22nd on the 22nd

Presenting the twenty-second version of my Diamond Patch Jacket. I made the first one seven years ago and would you believe I still don't have one for myself! The next one will be mine. I mean it. This one has all the new updated features, slits on the side, raglan sleeves and improved neckline. I just hate a garment that gaps at the back of the neck, and this one hugs it warmly. I chose to make this version in a petite size, and found that it fits my knitting pal Patsy just right. She is about 5'2" or 3" and has a trim silhouette. The size of the jacket is 44" around and 24" long, making it a nice loose fit. 

At last, a garment that fits my mannequin just right!

The yarns are Noro Kotori: wool, cotton, viscose and silk, and Cascade Casablanca: wool, silk and mohair. Hand wash, lay flat to dry. If this one calls your name, it is available for $150 including postage (US only) email me at fibermania at g mail dot com.

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On the home front, we are enjoying our new relaxed lifestyle, and the gorgeous days of October with that blue blue sky and the changing colors of the leaves. This morning I awoke to a layer of fog, so my mountain view was obstructed. No doubt it will clear later.

On Tuesday we closed the deal on our previous house and now only own one house. What a relief! My sister has a contract on her house too, and then only has her husband's previous house to get ready to sell. She got her offer after one day on the market too. What a crazy real estate whirlwind we are experiencing.

While I promised myself and Dave "No more giant garden projects" I did find a spot where I will have a tiny plot, close to the house, in the back for basil, chives, oregano, parsely, lettuce and a few flowers. Nothing monumental, just handy for those necessary kitchen herbs. I will wait til Spring to construct it. We already have a bunch of landscape brick from the front yard that will be removed, due to my plans to scrap what is currently there in favor of brand new plantings. They will be used to create a raised bed. But I am serious about not causing myself a lot of work to maintain a large garden anymore. The long back yard will become a forest, if I have my way. Tree after tree will be planted and many will be flowering specimens. 

Dave and I recalled all the places we have lived and imagined what the trees must look like now, after all these years. At our first house in 1981 we planted white pines and several fruit trees. At our second, in 1987 we planted more pines, plus lilacs, and magnolias. Of course many more trees were planted here in Tennessee, where we had lots more land to fill up. It seems without knowing it, we are leaving a lasting legacy of green, repaying the earth for our presence.