October

October is one of those months. You feel a slow, but inevitable transition, as the scenery and air gradually say farewell to early autumn and preparations for the colder months begin.


In October, autumn changes the colors of the trees, mist covers everything in the mornings, days become shorter and shorter, and you can feel the chill that will eventually bring November and winter.


In October, everything will slowly, but surely, turn grey.


There is a sense of grief, too.


I love this time of year, not only because I love the color grey, but also, because it's time for vigorous knitting, warm socks, a cup of hot chocolate. And colors.

Colors are found in little pools of happiness outside. Like this rhubarb leaf, which looks almost like purple piece of leather to me.


Or the lichen growing on an aspen. The mustardy yellow on grey is one of the most beautiful combinations of color.


And the still remaining green of the mushy forest undergrowth is not bad either.


And then, with a little digging and organizing, you can find treasures in the boxes stashed away months ago. Ahem.


This time of year, my mind always turns to colorwork. It is so grey outside, and the sense of colors disappearing in the nature, I dig out boxes after boxes of yarn, to discover all the colors that have been hidden and stashed away during the hot summer. Colors inspire, and excite.


Planning colors is almost as much fun as using them in knitting. Sometimes a skein of vibrant colors is what you need - but sometimes you need to go absolutely wild and combine many, many beautiful tones together to create a symphony of colorful joy. (Or a cacophony, which also happens. Those are the pictures I won't show today!)

And sometimes you get overwhelmed by the colors, and this happens from time to time, if you are like me and love all the colors. Sometimes you get stuck using one single family of colors, which happened to me with the bright and brilliant blues and turquoises. When this happens, I browse my books and photographs for inspiration. Through ravelry, I found this wonderful book for color knitters, and even with a quick glance at it, I can recommend it to everyone who loves to work with colorful knits!


It is called The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques, and I like it a lot even though I haven't truly dug into the deepest depths of it yet. I'll post a proper review later.