Summer is most definitely gone... I can say that with confidence now because it snowed a few days ago... only a flurry that lasted a couple hours, and while the snow did stick it melted shortly after, but it hasn't been much above freezing ever since and so Fall and Winter are really apon us (I don't like to admit summer's gone until I can no longer live in my state of denial... I love winter, but it's a long enough season where I am that I like to hold onto the threads of summer as long as possible). The Thanksgiving decor is coming out, and big plastic Santas are showing up in stores. Fall can no longer be denied, even the calendar says so.

The best part about fall is the leaves... and ending daylight savings time... The changing of the leaves really is beautiful, but sometimes it happens so quick that you're still stuck with cold weather and bare trees and no snow to be seen for another month... If the temp hits below freezing I feel gypped without snow... If I must endure such miserable cold, I ought to get some perks! But I shouldn't have cause to complain for much longer, It's officially November now and the snow shouldn't be far off.

This is the backyard right now... as I said, fall can no longer be denied...

For now the Thanksgiving decor is coming out, and I decided to make up a felted pumpkin and leaf to go with the gnome I gave to my Grandmother.

I used some of that 100% wool un-spun "Buffalo" stuff, but I have it in 'bulky'... and when they say bulky they mean bulky! This stuff took a size 15 needle to feel at all 'loose' and even then it could hardly be considered loose. But that was as big as I could use at the time, since was using such a monstrous needle & yarn I had to pretty much write my own pattern.

I looked over the Felted Pumpkin at Knitty and decided that maybe I could base the pattern on similar construction and it wouldn't be too hard. So I knit 5 football shaped pieces, sewed them together, then knit a short row hexagon and picked up stitches in the middle and knit an I-cord from that for the stem/top, then a brown corkscrew and a leaf... the leaf didn't really turn out as well as I had planned, I really liked it but it didn't look as pumpkinish as I would have liked.

I also made a Needle felted leaf! I used the Buffalo stuff for this too, and I put it with the pumpkin and the gnome to complete the centerpiece. I enjoyed making this... During the construction I noticed that needle felting would be a good way to work out frustration - stabbing little pieces of wool on a foam pad over and over and over... just make sure you have something disposable under your foam pad... and thick too... especially if you're working on your lap... (yeah, I kinda learned this the hard way...)
 
 
 

I also learned something else while felting the pumpkin in the washing machine...

Dollar bills just don't felt no matter how hard you try... guess this is what I get for felting with jeans.

In other leafy news, I started the Leaves of Whimsy Socks!! More info and pictures forthcoming, I'm just past the gusset on the first, I'm really enjoying the leaf pattern! But like my Bob Socks, these will take a little longer to finish since I'm working on them around my final Christmas presents.