An Unexpected Journey

 

The Mister and I decided at the last minute to hop in the car on Halloween and head up to Daughter's. If the trick or treaters won't come to us, we'll come to them. It's also a family tradition to make donuts on Halloween and it would be much more fun if there were people around to eat them so off we went. 

Big Grand had fun helping me make them but wouldn't eat them because they weren't like the donuts he's used to.

It was Baby Grand's first Halloween so extra bodies come in handy when you're trying to give out candy and take your own kids around. 

Just getting both of them ready and in their costumes took a team effort.

The Mister and I dressed in our costumes and rang the bell when we got there. Big Grand came to the door and freaked out. He ran into the pantry, shut the door and wouldn't come out until he knew for sure it was just us. After dark, the Mister helped take the kids around while Pup and I handed out the candy on the porch. There were herds of kids all night long. We went through a lot of candy.

After the kids were in bed, The Mister and SIL sat around a fire, watched the World Series and did some serious damage to a bottle of fine whiskey. Pup and I crashed on the living room floor for the night. I didn't even hear them come in. 

Since we weren't babysitting we didn't have a timeline to deal with so we made a lot of stops along the way up. I ran into Ikea to take a look at the Christmas displays and to pick up a holiday tin of ginger cookies. Then it was Panera, Starbucks and finally the grocery store for some snacks. 

And...we did get our Mexican take out for dinner. It was a good day. A very good day.

Inktober

 

I had big plans for Inktober this year. I bought these markers to do some fancy things with the gelli plate but never got around to it. I was too busy with Socktober and Soaptober. 

I didn't ignore it completely though. While I was waiting for my lye to cool down everyday, I picked a prompt and attempted to do a little sketch of it then slapped some watercolor on it to hide my shame. On the long list of things I discovered I cannot draw over the years are owls, bee wings and trunks (I should have gone with elephant). I would have thought that I could have done a better job with weave since I have a loom sitting right here in front of me. Oh, well. There's always next year although I have noticed with horror that by looking at previous year's work that my eye hand coordination is deteriorating at an alarming rate. 

Dia de los Muertos

 

Today isn't the Day of the Dead. Tomorrow is but I wanted to share The Mister's latest paint by number finish while wishing everyone a Happy Halloween. 

Since Halloween is no big deal around here anymore now that the trick or treating has stopped, I'm thinking a take out from our local Mexican place should be our new tradition. They've got the spirit going all year long. 

And...the Mister isn't quite done with his Spooky Season painting projects. He's just started this one. For those who know...that's Debbie, Patty and Sandy right there. Lol...

Halloween Eve

 

I almost finished Jack this year. I really could have but I didn't. Over the years, he's become a tradition more than a project. I want to be able to take him out again next Halloween to work on instead of just throwing him in the pile with all the other finished pieces. Having said that I just realized I don't have a winter piece to work on anymore. I finished it last year. Time to go looking for a replacement. 

And...I have to thank SoxieKnitter for sending me a care package filled with some amazing stitching patterns and whatnots. That heavy wood thingy at the top is a tailor's press or clapper. It's to weigh down naughty points and seams after ironing. Honestly, I had to look it up. Now it's in use with my paper piecing projects. I guess I can retire that can of kidney beans I had been using. 

Wednesday WIPs

 

Ta da..I've got another Halloween finish. I put all my sock knitting energy into these beauties to make sure they were done by the end of the month. They are Wandering Cat's sock yarn in the Trick or Treat colorway. No one did stripes better imho.

My other Halloween socks are on the back burner because I needed to get going on the toddler socks one of the Grands asked for. It's my second try at getting something to fit.

I've also got some mileage on the Paradise Static socks that were "accidentally" cast on a few weeks ago. These somehow ended up on my nightstand so every night I knit a few rows before bed. It does add up without even trying.

And...look at what just arrived. I couldn't resist anything in the Life of a Showgirl colorway. I hope to make it a Musselburgh but not until I get some of these socks off the needles. I'm not the only one here, it seems, who was recently tempted by a Taylor Swift colorway. I know one of you has just added some very pretty Opalite yarn to your stash. 

Oh, and I should also mention that somehow these two managed to show up at my front door. I heard on their podcast that they started their own yarn company in Transylvania and when I clicked on the link they were only $15 a skein so....they had to be had, right?

TNT: Halloween Edition

 

Done, done, done. Now it can join....

....my two other Halloween finishes from years past. Hopefully I can turn them all into something I can display by next year. 

For the rest of the month, I'll be concentrating on Matter's House. It has a new deer and squirrel this week. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of November.

Thwarted

 

I woke up yesterday excited to finish up my last few batches of soap only to discover that I didn't have enough lye. I had the urge to make something, so I baked.

Apple cake and pumpkin bread. The house didn't smell like my latest soap creation but it did smell good. The new lye should be here tomorrow. 

Boo Bash

 

Yesterday was a long day. It started off bright and early at the Farmer's Market. It's the last of the season I'm sad to say. I certainly took advantage of it this year. 

Then it was off to the town Boo Bash. First it was the dog's turn to parade, then it was the kiddies competing for prizes. 

The line for the costume competition was long. 

Pup won't participate. She likes to sit on a bench and snoopervise. 

There's also a town competition for businesses. Some of them really do it up. This is the beer garden that should win every year imho but never does. 

Family Fun Night was a bust. We got all costumed up but the line to get in was literally around the block so we skipped it and watched Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice on the beach instead. Since everyone in town must have been down at the field waiting in line, we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

Never a Dull Moment

 

Pup had a good time yesterday. We had a grocery pick up across town so she got a nice walk in the park and then a visit to Pet Smart. The whole time I was looking for cat food that didn't contain fish for our kitty that's on thyroid medicine, she combed the floors looking for food that might have been dropped. She's been successful at this more than once. 

She got chicken nuggets for her birthday lunch and then we shared that Halloween sprinkle donut on the bottom right. She gets the side that isn't very sweet and I get the rest.

On the way home we noticed the city was busy putting the Christmas lights on the trees along the main road. This morning we are off to the Farmer's Market, then it's on to the dog costume parade at noon, the kiddie parade at 2, the Family Fun night at the ball field at 6 and finally a showing of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice on the beach. As I said, it's never a dull moment around here. 

As for soap, Honey crisp is out of the mold. The colors are meh, but it still smells divine. I'm taking a break from soap today but I'll be back to work tomorrow while The Mister is in front of the TV. I've got three more batches to make and that will bring Soap Week(s) to an end.

Enchanted

 

Meet Enchanted. It used to be Oudh but since it turned out so pretty and sparkly it's being rebranded as Enchanted. 

Yesterday's pour was Honeycrisp. It's a blend of fragrances and it smelled so good that I had the urge to go put an apple cake in the oven. That crimson mica turned a bit brown. It wasn't the red I was hoping for but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it works out as well as Enchanted did.

Sometime in between all the soap making (which takes up a huge chunk of time every day) I managed to get Taylor Barbie dolled up in her Halloween/Showgirl outfit. Sewing that sequined material was not fun so it's just a simple tube with a Velcro closure. The fun part was the tulle bustle in the back. I've got lots of this material leftover so this adventure is far from over. 

And...today is Pup's birthday. It seems like just yesterday that I was introducing her here with weekly Pupdates and now she is twelve. How is that even possible?

Soap Tales

 

Do you see yellow? I don't. I guess my search for a decent yellow colorant continues. Lemon once again looks dismal but smells great. 

The Sea Salt soap is interesting. I really like this fragrance. I hope it sticks around. So many of them don't.

Yesterday's soap adventure was disappointing. The scent is Oudh and it's very exotic and earthy but for some reason I went with these colors which don't say either of these things to me. 

I didn't order any new mica colors when I ordered my soap supplies and I'm down to very few choices. 

To make up for my lack of imagination, I hit it with glitter. A lot of cosmetic glitter. The whole room was sparkling. 

Wednesday WIPs

 

Ooops. I did it again. I do not plan to do this but it always seems to work out that all my heels have to be turned at once. It's not like I knit the exact same amount on each sock every day but they always seem to end up in the same place at the same time. 

Before I took the weekend off for the vaccines, I turned the heel on the second Cozy Quilt sock. It's the short row heel from the pattern and I'm shocked that I pulled it off again. Short rows are not my thing. It's not perfect but it's a heel. 

In soap news, I don't have a big reveal for the Lemon soap yet because it's still a bit sticky. I'll cut it tomorrow. 

While I am waiting on the Lemon, I made this mess. It's a fragrance called Sea Salt and I used all of my natural earth clays instead of mica as a colorant. 

All that clay really thickens up the batter so it's a plop instead of a pour into the mold. Cutting this one will be very interesting.

TNT: Getting Close

 

I didn't get the Halloween sampler finished this weekend as I'd hoped but I got closer. The only thing I really did was lay on the couch, feel sorry for myself and eat pizza. 

I did pick up the needlepoint project for a few minutes on Sunday just to say I did something worthwhile. This was more my speed than the cross stitch because as bad as I felt, I doubt I could have counted very accurately. 

I wrestled with Dear Jane for a few minutes yesterday. It looks like measurement-wise that it's going to work out but I have to tame those points before I start appliqueing. The bits under the clips are rather unruly at the moment. Happily, I'm finally pretty much back to normal-minus the big bruise I have on my arm. I swear that girl hit me with a whale harpoon-twice. I've never had the shots hurt so badly. Usually I can't feel them at all. 

I also had soap that had to be made yesterday. This is lemon. I tried a new yellow mica since none of the ones I have here ever look right. No drama with the soap batter, thank goodness but I did manage to spill some of that yellow all over the table. I'm usually pretty cautious when I'm working so I'm going to blame my clumsiness on the vaccines. Everything else always is.