Beautiful Dawn

The leaves are slowly turning here in Asheville and fall is definitely in the air! We went hiking on Sunday and enjoyed a nice drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of Autumn. And, of course, with Autumn comes....

Wooly worms!! Ahh, I love these guys. Near Boone, where I went to college, every year there is a wooly worm festival - it's so awesome. People bring a furry little worm and they have races, and the winner is used to help predict winter. They were out in full force during our hike, so I had to snap a few pictures - they're just so cute! The scenery around here is just amazing - I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it is in the mountains....

The weather is starting to get chilly, the colors are rapidly changing, and life is good.

I've got a new pattern available! A few months ago, I picked up a gorgeous skein of thick and thin yarn from Maya at SpringtreeRoad. I have a thing with thick and thin yarn - it's just simply beautiful. I love the way it looks. But what do you do with it? It creates such an interesting fabric when knitted up, I just knew it needed to be turned into something beautiful. So, here's what I came up with....

The Beautiful Dawn Neckwarmer

I absolutely love it! The cable is beautiful and runs the entire length of the neckwarmer. The texture is amazing - and the versatility of it even better. The buttons are placed so that it can be worn multiple ways, and because of the fabric of the thick & thin, there's no need to make button holes! It's available on Ravelry and Etsy, and you can find plenty of yummy thick and thin yarn in Maya's shop!

It's October!

Finally! My favorite month! And not just because it's my birthday month. It's such a gorgeous month, and I'm so happy that we're in Asheville. That's right - we're all moved! I'm still unpacking and organizing everything, but everything's moved, and Jake's first day of work was yesterday.

We did not, however, leave Athens without one more incident....
The day before we left, Jake left to go on his last bike ride in Athens - it was a beautiful day, cool, crisp and clear, and he was really looking forward to enjoying the ride. 15 minutes after he left, I got a phone call from him saying his chain locked up and he had gone flying over the handlebars, so he needed me to come pick him up. Long story short, we headed to Urgent Care for a few x-rays and left one broken collarbone later. Poor guy, he can hardly get dressed by himself. Luckily, all of our furniture and most of the boxes had already been moved and placed in the new apartment, so we didn't have that to worry about.

But, now we're settling in, and my shop is back up and running. I've released a few more patterns in the past few weeks. You can see those along with all my patterns on my ravelry page, or in my etsy shop.

What's been inspiring you guys lately? I've recently discovered some amazing new music, and it's really been touching me and inspiring me so much. First off, The Wailin' Jennys - amazing harmonies, gorgeous voices, and just all around perfect music.

Second, a local band called The Honeycutters have really struck a chord with my soul (cheesy?). They remind me of one of my favorite bands ever, The Everybodyfields, who broke up a few years ago, but remain one of my favorites. Something about good harmonies really makes my heart happy. 

Anyone have any other bands I should check out?

the heart of autumn

So I definitely feel like all of my posts lately have revolved around fall...but what can I say? It's obviously the most amazing season ever, so it deserves the love.

Brown Roses in Truffle Wristlet by EightSeasons

What are my favorite things about this wonderful season? Goodness...where to start? First off, I guess I would have to say that the colors top my list. Autumn is just filled to the brim with the most amazing colors on the planet. Having grown up in the mountains of North Carolina (Asheville), I was fortunate enough to be totally immersed in leaf season every year. And after I went off to college, I was lucky enough to be in an even more beautiful place for leaves (which I didn't think was possible!) - Boone, NC.  I think growing up and going to college where I did definitely impacted my love for the season.

Veins of Autumn Leaf Photo Necklace by wearableartbyjude

Another thing I love oh-so-much about fall would definitely be sweaters. I know it sounds silly, but I totally look forward to the first night when I have to grab my favorite, most comfortable sweater while sitting out on the porch.

Rococo Shawl by TickledPinkKnits

And even though I won't be in the mountains again this year for fall, I still can't help but adore all things autumn-related. Luckily, the mountains are only a short drive!

Golden Fall Aspen Forest Photograph by SimplyLodge

What are some of your favorite things about fall?

Approaching Season: Autumn

I am shocked at how quickly autumn is coming our way.  It seems like just yesterday I was sweltering in the Georgia heat thinking about how far away it was. Now, I am just sweltering in the Georgia heat thinking about how quickly it came.

But seriously, it is starting to cool down here (by Georgia standards - my mountain bones still think it's hot), and I am starting to get more whiffs of the crisp fall air.

Autumn Red Plaid Pumpkin by SeaPinks

Fall is by far my favorite time of year - I love curling up with a cup of tea in front of a crackling fire with a set of knitting needles and yarn. And I love wearing sweaters, scarves, hats and mittens.

My list of must knits for this fall include:

• lots of mittens - fingerless and otherwise

Druid Mittens, Vogue Knitting, Fall 2008

• cute cardigans

Cropped Cardigan by Stefanie Japel

from Fitted Knits

• And definitely some lace shawls

Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

from Whimsical Little Knits

Got any specific projects planned for this wonderful, gorgeous season?

Temptations

Have you ever come across a pattern that you just can't seem to get out of your mind?? That happens to me all the time, it seems. Recently, this pattern just really wants to be knit by me:

Soft Kid Bubble by Laura Irwin

From Boutique Knits

I keep thinking about how cute it would be over a pair of leggings with some boots in the fall. Unfortunately, fall is rapidly approaching and it doesn't look like I'll be able to knit it in time, but it's definitely on my short list of things to do. It seems that I hardly have time to knit for myself anymore, but this is something I absolutely plan on doing for myself. My birthday is coming up soon (October 30), so maybe as a gift to myself I can cast on and spend the day wrapped up in a blanket knitting away.

What patterns tempt you?