My knitting kids keep on knitting, even when I do not report it here. I have two photos of knitter A.’s projects. First is a hat she finished while at Altu’s restaurant listening to Brian and I perform as The Fabulous Heftones, a few weeks ago:

The yarn was handspun by my friend and boss, Rae of Rae’s Yarn Boutique. It was A.’s 14th birthday present.

This kid wasted no time making it into a lovely and perfectly-fitted hat. She was inspired by a pattern Rae wrote, the EZ Fit Hat. I highly recommend this pattern, which can be done in a variety of gauges.

But that is not all! She finished the first sock of her second pair. The first pair was completed this July. I must brag that she is so accomplished that she already was able to make this sock without assistance from me until binding off. It was toe up and she had knit seed stitch (you heard that right) on the cuff. She was not sure how to bind off following seed stitch.

The fancy cuff pattern? She made it up herself.

This child is a knitter. She’s not just a student. A student might not knit without a class. A knitter will knit without me or any other structure or outer expectations. This child knows enough and is inspired enough to not need me any more. She always can learn more, we all can, but she is set for life if she never sees me again.

I’m proud of her. Not proud of my teaching, though it has been an honor to work with her. But proud that she has taken enough initiative to make this artform her own. She is a special person.

So without further ado: Sock 1 of pair 2. I must mention that she’s pretty far through sock 2 of pair 2 by the time I am posting this.

(She raised her foot on the couch so I could photograph it better. Notice the pink sock on the foot supporting her? That is pair 1.)

I have been trying to really celebrate color this autumn. I found some blossoming flowers in Cynthia and Doug’s yard on October 6, and then last week I took a few photos of trees… one at the MSU golf courses and one just five blocks from my home. Enjoy.

I have been cranking out knitting lately and not taking photos. Here, however, are at least preliminary photos of my Louisa Harding hat (chevron lace and angora with I-cord hatband rather than ribbing).

I should have taken a photo of the back of my head, so you could see the lace better. I was not thinking of that until long after photos were taken. I haven’t given up yet, but this is what I have.

The great news is that I love it. I struggled with the lace because I do not do it much, but I kept going because it was so beautiful.

I cast on and started right in on the body of the hat rath

er than knitting ribbing.

I then made a 3-stitch I-cord (tube) that I thought would fit my head snugly (I did soak it in water to stretch it out). I grafted the ends together into a full circle and then sewed the hat body to it.

(For the knitters thinking I should have attached the I-cord while knitting it, this would mean I would have to know how many rows I needed to circle my head, before I started. I like to sew and it made sure I had a more accurate fit.)

In the end, I should have made the I-cord a little tight. It likes to fall off my head a little too often. However, I figured out how to use hairpins to attach it to my “do” and it stays put all day, so I call this a winner. I really like how floppy and unobtrusive it is, while being warm and turquoise (both excellent attributes).

Oh, and I also have finished some socks! I completed a pair for me on October 5 and have not remembered to photograph them yet. However, about a week later I finished a pair for Brian and we did a photo shoot tonight. Here they are:

Pair #164, Louisa Harding Kashmir DK, toe up (I used the easy toe from my First-Time Toe-Up socks with one modification, then used an afterthought heel decreased differently than a toe). He says they are just about perfect. I’m thrilled.