Blanket weather...

With cooler temperatures this past week, and me being able to tolerate a large yarny project across my lap, I pulled out a nearly completed Dahlia Blanket and finally crocheted a border for it.  It was some time this past spring when I crocheted the last row of this blanket, and had to put it away because it was just too warm to continue working on it.

Crocheted with worsted weight yarn, this has quite a bit of heft to it.  I like sleeping with a window open on cold evenings; Greg likes pulling a crocheted blanket on top of the covers to keep him warm on those nights.  In fact, he was using this one until I squirreled it away.  He asked where it had gone to, and I told him we couldn't use it until it had a border.  In reality, it was perfectly useable, and an argument could have been made that it didn't need a border to sleep under.  But he didn't argue.  And now finally, I'm happy to have the whole thing finished, and I think Hub is looking forward to once again snuggling under the warmth of this one.

It wasn't my intention, but this blanket turned out huge, covering the top of our queen size bed.  It probably hangs over the edges now that it has a border.  Hub may be sleeping with this doubled up over him as I won't be able to tolerate the heat generated sleeping under it.  

I departed from the pattern at the end and made the final round of the border in a crab stitch.  I've come to love the simple, but pretty "rolled" edge this stitch creates on a blanket.

I may or may not jump into making another blanket from this pattern.  The thing that pulls me toward it is that I have some fun bright flowery colors I pulled aside last spring to make a second one.  

I also pulled aside some neutral colored yarns to make a completely different blanket with - so I have options.  I'm not sure what I'll do next, but at the moment, I'm kind of feeling up for another colorful one.  But first, I need to take stock of how much yarn I used on this one, updating my personal yarn database on Ravelry.  This record-keeping is a hobby unto itself.  Then I want to put the leftover yarn away from this and hat making, and neaten up the room and closet where I store my crafty stuff.  

Meanwhile, I'm watching videos of "slow stitching", making needle books, and collage books - combining all those things into one, even.  And then there are new cross stitch patterns calling, "Pick me! Pick me!"  All the while, unfinished stitching projects wait patiently for my attention.  Like a "kid in a candy store with eyes bigger than my stomach" I want to do it all.  But I need to consider realistically what has staying power for me.  And probably finish something I've already begun.  I'm sure this is a common problem for crafters.  I'm curious how you focus in and discipline yourself to do just one thing when a bunch of things vie for your attention.  Or...  maybe you've got a system of working on different things in some sort of rotation.  

All I know is I get to this stage where I've finished a thing and my hands are itching to do something new and everything looks equally appealing.  The overwhelm of that state leaves me unproductive for a bit until I just finally dive into something.

Watch this space to see what crafty project catches my attention next!

Hats are finished...

As of yesterday, at least temporarily, I have turned out the lights and closed the door of my hat making studio.  Finished hats are handed over, and, as happy as I was to make them for a hat giveaway in a few weeks, I'm feeling exceedingly happy to let myself move on to other projects.

It's funny how when I commit myself to one project for a period of time, all the other things start looking intensely interesting. Nevermind that before my one-project commitment, I wasn't really doing any of those other things.

Such is my life. Maybe you relate?  I am seriously looking forward to working on a different project this week, but I'm not going to say what it is.  The interest I feel for it at the moment will fly right out the window the moment I say aloud what it is. Does anyone at all relate to that?!?  

But before I move on to new things, here's my final update.  I knit three more hats this past week following the Benefaction Knit Hat pattern, using a helix knitting pattern on two, and substituting a 1x1 ribbing for the suggested 2x2 ribbing.  And, finally, I added yarny poms to three especially girly hats.

Here's the most recent lineup:

Since hand made pom poms may not fare well in the laundry, I decided to fasten the poms on the above hats using buttons to tie them on with.  Like so:

I threaded the yarn through two diagonally opposite large holes of the button, then wrapped the two ends of the yarn two different directions under the button and tied the ends into a tight bow.

In retrospect, not being sure that someone will actually notice the button inside the crowns of these hats, I'm now thinking it might have been a good idea to add a tag to these hats, explaining that the pom is removable, and mention fiber content, and that these are machine washable.

Thinking that other handmade hats will likely not have care tags on them, and knowing these are all machine wash and dryable, I'm not feeling too badly about it, but it's a thought for the future.

Things I've learned:

1)  I decided it's best to get started on this kind of multi-project project earlier.  Spread the work throughout the year when there is plenty of time to experiment with different patterns.  And when I'm not in the mood to learn a new pattern, or just want an easy knit, a simple hat pattern can be made more special and fun just knitting colorful stripes or blocks of different colors.

2) I learned how to make jogless joins when changing colors, working wide stripes in the round, and making skinny stripes using helical knitting.

3)  I rediscovered how fun helical knitting is.

4) I learned how to knit a double brim.  It's a nice finish, though it tends to increase the time it takes to knit a hat by about a third.  That's significant when working under a time constraint.

5)  It doesn't take much yarn to knit a hat.  As an occasional knitter, who is an avid crocheter, I was shocked to rediscover this.  My realization:  I could make a hundred hats, and it would hardly make a dent in my huge yarn stash.  Fortunately, my favorite thing to make with yarn is blankets.  And have recently learned how nice a shawl is around my shoulders and arms - and so much easier to put on and whip off than a sweater is. I'm now happily anticipating cooler weather soon and once again enjoying crocheting these cozy things.

Hats and Hurricanes...

It's starting to come down to the wire, and, mentally, I'm ready to wrap this hat making project up.  In reality, I have the rest of this week to make hats if I choose to do so. If you detect a small note of negativity with that last statement, you would be correct.  

So far, I feel like I'm failing to make an appropriately sized hat.  I was told the hats were to be "child size", and nothing more.  Not having a child handy, I feel like I'm guessing as to what size that must be.  I can see size charts online, but that's not like having a real head to try one on.  My hats so far seem to be possibly baby-sized, and one is adult sized (it  fits me and I think I probably have an average sized adult head).  

I'll probably have time to try two more times over the next few days.  I would be thrilled to finish at least one that appears to be solidly "child sized".

While knitting on DPNs (Double Pointed Needles, for non knitters) is a bit tricker than knitting on a corded needle, I get a little excited when I transfer from circular needles to these little sticks.  From this point, it's pretty quick work to finish a hat. 

Because I'm running into some minor issues decreasing the crowns while I'm doing helical knitting, I think I'm just going to make any more hats I knit a solid color at the top.  My hat crowns look perfectly fine, but as I'm knitting the crowns, I keep second-guessing the situation when the color change doesn't seem to work together with the decreasing stitches.  Somehow it works out, but I'm getting weary of worrying about it until the hat is finished.  So, from here on out, my hats will either be completely solid in color, or they will have wide stripes or blocks of color (so I can work the decreases in one colorway only).  It probably doesn't need to be noted, but I am making the simplest of hats here.  I think they're decent hats, but they are simple.

Here are last week's finishes:

While I'm turning hats over on Saturday to be taken to the donation site, I'm thinking I want to wrap this up mid-week.  Especially, if I end up feeling like I want to make pom poms.  Truth is, I don't want to make pom poms, but I think there are one or two hats that would benefit from one.

Because hat knitting feels almost trivial in light of the tragedy that has struck so many in parts of the Southeastern U.S., I also want to address the topic.  

I'm sure just as it is with you if you were spared the wrath of Helene, I am heartbroken daily as I watch and read about the devastation so many people are suffering from. I have greatly appreciated youtubers who are able to report what's been going on, and I am humbled and touched beyond words seeing and hearing of the selflessness of so many who are coming to the aid of those who are/were trapped, and who are found wandering out of the forests.  It is mind boggling to see what the human spirit can endure.  And frightening to also see how fragile we are as human beings. The work ahead is mind numbing to think about.  I cannot imagine how exhausting it is to experience it.

ETA: Because a regular reader, Linda G, made mention of an organization in North Carolina that is working to provide assistance to mothers and babies suffering in the wake of Hurricane Helene, I found the Facebook page where interested readers can see updates about this organization's efforts:

https://www.facebook.com/theboobtiquelkn

More information can be found in Linda G's message below.

And, as hard as it is to believe, now less than two weeks later, I join those also praying for all in the path of Milton. 

~~~~~ 

ER trip and helical knitting - again...

This week I only knit on one item (a hat, of course) and couldn't manage to finish it.  

Actually, my plan was to finish it last night, but about 6 1/2 hours ended up being spent in the ER - from around 6pm - 12:30 am.  I realize (unfortunately, from experience) that that is not all that long of a stay in the ER, so I was thankful it wasn't longer.

All is well, but it turns out Hub had a kidney stone, that may or may not still be in there.  Sitting in the waiting room, within a minute or so of asking for prayer from our small group at church, and getting text responses, the nausea and pain dissipated for him, and he's felt fine since.  I believe in both the power of prayer, and the power of endorphins.  And the human body doing the things it was created to do.  Since no medical person had gotten their hands on him up to that point, our Creator gets credit for all of it.  Fortunately, even though Hub was feeling much better by the time they got him into a room, him telling them he felt better didn't keep the ER doctor from ordering images.  

Interestingly, while the CT scan showed the small offending kidney stone on the side that was hurting, it also showed a large stone in the kidney on the other side.  He was told this large stone had probably been there for years, and this isn't exactly uncommon.  Evidently nothing is done about something like that unless it creates trouble at some point.  I guess time will tell on that.  Meanwhile, he's armed with pain meds should the smaller kidney stone still be in there and cause him pain as it makes its way out.  I did pack my knitting, but the chair I had to sit in was so uncomfortable, and I got so cold, I wasn't in the mood.  It was pretty wonderful when the nurse brought me a heated blanket, though.  

We were so glad we stopped at the hospital that is five minutes from our house, rather than drive 25 minutes north where we historically have gone.  Not having to worry about "being in network" is a great aspect of Traditional Medicare.  The ER got busier the longer we were there, and the time passed slowly, but the staff was great.  Hub's nurse was a very friendly retired E-7 Army Sergeant who had been in some dangerous places in her twenty-year career.  He seemed to make her evening when he thanked her for her service, asked her about her experience, and from there on called her Sergeant Kim.

So, that was last night.  I'll, no doubt, finish my hat later today.  I started this one with a double brim again, and decided I wanted striping of some sort above the brim, and to my delight I rediscovered my love for helical knitting.

Yarns are Lion Brand Basic Stitch in Taupe Heather and 

Premier Everyday yarn in Chinchilla

If you're not familiar with helical knitting, you are missing something that is super simple and super satisfying.  It's more fun with multiple colors, but even with just two colors as I am working with here, helical knitting provides just enough interest in the knitting process, and a pretty narrow stripe pattern without continuous joins or jogs. 

If you're new to helical knitting, there are lots of short videos online showing how to make the color changes, but here is a video that is fairly indepth for anyone wanting to understand how knitting this way works:

You can skip to 6:00 minutes in for a demonstration of how to actually start (and continue) helical knitting.

And that's all for today!  Another week and a half of hat knitting and I'll be happy to put this endeavor to rest.

Hats...

This is the second in a series of posts over the next few weeks where I'm sharing hats (and hat patterns) that I hope to contribute to an upcoming toy/hat/blanket giveaway.  I figured I'd just answer the question that will inevitably be asked - "What will you do with all those hats?"  😉

Feeling less than thrilled with my hat knitting last week, I went back to something that felt more natural for my fingers - crochet.  I searched through patterns I'd made before, and I quickly settled on this Stepping Texture hat:

Crocheted in Vanna's Choice, worsted weight in the colorway Silver Blue 

Video Tutorials for this hat can be found at the following links:

Yarnspirations (I like this for showing the slip stitch ribbing)

DIY Danni (While it's harder to see her work because of the dark yarn being used, this video shows making a single crochet ribbing - which is an easier stitch).

~~~~~

After having success with making a familiar crocheted hat, I went back to the Benefaction Hat pattern, and ditching the idea of doing stranded colorwork, I worked up a small simple beanie.  It will probably only fit a baby, but it's a successfully knitted hat, and that was my goal:

Knit in Lion Brand Heartland yarn in the colorway, Glacier Bay 

Not being excited about the 2x2 ribbing above, and thinking I might try a provisional cast-on to get a smoother edge on the ribbing, I went searching on YouTube for the perfect tutorial.  I did find some good ones, but before I actually committed to trying the provisional cast on, I came across the concept of knitting a "double-thick brim" using only knit stitches.  

What?  No purl stitches?!?  No special cast-on?  And I can get a smooth edge on the bottom of the hat?

These two tutorials convinced me to give this a try, and I  LOVED it:

Wolly Bear Knits

yokieB Crochet and Knit

Using yokieB's tutorial and scrap yarn, I knit up this small child's hat:

Knit with different brands of pink worsted acrylic.

The hat above is more of a slouchy style, but the double brim is so soft, it can be folded up to make a fitted  beanie.  This hat also turned out pretty small - likely to only fit a baby or toddler.

Having success knitting a double brimmed hat (albeit a small one), I couldn't wait to get started on a larger beanie with more subdued colors:

The plan at the moment, is to start this as a double-brimmed hat, but finish with the decreasing rounds found in the Benefaction Hat, instead of the gathered top of my pink double-brimmed hat.  I plan to put pom poms on any hats made with gathered tops before sending them on their way.  Pom poms assembly-line-style will be the last step in my hat making.

~~~~~

So now, on my growing list of things to try (when I'm not working with a goal of production over learning new skills)...

Provisional Cast-on to create a single layer brimmed beanie

Stranded colorwork 

Interesting patterned decreasing rounds for beanie crowns

That said, I'm already itching to get back to crochet.  Isn't that always the way it is...   

Or am I the only one who's so easily distracted?

  

Doilies and hats...

Crocheting and knitting a little over the last couple of weeks, I made two more of "99 Little Doilies".

Crocheted in Artiste #10 thread in the color "Peach Ivory"

Tiny little doily #31 doesn't really inspire me at all, but it will be a fine addition to a collection of small doilies in a few different colorways that I hope to finish and display together some day - even if just on a table top.

Doily # 22, crocheted in Curio #10 thread in the color "Hawk"

It wasn't until I saw this dark gray doily in a picture that I saw what I imagine to be a round stained glass window without the stained glass.  So I named this "Lead Rosette".  So glad I decided to skip all the picots in this one.  They would have driven me crazy, and I like the edges on this so much better.

~~~~~

Another project has presented itself, and sounds enjoyable - as long as my neck doesn't go back into "stiff mode".   Last month we attended a volunteer dinner (as quests) where youngest son, Ben, attends a church that hosts a community  food distribution.  That night they announced they also plan to host a toy/hat/blanket giveaway in early December - and they were "calling all yarnies" to knit or crochet hats.  I placed a loose mental sticky note in my mind that I could knit some hats to donate, but honestly, it wasn't until Ben mentioned it a week or so ago (just on the chance I might be interested) that I got a bit more serious about it.

Knit and crocheted hats can be great easy projects - taking just a few hours each - some less.  At least that's how I remembered it...

Well, this weekend I started with knitting a simple Benefaction Hat, and decided I'd add some colorwork after watching a few YouTube videos to see how it's done.  I thought I'd do a "fade" pattern with several colors.

The "fade" is where things started getting a little challenging.  The concept of stranded knitting (especially on this level) is simple enough, but I need a lot of practice to get my stitches and tension more consistent in that part of the knitting.

To a non-knitter's eye, I'm not sure this looks all that bad, and some of the unevenness can be blocked out, but I don't think I have it in me to finish this.  And I'm not sure I like the colors I chose, so there's that, too.  I may hang onto it, and use it as practice later, but since the more immediate goal is to actually produce some hats (not improve my knitting), I'm moving on.

I looked back at my Ravelry project page, and I see the last hat I crocheted was in September of 2020.  The last hat I knit was almost a year before that.

Armed with that knowledge, I suddenly feel kind of rusty and am wondering if volunteering to make some hats was a good idea.

Ah well...   the evidence will present itself here over the next 4 weeks.  I've pulled out lots of colors of yarns from my stash, and I've given myself a goal of wrapping up hat making by mid-October.  Come October 13th, I will either be relieved to be done, or feeling very satisfied with what I accomplished - maybe both.  Either way, it does feel good to have a purposeful project to throw myself into.

 

Eight more days of summer...

I had such good intentions of posting a bit more regularly at the beginning of September, and now here it is half-way through the month, and I have been waylaid from that good plan. 

Shortly after I posted my last post, I ended up getting a whopper of a sore neck.  I reviewed my activities leading up to that point, and honestly, I don't know which or if all of the things I did put my upper shoulder and neck in a bad spot.

The day after my last post, I started out feeling fine, but I had a dental appointment in the late morning, and oh my goodness...  I spent way too long in the chair.  At one point, I asked to be put upright so I could give my back a break.  The thing is, as much as my back hurt then, it didn't hurt in the spot that later flared up.

 

Picture of dentist tools taken earlier in the year when I was getting a root canal

Two days after being in the dentist's chair, I found myself in my dermatologist's chair getting a spot removed from the side of my nose.  My back hurt then too - but, again, not exactly in the place I was later sore in. 

It was later that week I finished up the baskets I showed in my last post.  At no time while I was crocheting those did I feel sore, but sometime the week after my last post is when I got the worst pain in the neck I think I've ever had.  

Then I remembered...  over the course of the week before my sore neck took hold, we had some beautiful weather.  I took advantage of the reprieve from summer heat to take care of some late summer garden chores.  

Those chores may show up in a bit more detail in future posts, but to keep this post from become a total monster, here is the Reader's Digest version...

First, I started pulling green beans plants.  In retrospect, that decision was possibly a little premature, but they weren't producing as prolifically, and I had grown weary of watering them nearly daily.  I also wasn't crazy about the Kentucky Wonder green beans - more on that in another post, possibly.  I simply didn't want to can any more of them.  I was ready to be done.

All but one trellis of green beans were pulled and carried over to the fire pit where I painstakingly unwinded twisted vines from rusty wire.  A tedious, but oddly satisfying job.  

This actually happened over the course of two days as I had the time.

I think it was a completely different day that I decided to start pulling out no-longer-producing tomato plants. The roots were surprisingly long, and it took a fair bit of pulling to clear the garden of most of the 25 tomatoes I had planted in May.  I then tried to dig around and wrangle the wooden stakes loose before I finally cried "uncle" and asked hubs if he could get them out.  It was hard work for him, but compared to my struggle, he made it look like a piece of cake.

There were 8 tomato plants left with still ripening fruit when I finished pulling those first ones out.

The day of tomato plant pulling, I also trimmed or entirely removed things that had become infected with powdery mildew (zinnias, yellow squash, fading zucchini plants...)  Anything with powdery mildew got bagged and taken to the curb. 

In some of the newly opened spaces, I planted cucumbers, kohlrabi, cabbage, pok choy, radishes and zucchini.  A fall garden is a total experiment for me. I'm guessing because the nights are cooler, and the angle of the sun is already more southerly in the sky, the plants may grow at a slower rate.

And add to all of the above, I also thinned out the strawberry patch. That involved a lot of bending over, bending forward, getting up and down from my knees... Exhausted at the end of that, I raked the refuse up and bagged it for trash collection.

I would have blamed any one of those things if my sore neck had followed directly on the heels of them, but the pain seemed to come days after I was finished with all of that work. 

Ibuprofen and Tylenol were of little help.  Hubs gave me deep massages where I could point out knots; I spent hours with a heating pad around my shoulder and neck.  I'd start feeling a little better, then it would come back with a vengeance and a headache that radiated up from sore muscles - usually at the end of the day.

After at least a week of that, finally desperate for some lasting relief, I called and got an appointment with my GP, hoping she'd write me a prescription for a muscle relaxant.  And then the very next day (the day of the appointment) I woke up with a much improved neck.  Not perfect, but not nearly as sore.  I had been able to turn over in bed the night before without yelping with each little movement.  There was still a remnant of pain in the morning, but I woke up with a motivation I hadn't felt for over a week.   

I cancelled my doctor appointment.

This calling the doctor, and suddenly feeling better is not the most satisfying of treatments, but it does seem effective.  Nearly every time.  Am I the only one for whom this is true? 

I realize my injury is surely healing itself slowly, and knowing that, I try to patiently wait it out - looking online for things to help me feel better, and reading opinions about how soon to call a doctor.  Here's the thing...  it doesn't seem to matter whether I call as soon as I feel it's legitimate to do so, or if I wait a week or two beyond that, the result is almost always the same...   I don't call until I'm desperate for pain relief, and I almost always feel better within hours of getting an appointment with a doctor.  It's frustrating and greatly relieving at the same time.  

It feels like a phenomenon that should have a name.  

I'm back to crocheting and knitting and have a little progress to show on Sunday.  Today is the first time I've been on the computer in nearly two weeks.  I'm cooking and grocery shopping again, and I'm toying with pickling the most recently harvested banana peppers this weekend.

What's left of my 25 tomatoes plants are looking shrively and brown, some green tomatoes hanging on have me wondering if they will ever ripen.  I'm still picking sweet peppers, and cherry tomatoes, and enough green beans off of the last lonely trellis to serve them up once a week.

My once lovely garden looks sad now, but I'm so thankful for the strength it gave my body as I worked it, and, in the end, the speed at which it helped the summer to fly by.  A few weeks ago, I thought I'd be sad to see summer end this year, but as normal, I'm already eagerly anticipating autumn.

And look what just arrived in the mail!   

I'm going to wait until our heat is passed (it's supposed to be 90 degrees tomorrow!), but I am sooo looking forward to getting this German Extra Hardy hardneck garlic in the ground and trying to grow these new-to-me leafy greens.

Just eight more days of summer!

Soft baskets...

Last week, I wrote that I was making a crocheted basket, and I was wondering how difficult these might be for me to make - having some arthritis in some fingers.  While I did need to give my hands breaks and stretches more often than normal, I didn't suffer later for some of the manhandling required while wrangling multiple strands of yarn together and pulling it hard through the stitches below.  In fact, after I finished my first one:

...having plenty of this yarn left over, I felt compelled to start a second basket.  This time I crocheted handles into the last two rounds:

While these probably aren't practical for holding really heavy stuff, they certainly could carry pretty much anything. It's just that large, heavy items would tend to pull the soft side out of shape, and they might not look so great after a while. 

Into the larger one I put our collection of "medical equipment" that have become common use items.  Things like blood pressure cuffs, an oxygen meter, and a digital thermometer.  

We don't use the thermometer or oxygen meter very often, but this is a handy (and kind of hidden) way to store these items together so they're easy to pull out when someone wants to check their vitals.  Curious...  are we the only ones who've made a party game out of passing the blood pressure cuff and oxygen meter around the table after dinner and some laughs over a table game?   Or are we the only ones who have this much fun?

Or, maybe that's just what happens when you keep these things in the dining room.  

I love that this stuff now has an attractive container - where they can be kept handy, but hidden from view:

Now I am looking around the house wondering where else might I tuck more of these cute baskets, and what colors would work where.   The real fun of making one of these is combining colors and watching those colors change as the basket grows.  

And there is great satisfaction in knowing I'm using up a bunch of yarn that previously had no obvious use.  I'm pretty pumped about these baskets on several counts.  Be on the lookout for more to show up here eventually!

I provided a link to the video I followed in my last post, but here it is again in case it's helpful:  Artisan Market Basket crochet tutorial from Crochet Southwest Spirit. Great for craft fairs! (youtube.com)

Managing to crochet a little...

It has not been my intention to be so scarce here, but we've had some beautiful weather - perfect for working outdoors.  But as good as working in the garden and yard feel to me, it's also been exhausting. 

And then there were a lot of veggies needing picking at the same time. Preserving some of the harvest has also been tiring.  Satisfying, but tiring.

And somehow we've also been living life, coming and going, spending time with friends and family, physical therapy, fitting in a new exercise regimen, "fall activities" starting up. This past week, we celebrated our 44th Wedding Anniversary. 

I feel like I've got at least a half a dozen blog posts in me to write.  

In the evening, when work and play is done and I've been torn between sinking into the recliner or sitting at the computer to type a blog post, the recliner has won every time.

That said, I have crocheted a bit here and there, and managed to finish a larger doily I've dubbed Autumn Splendor: 

Crocheted with Curio #10 thread in the colorway Clementine

The pattern name is Summer Splendor, but for some reason I always seem to make this doily in autumn colors.  I've also apparently given away the others I've made, and I was wanting one for myself.

Also, a crocheted basket project has been calling out to me for a while, so I finally dug out some yarns and started making one.

This is the tutorial I'm (more or less) following:

I really like the handles shown above.  I'm hoping I have a leather belt or two hanging around - that I didn't donate in one my recent decluttering challenges.  

Here are the yarns I'm starting mine with:

It will be fun when I make color changes.  This is a great project for using up yarn scraps.  I have a feeling once I get one of these baskets under my belt, I may want to make more.  That said, this is not the easiest thing to crochet - I'm using 4 strands of worsted weight yarn together, and crocheting with an 8mm (or size L) hook.  With a bit of arthritis in my hands, I find stopping and stretching often a good thing to do.

Someone commented on the last post that the doilies I've been making lately have an autumnal feel to them.  That would be because I pulled out some autumn colored threads to work from:

I do the same with my "kitchen cotton" yarn.  I pull together yarns that evoke the season I'm in (or will soon be in).  Whether I knit or crochet anything with those yarns is only evident when the next season rolls around, but gathering certain yarns and threads in seasonal colors is a regular thing here.  

Some people decorate with the change of seasons; I gather yarn.

Do you do anything similar?