Happy Fall!!!

Today is officially the first day of Fall, which is my favorite season. Now, I realize most people like summer, because it's warm, and sunny, and light late (yes, I like that too), but let's look at what autumn has going for it, shall we?
1. Changing leaves - I grew up on in PA, where the seasons are in your face and there are many shades of orange/yellow/red leaves in the fall. Very lovely. On the left coast we don't get the same brilliance of color, but there are certainly some trees that make a go of it, especially in the mountains where there is enough frost happening to really kick the color into high gear.
2. Halloween - Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, even competing with Christmas. I'm not sure why, but I like it. The candy is good, and decorations are fun, and I still, at 27, dress up every year and go to lab/class/the grocery store in full regalia. Why? Because it's fun!
3. New beginnings - Fall is back to school, and even when you're not really in school anymore there is still that desire for new stuff that comes around in September. I am still in school I suppose, but graduate school is different since I'm not taking any classes and therefore have little need for new spiral notebooks and pens (not that that stops me from buying them. I love school supplies). I also don't need new clothes, but...
4. New clothes - I don't need new fall clothes, but let's be honest. I'm going to acquire some. Even if I try to resist, I will succumb to at least one fall trend, because it's getting colder now, and this year's sweaters are enough different from last years that I really have to have something new. God help me I already bought (and wore) a pair of footless tights, which I swore a few months back I wouldn't do. Until I saw all the cute girls/women in London wearing them, and thought, hummm, I can pull that off...
5. Cyclocross - I love cyclocross. Really I love all bike racing, but cyclocross is my favorite because it involves mud and misery in addition to general suffering. I don't race myself, but I'm a big fan and a master spectator. Dave even bought me a cowbell so I can cheer for him without having to open my mouth (I'm a shy spectator unless I have friends with me).
6. Cross-country - Fall also reminds me of cross-country. I ran cross-country for 8 years, from 5th-12th grade, and although I'm sure I complained about it at the time, in retrospect it was great. I made a lot of good friends running, and I miss the camaraderie. Wednesday I ran through the woods a bit, and there were leaves on the ground and things were a bit damp, and I was immediately transported back to 10th grade, and wondering if anyone would ask me to Homecoming...
7. A chill in the air - I like that it's getting nippy at night. In Seattle it always gets a bit chilly in the evening, but now it's getting to the "I really need a sweater and maybe we should close the windows and have hot coca" stage of chilly. This implies that soon...
8. The snow will come - I also love winter. The snow will fall in the mountains and we will go skiing, and snowshoeing, and if we get around to buying tubes, tubing. I grew up where the snow comes down feet at a time, and I miss the snow. However, the great thing about Seattle is that you can go TO the snow, instead of it coming to you, which when all is said and done is much better.
9. My down comforter - Since we moved in together, Dave and I have been waging a war over bed linens. He is apparently a warm sleeper, or so he says. I don't believe it for an instant, since every night he steals all the blankets. Anyway, I have this down comforter that I love to curl up with, regardless of the ambient air temperature. Down is great. It's warm when you need it, and cool when you don't. All summer I was forced to use Dave's quilt, which is lovely but not cuddly! Now that it is fall I'm putting my foot down and insisting on the comforter, even if we have to keep the windows open to keep it cool enough for Dave to tolerate it...
10. Pumpkin Spice Lattes - Better than mochas. Try one. Even if you're not a coffee drinker (I'm not either) you will enjoy one of these. Starbucks are best, but Peet's is tolerable. Haven't tried anywhere else.

Whew! What a list. As you can see I'm excited about fall! Yesterday was an utter disaster in lab (and today's not much better, sadly). My normal response to such things is to, you guessed it, buy yarn (anyone else have this solution? I bet so). After work yesterday I went up to Weaving Works to pick up a copy of Wild Color, about natural dyeing. Rachel had brought it to lunch and I thought it looked great, and because I'm impulsive like that, I had to have one as well. I thought it was just me, but when I called the shop to make sure they had another copy, they said, yes, we do, but they're flying out of here today. I thought to myself, I bet Daisy bought one this afternoon, and sure enough, when I saw her today she had indeed! At least we won't all have to share :) They had also replenished their stock of undyed yarn, so I stocked up as pickings have been slim lately. Here's the haul:

We have a skein of the thick/thin that I'm using for my Funky Scarf Swap scarf (now almost 3 feet long), two big skeins of Kona superwash (for socks), a skein of (I hope) worsted weight wool/mohair to dye for armwarmers, and two skeins of Noro Kureyon for the start of the Lizard Ridge afghan. I'm excited. Much dyeing to be done!!!

Today was the official start of Sock Wars, and my arsenal is ready and waiting for me when I get home. It's my goal to get the socks done to mail on Monday. I'm sure some people will be mailing tomorrow, but I'm not that hard-core, and some of us have lives to work. From reading the forums, I couldn't believe how many people took today off from work for this. I mean come on, it's a knitting contest. I think taking the day off might be taking it a little too seriously...Me, I'm in lab today, I'll be hiking all day tomorrow, and I'll be going to Dave's race on Sunday. If I'm killed by a sock in the interim, so be it, at least I'll have gone down having a good time!