Autumn is Coming

Hello my dear figs!

This week has been a hectic one at the cottage! Lots of cleaning, visiting with family from Newfoundland, a couple crafty ventures, and this lady has had a rather full week of work. As of today, I am on holidays for two weeks and am really looking forward to some serious relaxation. My dad and I are driving to Vancouver for a holiday to visit my brother, and also for me to take part in a close friend's wedding as one of the bridesmaids!

Here's a few snaps of what I've been up to this past week!

Another of the loop-through/keyhole scarves, this time in moss stitch. I've had this Sublime Angora Merino for ages and thought it would nice made into a wee scarf. Will likely be casting off tomorrow once we hit the road.

A bit of new woolly excitement... a girlfriend (and fellow knitter/yarn addict) let me borrow her drop spindle to try out hand-spinning my own yarn. I don't know the maker or brand of it, but it's a top whorl spindle, not too heavy, and was nice to use. I feel like I got the hang of using it rather quickly, and was able to spin up a mini skein of worsted(ish) weight yarn. I could tell there was too much twist in the yarn because when I took it off the spindle it still twisted up on itself. A warm bath helped relax the fibres a bit, and I hung it to dry with a big can of beans weighing down the hanging loop. Next morning it was dry and more manageable. I then twisted it up into the wee stubby skein you see below :)

There has been a big change in our weather recently, too. AUTUMN IS COMING! That precious summer sunshine has been replaced with grey skies and cooler temperatures. Autumn is my favourite season and I'm so excited for sweater weather, cozy blankets, hot cocoa, and pumpkin (spice) everything. Just the other night I was craving something sweet to have with a cup of tea and saw a picture of these bars on Tumblr. 

Clicking the link was a bad (or very good) idea and I had to make them. I give you SOFT AND GOOEY LOADED S'MORES BARS, from the gorgeous blog Averie Cooks. If you've got a sweet tooth, be sure to click through and see all her other drool-inducing recipes. Here's my finished batch after cooling.

So that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by! I'm not sure if I'll get a change to post whilst on holiday but will definitely try! I plan on hitting up a few great knitting shops while in the Vancouver area, and will probably be too excited NOT to share photos with you all! Happy Friday! ♥

Post-Thanksgiving Lazies

Hello, my lovely little figs! Well. After two (make that three) nights in a row of delicious turkey, veggies, cranberry jelly and more, I think it's safe to say I won't need to eat for the rest of the week. Sunday night we ate at my aunt's house, and she served up an amazing gluten-free meal.

Monday night, Dad and I cooked up a meal of our own. He did a great job on the turkey and whipped potatoes, and I prepped the rest of the meal. I also made a batch of pumpkin pasties to enjoy after dinner.

For the pasties (which I looooove) I prepared a small batch of pie crust pastry and chilled it in the fridge while the lovely, spicy pumpkin filling baked. Then it was just a matter of scooping, folding and sealing each pasty. I did a light egg wash, sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar and popped them in the oven. 

As with any baked goodies in this house, the pasties didn't last long. I had the last one this morning with a cup of vanilla chai tea. So delicious!

Other than spending time eating, the weekend was a time of reflection for me. I spent a good deal of time thinking about my family, friends, and everything else that I am so fortunate to have in this life. I am a very lucky lady. 

Moving forward from turkey, this week will be a rather busy one. I am travelling east to Halifax for 10 days, for a much needed family holiday! I am still rushing to complete a certain crafty project (which I hope to finish and give a sneak peek of tomorrow) that will be accompanying me to the east coast. We had a positive turn in the weather today, which allowed me to spend a bit of time working outside and soaking up sun in the crisp autumn air. Lovely!