This and That

It was a weekend that managed to be perfectly balanced between relaxation and busyness.  Two birthday parties, a date night (!), a few episodes of The Good Wife (love), and the reemergence of my knitting needles.  I am a seasonal knitter, to be sure.  The thought of wool draped over my lap in the heat of summer makes me break out in hives...so my needles tend to take a hiatus during the summer months.  When the first fall breeze blows through town, I eagerly dig out my knitting and jump back in with gusto.  I get a bit obsessive when I have a knitting project in the works. 

I told my husband- I just wish someone could take the boys for the next two months so I could snuggle in bed, watch movies and knit.  As long as I was knitting for them, it would be perfectly acceptable to ditch them for a month or two- right?!  Since that isn't a realistic option, I have limited myself to two projects that I hope to finish before the holidays- Christmas sweaters for both of the boys.  Not that Vijay will wear his- whenever I try to put him in handmade knits- he seems to sense my eagerness, and totally refuses to wear it.  He is a sweatshirt and sweatpants kind of kid.  Though Lord knows I will keep trying!  But first up, before I knit for anyone else, this easy, quick pair of felted slippers for me.

The pattern is by the adorable Melynda of French Press Knits.  I met her at Squam back in June and bought the slipper kit, knowing it would be the perfect fall project to ease me back into my knitting groove.  I am quite pleased with how they turned out.  You can see what I have in store next on Ravelry.

We also spent a good amount of the weekend outside, walking around Brown, and catching a few college sports matches- our favorite thing to do as a family.  The leaves are still holding onto their golden and crimson hues.  Providence is beautiful in the fall, and I realize how much I love this town as I walk through the leaf-littered streets.

The same fall hues were echoed at the first indoor market, where I stocked up on squash, greens and Honeycrisp apples. Again, I feel so lucky to live in a town where we have a farmers' market running year-round.

I used my farm-fresh finds to make this gorgeous salad that I spotted on the Green Kitchen Stories blog last week.  This hearty fall salad is chock full of interesting flavors; pomegranate, avocado, butternut squash, millet and Swiss chard.  I made my own dressing instead of following the recipe, a simple concoction of lemon juice, olive oil and whole grain mustard.  It was perfect.  I'm thinking this might make the cut for Thanksgiving!