Today was supposed to be our annual trip to the apple festival on Saltspring Island. We haven't missed a festival in 6 years. April was so excited too. She was telling us how much she wanted to pick some apples and ride on the big boat. Perhaps it was poor planning on my part or maybe it wasn't meant to be. We packed ourselves up and did our very best to make it to the terminal in time but I suppose the apple festival was more popular than I remember. The ferry was full. So we turned our car around and decided to find something special to do on our own island.
It has been several years since we visited Sea Cider. We don't drink alcohol (well, Jon does occasionally) so there wasn't much call to visit but we decided it was time to see what was new at this lovely cider farm. The views alone made the trip worth it. It was a clear sunny day so we could see all the way across the strait with Mt. Baker clear in the distance.
I realize now that I over-dressed my children. The last weekend in September isn't meant to be this sunny and warm. Right? At the very least I wanted April to take her new sweater out for a spin. I was really skeptical about the finished product but it will fit her perfectly this winter.
We slowly walked through the orchard. We read the names on the markers, watched the bees visit the Queen Anne's Lace, spotted some magical faerie mushrooms in the shade, looked for the last, lonely apple on some of the harvested trees and said hello to the spiders hiding in the branches (I'm relieved I haven't passed my fear of spiders on to my child but I was happy to say hello from a fair distance). When we finally made it to the farmhouse, we were ready for a snack so we enjoyed a lovely spread and cracker platter (and Jon sampled some cider) while we gazed out over the strait. I can safely say it was a happy alternative to the apple festival.
On our drive home we stopped at a few more farms. We picked up the last of the local corn from Silver Rill, some local bacon and a homemade pie at Oldfield Orchard and Bakery. We finished our day with a perfect meal of corn chowder with bacon scones and a slice of apple pie. Such a treat! I think April forgot all about the apple festival and in the end, we spent the day together doing something special for us all.
A few notes on the sweater: I started out with the Loren Cardigan pattern but I didn't like the rolled neckline and hem so I decided to make it seed stitch like the button band. However, I misread the pattern and ended up with a different shaped collar and a shorter body (though I found it frustrating that she gave measurements without a reference for where to take the measurements from). I decided to continue on. There is a bit of a mess on the inside of this sweater as I tried to make the outside look like a professionally finished product. I also decided to add an extra button hole. I'm so glad I did. The two button look doesn't usually work for us.
I used Mosaic Moon Mountain Meadow in Beekeepers Garden. I was definitely taken in by the beautiful colors and forgot that I really don't like the variegated colorways. I just don't love how they look all knit up. Yet I'm a bit of a sucker for the colors when they are skeined. It does look nice on my little girl and it will keep her warm. I added some special moon buttons I found on Etsy years ago. I have a love for buttons and it is always the most stressful part of finishing a project. Not wondering if it will fit or fretting over flaws; finding the perfect buttons is my nemesis. Luckily these buttons seem to be just right for the late summer cardigan.
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