Pumpkin Swirl, No Milk

My favorite word is 'pumpkin.' You are a pumpkin. Or you are not. I am. ― Harrison Salisbury

I opened the freezer the other day and realized that it needed a bit of a clear out, which is a bit of a job. I mean, I had to commit to finishing up the ice cream and to dig out bits of frozen fruit I had lobbed in there from the summertime in an effort to preserve resources. I also forgot all about the two jars of applesauce in the fridge I made before we went away on holidays. So... I got to work and made a bunch of banana bread using the bananas and applesauce and scarfed down some ice cream while I was making it. Commitment, they name is Adriene:

We've been using our fireplace quite a bit since the weather cooled down, which has been a pleasant switch of routine. Yesterday, I found these at the supermarket and decided it was high time I did some experimenting:

Behold: s'mores with built-in chocolate:

Taste-tested for quality assurance:

Meanwhile, Seymour has been doing a good job of standing guard over my projects while they are blocking. He hasn't yet tried to lie right on top of them... not YET...

With all the rain last weekend, it took a couple of days before I could trust that the blocking had set for this shawl. I pulled it off last Wednesday and was very pleased with the result. I've called it the Pumpkin Swirl Shawl. It sounds so much like a fancy latte, but there's no milk in this creation. Just wool, lovely burnt orange wool:

The stitches opened up beautifully with the blocking. All those twisted stitches were a lot of work, and I never quite developed the rhythm of the pattern, but it was worth the struggle:

These curl shawls are so striking to look at, but a bit hard to imagine on a person, but they really do sit beautifully once you have them on:

I think I will get plenty of wear out of this one:

Meanwhile, I thought I'd zip through a quick hat and have it ready for the weekend. What I neglected to remember was: there is no such thing as a quick hat. Not for me, anyway. Three cast-ons and a week later, I have about one-fifth of a hat to show for it. Luckily, the sun has been shining the last few days, so I've been sitting outside on the lawn chair stitching away on it. The wool/silk blend is so lovely and soft that I hardly begrudge having to work on it over and over again. It's like butter between my fingers, and I can't wait to feel it against my forehead when it's done:

In the meantime, I've got chili on the stove and it's going to be another cool evening, so I think a fire is in order. Best get going here. Happy Sunday!