The Albatross Around My Neck,

the thorn in my side, the burr under my saddle, the pea under my mattress.....whatever.

The Weekender sweater is finally finished.  I started it January 12th of this year, and now it's almost the end of November.  It's not that the pattern was a problem, but the yarn would not behave.  I bought it in 2014 and started other patterns a couple of times, then frogged them and put the yarn in time out.  The %^&*() swatches lied every time, and I was, as a result, always on the wrong size needles.  Finally I saw someone else using the same yarn, on size 8 needles, I liked the fabric, so that's what I've used and the sweater WILL FIT SOMEONE or else.

This is a horrible photo of it, but all photos of it all through the process have been horrible; the thing is cursed.  

Anyway, now my plan is to start on my first Fair Isle project.  I have almost no idea of what I'm doing but I figure between friends who are better knitters than I and frequent searches on YouTube, I can figure it out.  I hope.

However, I do have 6.7 oz of this yarn remaining.  Anyone want a hat?  The yarn is Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, color Thistle.  The yarn is rustic and woolen spun, so that means it's light as air and pretty scratchy.

I should go into advertising.

Almost Heaven. West Virginia.

Oh DEER!

It's autumn and that means the deer have returned.

This year we have had as many as three multiple-horned bucks in our yard at the same time.  Odd that they are traveling together, I think, but I'm not an expert on deer.  For years, we haven't seen any deer, but now we see lots of them, including one year, a mother and THREE fawns.  They were so cuuuute...

There were three bucks in our back yard one afternoon:  a four-point, a ten-point and a twelve point.  They seemed to be peacefully co-existing until the ten-point walked TOO close to the larger buck.  Suddenly he stopped moving and the two of them stared at each other from about four feet apart.

I did not want a fight in my back yard which could result in an injured deer to deal with, and I was about to walk out on the deck to distract them, but suddenly the smaller deer blinked and backed off.  And then turned around to walk into my perennial garden and started munching.  

STOP IT!  

It's hopeless.  What the deer don't eat, the rabbits and squirrels do.

I do wonder if deer hunters get to see these large bucks as often as I do.