One of my favorite songs has this phrase in the chorus: “One by one my leaves fall. One by one my tales are told.” Isn’t that rich metaphor? I love imagery that comes to mind as the song likens one’s life to a tree with our stories and experiences being our leaves. I relish the hint of a shared kinship between humanity and trees, especially in the fall. The trees seem so magical as their leaves turn brilliant colors and fall to the ground.
Every fall I try to take pictures of the leaves falling from the trees. I can never capture in a snapshot how beautiful the scene is in real life as leaves fall gently around me and whisper in the wind. At Spring Mill you could actually hear the leaves detaching from the trees and fluttering down. It was incredible. I like to capture my feelings and experiences in my knitting and this fall I wanted to incorporate leaves. After long deliberation I chose the pattern “Twigs and Willows” by Alana Dakos – it’s in the Botanical Knits book which is a collection of leafy sweaters and accessories. (I love all the patterns and have a life goal to knit them all). It’s a button down cardigan with deep ribbing along the bottom and a delicate leafy pattern worked into a cable at the yoke. In keeping with it being an autumn sweater, I chose a mustard yellow yarn, since that’s the most common color in our autumn woods.
I’ve been working on it during all the trips to Eagle Creek this autumn, in the Crown Hill Cemetery, and, most recently, at Spring Mill. I’ve knit my own “leaves and tales” into the sweater as it has accompanied me on my autumn excursions this year. My sweater is now an autumn leaf in its own right
Blessings to you,
Sarah
