(Morbid) thought for the day.

As I was admiring a colleague's sweater this morning and he was showing me the places where his wife had lovingly darned the elbows he told me about how Irish sailing families used to have their own unique cable patterned sweaters. That way, when bodies were washed up which had been in the water for some time they could be identified by the pattern of their jerseys. Which got me to thinking, if I was pulled out of one of the nearby canals, could I be identified by my Angora Kiri, Kidsilk Haze River* or green Birch Leaf socks? (I told you this was a morbid thought for the day.)

On a brighter note, I finished the first Birch Leaf sock and am onto the first pattern repeat of the second. I made a couple of minor adjustments to the pattern. I changed the heel flap heel for a short-row one with 10 pairs of wrapped stitches**. I also cut short the toe with 12 stitches remaining*** on each needle and kitchenered it shut. Partly because I don't have super long pointy toes, partly because the pattern calls for you to knit until 8 stitches remain and then draw the end of the yarn tightly through them to create what Brenda Dayne so elegantly calls a cat's arse toe. I'm just not a cat person, folks.

I'm heading up north on Saturday for a flying visit so plenty of progress should have been made by Sunday evening (it's a 7.5 hours return journey). I may even be able to start on the Poms. I mooted the idea of a Cookie A. KAL on Wednesday evening at the knitting group and as Aliki has already cast on a pair there'll be at least two of us. My sock knitting plans are all laid out for the next few pairs, Pomatomus, Elfine's socks, Falling in Love, but what I really want to knit are these. There are so many great patterns on Cookie A.'s new site. These are socks where you can't just substitute a heel or a toe because the pattern goes all the way.

* I suspect that after a couple of weeks immersed in canal water the Kiri and River would mainly resemble high fibre content dish rags.

** I'm noting that down here so I don't have to squint at my finished sock when I reach the heel of the second one and can't remember how many wraps I made.

*** Same reason.