talent

People's perceptions of talent are so funny sometimes. I can't tell you how many times admitting to knitting something I'm wearing is met with the comment, "You're so talented!" Ditto for bread-baking: "You bake your own bread? You are so talented!" But music? Not so much. Maybe it's just because music is the professional part of my life, which is more a subject of work than of hobbies. Or maybe it's because when you tell people you have graduate degrees in music, the talent is just assumed.

It's funny to me because I think of knitting and baking as useful skills, not as talents. Coming up with original knitting designs or making up tasty new recipes require talent, but the mere execution of knitting a sock or following instructions for baking bread isn't talent. Those are just things you learn how to do.

I finished these socks last night. They took about a month of knitting, off and on. I didn't use a pattern, but here are the specs:

Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted fingering weight (bought on clearance from WEBS a year or 2 ago)
Sticks: size 1 DPNs (KP harmonies)
Pattern (quick and dirty version): CO 64 stitches, work 2x2 rib for 2", continue in 2x2 rib for front half of cuff and plain st st for the back half, eye-of-partridge heel with 3-st garter edging, cont 2x2 rib down top of foot until toe decreases



One new thing I tried is the eye-of-partridge heel. It's charming, especially in the variegated yarn. I may never do another style of heel again!



Would you believe my slate is completely clean now? No WIPs, though that won't last long. I'm going to cast on for a gift project tonight, and I've agreed to do a test knit in the next few weeks. This means I won't have knitting I'm allowed to make public for a while, and I may need to find some other topics to wax philosophical about in the meantime.