It happens every Fall...

....The temps fall and I get the urge to knit.  I find myself wandering through the yarn section of various craft stores.  I must buy yarn.  Wool.  Acryllic.  Blends of the aforementioned.  Cotton.  Etc.  It started three weeks ago when I was leafing through my knitting patterns {so far they are in a binder and totally transportable} and found an easy-to-knit cowl pattern.  Within hours of finding said pattern, I was standing in JoAnn's contemplating the pretty wool blends.  I managed to walk away with 6 skeins.  Not walk away as in shoplift.  Seriously!  What kind of a person do you think I am.  I purchased 6 skeins of yarn - 2 each:  mustard, navy, and a muted robin egg.  In a matter of a week, I had 3 cowls knitted.

Three weeks later, I went back to JoAnn's and found another wool-blend (different brand) and found myself purchasing 6 more skeins. 

It's been a week since the second trip and I have 1.5 cowls finished.  I've also discovered I enjoy knitting with double-pointed knitting needles {I am amazed of the things I can learn by watching 3 YouTube videos.}.  I've made two coffee cozies.  (For you non-coffee drinkers - cozies are the sleeves that wrap around your cup to protect your hands.)  I think I might have a knitting addiction...  Actually NO...I don't have a problem.  I have a realistic view of when Christmas is...December 25th as in 56 days from today.  I don't want to be knitting right up until Christmas Eve - mostly because I am not a fan of stressful situations and second, I refuse to pay ridiculous over-night postage fees. 

I've recently discovered that there are two kinds of knitters - a process knitter who enjoys the action of knitting...the feel of the yarn...the clicking of the needles and there's a product knitter - the knitter who loves the finished item.  I'm a process knitter...although I love the end product when I can give it away.  I like giving away my knitted creations.  This works well for my friends who love receiving knitted gifts.  I have a 100% cranberry red cowl scarf that I am getting ready to send to Anchorage, Alaska to my dear college friend.  I tend to keep the messed-up projects for myself...the dishcloths with a skipped stitch or the muted robin's egg cowl that got twisted twice.

Not only do I have the above mentioned yarn addiction...but I am also obsessed with all things pumpkin.  It happens every Fall too.  This is not a bad thing since pumpkins in-and-of themselves are good for you. However - my addiction is not just the orange vine-growing gift from above.  No, my addiction includes Meg's Pumpking Chai, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin dip w/gingersnaps...  Normally {i.e. winter, spring, and summer} I tend to stick to more healthy eating...however, in the Fall, all bets are off.  Every Thursday - a medium pumpkin chai.  I don't even want to know the caloric count.  I just smile and enjoy the Fallish goodness in my cup.

So far - every fall, I buy more yarn than another season and I consume more pumpkin than...well, than anyone should.  This is a slight exaggeration because at no point has my skin ever turned orange.  Seriously. 

My third Fall-ish obsession is card-making.  Now sooo far, the knitting thing and now the card-making turns out to be a win-win as I want to make Christmas gifts and several friends love getting knitted treasures and handmade cards.  The pumpkin thing is, however, selfish.  Just being honest...

Card-making.  This year will be a first that I do not have to make a ton of cards for my church family as I have been knitting throughout the year dishcloths.  It's going well...I'm totally right on track - also a first.  :)  This year I just need to make cute tags for the dishcloths and a handful of cards to send to friends and family.  For several years, I was on the every-other-year Christmas card program.  I would make fabulous cards one year and the next none at all.  I always felt really bad on the "off" years. 

I suppose I should also add to this "It happens every Fall" list...I love sweaters and tights.  I love how this time of year - I want to bundle up.  Not bundle-up as if I am going to freeze to death.  Il ive in Illinois.  It's not freezing-blinding-cold here yet.  The key word:  YET.  The Farmers' Almanac {which happens to have an 80% accuracy rating} said we are going to have a cold and snowy winter.  Now - be that as it may - again I live in Illinois - I think saying "cold and snowy" is just a given.  It would be like saying, "Angie Good may wear a sweater tomorrow."  In all likelihood, I will infact wear a sweater tomorrow...whether it's a cabled gem or a cardigan, time will tell.  Any-whooo....cold and snowy which just means BOOTS AND SWEATERS!!!

I've never bought any of those Fall-ish colored tights that I see at Target...until tonight.  I decided to throw caution to the wind and buy a pair of cute teal tights.  I have a couple of teal items and I was thinking that they would look FABULOUS with my brown boots.  {I should really add boots to this official list.}

So there you have it...these things happen every year.

Free Public Service Announcement:  Because of the consumption of pumpkin-ish treats and extra coffee and hot chocolate, my winter wardrobe is actually one size bigger than my summer wardrobe.  I had this epiphany a couple of years ago.  Here's how I see it - the squirrels and other forestry critters eat a bunch of food during the fall and winter and they put on a few pounds for insulation...so maybe we do the same thing.  I mean this in all seriousness.  I wish you could see my face.  I kind of have the "teacher look" combined with crazy hair because it's late and I am wearing my jammies while I blog. 

Seriously though -- let your winter wardrobe be a size bigger.  There's no shame in that.  No shame at all.