Pictures from the fair

Time for the County Fair

It's time, once again, for the Great Geauga County Fair! Yes, it's called the "Great Geauga County Fair" and it's held every year on Labor Day weekend. Now in it's 186th year, it is Ohio's "Oldest Continuous County Fair" as well as one of the oldest existing agricultural fairs in the nation.
It is huge and will be a lot of walking around. In fact, another of their slogans is "You can't see it all in one day!" Well, we always try. There will be great food, greasy fair food, candy apples, corn dogs, and more food! One time we were there at the right time to see the Dock Dog Jumping Contest. That was so fun to see all the dogs jumping off the dock into the lake.
I'm not sure what we'll see this year. There's something different each day. I always stop by the "Domestic Arts" barn and eye-up the knit and crocheted entries. One of these days I would like to enter. I'll have to try to get an application next year.
There's something fun for everyone at the Great Geauga County Fair!
Maybe I should have entered the Apple Pie contest? Maybe next year!

Apple Pie and Woolly Bears

It's not quite Fall yet, but there's definitely a chill in the air these days!

I made an apple pie. The crust isn't perfect this time, but it doesn't have to be!
Did your grandma make pinwheels too? You take the little bit of left-over crust and roll it out. Spread it with butter and sprinkle with lots of cinnamon sugar. Bake them in a hot oven until they're done. Not too sweet, but a nice little treat. My husband thought the pie was a yummy surprise. The kids even ate a piece!

I saw a fuzzy woolly bear caterpillar yesterday and it reminded me of some brown furry yarn that I had. I made a long scarf with it last year, but had just enough left over to make this fun button scarf. Stay tuned for more signs of Fall!

Traditions

I have been taking the kids picture on the first day of school ever since Walker started preschool. I am waiting to get a scanner so that I can organize them all, including the pre-digital ones.

One of these kids is so excited! Can you tell which one was literally jumping for joy as the bus pulled up? Well, yes Coco was pretty excited too until she realized that we weren't going for a run.
I bought a couple dozen ears of sweet corn and am going to freeze ears since the kids love having corn-on-the-cob in the winter. LOL It doesn't always taste the best. If it's really good corn, I may get more and either can or freeze some off the cob.
I also have a bag of apples that I picked up from my Mom and Dad's yard. They make great pie, applesauce and apple butter. Maybe I'll bake a surprise pie for tonight.
Busy days! Have a good one!

Time's A-Wastin'

Summer is on the downhill slope now. There's a chill in the mornings and it's starting to get darker earlier. School will be starting in 10 days or so and it's soccer season for the local soccer club.
Sorting through the leftovers from last school year, my son found all his old papers and notebooks and decided to have a "Ceremonial Burning of the Notebooks." Out with the old and in with the new. He's not looking forward to going back to school. My daughter, on the other hand, has her outfit already picked out and is super-excited.
As for me, I'm looking forward to having my quiet time again. Ever since the kids were little, I've loved having them home with me. I suppose it was a separation issue at first, but, since 9/11, I've just been much more at-ease knowing they're safe at home. It will be nice to have my time alone again so that I can get caught up on some things. I've been putting off scrubbing the carpeting. I need to finish painting the kitchen cabinet doors, and gather more stuff for a huge garage sale.
All that aside, my true love of design and fiber arts has me dreaming of Fall Fashions and jotting down notes as to what I can make with my yarn stash. I'm hoping to get started on some jackets and sweater coats and stock up on scarves, hats, and mittens.
But first...that boy needs a haircut!!

Mobius Huh??

I've been making twisted wraps for awhile now. Once discovering the secret to the continuous twist, I've just made them up as I go, choosing colors and changing the width and edgings. It's a fun accessory because it can be worn so many different ways. Wear a narrow strip as a scarf, wider as a hooded scarf, or even wider to keep your shoulders warm.

Although I've used the term "mobius" for the twisted wraps, I only just looked up the true definition this morning. I think the answer lies with PhysLink.com's Ask the Experts. "What is the Mobius Strip? ...a Mobius strip only has one side and one edge. It was named after Ferdinand Mobius.

Ants would be able to walk on the Mobius strip on a single surface indefinitely since there is no edge in the direction of their movement"

Click on the picture for a link to purchase a poster!

If you'd like to make your own Mobius wrap, I found a pretty pattern for a Starry Night Shrug from Lincraft. Click on the "printable pattern" for a pdf file and a really cute picture!

Market Goodies

market goodies, originally uploaded by lazytcrochet.

I had a great day at the Market. I sold the new sweater bag that I made, plus a few more. Here are some Dahlias, some delicious bread, and some basil that I bought. I also bought peaches and peppers....yum!

Vintage

As much as I appreciate looking at all the vintage items on Etsy, so far, I haven't listed anything vintage. There are many vintage styles that I find inspiration from, like coats and hats. And there are some vintage finds that are so cute and remind me of my childhood. I don't know much about vintage or antiques. I'm just not the type that has a house full of things and I don't flock to sales to rummage through and find that mint condition whatchamacallit. I did stumble upon this Christmas apron and was fascinated by the design and the colors that were used. I don't know much about vintage kitchen linens - or more specifically whether it's linen or cotton. It looks like a very sturdy kitchen towel material. Plus, it has jingle bells on the ties! I love it.

Faux Fur

I was watching "The Thin Man" again the other day and they showed a brief, but beautiful photo-biography of Myrna Loy, the "Queen of Hollywood." I scoured the net looking for a particular picture that they showed, but couldn't find it. The one I saw was of her wearing a coat with a huge fur collar - one that goes down the front of the coat as well. It was big and fluffy and obviously real fur of some sort.



I came across a few examples, though none of these are exactly what I had in mind. I have some loopy Italian mohair yarn in dark rust that I've had set-aside, waiting for inspiration. Well, I think I've found it. I'm picturing a coat with a big furry collar. I'm not sure yet if it should be detachable, or worked directly onto the sweater. I like the short coat with big buttons too.

I love finding inspiration from movies and vintage fashions. While there are many gorgeous movie stars, there are a few that I find fascinating. Katherine and Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, and Greta Garbo - to name a few. Perhaps I was born in the wrong era? I think I'll work on some hats while I'm at it. And I'd love to hear who or what inspires you!