Friday, October 28, 2016

Friday Mishmash - Autumn, With a Summer Throwback

It's feeling more like autumn around here, and to celebrate I bought my first potted mum.  Well and also I had an empty pot that was looking sad, but I've never bought a mum before.  I actually didn't think I liked them all that much, but I like this one so maybe my tastes are changing.  Here's the latest configuration of my backyard pot plants:
 
Still green, which I appreciate against the dirt/dead leaves background.

The tall plant in the back is having an issue, though - I don't know what this is, but it's not pretty:
What IS this black coating?  It needs to go!

My other plant loved our recent rain (and also, I suspect, the fact that our temperature isn't blazing hot anymore) and suddenly became super lush:
This ivy has done really well - it was just a little thing when we first bought it back in March!

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I know I was just talking about autumn, but the alumni group from my high school recently posted pictures from our picnic reunion, which was held last August.  Here's the class of 1981 - well, those who showed up to the reunion, anyway.  Biggest turnout since our 25th reunion, which I didn't attend:
Not too motley of a crew, for having graduated from high school 35 years ago!

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I've been a left-handed person who has adapted to living in a right-handed world, but I discovered something this week that amazed me - a left-handed measuring tape!  How did I not know this existed???  I can finally stop looking at the numbers upside-down!  Well, I can once I get one.  This is going on my Christmas list:
This looks so right.  I mean left.  Correct!  It's correct!
THIS is what I've seen all my life.  Upside-down numbers.  So wrong!

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I have another knitting gift that I can show you, since it's been opened now.  It's a tiny baby hat, made for baby Matthew, who will be making his debut in a few months:
Pattern is Cable Baby, yarn is Madelinetosh DK, colorway is Bloomsbury.

I made this same hat in pink a while back and just love it for a newborn.  Plus, the loop on the top just slays me - I can't wait to see baby Matthew wearing it!

I'm making headway on my sweater - just need to finish the last sleeve and sew on the buttons.  But I keep getting distracted by sock knitting, and also, I suspect I'm a little nervous - what if, after all of this work, it doesn't fit?!  Eeek!

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We are running 8 miles tomorrow!  Diane has abandoned me in favor of visiting her family who live out of state, so I'm going to try and hang with Julia for this run.  I might shorten my intervals, just because 8 miles is a looonnnggg way for me (I haven't run this far since last January), and it might be easier mentally to just run for two minutes.  Over. And. Over. And. Over.  But it's only two minutes!  I can do that, right?

Have a great weekend!

12 comments:

  1. You can do it!!! Believe me, there comes a distance where you just do whatever it takes to get through and that's perfectly fine. I'll be doing the longest run I've done since my race, now that I'm feeling better.

    That hat is adorable - lucky baby to have Shelley as a friend!

    So funny to see your mum looking all spiffy - the mums around here are just about done.

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  2. You got this 8 miles! Def adjust your intervals if you need to!

    I love that hat :) I should look at the pattern and see if it's something I can manage! I still need to learn cabling!

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    1. You definitely can do this hat - the cables are pretty simple (you'll need a cable needle), and it's super cute. Go read my notes on the hat on Ravelry - the pattern is written for fingering weight yarn, but I used DK so I adjusted the cast-on, needle size, etc. Hint: it goes quicker with DK weight, plus where you live, that will be a warmer hat for a baby. :)

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  3. Woo, look at you adjusting patterns--who would've thunk it? :)

    I love your patio/plant arrangement. And don't you love it when a plant does well? I don't know what that black stuff is--hope someone has an answer. It almost looks like sap falling from above!

    I never thought about measuring tapes being right/left handed. All this time I just thought I was holding it wrong!

    And lastly, good luck on your run. Have a cinnamon twist for me :)

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  4. Good luck tomorrow on your 8 miler!

    I didn't get mums this year. Our driveway is in dire need of replacement and my husband is dragging his feet getting it done. The mums would be almost an insult to my white trash house...

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  5. I had no idea a left handed tape was even a thing. Oh, speaking of autumn I wanted to tell you this,,, one of our High school track girls moved here this year from Texas. She won some big regional/state meet and they interviewed her on the news and she said she never ran a race before wearing gloves. Makes me wonder what part of Texas she is from because I know when I lived in Texas we has some chilly days (well, perhaps not during track season...IDK),.

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  6. Good luck with the 8-miler! You can do it. Just think in small increments :D

    That black coating looks like it could be mold. If it is, you can wipe it off the leaves and it should be fine. Humidity can cause that. If it doesn't wipe off, then it might be mildew and you would want to cut off all the affected stuff.

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  7. I am loving the loop on the top of that hat too!! So cute! I will have to tell my sil about that tape measure. She is a lefty too and always feels left out :)

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  8. It's funny Shelley, but I guess I never realized how being lefty is different - but people ask me at work if we sell "lefty" chef's knives or other lefty equipment - who knew?!

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  9. Your plants look great. Something is chomping some of mine, either a deer or a bunny or? I'm not sure, but it's annoying.

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  10. Didn't know you are a lefty too :) That explains your great knitting, lefties are often very creative. I never saw a measuring tape for left-handed, like you I always have to look upside down the numbers.

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