Gold-Plate

  

  

Well now, here it is another week into October and I am inching toward thinking about the holidays. My girls are old enough to think they know what they want to be for Halloween and all the while I'm thinking, "oh, no, please do NOT insist on being an elephant with a homemade trunk and head" and "why can't you just be a princess like 98% of the small girl population?"  But I keep my mouth shut tight since they do come up with some great ideas.  But I slyly took them all to Goodwill and said, now, look here, see all these great ideas?  What do you want to be?

It worked.  Now I have a fairy, Little Red Riding Hood (a costume I've always wished one of them would choose and never had before now!), and a book character, Leeli (from the Wingfeather Saga). This does mean I'm transforming that pile of red velveteen from an old women's robe (? dress?  muumuu??) into a hooded cape, but better that than an elephant trunk, wouldn't you agree?  It's really perfect, since Millie was begging for a velvet cape like her friend's, so I think I will trim it with a feather trim or lace or ribbon, and line just the hood with a little floral patterned fabric. 

The afternoons have that golden autumn light again.  It filters through the maple leaves and floods through the living room, turning everything into gold-plate. I've finished another foxish little hood to be delivered tomorrow, a little knitted birthday gift for a friend, and have almost finished a new children's hat that will go in the shop as well. I am eager to start Alicia Paulson's "The Leaves by Hundreds Came" embroidery kit but ...costumes... need I say more?  

This week I had to do something with the huge amount of spicy peppers from the garden, so they went mainly into the freezer.  The garden is winding down now, just in time for the indoor tasks to begin to feel insurmountable.  I love the changes in life rhythms that the seasons bring to us here. 

How about you, friends?  Are you creating Halloween costumes for anyone?  Stitching, making, canning, or baking anything?