Summer's End

Today is the last day of summer in the northern hemisphere. The celestial equinox is 11:09 p.m. EDT, which seems a bit late for stunts like standing eggs on end. Howabout the neglected hurricane-delayed Summer of Socks wrap up instead?

This year I followed the SOS wedding theme, in honor of SOS founder and October bride Jessica, and didn't do too badly, especially compared with previous years' tallies. There's...

Something old: old glory 1776 cycling socks, which made their debut in the township 4th of July parade.



Something new: Lupin socks, which went on a hike. I wondered if the ridge from the zigzag bindoff would cause foot irritation, but it was comfortable, not bothersome at all.



Something borrowed (from the public library): singleton I Heart Toe Up Sock from Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. I modified the pattern to be a cuff down cycling sock because I heart cycling but ::cough:: I don't heart toe up socks, which rarely fit my Frankenfeet. The pretty knit-purl hearts are hard to photograph in this color, although they show up well in person.



Something blue: singleton Piscean Sock, pattern by the blooming frazzled bride herself. As I now have two complete Piscean socks, I suppose technically it no longer is a Sock of Shame, but... I don't exactly have a pair either, as the test knit is toe up and this one is cuff down and modified for fit.



As always, thanks to Jessica for a great low-stress knit-along – and good luck with the impending nuptials!

'Urricanes 'Ardly Hever 'Appen

After the big build up, Hurricane Earl turned out to be a mere swirl roundabout Exit 151. On the day landfall was forecast, DH and I packed our go bags...



... and went to the U.S. Open.



It was overcast, hot, and uncomfortably humid, and there was one brief rain delay – no big deal. But between the bad weather forecast and the bad economy, there were plenty of empty seats, which the ushers guarded with deplorable zeal. Sigh.



As usual, we bought assigned seats in the nosebleed section of Arthur Ashe stadium, and also roamed the grounds, occasionally getting good unassigned seats in other courts. For example, we had courtside seats for a doubles match that included top seed Caroline Wozniacki. (DH felt gratified he spotted her potential two years ago.)



I suppose it's another sign of hard times that several players were wearing the same fuschia dress. This year's sock is utilitarian too – more on that later.



Off-court, there were the usual amusements, plus the Wilson couch. Despite the current paranoia concerns about NYC bedbugs, there was a line to sit on it.



Last week I wanted to blog a wrap up post for Summer of Socks, but hurricane preparedness sucked up my blogging time. I'll be playing blog catch up this week!

Sea Watch

I'm keeping one eye on the sea this week. Hurricane Earl is heading this way. Stinky "brains" have been washing up on the Jersey Shore. John McEnroe has been blowing up a storm. And my Windandsea Hat looks more like an octohat than ever.



Seriously, gentle readers on the U.S. Eastern seaboard may want to check out their local Office of Emergency Management coastal evacuation maps and storm surge maps (click here for NJ). It could be time to prepare to head for higher ground – or at least to queue some hurricane knitting.

Saturday on Park

On Saturday, DH and I pedaled off to NYC to bike on Park Avenue and other streets car-free as part of the Summer Streets program. As last year, the high point literally and figuratively was the two-story high elevated drive around Grand Central Terminal, usually accessible to cars only.



Perched next to the drive were three public dumpster pools, the hot new thing this hot summer.



There even were cabanas to change in, striped ones, of course.



Because every sock deserves an adventure, I took the Piscean singleton to Bethesda Fountain, the heart of Central Park.



After a bit more pedaling, we enjoyed lunch at a favorite spot, Bistro Cassis on Columbus Avenue. DH always gets mussels, which come in a clever hammered copper bivalve dish. Then we wended our way home.

Once home, it occurred to me while resizing photos that I still have water and fish on the brain from watching The End of the Line, a beautifully photographed, powerful documentary on overfishing.

Or view here
It turns out there aren't plenty of fish in the sea – some species are so badly overfished that some fisheries have collapsed. Monterey Bay Aquarium has an online seafood watch and handy pocket guides, mobile guides, and an iPhone app to help informed consumers avoid endangered species or species with high mercury content. Have a look!

Trepidation

I started a Windansea Hat by Kristi Porter, knit from brim to crown. The FOs in the Ravelry project gallery are quite cute, although at the moment the brim on mine is shaping to be an octohat.



I do believe in blocking and brim wire, I do, I do, I do!