Good day, ghouls and goblins! It’s the most wonderful day of the year.

I’ve always loved dressing up and getting candy, and giving candy out (usually while dressed up) is almost as fun. Sadly, this year we’re not around to cater to the trick-or-treaters. I’m not too upset, I’ve put together a few packages for our favourite neighbourhood kids, and I’ll give it to them the next time I see them.

Miss Wren is one of those kids. A few days before Hallowe’en, she and her mom were doing a little dry run of her costume to make sure everything fit, and she just had to come over and show me.

In truth, I think she really wanted to show Dave – she turned him into a frozen frog with her wand the minute she saw him. Her spell is”Bibbity-bobbity-boo – I froze you!”, just incase you have occasion to turn someone into a frozen frog.

While Dave was thawing, and regrowing human features, Krista and I were chatting and we noticed that the sleeves on her Magical Majesty’s gown were pretty thin! Perhaps she was the real frozen one!

I ran upstairs to my closet to see if I had something that would complement her royal wardrobe.

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Some of you may recognize that as my Eostre shawl. Isn’t it just the perfect thing? Krista refused to take it at first, especially after I told her it was alpaca and silk. But it’s been sitting in my closet doing nothing for years. Obviously it was made for this moment!

Forget diamonds…

Kitties are a girls best friends! Especially this kitty!

Another quilt finished this weekend was the Christmas kittens quilt which will be raffled off to support Bee Meadow Farm.

Isn’t it sweet. It turned out just how I expected, and I love it when that happens.

It’s not a huge quilt, about 52″ square, but it’s a nice size for curling up with on a frosty night.

And it’s full of cute, festive kitties!

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The back is a nice, soft chunk of mottled green flannel.

As soon as Natalie announces the raffle details, I’ll let you all know. You won’t want to miss out on a chance to win it!

As mentioned earlier this week, with the Barnyard Cardigan done and dusted (It’s STILL drying), I was ready to start something new. Something COMPLETELY opposite than that big, bulky, stinky, drab grey pile of itch.

So I give you the Bogatell cardigan! I’ve planned to knit this one for Rowan for Christmas for ages, and because it’s fingering weight, I really should have started sooner than this, but we all know how this year has gone.

Still, I’ve picked out my colours…

It’s all Alley Cat – the main colour is the green (Gecko Toes), with Pink (Rosie), and Blue (Sea Spray) for the stripes. I’ve only been working on it for a couple evenings…

But I’ve gotten through a full stripe sequence on the yoke. I’m increasing right now, so its slow going. There’s also a pretty little twisted rib detail at the raglans, which takes a little more time…

But it’s worth it.

Hopefully once I’m through the yoke, these cheery colours will help this one just fly!

The bolt of black fabric Mom and I ordered still hasn’t arrived. Apparently it’s on backorder (I really hate it when places sell things they don’t actually have in stock).

I’ve been itching to get Rosey Posey quilted, but I really wanted to bind it in black. Luckily, Mom still had some of the subtle grey-on-black print I used to bind Rainbow in the Dark. So on the weekend I got down to quilting and binding and voila!

Isn’t it just the sweetest? The Dizzy Daisy is such a fun, easy block. I’ll definitely make many of of them.

This is just a wee quilt – only 36″square, as I had just over a yard of flannel that was too perfect for the back

Still, babies need blankies of all sizes, and this one is just perfect to pop in a bag and go visiting with!

It’s now in the shop and hopefully will find a new home soon!

I am happy to say that the barnyard cardigan is DONE!!!! It’s blocking now, but you probably won’t see it until some time next week – it’s big and thick and it’s going to take a while to dry.

In celebration, I’ve cast on several new things. First is a pair of socks for Dave for Christmas.

They are nothing fancy, just 100% vanilla in a Kroy self-striper. I was in the mood for something seasonal, and while they may not seen autumn at first glance, to me they are the perfect reflection of this time of year. It’s almost always grey and drab with pops of colour in unexpected places.

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I don’t expect to whip through this pair like I have the last few. They are mostly going to be a background project with my main focus on other things. Stay tuned for more colourful knits!

The other week, my local grocery store had walnuts in the shell on sale for $1.99/lb.

They are normally $3.49/lb, so I usually only get a little bag (about 1lb, or a dozen or so nuts) each grocery day and ration them out at Squirrelington’s over the week.

But for the sale… I stocked up!

I included my stemless wine glass (filled with sweet Coke) for scale. That’s a lot of walnuts!!!

The next dinner seating at Squirrelington’s looked a little different.

My little patrons listen for the sound of the sliding door to open, so it didn’t take them long to move in.

They will ALWAYS take the walnuts first. Only when they are gone will they touch the peanuts.

This little cutie tried to take two at once. She didn’t manage it and ended up leaving one behind.

And while the squirrels are busy with the walnuts, the jays are swooping in and out, grabbing peanuts. I managed to get quite a few action shots this time.

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There was, however, one small disruption to the whole preceding. Normally, I take the all the cats out with me when I photograph. It’s never been an issue, because Relic could care less about the visitors; Burton is on a leash, well away from the restaurant patrons; and Rupert’s usually too afraid to do much. Every time a bluejay flies over him, Rupert runs to the door.

That is… until the other day…

Guess who is no longer welcome at Squirrelington’s….

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to rush fall. Fall is actually my favourite season. But when you’re a gardener, you have to do a little thinking ahead. Especially if you want scads of spring flowers.

I actually wasn’t planning on planting any spring bulbs this year, but then I went into the dollar store and well…

A few bulb packs might have just followed me home. Under the watchful eye of my garden snoopervisor…

The are all planted and awaiting that far off season. I took the crocus and hyacinth bulbs and mixed them up into a bowl, then planted them randomly around the edge of the garden. I then did the same with the tulips and daffodils, only I planted them in the interiors. Now I have no idea what will come up where. It will be a nice surprise come spring.

Hopefully, the little bulb thieves…

Will remember just how well fed they’ve been at Squirrelington’s and leave me at least a few bulbs for spring. At least some of those fancy pink daffodils! I REALLY love those ones!

I don’t need the weatherman to tell me that winter is on it’s way. I’ve got a Rupert…

Once he starts “nesting” I know it’s time to hunker down. (And turn up the heat!)

Ok… so I admit it, part of the reason not much progress was made on the barnyard cardigan was because I’d much rather have been working on these….

… and as you can see, I worked on them so much, that they are now finished. As mentioned in my previous post, they are sport-weight. So even though they are giant man socks, the thicker yarn helped them knit up really fast.

Nothing fancy for the design, just a simple 3-1 rib. When I picked out the yarn from the stash, I wasn’t really thinking about how fall-ish the colour was – I just wanted something manly. But when I took them outside for pictures, I realized how perfect they were for the season.

Especially when you add a few fallen leaves!