Sunday Afternoon, and I'm Not Watching Football

John's watching it. I don't understand the game; I sit and knit, usually, while he watches (or listens to) the game. Today is no different. On Friday, my boss commented that we need a basic pattern for a man's toque (stocking cap for those of you who are non-Canadians) in a chunky or worsted weight yarn. I volunteered to write up said pattern. We decided on chunky yarn, so I took two balls of Paton's Shetland Chunky home with me and proceeded to knit up one hat that night. Yesterday, I typed up the pattern and then decided to try it in a larger size and on a circular needle.

The pattern will be available at the store tomorrow for a small fee. Here's how the hat turned out:

I tried it out on the nearest available man, who just happened to be John; it got his seal of approval. He doesn't wear toques, but did say he'd wear one like this. He said it fit well, not too snug, not too loose.

When I got up this morning, I decided it was much too nice a day to spend it completely indoors. It's cold out, but sunny. I had one cup of coffee, then bundled myself up, grabbed the camera and went for a walk. The snow was scrunchy under my feet, with ice crystals glittering in the sun. I took pictures again, but won't subject you to all of them. Here are two, though. The first is of the lake in front of the house. I just couldn't resist that scene. It looks so cold and yet, with the sun shining, it's just so beautiful.

And then, there's this one. At this time of year, there's not a lot of colour outside. The sumac is one exception. The heads of the sumac are a deep red, all that's left on the shrubs. I couldn't resist; and I couldn't resist playing with the picture.

I didn't touch the colour settings, though. They really were that bright, with the sun shining on the heads (I'm not sure if they're considered to be flowers or not, but they're beautiful).

Now, back to my knitting. I'm playing with some Regia cotton, trying a sock with an afterthought heel again. This time, I'll make sure I don't make the foot section too long. I'll let you know how it turns out.