by JuliAnne Pardon Diesch
At the risk of dating myself here, I love Neil Diamond! I love having some opportunity to wake up and sing his lyrics along with him, and "September Morn" has always been one of my favorites. It's so mournful and yet hopeful. And, well, it's September! By now friends local to Stitch In Time have enjoyed their fill of Howell Melons - but if you haven't, be certain to stop by the shop for the Howell Melon colorway dyed by Monika O'Brien of Comeragh Yarns & Fibre and get your copy of Charlene Hatfield's fabulous "Melon Mobius" infinity cowl [photo below], designed to showcase this beautiful yarn (if you didn't already snag the yarn and get your free copy during the I-75 Yarn Crawl in August)! This version of the Howell Melon doesn't spoil and can be enjoyed after the harvest and for years to come!
In my house, September means the Vs are back to school and we are ALL back to better routines - so also somewhat mournful and hopeful. The air has a certain crispness to it, and sounds of the high school marching band or crowds gathered for an athletic event carry on the breeze to my house through the trees and over the lake. All signs point to the idea that it is time to knit!! My inspiration song begins, "Stay for just a while," and if you're going to stay, we might as well be knitting! The nights are going to get cooler, and we'll need some lovely knitted items to keep us warm. Soon enough, we'll see leaves showcasing their fiery splendor and will visit local cider mills to enjoy a cuppa and perhaps some cinnamon-sugar doughnuts too.
September ushers in my favorite season, with the Autumnal Equinox falling on September 23rd this year - the Monday after the 2019 Mid-Mitten Shop Hop, with seven local yarn shops (including Stitch In Time) participating in the fun from Thursday, September 19th through Sunday, September 22nd. Timing couldn't be better to get supplies for your fall cast on! Fall is the time when we start assessing the people in our lives to determine if they are Knit-Worthy for holiday gifts, but I want to remind us all that we are Knit-Worthy too. I love making Random Acts of Knitting to give to others, and am more than excited to cast on a little white sweater to honor Anne Frank's diary entry from September 21st. Stitch In Time has yarns available and a great pattern selected, so when you are in the shop for the Hop, consider adding this charity knit to your fall knitting lineup! But put yourself on the list of recipients of your knitting too! The third stanza of the Neil Diamond song that initiated my musings here begins, "Look at what you've done!" Look at it, embrace it, and utilize it! (And you have to keep some of it to do this!) I am currently in the third "Garter Town" section of "What the Fade?" by Andrea Mowry, a pattern that had been released as a KAL but here I am, knitting it two years after its release and excited to be knitting this sumptuous shawl for myself with yarn from a designer I met at a trunk show during the 2018 Mid-Mitten Shop Hop [progress photo below]! I intend to finish this to take on an upcoming trip with my husband (and am grateful for a deadline to make finishing this project for myself a priority).
Enjoy each of the thirty September morns we have, and spend at least some time each day knitting. You'll be amazed at what you can get finished in this time of transition from summer to fall. I look forward to seeing your WIPs and your FOs! Perhaps you'll even be inspired to put on an old Neil Diamond tune and sing along and reminisce that, "September morning still can make me feel that way..."