Cotoberfest

A yarn store once mailed me a postcard advertising a sale that would last through the month of Cotober. Initially I dismissed this as a typo, but then I started wondering. What if, in fact, there were such a month? How long would it last, and what type of days would it have? Maybe February 29th would hang out during normal years. Maybe there would be a year of Sundays, or 30-hour days. Maybe, maybe, just MAYBE, there might even be that extra bit of time tucked away to finish off the gazillion knitting projects strewn about the living room and still get the housework done and have a good night of sleep.

If I ever find the mythical month of Cotober, I will tell you all about it.

But for now we’re still in October, the month of leaf-peeping, brisk temperatures, pumpkins, corn, cats playing with corn husks, and cats fighting with other cats over corn husks. (Have I mentioned our cats don’t get along? This photo was a fluke.)

It’s the month when I listen to multiple recordings of Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz, trying to find ultra-creepy-sounding chimes in the last movement,...and knit the toe of a Christmas stocking.

Speaking of socks, I joined Socktoberfest 2006! Here’s my inaugural shot:

This photo contains about two-thirds of my lifetime sock output. I’m not a very fast knitter, and the last two years I've been concentrating on shawls.

The socks on the left are the first ones I knitted. I used yarn and a pattern from Patons, and both dpn and circular needles. I abandoned the first sock about halfway through because the dpn kept falling out of the stitches, and didn't go back to it until someone told me about Magic Loop. After that I finished sock #1 in (what felt like) no time and went right on to sock #2. I've started using dpn again as well as the circulars; I find that wooden dpn are a lot easier to manage than the metal ones.

All of these pairs have held up marvellously, but not through any magic of their own. I just hardly ever wear them.

And here are some socks in potentia. All they need is a bit of imagination...some more imagination...and Cotober.