Golden Days

There's a crispness in the air and the woods are thick with the smell of golden days.... fall days. Living in northern Minnesota we experience seasons. I mean S-E-A-S-O-N-S. Its not unheard of to think you have lived them all in one day. Waking up in the feels like winter! morning to below *32F and feeling the glass like crunch of the heavily frosted grass under foot and just one hour later brings April November showers that are quickly here and quickly gone. Its nothing to leave the house with a winter coat and by mid day be barefoot in what seems like the summer sun.

And then there's this:

 

 

 

Colors I cant quite capture, a feeling I cant quite explain.

 

 

 These are days we in the northland try desperately to hold onto. As the colors get brighter and brighter and as each leaf falls to the ground we gird ourselves a just a lil more for the winter to come. There's frantic harvesting and copious canning, wood stacking and fall cleaning. A sense of "putting" up the larder and battening down the hatches before old man winter decides he's moving in for an extended visit. Last year he hung out at our place for a full 7 months of snow and at times the wind chill that came bearing down across the lake was at a blustery *-50F. One week in March alone brought us nearly 30 inches of the white stuff. So in this season we quicken the pace and get ready to combat cabin fever....

 

But not today. Today we play.....

 

 

and we discover....

 

 

and appreciate.

 

 

and sit in the sun and create....

 

 

and spend time walking in the fading afternoon light through golden leaves.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy Boot Cuffs

 

Materials: Any worsted weight yarn

I hook

*stitch marker, a length of yarn or just wing it ;)

2 buttons of your choice

yarn needle for weaving in ends

scissors

needle and thread for sewing on buttons

 

Leave long 18 inch tail for sewing cuff

Row 1: ch 11

Row 2: sc in each st across

Row 3: ch 1 and turn. sc ch in back loops only across (10 sc)

Repeat row 3 for 43 more rows (46 rows total of rib stitch)

 

Joining the cuff:

Measure the cuff to mark how much over lap you would like for your faux flap or simply mark with st marker, yarn or eye 6 rib rows in (of course adjust if 6 is too small or big)

 

sc in each end of rib (NOT turning work to back side but instead working across and down the top length of the previously crocheted rib) following instructions of round 1

 

Round 1: ch 1 turn. sc in each st to your marker (aprox 6 rib rows from end) yarn over as if to sc in next st but instead go through marked st and current st together joining the cuff in the round...continue sc through BOTH parts of the cuff until you are at the beginning of the round. Mark with st marker, yarn or simply eyeball :)

Round 2: Hdc decrease over next 2 st, hdc in next 4, repeat until end of round

Round 3-6: Hdc in each st in round

Round 7: Sc in each st in round, fasten off, weave in ends

 

At the cuff, fold over faux opening half way down and use long tail to secure upper edge of cuff together at the top and the fold flap down. Continue to stitch down the cuff so there are no gaps, fasten off weave in ends. Sew on two buttons; one on the open faux flap, and the other directly below it.

 

Slide your ultra-easy-peasy-super-duper-made-by-you-who-rocks boot covers over your bare leg, or your pant leg, tuck your cuff into your favorite boots and enjoy <3