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?