Hot summer nights

I believe south-central and mid Michigan is somewhat known for being hot and muggy in the thick of summer. We have been very lucky (as far as I am concerned) that we have not had a lot of humid weather so far. Humidity and 90+ degrees is usually an August thing.

But thinking about this weather to come, and having had some evenings already, it gets me thinking about knitting blankets for the boys. Why? you may ask? Because I started Boy B's blanket when we were still under cool weather and I am still plugging away. I have been completely entertained by a pattern I found in one of my pattern books, The Encyclopedia of Knitting, a book I have had around for quite some time (translation: more years than I care to remember). Half of the blanket is a pattern I made up and have cleverly convinced Boy B that it looks like roads and he could drive his Matchbox/Hotwheels cars on it. He is very excited and keeps asking me if it is finished yet (not as clever as I thought--but I digress). The pattern that I am now knitting (from the that book I mentioned) is enough to keep me entertained without stressing me out. Every other row is purl, so it seems to be just right. Plus, I'm always entertained by what every row brings to the whole picture (a nifty Aztec-looking pattern knitting in nother better than acid yellow).

In the meantime of knitting this blanket, hot weather or not, is a sock in progress. This is only my seventh sock and it is for my dear husband. I started knitting it quite some time ago (again, longer than I'd like to admit--but will say it was before I started the blanket) and had a heck of a time going from turning the heel back to three needles. The pattern I was using was incorrect (an old pattern from the 1960s) and as many times as I kept trying, the darn pattern would NOT correct itself. Go figure.

Now that I'm cruising past the gusset and well into the foot it's back to being fun and mindless knitting. Knitting that travels well. Knitting that goes to work and entertains me during the last 40 minutes of my lunch. Knitting that goes to the dentist with me. Knitting that goes outside in the 90 degree and humid heat and even though seems to be a gigantic sock (this is for a man, remember) it doesn't cover my legs and make me hotter. You just gotta love knitting like that.