colour collaborative

faded

 colours of autumn

 quality of light 

softened

faded

beautifully

melancholic 

the sun sets early these days

time for dreaming

when i was asked to join in the colour collaborative, i'd forgotten at first that today, the day we were to post,

is a very special day here in the united states....

the color of memories years past

(which won't ever fade)

happy thanksgiving from our family to yours

thank you for stopping by!

(and thank you for the scarf love!)

Don't forget to visit the other Colour Collaborative blogs for more of this month's posts, including three from November's guest bloggers, just click on the links below ...

Sandra at Cherry Heart Annie at Knitsofacto Nina at Tabiboo

Gillian at Tales from a Happy House Alex at Lola Nova  Madelief at Madelief

What is The Colour Collaborative? All creative bloggers make stuff, gather stuff, shape stuff, and share stuff. Mostly they work on their own, but what happens when a group of them work together? Is a creative collaboration greater than the sum of its parts? We think so and we hope you will too. We'll each be offering our own monthly take on a colour related theme, and hoping that in combination our ideas will encourage us, and perhaps you, to think about colour in new ways.

colorwork

thank you for such sweet words for sarah and david, wishing all the very best to them! and for chuck too! he finished! and in only about thirteen and a half hours, walking in shortly after i posted sunday evening. hmm. yes, fifty miles. incredible. proud of you honey.

hello most fun knit ever! this is the favorite things scarf, not really a pattern, it's more of a recipe. knit in the round, it's a tube that can either be grafted together into a continuous circle and then it's a cowl or finish off the ends, maybe with fringe. i'm LOVING making this, so much it's hard to stop. there are endless inspiring (cute!) charts to choose from and with some graph paper and colored pencils, you could make your own. i found patterns on raverly and in my own library. this seemed like a good way to use up stash, and it was, until i quickly ran out, i don't have very much worsted weight yarn. i placed my first order with knit picks, since needing several colors and wanting to keep cost down. i'm using wool of the andes and it's really lovely!
these are the colors i ordered:
cloud
fjord heather
cranberry
pumpkin
persimmon  heather
bramble heather
conch
forest
oyster heather
delft heather
semolina
sprinkle heather
bamboo heather

it's going to be super warm soft and cozy especially when wrapped twice around the neck, and since there are so many more favorite things (and more wool now), it's probably going to be the first of many (or at least one more, hee hee). what would you choose for your favorite things scarf cowl?
oh! i found the most beautiful vintage knitting book, written in 1944, it's elizabeth zimmerman style, where patterns are more ideas than an actual step by step. i like chapter 18 : what vocations are available in the knitting field (lots!)

raverly notes
joining with yarn along

the proposal

there was an ad, it read: photographer needed. i did not see it, but my daughter, the ad answerer, did. she signed us up and said 'a job for you mom!' this job actually needed two people, one to photograph and one to video (my daughters job). what we would be shooting:  a surprise proposal.

we met the couple at the agreed upon (gorgeous) place, on the pretense of taking a christmas card photo. my daughter was worried we would accidentally say congratulations! but that was quickly forgotten when we saw how flustered (nervous, excited...) the groom to be was.

we took photos and did our best to help him relax. inside though, i was a little nervous waiting for the agreed upon word, which would mean the moment was here.

finally, he said it, the secret, get your cameras ready, word. i watched him reach down and from his pocket out came a small black box. at the same moment he went to one knee.

oh sigh. oh my goodness. i took photos and i cried. it was all so romantic, the setting, the beautiful couple so in love, the surprise he had planned. it was an honor to be a part of, it's something i'll always remember.

once upon a time you met

and shared much love and laughter

may your engagement continue the fairy tale

happy ever after

congratulations sarah and david!

p.s. writing this post is helping to take my mind off worrying, at this moment chuck is running in a fifty mile ultra trail run, the santa barbara red rock 50 mile endurance run, and the sun set over three hours ago.
this is a post made year before last on the race, everything was the same today (except i didn't bring a camera) only his time might be a little faster, and the makers mark replaced jack daniels. i hope he finishes soon. it is sometimes a challenge being married to adventure.

little owl

have you seen this?! 

Pentti Taskinen was paddling through the chilly waters of Finland’s Lake Tuusula when he caught sight of a character straight out of a children's book, a little owl. Taskinen held him onto the front of his kayak and then took one of the most adorable and relatable photos of any animal ever. Moments after this photo, the Northern Hawk Owl went over to Taskinen and actually cuddled into his life vest to warm up. Once he’d dried off and regained his strength, the bird took off into the sky on his own, but we don’t doubt Taskinen will continue to keep this little visitor close to his heart. 

eeps!! omg. oh. my. gosh. i can hardly stand the cuteness! read more about this little northern hawk owl and the amazing kayaker who rescued him, here. do you ever wish something like this had happened (would happen) to you? to be the lucky rescuing kayaker? (i do). 




p.s. happy happy birthday tomorrow to my son~in~love matt, we hope you have the greatest of great days.
much love from california, mom, chuck and o-town!

days off

this week (all photos made by iphone) :
received roses from dear daughter!
visited some of the world's largest sand dunes, afterwards had a delicious meal (some of us played with breadsticks). saw hot pink sunsets at the end of the work day (run run run to the beach) shopped in town, christmas is coming! and hiked a new trail that recently opened in the mountains behind our town. knit two hats, one a cabled bulky wool, the other lace weight mink, held double (really! they comb it, no animals were harmed) both hats were popped on happy heads and no photos were taken (why does this seem to happen with hats?) thanksgiving is several days away, but there is much to be thankful for right (this minute) now.


p.s. i've been tracking the box of wool i ordered for the favorite things scarf and see that it's been at our local post office for a day, maybe tomorrow it will be here! i'm so looking forward to knitting this :)
i hope you have a wonderful weekend dear friends, do you have any fun plans? xxxxxxxx lori

my favorite things

thank you so much for the sweetest words on my last post. did you happen to notice (out of the hundred or so photos, sorry!) the painted owls near the end? it's our new favorite art! an anniversary gift to each other. we had decided that the getaway was more than enough and no presents would be exchanged. then on our way out of town, we made a stop at a local coffee shop (vanilla almond steamers, ummm) and saw the work of artist ben o`hara decorating the walls. the painting is a pair of burrowing owls on the carrizo plain, one of our favorite places! after paying we were told we could pick up our new painting at the end of the show, in a weeks time. our owls are home now! *happy* every time i look at them.

the yarn is not a favorite (so far). it is 100% nettle, made in nepal, curiosity led me to buy this interesting fiber (on our getaway also). it feels like hemp or linen, and may soften up like those fibers can do, after a soak. i started a swatch to see how it would go, and surprisingly it is softer in the hand than i thought. but it is twisty, and keeps tangling up on itself. i'm not sure what to do, it doesn't want to wind up. any ideas would be most appreciated!

'my favorite things' is the name of the scarf pattern shown in the last photo. still knitting on my lace shawl, but really needing a break, something less concentrated. this is so much fun, it's really more of a recipe than a pattern. using a size seven circular needle and worsted weight wool, cast on seventy two stitches, join in the round and knit all your favorite things! i've made flowers, sheep and the ocean so far. there are so many possibilities and charts available, and it would be fun to make up your own too. i told chuck how great this is! i would use only bits of leftovers for this project. until i quickly ran out of yarn and colors. i don't think i'll tell him i placed an order for more wool, my first here, look at all those colors! this is a perfect project for practicing colorwork. and for very personal gift knitting. :)  raverly link here
last favorite thing (LOVE) is the dancing forest snowy animal print, found here. i'm ready for winter!
have a wonderful week ahead dear friends, xxxxxxx lori