Clementine and I just got back from visiting my parents and sister Elli in Washington, just outside of Seattle. We didn't spend much time outside because the smoke from nearby wildfires made for pretty horrible air quality, but we did escape the smoke for a couple of days with a fun trip via ferry to Bainbridge Island, a really beautiful spot to visit this time of year. I put a few pics at the bottom of this newsletter (scroll alll the way down), plus more pics in this post on my blog if you'd like to see them.

 

Fall is even more beautiful back here in Michigan, though I might be biased. The red and sugar maple trees almost look like they are aflame. We've been doing the “fall” things: a trip to the orchard to get apples, cider, and donuts a few weekends ago, a hike to see fall colors, and I put up Halloween decorations this past weekend.

 

Since I sent you my last edition of Studio Notes this summer, we all got COVID over here, which was a real bummer. Thankfully, everyone is feeling much better now. I wrote a little more about that in this Friday Faves post on my blog, plus I posted two other Friday Fave posts in addition to that one, just in case you want to catch up.

 

A few more updates and glimpses of life around here…

 

reading: I finished There, There by Tommy Orange on our trip. I loved how he wove so many different characters’ stories into a powerful culminating event (a pow wow). Other recent favorite reads: Louis Erdrich's The Night Watchman and Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You.

 

eating: apples and homemade applesauce and apple pie nom nom nom

 

knitting: Just finished a Ginger Glad Hat (pattern by Brienne Moody) for Hugo with some leftover yarn scraps.

 

sewing: samples for my new fall pattern with a pile of lovely organic knits from ISeeFabric. I like that they carry matching colors in multiple knit substrates (jersey, rib knit, terry, etc) so you can combine them together into one garment.

 

watching: I'm on a punch needle kick over here…I got Rose Pearlman’s Modern Rug Hooking from the library and also enjoyed watching Arounna Khounnoraj’s Punch Needle Workshop on Creativebug (affiliate link - I’m also an instructor). I’ve been slowly gathering materials - this weekend I'm going to finally try it! :)

 

laughing: at @officialsadbeige’s Werner Herzog’s Säd Beige Halloween Costumes for Säd Beige Childrün: here and here

 

 

 

Today I'm flying to Northern Minnesota for a long weekend with some crafty friends from all over the country. We're planning to work on all kinds of projects: punch needle, knitting, watercolor, and hand-sewing. I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend full of fireside chats, good food, and other crafty fun.

 

Hope your autumn is lovely so far!

 

xo,

Rae

PS. Shipping Break Alert: since I'll be out of town for a few days, the pattern shop will have a short shipping break - if you order a printed pattern this week, I'll send it out Monday when I get back!

 

PPS. Pics from my trip to the PNW, as promised (more here):