY the nineties are gone (*fingers crossed*). Yes, it’s still nice enough to go to the beach, but our swimming days are numbered. In the past month I’ve completed two big knitting projects during these late-summer days, and I have two other WIPs (Works-in-Progress) on the needles for early fall.

First, I used yarn from our visit to Tennessee in June to knit a short-sleeved version of Traveler’s End, by Carol Feller.

Traveler’s End, by Carol Feller

I have a real “thing” for cables, and Carol has a whole wonderful gallery full of Celtic-y cabled sweaters. My yarn was dense and rustic (read: scratchy). I decided to alter the pattern sleeves because I have loved the short-sleeved Heathered Hoodie Vest I made in 2013. It may not (ever) get warm enough where we live to necessitate long-sleeved, chunky-yarn sweaters… but I get a lot of mileage out of these layerable short-sleeved cardis. (Note to self: I absolutely must MUST purchase some new tops to wear under sweaters this year!! This same striped 3/4-sleeved LOFT tee appears in practically every one of my Ravelry sweater photos…! Clearly it is The Perfect Layering Top, but I think it’s time to expand my wardrobe a bit.)

My second completed project is part of my ongoing birthday celebration. I used gift money to purchase a subscription to Yarnbox, a monthly “surprise” club. August was my first box, which was actually a bag because the yarn was so huge; and for my birthday month, it just happened to be crammed full with some of my favorite type of yarn, three big skeins of a fat, soft, sheepy yarn in three shades of gray. (Well, really, two shades of gray + a creamy natural.) The yarn just called out to become a blanket, but I have made a commitment to myself not to spend more than the price of the subscription each month—so no adding skeins. Those three big skeins weren’t enough to make a full throw blanket, but they were just enough (barely) for this huge shawl, which now lives in “my spot” on the sofa.

New Beginnings Shawl, by Boo Knits

It’s a relief now to feel that fall is well and truly here—or at least coming near. That red-wine-y ball of yarn on the sofa is now the better part of a cabled pullover. Another Yarnbox project (with cables—do you sense a theme?) is nearing the halfway point. After that, I have yarn waiting to become a beautiful lightweight gray cardigan, a much-needed wardrobe item—because the other thing I wear far too often is a ratty gray hooded sweatshirt! Will the new sweater have cables too? Perhaps…