Local Scenery – Happy Ginger Home

Finally, it’s October, my favorite time of the year! Must be the season of the witch. It’s time to run Amuck (amuck, amuck), because it’s October in Salem, MA, and here, we celebrate Halloween All. Freakin’. Month. Long. Parades, carnivals, haunted houses, and food trucks—we got those. Crowds, traffic, long lines , price gouging, and an increased police presence—we got those, too. Pumpkin patches, fried dough vendors, hot apple cider, and dogs in Halloween costumes are some of my favorite things about October. Even though the crowds are getting larger, and they start earlier and earlier every year, I look forward all year long to the cooler weather and festival-like atmosphere. After all the activity, November makes me a little sad, with its empty streets, as everything quietly returns to normal. (Cue the rolling tumbleweeds.)

But for now, there’s most of October yet to celebrate, and what better way to celebrate October than by knitting some pumpkins?

Tomorrow night is the Great Salem Pumpkin Walk, a self-guided tour of pumpkin displays, activities and entertainment. Circle of Stitches, Salem’s LYS, put out a call for handcrafted pumpkins to make up a window display for the Pumpkin Walk. I put down the gingerbread house I started crocheting for Christmas already and picked up my knitting needles and some stash yarn and got to work. Fun Fact: This project was the first time I’ve ever used Poly-fil. I loved stuffing these pumpkins till they were nice and plump!

pumpkin1

The pattern is Autumn Pumpkins by Jan Lewis. It’s a free Ravelry download. The purple pumpkin is the size that the pattern creates, with a cast-on of 30 stitches. I increased the number of cast-on stitches to 45 for the plain orange pumpkin, and 60 for the striped pumpkin.

Of course my pumpkins cried out to be part of a pumpkin patch, so I obliged them, with a little help from a witchy friend.

pumpkin2 — Biibbity Bobbity Boo! Oh wait, wrong witch.

I want to snap some pictures of Circle Of Stitches’ window display, but getting downtown and back for the next few weeks is going to be an effort. If I do make it, it will be either by bus or on foot.

Road-tripping along the North Shore is another of my favorite things to do anytime of the year, but especially in the fall. There are a lot of yarn stores in Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, along with farm stores, u-pick opportunities, and of course food! It’s all about the food…

wtch — Chocolate-covered strawberries count as a healthy snack, right?

I love Mom and Pop hotdog (and grilled cheese) stands.

field — I never get tired of this view of the Peabody Fire Museum from Brooksby Farms.

Just like that, another summer is in the books. Personally, I’m a Fall Freak if there ever was one. That being said, I really enjoyed the summer of 2018, even though the weather alternated between hot/humid/gross and freezing/stormy/gross, with a chance of “Oh look, is that a hurricane forming off the coast”?)

I love living near the ocean, but I don’t enjoy going to the beach or swimming in the ocean. It’s been years since I dipped a toe in the water. Usually my main reason for going to beachside attractions is to eat fried food and ice cream. This year, however, I explored beaches and islands I’d never bothered to visit before—some of them right in my own town. I sat on the beach, with the help of a hat and sunblock, or course. I waded calf-deep into the ocean. It was amazing, though the strong undertow kept me from going any further. I had beach food and ice cream and bought touristy chatchkes. I felt like a kid again. I’m going to make beach and island time a regular summer habit from now on.

So as we kick summer to the curb, here’s a look at some of my favorite places and moments.