Sweetness and Bike

This time of year I crave pinky-orange things in the worst way. When my supermarket started carrying new to me Cara Cara Navel oranges, or pink oranges, of course I had to try them.



Pink oranges are incredibly good: exceptionally sweet and juicy, low acid, with a delicious berry-citrus flavor. The taste is similar to a Moro blood orange, except much sweeter and without the acid. The flesh is superior, very like a classic Navel orange; the peel is more brittle and does not come off quite as easily. (I suppose I should have put a regular Navel and a Moro in the picture for contrast, but they all got eaten, sorry.) Chilling improves flavor!

Then there's the pinky-orange sweetness of Split-Toe Sweethearts by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts (in Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn). Perfect for a pajama day, if that's your pleasure.



I loved knitting these socks, from their tabi toes to their intarsia in the round cuffs. Here's an inside view, to show that it's true intarsia, not stranding.



There were a few pattern modifications: I worked a smaller tabi toe and added the gusset from Stashbuster Spirals to the ankle to suit my Frankenfeet. And in a lapse of attention, I knit a shorter cuff than specified. Ah well.

The tabi toe is surprisingly comfortable – I'm aware of it, but it doesn't fidget my toe cleavage as I thought it might. However, I'm a bit bothered by the limp, rayon-y Tencel sheen of the MC yarn, Yarn Botanika Radiance. I received it as part of a very generous contest prize and I do love its pinky-orange colors. Suffice to say it's not entirely to my taste, and yours may differ.

Last but not least, this morning Google announced that Google Maps will offer the long-awaited bicycling option, currently in beta.

Or view here

The bicycling option is decidedly a work in progress and should be used with as much or more caution as any Internet directions. That said, I must say I find this development very sweet indeed.