Autumn knits

When Aidan and I visited Mom in Knoxville, we had the pleasure of visiting The Yarn Haven. Not only is it a beautiful store with lots of yummy yarn, there are friendly and knowledgeable people to help and answer questions. I bought a hank of Malabrigo Twist, which is bulky weight 100% baby merino, in the Caribeno colorway. It is beautiful both to see and touch, and the store used the Malabrigo Twist for a store sample of the very pattern I had in mind, The Amanda Hat. The yarn and the pattern go together very nicely, and it was fun to knit.

I don't like to wear hats but recognize that with our winter weather, I need to wear them from time to time. My version of The Amanda Hat is gorgeous and I don't think I will mind wearing it one bit:


While at The Yarn Haven, Mom picked out some yarn for me to knit her a scarf. She bought a cute leopard print fleece jacket for fall and wanted a scarf to wear with it. Despite her usual objection to wearing orange, the colors of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, she picked out Jil Eaton Minnow Merino in a burnt orange colorway called Orangini. Before she came to visit us last month, I knit several inches of two different patterns and let her decide if she liked one of them. She chose The Morning Snack Scarf, which is an easy but pretty pattern. It knit up quickly and, if it ever stops raining, I will block it and send to her:


While looking through one of my yarn bins, I came across the yarn I used to knit candy corn hats last year. I decided that I needed to make another one for my young friend Julien, who lives around the corner from us. As always, the hat is cute but the recipient is even cuter:

Breakfast with Aidan

This morning I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with Aidan at his school. This special breakfast at school morning promoted the importance of breakfast, in general, and the school breakfast program, in particular.

Aidan showed me how to get my napkin and utensils, and enter the cafeteria line. We were served a slice of yummy breakfast pizza and had our choice of mini muffins. The cafeteria workers called Aidan by name, which makes me wonder if they know the name of every student at his school or if his outgoing nature has led to them knowing him; I suspect it is the former.

In the cafeteria, Aidan led me to a table where one of his current classmates, Nathan, and his parents were sitting, and we were soon joined by one of his classmates from last year, Sarah, and her father. A lively discussion of teachers started - all three children like their teachers - and then the conversation moved on to the New York Yankees. Oy vey. It seems the others are all fans and since my team's playoff hopes ended sometime around the first week of June, there was not much I could add...certainly trash talk was out of the question.

Aidan and I went outside so he could run around the playground before the bell rang, and I chatted more with Sarah's dad and some other parents that I know. I really like Aidan's school and am impressed by the friendliness and openness the majority of parents have shown to me; SUCH a contrast to what I experienced at his school in Georgia.

The bell rang, Aidan happily hugged me and ran into the building. What a lovely start to our day!