Is it Autumn yet?

Well, I hadn't planned on posting for a good while because I'm not at all close to finishing anything, really, but then this morning, when I woke up, the weather was decidedly autumnal (some people - including my mother who is getting a bit sick with her entire basement flooding every few weeks may call it freak weather) and then I read Heidi's blog and I knew today was the day I was going to harvest some pumpkins. I have to say I have no idea how to tell when pumpkins are 'done', but I see pumpkins of all shapes and sizes popping up everywhere, so I thought 'why not'. Actually, I know sod-all about pumpkins, except that I like the way they look. I don't know what they taste like, I don't know how long they keep, I don't know how to make pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie or pumpkin mash or pumpkin ice cream or pumpkin tea, but I do know they look kind of cozy stacked up, with Pelle's little head popping up behind them:

Pelle is frightfully proud of our pumpkin stash

You understand I won't be happy until I've photographed these babies from all possible angles, using them as props for stitcheries and threads and floss rings and key rings.... Speaking of which: I forgot to share a pic of the wonderfully sweet RAK I received from Carol about two weeks ago. The reason why I forgot is that I put it to use as soon as I saw it. Carol had written on the envelope that it contained a key ring, thinking that the good people at the customs office might not understand the term 'floss ring tag'. But, you know, I've been looking for a key ring that is totally me, and what better form of key ring than e floss ring tag? And what could be more me than a gift from Carol in the form of a Bent Creek bunny? Exactly.

Isn't it the cutest? Thank you so much, Carol. It looks a bit wrinkly, but that's because I put it to good use every day :o)

And now for some more autumnal stuff. After finishing LHN's Herb Garden - which you haven't seen yet, because that's the piece I brought to the framer's as soon as I had disposed of the last ort - I knew I needed to do another Little House Needleworks design. Now I own nearly all of the charts, but before Herb Garden, I had never, ever, ever stitched a LHN design. Not ever. I know, it's incredible, but there it is. Anyway, I now understand the attraction and I knew I had to mend my ways. Here's my new LHN start:


It's The Harvestersand I think it's pretty obvious why I chose this one. The religious text is another first and, unlike the BC Bunny, not really 'me', but you never know what good may come of stitching this ;o)

I'm slowly but surely making decent progress on Blackbird Designs' Rites of Spring

The design is just lovely, but I have Autumn on my mind and find it difficult to concentrate on anything so brightly coloured as a spring design by BBD...

I have some more things to show you, but since this post is already on the picture-heavy side, I will wait and show you my other Projects in Progress the next time.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!