The Socks of Summer

Thanks to our local sports team (the Sox, of course) and a long conversation with a friend on the phone, the cotton socks are done at last.  I love it when a plan comes together.  Though I can't believe they took this long- especially since they're short. 

That lets me move on to the next pair of socks on the needles, since I somehow wound up with three pairs cast on at once.  (That would be the random crazed casting-on I've been indulging in these past weeks.)
And then this weekend we had a board gaming marathon and house party.  As I am wont to do when socializing, I picked up needles occasionally through the weekend, resulting in another hat and mittens.  Yet more colorwork.  Strangely, despite the simplicity of the pattern, I did way more tinking back on this hat.  Possibly because I was simultaneously plotting the ignominious defeat of my opponents on the game board at the time.

That was in between watching Biscuit, who came out and participated in the party way more than he ever had before. We've often lamented his timidity, because of the three cats, he's the one who is most interested in People Doing Things.   But when company would come over, he'd flee under the bed, apparently under the illusion that almost anyone might be a Cat-Eating Monster.  As the years have gone by, and he has failed to be eaten...not to mention that a good many of our friends are cat lovers, and will pay attention to him given the least encouragement...well, he's evidently turned the corner.   He watched.  He let people pat him.  He jumped up on the couch between me and another guest.  He even checked out a guest lap.  There were still hints of nervousness, but altogether, he seemed to enjoy it.  (Of course we did have to keep a closer eye on the food, because Biscuit's increased boldness meant that he was less inhibited about things like, say, sampling the cream cheese left open on the counter....)

Cookie was his usual social self...investigating all the various bags that came in, greeting people and assessing their state of thumbs and whether they might be willing to employ those thumbs in opening cat food cans.   Jake came out and made the rounds occasionally, but generally seemed to regard the company as a mild inconvenience to his nap schedule. 

And speaking of People Doing Things- the Norwegians have come up with an idea that is either insane or sheer genius, I'm not sure which.  Yes, they aired a 12 hour program of live knitting.  See stories here and here.  I love knitting, but I'm not sure that watching other people knitting for 12 hours would necessarily be my thing.  Of course, there's nothing to stop the people watching at home from knitting along companionably.  Thanks, Mom, for alerting me to this entertainment innovation!