Old Dog, New Trick?

Autumn is most definitely in the air.

Cluster flies, a seasonal nuisance in agricultural areas, are buzzing at my workshop windows and bright-eyed little warblers are cashing in on the bounty. Crickets are ramping up their songs. Spots of colour are showing up among the trees and nights are getting cooler. Visions of winter pastimes flit across my brain.

Ellie Mae is spending more time in the house. She seems extra smarmy as if building assurance for food, shelter, pets and snuggles. By the way, her stressful trip to the vet has paid off because the prescribed medicine (NexGard Combo) is likely the reason she had no ticks at all attach to her this year.

Hummingbird young now look like the adults and all are scrambling to build up fat reserves for their long migration south.

 

Can you spot the humming bird nectaring on the Monarda?

Flying in for a tank-up of sugar water.

Looks like her feathers are at their moulting stage.

Mountain ash branches are bowed with the weight of their berries.

Cedar waxwings are eating their fill.

Licorice mint in bloom is always popular with the bee crowd.

So nice to have a supply of tomatoes at the door.

Spied this touch of fall tree colour on my grocery run.

Black-eyed susans are my favourite fall flowers.

 

I have a new winter project. Something completely new for me. KNITTING!!!!

My cousin recently visited and I was intrigued while watching her knitting a pair of comfortable and colourful socks. Her fingers were working away like fine tuned machinery and a soft and lovely sock was forming as if by magic. Hand knitted, wool blend socks are what I call pure luxury. A gift made by the upper paws and presented to the lower paws.

Mom and her sisters were all good knitters. My own sister also is handy with the needles and has knitted warm sweaters and other garments for her family. Unfortunately, I did not learn to knit. As a young girl I had a rather one track mind. -- Horses, horses, horses!!! Well, I did sew for myself, in fact quite a lot so I'm not completely bankrupt in domestic skills.

So here I am, in my seventies and have decided that I want to give knitting a go. I want to produce comfortable socks with reinforced heel and toe. There are some excellent tutorials on YouTube so with their help I've mastered the knit and purl stitch. One instructor said that beginners should use an entire ball of yarn to practice on. I did that and find knitting to be quite relaxing. I think it's even recommended for helping to calm the nerves of PTSD sufferers. I found it heartwarming that last winter Ukrainian grannies were knitting warm socks for their brave soldiers.

So I bought wool for two pairs of socks as well as double pointed needles in assorted sizes. The wool came with a pattern as well as a link to a knit along video of the same. Now I wonder, is this old dog up to learning a new trick?

My knitting and purling practice piece.

Needles, wool and instructions.

 

If skies clear, we can enjoy a super blue moon tonight.

Postscript: Just switched my browser from Safari to Chrome. This seems to have fixed my commenting glitch. Yay-y-y!!!