I'm writing this from Ontario and will be brief, since I'd like to go out for a walk before the early effects of the Frankenstorm hit.  There will be rain here for the next week; Vancouver is well into its wet season too, but last weekend the Okanagan was all perfect fall.  There were apples, autumn colours, and a dusting of snow on the trees and mountains in Manning Park.  Highlights of the trip included staying at one of the best bed and breakfasts I've ever been to, a fantastic dinner at a French bistro in Kelowna, and plenty of wine tastings (Desert Hills was a favourite).  Coming back to regular life afterwards was tough, but I brought back more than memories - my "wine cellar" (i.e. the fridge door/ liqour cabinet/ kitchen counter) is currently stocked to the hilt, and I have the Mission Hills tour guide's suggestion for a gourmet snack to try out: popcorn with grated parmesan and a drop or two of truffle oil added to the butter , to be enjoyed with a glass of Chardonnay.  Thanks tour guide lady!

This weekend was both rainy and unscheduled; perfect conditions for taking stock of uncompleted projects lying around the house, and also for making pumpkin cinnamon rolls. 

These socks have been my main knitting project for the several weeks, and are going to be gifted soon.  

Status:  After taking this photo on Saturday, I finished the toe and now just have to finish weaving in ends.  My self-imposed deadline will be easy to meet, and then I can focus on the pink beret that I've started in the meantime. 

Last year I made two knitted ice cream cones (kawaii!), and have since had a request for one more.  This is a great project for using up odds and ends of yarn; am I a bad friend because that was one compelling reason to say yes?

Status:  The actual knitting went quite quickly.  However, since finishing the "good" part, these pieces have been off to one side of my coffee table where they have been slowly turning into part of the living room decor.  Once I double-check that the size/shape of the scoop is right, I just need to add sprinkles, and stuff and sew it up.  Hey Mary, get on it already!

I've made several pairs of mittens over the years, and tend to turn to these general instructions for coming up with my mitten plan-of-action.

Status:  Neglected for months, and thwarted on the finishing.  
You see, I had planned on adding a duplicate-stitch rose to each mitten.  To that end, I took my time coming up with the perfect flower design, but when I stitched it on to a mitten it looked like crap.  I then tweaked the flower design.  Once again, it looked like crap.  The flower idea is now scrapped, but I've since been undecided as to what  embellishment to finish the mittens up with.  Beads?  I don't know.  Like the ice cream cone, they're nearly done.  I'm just sort of uninterested in them.

In Part 2:  the remainder of the knitting projects, and...  oh gosh, who knows what I'll unearth when it comes to sewing projects... 

Life bunches up sometimes, you know?  While there has been a reasonable amount of couch and pajama time over the last couple of weeks, I've also been out a fair bit and have been mostly focusing on getting things done. 

There was one morning last week where I left the house to go to work and got about a half a block before I realized that I wasn't wearing a bra.  So yeah, that's where my head has been at (or not) lately.

Yesterday I got home from work feeling tired and dealing with an all-day headache, and had the energy for exactly the following:  making vegetarian poutine, knitting less than a round on my sock-in-progress, googling some Okanagan bed and breakfasts, and getting under a quilt and watching Bette Davis' first film:  "The Bad Sister" from 1931 (also starring Humphrey Bogart).

Today life is back to normal, and this weekend I'll be puttering around: making Smitten Kitchen's pumpkin cinnamon rolls, cleaning out my kitchen cupboards, and taking stock of all the half-finished projects strewn around my living space.  Maybe I'll go to the UBC apple festival; maybe I won't.

It's going to be coolish and rainy here for the next week.  Time to hunker down.  On a fall note, I've discovered salted caramel mochas at Starbucks - a calorific cup of happy joy! And of course, Thanksgiving (aka the best holiday of the year) was lovely.  The menu:  roasted potatoes, baked cauliflower with cheese sauce, cornbread stuffing with cranberry and orange, lemon-y green beans, and pumpkin cheesecake.  (All from Nigella's Feast.)

These pictures were taken on my birthday, a few weeks ago.  This is part of the Metlakatla nature trail (near Prince Rupert), and while I was only able to go 1 - 2 km down the 10km trail, I definitely want to go back and see all of it - forest-y bliss!