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I finally finished my Ghost Knitter Cowl, and just in time for Halloween! My only modification to the pattern is I added beads to the bind off. I’m happy with how this turned out! The yarn is a silk/wool mix, so it is very cushy and drapy. I didn’t block this aggressively at all, because I think the lace is open enough as is. Sadly, my Mostly Ghostly is not done at all, but there’s always next Halloween Happy Halloween to all who celebrate, and for everyone else, happy Friday!

Finally a knitting post here on my knitting blog! I have a bit of progress to report on my two current projects. Mostly Ghostly is going well – just a few rows more, then the ribbing and bindoff for the body. And of course, sleeves. Very happy with how it’s turning out so far! Hopefully the sleeves won’t take too long, but we shall see. My Ghost Knitter’s Cowl, which is related to the Ghost Knitter’s Shawl from a few years back, is also coming along really well! I’m almost done with the skull lace, so not too much more on this either. The yarn is a silk blend, so I may not need to do much blocking at all – it’s already pretty drapey. Trick or treat is this Sunday here, and we have our candy ready and the outside decorations up! Are you all ready for Halloween?

We are supposed to get down below freezing tonight for the first time this year! I had the vague sense that we still had a few veggies out there, so went out to take one last look before it was too late. That’s a pretty good haul for late October! There are still some green tomatoes out there that were too green to bring in. I did grab some that were starting to turn and will just set them near a window for a few day, but I think the rest are a lost cause. Overall this was a good year for the garden. I did learn some lessons that will come in handy for next year, so I need to remember to write them down in the garden journal! For those of you that garden, do you still have any veggies coming in? Or have the plants died off where you are?

Although we got to see a lot of interesting sites on our South Dakota trip, for us the big three were Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, and the Badlands . The Badlands is such an interesting area, because every view is somewhat different. You drive around it for upwards of an hour, and around every bend and at every scenic pullover, it’s different. This is another one of those places where pictures don’t do it justice. But here are some anyway! On the same day we did the drive around the Badlands, we also stopped at a nearby national historic site – the Minuteman Missile Site . If you are at all interested in the Cold War and how it manifested in the US, this is a really interesting place to visit. Again, our loosey goosey trip planning technique did not serve us well in getting tickets to actually tour the launch control facility. However, we did listen to a talk from an Air Force veteran who had been stationed there and had interesting stories to tell. There are also interesti...

Mostly Ghostly is coming right along! I’m well along on the torso and in an inch or 2 will be able to start the colorwork band at the waist. Then it’s just sleeves and done! I’ve been focusing almost entirely on this project because this past week stockinette has been all that I can handle. And it would be nice to have it done for Halloween! In other ghostly news, over the weekend we went to see Amy Bruni (of Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits fame) give a talk about ghosts and true crime. I kind of wish it had been done for that event, but even without the sweater, it was a fun evening! Are you doing anything spooky or fun for Halloween?

Continuing on with tales from the west! On the second day of our trip we went to Devil’s Tower. On the way, we took a little detour and stopped in Belle Fourche, home to the Geographic Center of the Nation ! Except the actual geographic center is 8 miles away in the middle of a field which is private property. And right here is a tourist trap! There is also a little local museum, which was well done. Also in Belle Fourche, according to the internet, there was a yarn shop! Except it was not a yarn shop, unless you were in the market for bales of raw wool. I think they must get a lot of visitors who were also misinformed, because I walked into the office, and the woman at the desk said “No. We are not a yarn shop.” But anyway – on to Devil’s Tower! Devil’s Tower is truly amazing – so huge and just unique in the landscape. We did the hike around it to get to see it from all angles. There were even people climbing it the day we were there! You can see them on the top right p...

Because I have so many projects in the works now, I decided the only way to make any measurable progress is to focus on one or two at a time and then move on. Because we are 4 weeks away from Halloween, Mostly Ghostly is first in the lineup. The pattern is Fall Favorites Collection ( Ravelry link ). It’s a top down sweater which I have made before with different colorwork options. I’m just at the point where the sleeves get divided off, which I’m pretty excited about A few people have commented on the ghosts, so I thought I would share the yarn mix I am using for them. The white yarn with blue speckles is fingering weight, the turquoise yarn is laceweight and the other is silk with mohair and lurex. All together they create the look I wanted – pale, a little wispy, and a little sparkly. I’m very happy with how they turned out!