A Spooky October Project

I'm doing a group themed read/knit along project based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic, The Hound of the Baskervilles. It's been a long time since I read it and I do love Holmes and Watson. 

We read and discuss the book, come up with something that connects our knitting with the theme and have fun sharing the experience. 

For my project, I'm knitting a pair of socks in a beautiful, hand-dyed colorway called "221 B. Baker Street" (and no, I didn't have any idea this read/knit along would be happening when I purchased the yarn - I just loved the color).  It's a fairly simple broken rib stitch pattern that gives a subtle wavy texture to the fabric, which is also nice and stretchy. I'm enjoying both the knitting and the reading so far. 

It's the perfect combination for an eerie Halloween monster project. I mean, what could be spookier than hanging out on the moors with the fabled hound? 

Of course, a warming mug of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea does keep one properly grounded. I wouldn't want to mistake my great, black beastie, Baloo, for anything sinister - he does occasionally go bump in the night!

An Ace in the Hole

Out in the Big Field where Baloo and I walk pretty frequently, there are many interesting creatures for an inquisitive dog to investigate. 

Baloo finds the thirteen-striped ground squirrel particularly fascinating. They sense his approach and make this sort of whistling chirp that sounds almost like it could be some kind of bird, at least until you come to recognize it for what it is - the alarm bell for all the ground squirrels in the area. 

They scramble for their burrows and Baloo would be content to watch a freshly used hole for hours (they apparently smell really good to him - he often sticks his nose right into the opening so that he can get a better sniff). Well, at least content until deciding he must dig it out of its little home for closer scrutiny. We all know how that would end....   So, naturally, I distract him with hopes of more interesting finds to come and we move on down the trail. There's always something new to discover.