Two socks. (Both the first finished of a pair).



This is the "Gentleman's Plain Winter Sock" from Knitting Vintage Socks. (Presumably, "gentlemen" had smaller feet in the late 1800s because this sock fits me without modification - and I do not have unusually large feet for a woman.)

This is the sock using the "Yummy" (I still do not like that name. I hope that it does not imply how carpet beetles or moth larvae find the yarn). It's color 41355, sort of an ice-blue. It's also almost (but not quite) a Flammegarn yarn.

(It's actually kind of hard to find a true Flammegarn unless you dye it yourself.)

The yarn IS pleasant to work with - not sure how it will hold up as it is a 100% wool, no nylon added for strength.



And this is the first Noro Kureyon sock yarn sock. It's just a simple ribbed-cuff, ribbed-instep sock. 80 stitches on size 0 needles, as an attempt to counteract the yarn's loosely-spun quality and likelihood of fast wear.

Even with this, I've started thinking of these as my "I'm here for a good time, not for a long time" socks. (To quote a bumper sticker I saw the other day. I don't know if it's alarming or not to think that that is the sentiment the driver of the car wanted to convey to the world. At least, I hope the "not for a long time" doesn't apply to how she drives).

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Also, a silly little self-esteem-y meme.

On Ravelry, there's a thread that goes something like "I'm awesome! are you?" challenging people to describe some way (presumably fiber-craft-related) in which they were awesome.

I, being who I am, made a somewhat bemused remark to the effect that I had a hard time readily discussing what was awesome about me. Somewhat predictably - being in the company of fiber folk - six or eight people trooped over to my "projects" page and proceeded to tell me specifically how I was awesome because of the things I made.

I do think though, it's sort of a factor of either growing up female in this culture, or possibly growing up as an overachiever, that it is at times easier for me to point out the specific areas in which I am decidedly NOT awesome, than it is for me to celebrate those areas in which I am.

So, here's my silly little attempt at a meme: come up with five ways in which you are awesome. (Or more, if you have really great self-esteem). And post it on your blog. Or drop it in the comments. Or whatever.

Because sometimes it is good to remind ourselves that there are things we are awesome at.

So, here are mine:

I'm awesome because I'm a kick-*ss cook. I can look at a recipe and guess whether I'll like it or not, or know what to substitute to make it something I will like. I can taste a soup or something and know immediately what it's lacking and figure out the precise herb, spice, or vegetable that it needs. I can also improvise recipes on the fly, putting together what I think will work. And most of the time, it does.

I'm awesome because I have super color-choosing powers. And it's not just me saying that - one of my colleagues made me be on the "decorating" committee (really, more the choosing-tile-colors-and-choosing-upholsteries committee) for our new building because she said she trusted my ability to pick things that looked good better than the rest of the department.

I'm awesome because I'm so good at knitting lace, I can even find errors in other people's patterns. (And no, that's not singling out one specific person who writes patterns - I've found and either inquired about, or corrected on my own, mistakes in other patterns). I know enough to trust my intuition and not shrug and go, "Pattern must be right" and wind up with a hot mess instead of a shawl.

I'm awesome because I'm not afraid of trying difficult or complex patterns.

And finally, I'm awesome because even though I have a busy schedule, work full time, do volunteer work, and have to basically do all the taking-care-of-myself things that most people at least have a spouse to help them with, I still manage to live a fairly well-balanced life with enough sleep and time for exercise and time to relax and time for spiritual stuff and time to knit and sew and crochet and embroider and quilt.

So, what makes YOU awesome?