It was a beautiful day….the house was ready, turkey in the oven and family due to arrive.

The girls DO NOT like the fact that they have to sit at the kiddy table.  We have always referred to it as the kiddy table because that is where the kids sit.  My oldest (15-yo) inquired as to when she would qualify for the adult table?  Dad was quick to respond with….”when old people have died, there will be room for you at the table”.    Now that the picture was perfectly clear and of course, not wanting Mema and Papa to pass on any time soon, she replied, “well can we call it something besides the kiddy table?”  Bud (12-yo) piped in, “yeah, how bout we call it Bob”. 

 So family start to arrive as I’m telling the girls to put some candles on Bob, needles to say they thought I’d been in the kitchen too long.

Here’s a shot of Pat and I on the deck.  From alpaca breeder (Crystal Springs Alpacas) to yarn shop owner (The Local Needle). 

More family pics…nephew and wife, E.J. and Roberta. (Guess I could have cut out what we country folk call “the burn barrel”, huh?)

Mom, Pat, Bud and boys in my favorite knitting spot…

It was a nearly perfect day. 

It was such a pretty day I decided to take a few pictures of the backyard. 

As the north wind blows, the cypress trees drop their red needles into the river.  The area that we call Bud’s Boardwalk is covered in a red carpet of cypress and the entire area has a scent of pine.  Leaves gather in areas of the river where the current is slow, giving just a touch of color to the dark, brackish water.  The sun reflects off the ripples that Dennis (our duck) creates as he continues his never-ending primping and bathing.

This pic shows one of my favorite places to sit and knit.  You can hear the traffic from 90, but the scenery is so worth it.  Usually there are birds in the trees, a hawk overhead or an occasional fish will jump.  You get a glimpse of the many cypress knees growing along the riverbed.  I could use a more cushy bench, perhaps Santa will bring me one.

A red-shouldered hawk has been gracing us with his appearance in the front yard.  Not sure what he’s after.  Perhaps, like me…he’s hunting the critter that is tearing up the grass. 

Last but not least, Dennis.  Dennis appeared the morning after hurricane Dennis, over one year ago.  He never swims into deep water and when he’s not in the river bed, it’s either because he’s waiting on me to feed him, or there’s something in the river bed.  Generally,  it’s a sign that the river otters are in the area. 

Not really, but I bet this is the only snow I see this year.  I knitted these from Margaret Heathman’s Knitted Snowflakes book. which contains about 8 different snowflake patterns.   Here’s a closeup of each.

They were fun to knit and I could have done a little better, but overall not too bad for my first attempt.

The postman arrived rather late on Wednesday, around 4pm.  Sadly thinking that the deadline had passed and I would not be receiving a scarf from my pal….I was handed a package! 

A quick glance at the label told me that it had made it’s journey from New York.  Wow, from NY, NY to this small little country town in Northern Florida.  How different the two are!  On opening it I found THIS! 

The Branching Out Scarf  made out of Cascade Cloud 9 (50% Alpaca/50% Angora), in a very pretty shade of turquoise.   Thanks to Jewell at www.craftygirlslife.blogspot.com,  I not only have a beautiful scarf, but a skein of Knit Picks Shimmer.  This yarn is 70% baby alpaca/30% silk and the perfect color for a matching….I’m not sure what I’ll make out of it.  Maybe some fingerless gloves!

Thanks Jewell, I love it and the weather has just today turned a bit cooler.  I’t s also my birthday and I think I’ll show it off as I journey out today!

All I could hear was the click of the Ann Bates as I quickly knitted up my swatch for my homework assignment for that day’s SAFF class.  The sun was shining on the mountain which filled the view from my window, reflecting the orange and gold from the trees.  It had rained the 1st day in Asheville, unlike the 2nd day which was not rainy, but very windy and cold (written by a Floridian).  It was now our last day and the sun rose anouncing the perfect day.

Last weekend I attended SAFF (Southeast Animal Fiber Fair) for the very first time.  We learned about SAFF while attending Plying The Arts in Athens, GA in August.  Mom and I decided to drive up and meet my sister (PacaPat) of Crystal Springs Alpacas at the cabin.

We thought we were staying in a very rustic cabin in the woods, complete with sleeping porch (brrr) in the mountains.  We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find the cutest, cleanest cabin/house awaiting us. 

Complete with chocolate on the pillows, cappuccinos in the fridge and lets not mention the beauty of the mountains and the fall colors all around us.  The sleeping porch was a room with windows on 3 sides with skylights,  perfect for a nature lover! 

I cannot say enough about Jan with brcabin.com.  All of America could take a lesson from Jan when it comes to customer service.  I would only hope that I can provide a similar service at The Local Needle.   In fact, we were only 1 hour away when she phoned to let us know we had left some items behind and that she would mail them.  I turned to Mom and said, “you can be sure whatever it is, it will arrive with a bow on it”.

I took several knitting workshops at SAFF, mostly from Margaret Heathman.  Her no-nonsense way of doing things is SO entertaining and definitely up my alley!  The workshop that most excited me was lace knitting.  I had touched on some lace knitting here and there, but never really studied it.  After seeing the book recommendations, I splurged (my birthday in less than a week provided the reason) for Heirloom Knitting, by Sharon Miller.  I have not put this book down since.   Someone needs to pick up the girls…sure I’ll do it and arrive 15 minutes early so I can sit and wait and have some time with Shetland lace!

There were many vendors at SAFF, unfortunately I didn’t have the time to see them all.  I did hear several comment that sales were fantastic, in fact.. above and beyond their expectations.  I’ll be there next year!!