October, so wondrous and hectic

October, my favorite month, is ever so hectic and amazing. The pumpkin patch is by far one of my favorite necessities of the month. Unfortunately a Nor'easter blew in right before prime pumpkin picking season this year and brought with it eight days straight of rain. It was way too wet to actually pick pumpkins off the vines, which is a shame because I love turning over a leaf and finding just the right one. Despite this we were still able to take a little tractor hayride to a small dry field and pick from some preselected gourds. Plenty of fun to be had anyway at the Henley Farm in Pungo, I personally was tickled with their herd of 60 cats that greeted us when we pulled up. And Maddie learned a how to play a mean game of cornhole.

Maddie playing cornhole with the owner of the farm.

Since we picked the pumpkins so early we decided to hold off carving them and instead let Maddie draw some Jack o lantern faces on them with Daniel's help.

out of the studio: Virginia State Fair

When I was growing up Autumn didnt officially start until a day was spent at the Virginia State Fair. Then my sister and I could accept the idea that the summer was over. So with those fond memories in my mind, we scooped up Maddie, packed the car full of snacks and coffee and drove two hours to the state fair grounds. Despite that the calendar stated that it was October and officially Autumn, mother nature must have decided that she didnt want to let go of summer just yet because when arrived it was intensely hot and sunny. So after slathering up in 60 SPF from head to toe, off to the fair we went.

Maddie making her free grain jar which consisted of layers of different grains that grow in Virginia including soybeans, corn, sunflower and cotton.

Daniel, Maddie and I rode the ferris wheel together. Maddie was a bit nervous at first and wanted off but after all the people were loaded onto it and it started to move more she was ok and sad when it stopped.

Maddie feeding the giraffe a carrot.

beginning of autumn

The little one started school this year, it is her first of two years of preschool before she goes to kindergarten. I can't help but feel a little sad that she is in school already, I have to admit I really didnt want to send her. In my mind children her age should be running around wild, not a care in the world, with wide eyes and untamed hair. She still has the unmanageable hair but now she has to worry about a bit too much for my liking...waking up extra early, homework, how to properly hold a pencil, three teachers telling her what to do, what disaster did her mom pack in her lunch today, that sort of stuff. The lunch thing drives me nuts, I have no idea what to pack for a school lunch, I know I totally overstress it. I find myself surfing the internet for guides on what to pack and how to pack it. So many factors, will she eat it, will it keep cold/warm, is it healthy, will she need a fork/spoon, is it too messy. Then somehow I resort to the old tried and true, peanut butter and jelly, she loves them! 

Although I was a good student back in the day, I cant help but still feel that school is something you should rebel against(it didnt help that my mother always encouraged this thinking). As for Maddie, she loves it! Every morning she wakes up and asks if she is going to school.When I tell her "no, it is Saturday", she gets so disappointed. Who ever heard of a child being disappointed that its Saturday!

I guess with the beginning of school comes the beginning of sickness. I used to brag that my child was as healthy as a horse and rarely got sick. I dont know how many times I heard the ominous words of "wait until she starts school" from all of the knowing parents around me. Oh how right they were! I think Maddie has been 100% well about two days in the last month.  It started with fevers and vomiting turned into a runny nose, congestion, and goose honking cough and now is an ever present cough and stuffiness. I so hope it goes away soon.

If I had known Maddie was going to get so sick at the beginning of school I would have started her crocheted blanket sooner. I figured I had a bit of time because the weather in Southeast Virginia usually stays nice and warm all the way into October so I wasnt stressing it. I am hoping to finish it soon and am very pleased how it is coming along.

Maddie has been doing alot off collecting. We found this awesome leaf the other day when we took a walk around Oak Grove Lake in Chesapeake, Va. We thought it looked like a pumpkin scarecrow ghost devil leaf, perfect for halloween!

Glamour birdwatching Maddie! We have been seeing some very large grey cranes in the water lately. I need to look them up in the bird book. Unfortunately it has been getting dark earlier and we havent been able to go on our birdwatching walks as much:(

The coleus in the backyard blooming.

Maddie in her squirrel shirt. Who doesnt love a woodland animal?

out of the studio: Downtown Norfolk

Wow I feel that I have abandoned this blog, but I am totally ready to get back on track. So I thought I would start with an "out of the studio". Easy enough.
Today was an amazingly lovely sunny Saturday, the weather was perfect not too hot or too humid which is always pleasing to Daniel and his Pacific Northwest climate ideals. Definitely a feel of Autumn in the air.  After a morning of watching Busytown, doing chores and grocery shopping we decided to spend the rest of the day at a park and then walking around Downtown Norfolk. There have been a few places on my mind that we havent gone to in awhile and knowing Maddie's love of water fountains and weeping willows we decided to walk to the "Pagoda" .

The Pagoda is sort of a peculiar sight in Norfolk, kind of unsuspected. It was given to the city of Norfolk from the Taiwan Provincial Government and their website says it is supposedly a Marine Observation Tower, not really certain what that means but the garden is very nice and peaceful. I always wish that it is larger. One serious drawback to living in this area is that there is a lack of well planned out outdoor public space that appeals to the citizens of all ages.  As for Maddie she loved it and asked me if we could make our backyard like it, I really wish we could and after a heavy rain it looks quite similar minus the koi and lily pads.



Maddie and her willow trees, she loves them! We have a few in the neighbor and she loves to run through their long swaying branches.

After our peaceful walk through the asian garden of the pagoda we continued walking along the water to see the Battleship Wisconsin which is docked at a museum on the water. The battleship is now a tourist draw and one can tour it for a fee. I thought Madeline would enjoy seeing the ship more up close because she loves to see all of the ships that are docked at the shipyard on our commute home in the evenings. She even has a favorite that we call "number 7." I will have to admit that the ship is a stunning sight.

around the studio

I am so proud of myself for straying from my usual neutral palette. Superwash wool doesnt equal merino wool, for some reason thats what I was thinking when I chose this yarn.

So many projects going on around here that I can't keep them straight in my head. So many things that never get finished or things that get started and take off in an entirely different direction.  Sometimes I feel like a squirrel, so much running around collecting and looking for things for certain projects that when I finally get everything that I need I either forget about what started the hunt to begin with or it evolves into something totally different that requires a million other things. Argh! Very frustrating, sometimes I wish I could just focus! I did get one thing accomplished this week, I made matching crochet scarves for my daughter and her best buddy Dog-Dog. I have made my daughter crocheted items but have had a hard time getting her to wear them. This time she asked for a scarf with red in it so I modified Stitch Nation's Taffy Pull Scarf to suit my daughter. I love Stitch Nation's Bamboo Ewe yarn and wished so much that I had used it for this project. It is so soft, inexpensive and natural.  The problem is that the standard craft shops don't sell all of the colors. Instead I chose a superwash wool yarn that I ended up hand felting a bit in hopes to get it soft and itch-less enough for my daughter to wear. It helped but it is still a bit itchy. Nothing is ever perfect, life would be alot easier if I would just embrace acrylic yarns like everyone else. They are cheap, soft, sturdy, easy to work-up, available everywhere and in every color and weight imaginable, if only it wasnt plastic. So frustrating. Anyway, here are a few items in the works or laying around the studio waiting for action...

A little crocheted knot flower. I have been working with these guys for awhile now, I keep thinking I can make necklaces, headbands or something with them. I like the idea of combining metal and crochet.

They match, almost.

The finished scarf, reminds me of a cupcake.

This is a doily stamp that I have been looking for forever! I have had an idea for a linen bird mobile since I was pregnant. I have had all of the materials and everything but I had been looking for a lace or doily pattern to stamp or stencil on it. Now I have found it, I just have no idea how to stamp on fabric, I will have to do some trial and error to decide if I need an ink pad or an acrylic paint.

Here is a gem I picked up at the resale shops, a pirate ship! I have no idea what I am going to do with it.

Awesome cribbage board that I found during my treasure troving. Definitely an item I will be selling on etsy when I get around to it.

One of four lovely walnut bowls from the resale shops. Not really certain what I am going to do with them. I was thinking of painting the insides with a really high gloss paint in fun colors, we will see.