Metal Sunday

So I've finally recovered from the abundance of spin ins over the past couple of weeks and have settled into my new wheel. I've discovered some quirks about it and had to get out my tool set to tweek it a little here and adjust it a little there. Now I'm spinning some lace weight camel/tussah silk blend on it and it's so glorious! The other gloriousness is that it is finally officially fall. The leaves have turned and are falling, the sun is going down far sooner than it once did and frost has covered my car every morning for the last week. But the thing that makes it most official is that I've gone down into the basement and have turned off the outside water. Yes. That is the first true sign that summer has gone! LOL! As I was walking around Mary's house on my way to work, I saw a sunflower that was just giving up on the blooming season. Its petals hanging down, I couldn't help but think it was weeping. And I couldn't help but take a photo of it.

I have finished spinning the Goldhill from Lorna's Laces. I started knitting the Cameo Cabled Capelet from Crystal Palace Yarns, but wanted the stitches to be tighter, so I used a smaller needle. And after nearly getting halfway through, I realized that the capelet was going to be far too small, so I took it all out today and have put it aside until the other items I'm working on have been finished. Or not. This yarn is so wonderful and so perfect for this time of year, I may have to get working on it again pretty quick.

The other items I've been plugging away at have been the Lacy Hug-Me-Tight from knit2together, a great book that I may have to purchase here shortly. I'm actually using the yarn it calls for, AlpacaSilk from Blue Sky Alpacas, only I'm using a pinky/red color (#123) instead of the blush color the pattern calls for. I actually swatched this one (yes, it is true, though I had knit about 3 inches before I decided it wasn't looking right and needed a swatch!) and discovered that if I used the needle size recommended I would be getting about 30 stitches to 4 inches instead of 20. So I bumped up the needle size. Now it actually looks like what the model is wearing! Yeah!

In other news, it was my birthday today. Yeah. Or something. Mary T. gave me one of her Longaberger baskets! A little tiny one that hangs off my wheel. I can put all my little goodies in there and not loose them as I've been known to do quite often! My dad and stepmom came over and went to church with me this morning and then took me to El Caporal, the local Mexican restaurant. It was a great time! And I got a call from my brother and my mom and Matthew and an email from my online friend Khalid, all wishing me a happy day.

And it was a good day. I have been listening to some of Demon Hunter's new songs, enjoying the sound of their album, Storming the Gates of Hell, that will be released in a few weeks. Right now I'm listening to Pillar. Though I haven't like much of their older stuff, their song Frontline totally grabs hold of me and makes me jump around like a crazy woman. LOL!

I spent some time while I have been cleaning house, decorating it as well. I bought a cute little Christmas tree at a yard sale over the summer and love it so much, I've kept it out. I decorated it with some garland I made from some tags and various buttons and ribbon and hemp and wound that around the tree. Then I pulled out my airy orange ribbon that I bought from Meadowlark Farms and draped that around the tree. The effect is wonderful and I find myself enjoying it as much as I would if it were decorated with Christmas ornaments and tinsel.