October is here, and I’m feeling it now. Last night it froze hard, and tonight it’s doing the same. Virtually all of the trees have shed their leaves overnight, and the ground is littered with yellow and orange and scraps of russet. Autumn in Montana is so very strange - virtually overnight, it goes from thunderstorms to hard frosts, and next week, it’s entirely possible we’ll be back up to 56 degree nights and 75 degree days again… or perhaps it’ll be windy and gusty and colder in the daytime than it is right now at night.

Despite the wild, finicky weather, autumn is my favorite time of the year. It’s pumpkins and colors, hot tea and spiced cider, cozy sweaters and fluffy socks, scarves and crisp air, spices and baking. From here out, it’s a roll of holidays I love, from the spooky Halloween to big turkey dinners to Christmas and then the tide of the new year. I simply LOVE this time of year.

So I’m planning. As usual, August and September seemed too early, and I was quite, quite busy throughout, and then poof - October was here, and now it’s already the 9th and I scarcely have decorated for Halloween. Martha Stewart I am not. However, tomorrow night is my last night of work for the week, and then I’ll have three days off to drag out my decor and string up fun for the rest of the month.

I’ve been plotting both Yule and Samhain for the last couple nights - Yule gifts, and debating on the need for additional decor (truly, who can resist more Yuletide decor?!) and Samhain activities, for I want this year to be special. I’d love to set up an altar for my ancestors, and what better time of year to do it than now? Typically, however, I plot and plan and ooh and ahh at ideas, and then drag my feet until I go “Ack! It’s much too late.” I’m honestly trying to be different this year, but we’ll see how it goes.

I have set up my home altar, decorated in an autumny theme, but I may redo with spookies, and then set up the harvesty stuff again after Samhain until Thanksgiving. And then, by gods, I’m going to have my Christmas/Yule stuff up ASAP! I swear!

I debated on giving Samhain presents to friends, and even family (though for them, I would call them Halloween gifts), but I’m not sure it’ll happen. I should send something to R, since she’s pagan as well, but heck… that involves having enough money to mail it out. *lol* Shame on me, huh? Perhaps I’ll give everyone around here an apple, maybe a mini loaf of pumpkin bread. That’s doable, especially since I have days off before Halloween.

As for my Samhain ritual… perhaps I’ll do that on November 7th, as it’s a day off for me (October 31st isn’t), and more, it’s the actual cross quarter date. Though to me, it just doesn’t seem to have the same feeling… So I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take the 31st off (I /will/ if A makes me work for her on the 28th…) and just do it normally, eh? :)

Enough rambling. I’m out.

This week’s Thirteen (after a long hiatus)… from blogging in general… is on why I can’t stand television.

Thirteen Reasons I Don’t Watch TV

1. It’s a huge waste of time. The average american spends some 4 hours a /day/ watching TV. That’s 2 solid months of television watching. Imagine everything you’re missing out on. A good many people who claim they have no personal, private time, no time to enjoy their hobbies, no time to do this, do that, etc. spend several hours a night watching TV. No time? Since when?
2. Most [but not all] television shows are neither educational nor interactive. Most require no thought - only for you to sit and allow other people’s stories, images, and words fill your brain. With television, you don’t even have to imagine anything, or read a word on a page. It’s all right there in front of you. Turn on the tv, turn off your brain. There’s no need to think tonight!
3. Television cuts down on family time. Hard to have a conversation while you’re busy trying to find out what happens to the characters of your favorite shows. Harder, still, to play a game or partcipate in a project.
4. Most of the prime time shows I’ve seen are JUNK. Sheer junk.
5. Television destroys the imagination. If you’re accustomed to everything being right in front of your eyes and pouring into your ears, you do lose the capability of having an imagination of your own.
6. Television can dictate your schedule - sorry, can’t do that, Grey’s Anatomy is on tonight. Nope, nope, The Ghost Whisperer is on /that/ night. Hurry up and eat - we’ve gotta watch House!
7. Paid advertisements. Nearly a third of every half hour of programming is paid advertisements. Are we being good little consumers today?
8. Using the television as background noise gives me a headache. And are we really so afraid to hear our own thoughts?
9. It’s expensive. In a day when most families are in debt up to their ears and struggling to make ends meet, television is strangely one of the last things to ‘go’ in order to free up finances, despite most Americans spending $30-$60 a month on it.
10. It’s mind-numbing. This goes along with destroying the imagination. There isn’t any time to think for yourself when you’re too busy letting other people’s ideas fill your head. If you watch mostly fictional sitcoms and dramas and game shows, you’re not even gaining ideas, so much as passing entertainment. It shelters you from the world outside, from gathering opinions from others, from forming your own, from learning new skills and even enhancing your social network.
11. It’s harmful to children. For all the reasons stated above, and then some. It promotes ADD and ADHD. It inhibits children’s abilities to think and do things for themselves, entertain themselves. It lower grades and promotes laziness.
12. Reality TV is sick, sick, sick. I’m not talking about Discovery Channel, but all of those reality shows. What is the world COMING to?
13. The news media sensationalizes everything, and skews it out of control just to get ratings. Depressing, depressing, depressing.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Finally, an update on the mystery stole. I’m over half done now, chugging along somewhat slowly, but surely! Here’s a photo to show just how wonderful it’s turning out! I forget if I’ve mentioned it, but this is for Mom’s birthday, or for Christmas, whichever it turns up at. ;-) She knows I’m making it, but she’s only seen about a foot of it. She has no idea just how well it’s doing!

I’ve been working on it at work, pretty much exclusively. My job lets me do this, seeing as there isn’t much else for a small town night shift dispatcher to do, but even so, it’s a dark yarn, small stitches, and hard on the eyes at four a.m.

Nonetheless, I’m very, very fond of it. I hope Mom will like it, too. She’ll probably love it, but never wear it. Figures. ;-)

Edited to add: Wow. Maybe that’s too dark. Shows up beautifully on my LCD screen, but here at work… not so much. Hrmm….

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Ooh. Hard to say, actually. I’m very unpicky. My main criteria is that whatever I’m knitting with be /soft/ - whether that be alpaca to acrylic. If it isn’t soft, it isn’t for me. :) I am really fond of anything with a hint of silk in it. I can’t think of a single fiber that really makes me upset, unless it’s rough and unfriendly to my fingers.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

An strange pottery jar, currently. And a drawer for everything that doesn’t get put into the jar. Keep meaning to make myself a needle roll, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Grr.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Started knitting in October 2004. :) So two whole years ago! Wow. I’d consider myself an intermediate knitter. I don’t have a lot of problems, but there is sooo much I haven’t done - virtually any colorwork, aside from stripes, for example. Any sweaters or anything large like that… I taught myself from books and the internet, and I have virtually no resource for instruction aside from that, so anything outside of my comfort zone is definitely uncharted territory. I’m doing my first ‘big’ project now, which is a lace stole, and it’s turning out beautifully.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yep. And the link is in the sidebar.

5. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

Fruity scents, and autumn/wintery scents (cider, pumpkin, spices, etc.), and vanilla-y scents, and foody scents. Not so fond of flower scents, or really deep, perfumey ones. I do like most watery scents as well.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Actually, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, thanks to overly sensitive teeth. I love salty stuff, though. Someone sent me a bag of this Archer’s Farms cajun trail mix, that was salty-sweet, and it was really good. That’s the kinda stuff I like. :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I don’t spin, though I’d love to learn! I also do a bit of cross stitch and a lot of quilting and generic sewing of random stuff.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like a huuuge variety of music. Celtic, new age, rock, top 40 hits, alternative… Stuff like Matchbox20 & Nickelback & Alanis are great. But so are people like Loreena McKinnet and Midori and other stuff. Not fond of electronica, hip hop, rap, r&b, jazz, classical… Yes, I can play mp3s.

9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?

I love earthy colors - browns, greens, tans, etc. And most jewel toned colors - purples, blues, golds, etc. I like virtually any shade of blue or green there is. I like a lot of reds. I am not so fond of most pastels (except blue, green, purple), or most yellows, or most pinks or oranges, except in verigated/hand painted type yarns, where they aren’t the dominant color. I also like verigated springtime colored yarns, or gardeny type colors, if it’s all verigated together pretty.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live alone, and I have three kitty cats who think they own the place. And a best friend who drops over unannounced to raid my fridge and my closet, but, you know… whatever… ;-)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Scarves, hats, & mittens are my standard winter wear! I don’t really wear ponchos. Could be because I doni’t have much for them. Or it could be that I’m just not /that/ fond of them.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I’ve really enjoyed knitting the hats I’ve knitted. Scarves are quick. I’m /really/ enjoying my lacework, even though it’s time consuming. I’m looking forward to making my first pair of socks, too!

13. What are you knitting right now?

The Mystery Stole II. It’s huge and taking up all my time. *lol*

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Of course!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I use both straights & circs. I love bamboo, but I also like aluminum ones. Plastic is somewhat less happy.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

*sniffle* No. Sadly, no.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Probably about a year and a half old? It’s a scarf that would take me like, a half hour to finish if I’d just /do/ it….

18. What is your favorite holiday?

The winter solstice/yule/christmas combo, without a doubt. I love everything about it, from the chilly air to the wintery spices and the decor to the gift-giving and merry-making!

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Like, besides everything? *lol* I am a packrat. No, capitalize that. Packrat. Yes. Books are a major collection. Computers are another. Haha. Postcards by the dozen… yarn, of course. And fabric.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I have a subscription to KnitScene. Am dying to get Weekend Knitting, and virtually everything else on my Amazon list. I just bought the latest Interweave Knits, and I’m hoping I can manage to get a copy of their Holiday edition when it comes out. It won’t be around /here/ in stores, though. I rather like the magazine Cast On, but I haven’t seen it lately…

21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?

Would love to learn fair isle & cabling. And how to make socks that fit my small feet. *lol*

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I’ve made 3/4 of a sock once, then quit when it was way too large. More like house socks. I vow that my next attempt will not be so bad. I have like, 2 pairs worth of yarn and really need to just… get started. My foot measurements… I’m actually not sure how to measure for this. But I wear a US Size 5-6, average width. Slightly narrow heel. Small ladies, anyway, just a smidge larger than most kiddie socks. Grr. Same with my hands. Tiny as heck, but too big for kiddie gloves.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

March 26.