several distractions....

while outside the first crackers are detonating - we discovered only a few minutes ago that our carved pumpkins are still standing empty in one corner! first I have to do mad dashes to finish the job - and then we forget to light the candles! well, that's easily rectified...

today was a really lovely autumn day with brilliant sunshine and barely a cloud in the sky - but cold! the forecast is more of the same for a few days at least - we deserve this after 5 months of dysmal wet weather.... we saw loads of hawthorns on the way back from town, all loaded with berries - and of course every time I see them I think: I should really give those a try in the dye pot! but they are so floury and dry that I can't see them giving me a lot of colour. maybe if I fermented them in a bucket somewhere for a while?

I haven't put in any entries for a while, but that doesn't mean that I didn't do anything in the meantime. I started work on several christmas presents (can't show them here of course:)), but I have to interrupt work on them for those bits and pieces that always come in between somehow: the square shaped pumpkin in the photo is the third in a row of cotton chenille cushions; three nieces, three cushions! the first two wanted theirs in the natural, slightly beige colour of the yarn, but niece no. 3 likes orange - and she'll get it:) I am sure she can see the cushion even in the dark.... very fitting to work on a colour like this around halloween!

and of course there are those distractions, which always come at the most inopportune moment. we were told about the school halloween party 2 days in advance - luckily I had ordered some fabric last year, but didn't need it. so out came the pfaff and a cape pattern - for our very own devil! he looks rather miffed, maybe our kitchen is too cold for a guy used to hellfire? getting the paint on the face was fun - getting it off again.... the opposite! I don't know why that is - but boys at that age have a strong aversion to soap and water:)) if I'd let him he would have gone to sleep with red paint on his face!

hopefully we are going to the knitting & stitching show in dublin tomorrow. usually we go on thursday, the first day of the show. but there was no taxi to be had in the morning:(( rather annoying - the downside of living in the countryside and the "punishment", if you try to make do without your own car:(( it's no good to preach to people to use public transport more - if there is none and no taxi service either! we had hoped that we'd might have more luck tomorrow (coming back from dublin towards westport on friday evenings is suicidal, because half the country is moving back home for the weekend - usually it's standing room only for at least half the way:((), but no luck:(( so we have to use the bikes, which isn't exactly cozy when it's freezing cold outside and still dark to boot... but, whatever it takes to get me to more textile stash:)) we could have tried that on thursday too, of course, but we had some sleet in the morning - and I didn't fancy catching my death on the way to town....

happy halloween to all!!