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A bit of fall foliage and more keeper of the textiles

I always miss fall foliage. We have sort of a pallid version here in Manhattan. This is what I saw from six flights up this morning.

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When I went out earlier in the day the plaza in front of the 96th street subway station showed a bit of autumn color.

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SAM_5422 So there it is, just like the song, “Autumn in New York”.

My mother had a Lane Cedar chest. Most of it was filled with out of season wool blankets in the summer, and the “good”  wool blankets that were taken out only for important houseguests. The moveable shelves were filled with carefully packed away baby sweaters.

Many of them were made for my oldest sister by my parents Halifax friends. My daughter wore some of these sweaters when she was a baby. My mother had asked me to send them back to her when my daughter outgrew them. I plan to lend these sweaters out to my mother’s great grandchildren.

 

I just love this set.

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I will wash it when there is a baby on the way, whenever that happens.

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This sweet sweater needs it’s neck ribbon replaced.

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I have seen patterns for this sweater in some of my vintage needlework books.

 

My mother had replaced the decayed satin ribbon on this sweater with grosgrain.

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There was one boy-sweater in the mix. It must have been a hand me down from the Florida cousins

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There was also an incredibly soft carriage blanket,

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and a hairpin crochet shawl.

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I  have a vague memory of my mother wearing this shawl for a dressed up summer event.

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