Hello Fall!

Fall? Autumn? Whatever you prefer to call this season, it's my FAVORITE time of the year. Why? It's the season that my birthday falls under (I get bday knitting gifts and $ to spend on yarn!). I don't have to use the a/c because of the cooler weather so PG&E isn't sucking my checking account dry (more $$ for yarn!). I love the colors of Autumn that Mother Nature has given (lots of yarn color ideas!!). Last but not least, IT'S GREAT KNITTING WEATHER!!

I thought the Backyard Leaves scarf from the book Scarf Style was a perfect way to start the season.
I haven't had much experience with chart knitting but quickly figured it out (after royally screwing up once). It looks intimidating, but once you figure out all the symbols it's a cinch. I'm using a merino/cashmere blend. Super soft.

This year's LYS Shop Hop snuck up on me. It was this past weekend. It's basically a yarn shop crawl...an excuse to check out different shops. 19 yarn shops participated between San Mateo and Carmel. We got a late start but Erin, her mom and me got to check out 6 of them on Saturday. I'm sure with more time we could've visited all of them. Next year...better planning. Each shop had a single skein project pattern free with the yarn you purchase for the project. My crocheting skills are rusty but I LOVED the crocheted fingerless glove pattern from Creative Hands in Belmont. What was even better is that the sock yarn for the pattern was only a whopping $7!! It was the only yarn purchase I made. Can you believe it? Most of my spending budget was spent on accessories and patterns. I was so happy to finally find inexpensive sock blockers at Bobbin's Nest in San Jose. It was a great end to an exhausting birthday week. Lots of gifts, family, friends, and everything knitting.

A friend reminded me that Stitches West registration is now open. I bit the bullet and signed up for a class on Understanding Japanese Knitting patterns. Of course I realized after I paid that it's an Advanced knitting class! I'm scared!!! But how bad can it be? It's just deciphering symbols and figuring out how to read the charts, right? But...it's a 6 hour class. I'm guessing it's more involved than that. I'll find out next year in February.

I also happened to be lucky enough to find out that my favorite LYS has a guest instructor coming this weekend. The one and only knitting celebrity, Cat Bordhi!!! I'm taking her sock workshop. Well, I'm one of the first on the waiting list but there is a great chance that the shop owner will rent out a small conference room to accommodate a bigger class. Again, I hope I'm not in over my head. I've only made 2 pairs of socks ever. It's also a 6 hour class. I'm looking forward to it.