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.

irish coffee

Irish Coffee is finished!



This sweater is awesome. I love it.



It's been a rather long and stressful week, and I'm kinda tapped of creative writing skills, so we'll mostly stick to the photos here.



Also, I'm having a terrible hair day and blotchy skin day, hence the headless shots! (But at least the kids are cute.)




Pattern: Irish Coffee by Thea Colman
Yarn: Peace Fleece heathers, just under 4 skeins (100g, 200yds per skein)
Sticks: size 8 circs and DPNs
Mods: I didn't do all the sleeve decreases because the sleeves seemed tight for some reason. Probably my kickin' biceps. Otherwise, I executed the pattern as written and it turned out looking just as nice as I'd hoped. I have to say that Thea's instructions are excellent for fit and modifications to best compliment one's figure. I don't have curves to accommodate, but I feel confident as I knit her designs that they will end up as successful, flattering garments. This is the second of her patterns I've knit (the first was the Gibson Shell, but I've got several others in the queue.)

summer in october

It almost feels like summer here, with temps so warm I'm glad I didn't pack away all the summer shorts just yet. It was a perfect day for playing in the sandbox...



...admiring the changing leaves...



...and flying a kite at the park!



Also, this sock got a little bigger:



I haven't decided yet if I'm keeping these socks, but I'm inclined to. I could really use a few more pairs this winter, since my decade-old, beloved smart wool socks are finally getting holes in the heels!

I need to make my kids some socks, too. 80+ degree weather in mid-October or no, the snow will fly soon enough, and man, do those little feet grow. A few days ago, either Daniel or Anya (I can't remember which one) saw me working on this sock and said, "Mom, is that sock for me?" with such eagerness that I felt a little guilty (only a little, not a lot) about saying no, darlin', this one is my size.

like a ray of sunshine

Anya's scarf is finished. It is just right for her.



The scarf took exactly one skein (100g, about 200 yards) hand-dyed 100% Rambouillet wool from Yorkshire Rose farm. I picked up a pair of size 8 needles, cast on 20 stitches, and knit until the skein ran out. That's it. Sometimes simple is best, you know.





The truth is, I bought two skeins, so I have an entire one left. I wonder if she would like a hat and mittens to match?

is it october already?

This is the good part of fall. Leaves are just starting to turn, the sun is still shining, there is a bounty of tasty produce at the farmers' markets, and the chill in the air is just enough to make a knitter's thoughts turn to wool...and also the fact that Christmas - and several family birthdays - are less than three months away. I've given some thought to what I might make for holiday gifts, but I had better decide soon how much to commit myself to handmade gifts.

In the meantime, I've made some good progress on my Irish Coffee:



A good chunk of that got done on Wednesday at the children's hospital while Daniel was in surgery getting his adenoids out and ear tubes put in. It's not a major procedure, but they put him under for about an hour, and it was pretty rough coming out of it. We got home several hours later than anticipated. Thankfully, it went well, it's over, and the rest of his recovery is going quite well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Daniel can go back to school on Monday...for one thing, if I have to play one more game of Parcheesi, I may go cross-eyed. (It could be worse. It could be Candy Land.)