There was a rare total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice Tuesday. The last one was in 1638 and as I doubt I'll be around to see the next one in 2094, I stayed up to watch it. The moon was exceptionally bright – even my poor digicam could capture the effect. Although as usual, it couldn't record totality.
Then I made some stars. My favorite crisp sugar cookies, which DH took to an office party (without telling me, hrmph)...
... and two Little Star cloths to use as hotpads. The first is worked in handspun I received in a fiber swap, the second in Sugar 'n Cream. The designer had Fourth of July stars in mind, but Christmas stars work well too.
The pattern is easy, fast, thrifty, and addicting. I may crochet up a few more just for fun, in between church, feasting, and waiting for Santa. Merry Christmas!
Gaudete Sunday may have been last week, but I'm happy now because my Gaudete socks – Stephanie van der Linden's Advent calendar mystery knit-along pattern – are finished... before the end of Advent and the end of the KAL! They're beauteous (if I do say so myself), comfortable, and I learned some new-to-me techniques. I suppose it had to happen sometime: it was the perfect mystery KAL. Thank you, Steffi!
The socks were a great pleasure to knit. I love their fiddly round cast on and their shapely combination of vertical and bias ribbing...
... and their godet heels and their arch shaping on the sole of the foot. I also love how the changing stitch counts make the lovely Forbidden Woolery yarn shift between pooling and not.
Gaudete is an excellent fit on my Frankenfeet. I did tweak the pattern a bit: although there's a generous size range, from XS to L, I knit the equivalent of an XXS for a better fit. I also wanted a tallish sock, so to accommodate bicyclist's legs, I cast on with US 2s and worked an extra repeat, then changed to US 1s and knit as written, adjusting for the reduced stitch count at the heel turn and toe.
Rather to my surprise, some who have seen the singleton ascribe all manner of moral virtue and knitterly prowess to matching – or not – and conversely to the converse. Fascinating. I'm generally inclined to be untroubled by diverse taste, but what say you? Should the second sock be:
a. Done. b. Matching. c. 42. d. Don't know. e. Other, literally and/or figuratively.
Feel free to select all that apply, and to elaborate in the comments.
On Sunday I found out the Mitten Tree that I was so furiously knitting for (based on the assumption there would be an early deadline to allow time to sort, box, and ship items) will stay up through the New Year. Which means there's more time to knit, also ::cough:: more opportunities to become distracted. Right on cue, DH made big eyes at me.
So I restarted work on his hibernating manly scarf, a simple rectangle in King Charles Brocade. Considering it's his own fault the scarf was in time out, we'll see how long the restoration lasts.
Surely the balance of the universe demands that for all the mystery KALs gone wrong, there must be at least a few that go right. So far, so good on Stephanie van der Linden's Advent Calendar KAL – I'm quite liking her mystery sock, Gaudete, inspired by the socks her grandmother used to make. There's also a family resemblance to those oh-so-chic Loeffler Randall Stirrup Socks.
The new-to-me yarn, Forbidden Woolery Footloose, colorway Otoño, reminds me of a slightly heavier version of Malabrigo Sock – very soft and spongy, with little sproing. Ordinarily I might worry about luxuriously comfortable but slouchy socks, but the vertical and bias ribbing of Gaudete compensates nicely. I tell you, it's the balance of the universe.
For those interested in bending that long arc of the universe, roundabout Exit 151 tomorrow is the Holiday Shop Hop, which features locally made, gently used, and Fair Trade items. Be sure to have your passport stamped to win prizes.
Also, Cornucopia Network is sponsoring the last Open Gardens of the year. To me, gardens that produce even in late fall or early spring are the most impressive of all – have a look.
