Good grief. I guess my knitting dry spell is officially over. I have so many projects started I can hardly keep track of them. I really should settle on one, finish it, and go on to the next. Except I can’t. Each one offers different challenges, or states of mindlessness. I know my blog site is boring for those of you knitter-type-people who visit here because I am not talking about knitting much. On the other hand, all my non knitter-type-people will probably be bored by my posts on knitting. Or maybe not!

My newest project is one for a good cause. A blogger friend of mine, we’ll call her firefly, is collecting knitted squares to make blankets for Habitat for Humanity. She calls her project Gracious Parcels and you can read about it by following the link. I like her theme of squares that represent the countryside she lives in. My first square I call Grass and I chose a basketweave pattern to represent an open field. I plan on making two more squares. One to represent Autumn Leaves [yarn is Cherry Tree Hill’s Earth], and another using two colors of yarn worked in large ribbing to represent rows of either wheat or corn, called Bountiful Fields. If you have a pair of idle hands and want to help she’d be greatly appreciative. She’s trying to get a few ready in time to give by Christmas, but this project will go beyond Christmas in scope, so if you feel you can’t contribute a square or two by then, your contribution will still be put to good use in the future.

My favorite project in the works is Fetching, a fun pair of fingerless gloves; a free pattern from Knitty.com.  It’s my first try at cables and I think they are turning out pretty well. I think they’ll need to be blocked a bit, but I’m happy except for my thumb join. I think it ended up a bit messy. I’m using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. It’s soft and really nice to work with. Sorry for the slight blurriness of the second photo. It’s too hard to take a photo of your own hand and get far enough away. I tried multiple times and finally gave up.

Another project that is pretty mindless is a scarf done in double seed stitch. I bought this gorgeous handpainted, handspun yarn from a shop on eBay. I’ve bought other yarn through her as well and just love it’s natural look. It’s very wooly and knobby; spun with some thick and some thin.

Last by not least is the pair of felted clogs for my Sis S that I’m supposed to have done in time for Christmas. One is already done [except for the felting] and they go fast so I’m not too worried. Hey, Sis, are you out there? How does the size look [hahaha]?  [I’ve been trying to get my sister to comment on my blog, but so far no luck.] I’ve used this pattern a lot and it’s so much fun I keep trying to find people I can knit them for. It’s a fiber trends pattern and you can find it here.

Well, that’s about it. Oh, except for the second pair of Fetching in a lovely blueish-tweedy yarn [merino, silk and cashmere blend] from Italy. Not enough progress to really take a photo of. What? You want to see the yarn? Okay, okay. Here it is. But now I’m going to go and take a dog for a walk down to the pond. Bart walked in the boggy bits of the yard today [another inch + of rain last night] and it’s a good way to get them clean again. Plus, some exercise for me. It’s gorgeous out there today!

Here are the dense woods behind my house as seen today.

The title to this blog entry has been weaving itself in and out of my mind for a few days now. My blog title is taking a play on words from The Incredible Lightness of Being, a phrase I’d heard but didn’t really know anything about. I just knew in my head what it meant to me. A grounding inside of the person I am and a feeling of peace with myself and my surroundings.

The past few days have been grey. Dim. Dark. No sun. Most people would be complaining, asking ‘where is the sun?’. Not me. I’ve had enough of the sun to last many years in to the future having lived in ‘sunny’ Colorado for the past 30 some-odd years. I know. I’m weird. I love days that are cloudy, rainy, gloomy, stormy. Doesn’t bother me one whit. I feel at peace, one with the world inside my own little space. Happy. Content. I totally welcome the grey, cloudy weather.

I knew the phrase [the incredible lightness of being] and thought it pertained to what I was feeling today, but didn’t really know how much it really rang true until I just now looked it up online. Here is what one search said:

Water, if you don’t stir it, becomes clear, says a Tibetan proverb. Similarly, the mind, if you don’t stir it, finds peace, says Sogyal Rinpoche, the renowned Buddhist teacher…

Well. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Go figure.

Look what we’re having for breakfast this morning! Fresh eggs! Yesterday I walked up the driveway to get the mail and came back with a dozen eggs from the neighbor next door. She just happened to be driving by and I was in the right spot at the right time. Aren’t they pretty? I wasn’t even sure they had chickens. I knew they at least had a rooster because he’s been crowing up a storm lately. Plus, the woods are so thick between us that we can’t even see their house during the summer. Now that the trees are pretty much bare I think the sound travels more.

She said they are just old enough now to start laying and she’s getting a dozen per day; more than she can eat. She had just given away another dozen to the new folks down the street. I offered to pay her but she said they were a gift. She will be starting to sell them soon, however. I told her to count me in as a regular customer. How cool is that?

And, I just put the last bite of my cheese omelet in my mouth. I used the huge “goose” egg looking one in the middle. [She said she has some kind of exotic but couldn’t remember the name. Some chicken with ‘furry’ feet.] It had two yolks! And, another overly large white egg had two yolks too. So, we shared a two-egg-four-yolk omelet. How does that happen?? Whatever the cause, they were delicious. There is nothing quite like a fresh egg.

I think in return I will make her some cookies using a few of the eggs. I think I’ll bake up some Sour Cream Sugar Cookies to take to her to thank her. And I just might keep a few for myself! Yum!

Oh, one other thing before I go. Please don’t tell Mom, she’d be so jealous. She misses her chickies so…

I know, I know. I’m supposed to be posting the blog entry about our 25th anniversary to see the Broadway play, Wicked. Patience, it’s almost finished. So instead you’ll have to make do with photos from Rick’s parents’ trip to visit. The following were taken mid-October on our drive up through Harriman State Park in New York and Bear Mountain. As you can see, it was a lovely drive on a lovely day. They truly did pick the right week for weather!

The play of green and red along the border of the lake caught my eye.

The Bear Mountain Bridge and Hudson River Valley

Yummy curds and whey happening here! No, Little Miss Muffet is not present and the only one sitting on their tuffet around here is me. Today’s kitchen activity for Rick is making CHEESE. Camembert to be precise, because he knows I love it so. The curds need to sit a bit now before the whey is drained off. After that the curds will go into molds to drain further. In about 3 months we’ll be able to eat it. Can’t wait…

ADDENDUM: If you want to follow this cheese’s journey you can read more on Rick’s cheese forum discussion page.