Tiny Needle Tuesday 9/30/25

 Good Morning All,

Kind of a gloomy day out there.  No rain in the forecast and it is supposed to hit 80 today.  That doesn't sound like the end of September to me.

After letting Mabel out at 5 a.m., I managed to get back to sleep until 7:15!  Mabel hasn't yet noticed the new bird feeder outside the office window, but I've already seen chickadees feasting, so it won't be long till Mabel is curled up on her shelf at the window.  I love when she starts chittering to the birds.

This is the last TNT for September 2025 and I have progress to show!  After nothing to report/show last week, I am happy to show you that the last angry cloud has been completed, the stars are shining and...the Moon has appeared!!

I love the moon!  And here's an overall shot of where things stand.

Very wrinkled, but c'est la vie.  There are more leaves and blooms that will go to the left of the moon and there is also some kind of bug a little further down.  The leaves and blooms in the middle are part of the large tree that the evil serpent is wound around further down.  Still a massive amount of stitching left on this piece, but thankfully I am fully enjoying it still.

My dental visit went well (no issues thank God) and today is an eye doctor appointment.  Also grocery shopping at some point.  I hope your Tuesday will be a good one.  Enjoy!

Weekending 9/29/25

 Good Morning!

How are you these final days of September.  The month has flown by for me.  And although my back is extremely grateful for a rest, I've been missing Iris.  I got so accustomed to seeing here every Monday - Friday, that having 6 days "off" in a row is a bit disconcerting.

How was your final September weekend?  Mine was lovely.  Filled with things I love doing - cooking, sitting outside, reading, stitching, knitting.  While Fletch was in the garden picking greens for a salad, I joined him to look at our fig.  Miracle of miracles!  I discovered one fig that had gotten slightly larger and had ripened.  We split it and it was delicious!  The next day I walked out again and discovered 3 more!  They are not as large as prior years, but the flavor is superb!  I'll be checking daily to hopefully beat the birds at harvesting them.

Raspberries were on sale, so I got a bunch and then made some raspberry puff pastry treats!  I have not tried one yet, but Fletch pronounced them "very good" which is high praise - he usually thinks I don't make things sweet enough!

One day I ventured out to Lowes.  I needed a shepherd's hook for hanging my new bird feeder.  My office window bird feeder was destroyed by squirrels last year, so we are trying just a regular bird feeder hanging from a shepherd's hook at the window.  Mabel should still be able to enjoy watching the birds come in and (hopefully) the squirrels will not ruin this one.  No one has discovered it yet, but I'm sure some birds will any day.  Meanwhile, this is what greeted me when I walked into Lowes:

It's September and already Christmas trees and everything else are on display.  We haven't even gotten to Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I did notice a few skeletons, but they were already packed in boxes to be put away!  Geeze!!  Makes me crazy.

The only thing I have going on today is a dentist appointment this morning (routine cleaning).  I'm hopeful that the balance of the day can be spent enjoying doing those things I love (stitching, knitting, reading).  Cheers to the week ahead - may it be a great one for all of us.

Unraveled Wednesday 9/24/25

 Good Morning My Friends!

And Happy mid-week.  Also, Happy Birthday to my favorite guy.  Yup, it's Fletcher's birthday today.  I will be caring for Iris (the last day of my marathon session is today), but Colin is going to cook dinner for us.  And...if the weather holds (who knows?) we may have a fire outside.  After a forecast that showed rain each and every day, we had none on Monday and none on Tuesday until later last night.  Nothing measurable in the rain gauge, but it sounded lovely and the scent of rain in the air was divine!

Wednesday means it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.  Two wonderful things!

The socks for Iris are finished!!  Woo-Hoo!  I was able to finish them up yesterday while she had lunch with Colin outside.

The yarn is Static from KnitPicks and the color way is Taos.  Using #2 needles, I cast on 44 stitches.  The cuff is a 1x1 twisted rib and the sock itself is plain vanilla.

It was really too warm for socks yesterday, but she let me put them on her feet and they fit!  I need/want to pick out more yarn for socks.  I'm thinking I may make matching socks for C&M and Iris!

The excellent reading continues!  Last week I read Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.  I know that many of you have already read this book.  And WOW!  it really packs a punch, doesn't it?  I finished it around 10:30 Saturday night and then had trouble getting to sleep - my mind kept going over all that happened in the book (and so much happens).  A book I absolutely loved and I highly recommend it.

I picked up something a little easier for my next read...not as intense.  I'm about a third of the way through Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe.  This is a multi-generational novel that takes place in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  I'm finding it ok, nothing spectacular, but easy to read (also easy to put down and go do something else!).

Emails from my library came in again and I have more books to pick up!  Not a bad problem to have.

Time for me to get going.  I have a bunch of things to do before heading over to Colin's.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Weekending 9/22/25

 Hello My Friends

And Happy Autumnal Equinox (2:19 p.m. today).  After a gorgeous weekend, I woke to gloomy skies outside.  We may have rain all week!  We never got much of any rain last week, so who knows?  Certainly not the weather people.

Anyway, how was your weekend?  Mine was filled with catching up on chores.  A lot of laundry was done.  Two bathrooms were cleaned and floors scrubbed.  The kitchen floor was (finally) scrubbed.  Initially I had visions of doing some knitting (finishing Iris' sock maybe?), stitching (finishing the angry cloud?) and reading.  Reading was accomplished, but no knitting or stitching.  Grocery shopping was completed.  The chores took so long!  But...I was able to cross everything off my list except for a trip to the library.  A book is waiting for me to pick it up, but I decided to hold off because I could see that a book that Fletch had requested should be in today or tomorrow...I'll just pick up both at the same time.

This morning I had the luxury of sleeping in a little bit.  I will be going over to care for Iris today, but I have a late arrival (just like school - lol).  Iris has a pediatrician appointment this morning (9 month), so I don't need to be at C&M's until around 11.  And, Bonnie comes back from China (I think tomorrow) and will be taking over Iris duty as of Thursday.  So, a short week.  My back is very, very thankful.

The kids took Iris camping this past weekend!  They were at Hawk Mountain which is such a beautiful place (though there are Copperheads and Timber Rattlesnakes which makes me nervous).  Hopefully they did not see (or hear in the case of a rattlesnake) any of them.  Colin texted that they did see a porcupine when they went for a walk Sunday morning!  They stayed in a shelter (Adirondack style - 3 sided).  I'm anxious to hear more about their adventure.

Yesterday afternoon I walked out to the garden.  A couple of green tomatoes and a couple of green peppers (hoping they turn red).  The figs are still very small and don't appear to be ripening at all.  But, the Hibiscus is still blooming!

Both the yellow and green beans that remain are drying on the plants.  Fletch will save some of the seeds for next year.

Even though I didn't get to any "making" this weekend, it felt like a good one and I'm happy to have gotten all my chores done.  How was your weekend?

Unraveled Wednesday 9/17/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

I hope this day finds you feeling well and having some fun.  We are forecast for rain which we really, really need.  And, I honestly enjoy a rainy day now and then.  It can be calming and soothing.

Mid-week and mid-month.  It's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.  Iris' second sock is underway.  I managed to get to the heel flap yesterday while she was busy having lunch with Colin.

Luckily I am not a match-matchy person because there is no way her two socks will match.  This one has an entire leg in the blue color.  The first one had almost no blue in the leg.  You can see the first one here.

Recently I've had a large number of wonderful books come in for me.  Over the weekend I finished reading Heartwood by Amity Gaige and I loved it.  A woman goes missing while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.  After finishing that book, I started in on Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and was immediately sucked into the story.  I'm roughly 100 pages in, so about a third of the way and it is wonderful.

There are still two other library books on my nightstand and I received an email that yet another book in my queue has come in for me!  Nothing wrong with an abundance of books.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 9/16/25

 Good Morning All,

It appears I am having a little trouble waking up this morning.  I first typed "Unraveled Tuesday" for the title of today's post.  LOL

Saturday afternoon provided a little bit of time for stitching, so I eagerly grabbed it and got down to work.  I want to finish that 3rd cloud (angry) on the right side of the piece, but I'm a little tired of it.  So instead, I started outlining the stars that are underneath said cloud.

After stitching the outline of one star I went back to the "angry" portion of the cloud and filled in a little more black.  Then on to the second star, back to the cloud, etc., etc.  The final bottom band of that cloud will be the darker blue.  And the stars will be filled in with gold.  It's coming along.  There is another leaf and flower to the left of the stars.  And, of course, the moon (I can't wait) underneath the stars.

Here is an overall shot of how things look right now.

Progress is being made and it feels good!  However, there are still miles and miles of stitching to be done.  I'm happy to be enjoying the journey.

Yesterday mid-day got pretty warm.  Colin turned the air back on.  But, by the time I was home, it felt much, much cooler.  There was a pretty strong breeze and I turned fans off in the house!  I think today should still be nice, though rain is in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.

Time to get more coffee and attempt to wake up.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of you for tonight's Zoom RWU book discussion.  See you then!

Weekending 9/15/25

 Hello and Good Morning My Friends!

It feels as though we are back to summerish weather.  It feels a bit closer out - maybe increased humidity, I don't know.

How was your weekend?  Mine was lovely.  And I have no pictures to share.  Colin and Iris came over yesterday for lunch (Mailing was away for the day).  Even though it was pretty warm, I had made vegetable beef soup earlier in the week and I baked corn muffins to go along with that.  Iris ate a lot!!  We spent some time sitting on a blanket in the yard enjoying the sun.

There was time for reading, knitting and stitching as well as grocery shopping, letter writing and some cooking.  A good, balanced weekend.

The other day my in-box contained a letter from Helen Stewart (Curious Handmade) and I loved this:

I learned something very beautiful today. In French, 'bibliothèque intérieure' means your 'inner library', the invisible shelf you carry inside, filled with every story that's ever shaped you.

The books you've loved, the heartbreaks you've survived, the random quotes that stuck, the memories that built you. They all live there. Quietly reminding you of who you are and how far you've come.The 'bibliothèque intérieure' is a place of quiet reflection, where the stories of our lives reside and inform who we are.

We are already at mid-September which does not seem possible!  I hope this Monday finds you at the beginning of a wonderful week.

Merci 9/11/25

 Good Morning!

Just dropping in very briefly to say Thank You for all the wonderful birthday wishes.  My day was perfect (despite the less than stellar weather).  Iris was a little doll all day (and I still say there is no better feeling than having a baby fall asleep in your arms).  She demonstrated her ability to stand (and even take a step or two) all day.  Fletch was very impressed to see that.

The dinner Colin made was fabulous!  Salmon bowls with wild caught salmon, rice, avocado, spinach, cucumbers, seaweed wrappers.  And dessert!  Oh My!

This is a Plum Torte from the NYT.  Fabulous doesn't even begin to describe it.  There was whipped cream  to put on top and enough left that we brought a generous helping of Torte home with us.

Thanks again for all the kind words and wishes.  I hope your week is winding down nicely.

Unraveled Wednesday 9/10/25 (and...#72!!)

 Hello My Friends,

It is a rainy Wednesday morning here.  Perfect for staying in bed a little longer (which I did for about 15 minutes).

Happy Unraveled Wednesday and Happy Birthday to moi!!  As my friend Leslie says, we only look "old" on the outside...inside we are still silly and young.  She and I can't figure out how we got to be 72 years old, but we are celebrating.

I'm looking forward to a dinner prepared by Colin and Mailing which I know will be delicious.  I know we are having salmon bowls and some kind of baked dessert - I will report back on that.

Meanwhile, let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to see what everyone is making and reading.

Happily I have one finished Iris sock to share with you.

I managed to finish this last night so I will try it on Iris later this morning.  I started the second Iris sock last night, but about 7 rows into the 1x1 twisted ribbing I saw a gaping hole!  So, yes, there was a bit of unraveling.  I put everything away and will cast on again for Sock #2.

Reading was quite good.  Last week I mentioned (I think) that I had started When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen.  Oh my!  What a fabulous book!  There were parts that made me laugh, there were parts that brought tears to my eyes.  A meditation on life and death and everything in-between.  I thought this was simply a beautiful book.

Next up I read Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor.  This is a second book in a series featuring Franklin Warren, a police detective in Southern Vermont.  I would not call this a "cozy" mystery, but close.  It's an easy mystery - nothing to keep you up at night or make you turn on all the lights.  What I like is the location:  Southern Vermont.  Both of my parents were born in Vermont (my Dad in Stratton and my Mom in Brandon) and I have spent a considerable amount of time traipsing around Southern Vermont over the years.  Even though the town in the book (Bethany) is fictional, real places are mentioned and it's fun to know exactly where they are talking about.  Even though I found the end of this book bordering on "sappy" I do hope that the author continues the series.

Books I'm in queue for keep arriving at the library!  I am now about 50 pages into Heartwood by Amity Gaige and am finding it to be a very good read.  And yesterday afternoon I received an email letting me know that Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is waiting for me at the library (I've been in the queue for this book for what seems like forever!).

Please join everyone over at Kat's and let us know what you are making and reading!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 9/9/25

 Hello Everyone,

Brrr, it's a chilly morning here in Eastern PA.  I put the bathroom heat on while I took a shower this morning and am now safely tucked into pj pants and a sweatshirt.  Soon I'll need to move and dry my hair since my head is cold!  I slept with the windows wide open, but an extra blanket on the bed.  It was a delicious feeling.

My making time has been curtailed since caring for Iris every day.  It is honestly a joy, but by the time I get home I'm too tired to pull out stitching or knitting.  I can read (and I do) some, but I can't find the brain width to do any making.  And, as you know from yesterday's post, my weekend was pretty full.  Thus, not much stitching was accomplished.

The pale blue above the star was all that was stitched over the weekend.  I had hoped to complete that cloud and also outline the other stars below, but there's always another day.

The Iris news is that she is now crawling forward, but often prefers to scoot around on her butt.  Mostly though she prefers to stand and does that ALL THE TIME.  I predict she will be walking any day now.  She will turn 9 months old on Friday and that is just so hard to believe.

Time for me to dry my hair.  I'll be back tomorrow with a minimal knitting update and a reading update.  Hope your Tuesday is a good one!

Weekending 9/8/25

 Good Morning Friends,

Whew!  Our (my) weekend was very busy...to the point that I wonder what happened to the weekend.  The good thing is that I was so exhausted last night that I went to bed early and slept nine hours!  Guess I needed it.

My weekend started early on Friday with an early dismissal from watching Iris.  C&M both worked only half days and then they all took off for a weekend at the beach.  The weather wasn't great around here, but they had a good day Saturday with both beach time and riding bikes.

Meanwhile, I was driving back and forth to their house to feed Talbot and Saturday morning Fletch and I drove out to the farm to pick up C&M's CSA share.  We did not bother going out to the fields to get the "U Pick" things, but the share we gathered included tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, celery, garlic, dill and a few other things.

This boy was extremely talkative each time I was over to feed him.  He missed his people!

The rest of my weekend included catching up on laundry and some chores and a small grocery shopping on Sunday on my way home from feeding Talbot.  We are back to a bit of a cooling trend, so yesterday I made a big pot of chili.

Yesterday afternoon included a nice, long chat with my friend Leslie who reminded me that it was 60 years ago that we met and became best friends!  How is that even possible?

I hope your Monday morning holds a promise of a wonderful week - enjoy!

Unraveled Wednesday 9/3/25

Good Morning!

The temps are steadily climbing a bit, but it is still pleasant outside.  We even had rain last night!  I drove over to CVS after dinner (of course...what's a week or day without a visit there?) and as I pulled into the driveway on my way back the rain started.  It wasn't hard, but it was steady and it sounded and smelled so good,

Today is the first Unraveled Wednesday of September!  Almost like the first day of school.  Everyone link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  I guarantee you will find inspiration and perhaps a bit of enabling (we all do that so well!).

Since I had finished my Simple SKYP socks, I needed a pair of socks on the needles.  I picked out some leftover Static from KnitPicks and cast on the first of a pair of socks for Iris.  The little newborn socks I knit for her before she was even born never fit her.  Her feet at birth were larger than those little socks!

I looked at some patterns for toddler socks to get an idea of how many stitches to cast on.  I settled on 44.  The cuff is a 1x1 twisted rib and then the leg (and foot when I get there) will just be plain vanilla.  Theoretically these will be a quick knit...but time will tell.

Reading has been so good!  I only finished one book but it was an amazing read.  Isola by Allegra Goodman was just so good.  It gave me all the feelies if you know what I mean.  Just as "Crown" reminded me of "Nesting" "Isola" reminded me a little bit of "The Marriage Portrait."  Completely different stories, but there are similarities.  I highly recommend this one.

I'm in the middle of another library book that is excellent ("When the Cranes Fly South") and I have 3 more library books on my nightstand.  AND, I just received an email yesterday that yet another book is ready for me to pick up.  Guess I'll be busy for a little bit.

Time for me to gather things together to take over to C&M's today, dry my hair, and find something to eat.  I hope your Wednesday proves to be a joyful one.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 9/2/25

 

Good Morning!

After showing only one or two flowers per day, yesterday our hibiscus went into overdrive!  There are still more buds.  While other things have not fared as well, this is the best year our hibiscus has ever had!  Fletch found another tomato and cucumber ready to pick!

And Colin gave us a quart of paste tomatoes from the farm...I need to make some sauce.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Ours was very relaxed and fun.  I managed to read a lot, stitch and knit!  On Sunday we ventured over to C&M's for dinner.  Colin grilled hot Italian sausages and sautéed some yellow squash, onions and peppers.  He also baked a fresh loaf of sourdough bread.  We brought a big bowl of eggplant caponata and Mailing made an incredible peach crisp.  YUM!!  Afterwards, we sat out back with a nice fire.  Very relaxing.

Now it's Tuesday and time for a tiny needle update.  The first one for September.  I did manage to get a bit of stitching completed.  

The cloud on the upper right has now been completely filled in and the cloud underneath has been outlined.  And look!  The first star has appeared!!  There are still more stars underneath the clouds and then I will get to the moon.  Here's a look at the overall piece so far.

Today it is back to caring for Iris.  On Friday she stood up all on her own!  She was in a downward dog position and just stood up!  Scared the sh*t out of me as she was on a hard floor and I was a bit of a distance away.  But she plopped down on her butt after a little bit.  She is still not crawling, but scoots around on her butt very easily.  I think she may skip crawling and just start walking.  Bottom line, my hands are full when watching her!  LOL

Here's hoping that your September is off to a great start!