Feels Like Fall

Today was a gorgeous one! It was clear and just 56 degrees when I went out this morning. That was just enough to get me into a fall mood which of course means soup making! I decided to try some split pea soup today. It wasn't bad! It passed the 11 year old daughter taste test. Let's see what husband has to say about it! The recipe did make a lot, though! I may have to half it next time.

What a fabulous mail day today was! I got my missing skein of Twinkletoes. It is called Sassafrass, and it's lovely! Lots of purples in this one. I also got another gift from my secret pal. That dear girl is spoiling me! She sent a jar of See's dark chocolate syrup, it was tucked into a little nylon drawstring bag which will be used in my knitting bag. There was a Mary Engelbreit note pad, a toy bat that squeaks when you shake him, refrigerator shaped key chain--it lights up when you open it, and inside are magnetic poetry tiles--a lovely smelling bar of coconut soap, a gorgeous hand knit scarf made from a novelty type yarn in fall colors, and the sweetest note! Secret Pal, thank you so much! You are very thoughtful and generous. You have me all figured out, too! You know just the things I like. I will try to post pictures this week!

I started working the Flower Basket Shawl pattern last night. The pattern is from the Fall Interweave Knits magazine. It is really a gorgeous shawl, but I was a bit intimidated by it at first. The pattern uses a few things I've not done before--a provisional cast on (easy enough) and charts. The chart isn't too bad to read. This is just my second lace project. I managed to get the first 18 rows of the first chart worked last night. I'm using a hand spun, hand dyed yarn that I bought last year at SAFF. The yarn is a mohair, silk, I don't know what blend and is very soft. It's dyed in shades of burgandy and brown. I think it will look beautiful when it's finished. It doesn't look like much now; I'll need to do a lot of blocking! You can see a picture of the shawl at One Fine Yarn web site, or take a look at the gorgeous shawl someone did as part of a KAL here. Now do you see why I fell in love with this pattern?