Summer, as most people think of it, comes late to Portland. It's not raining non-stop, and occasionally the sun comes out these days. With slightly warmer, drier weather and getting older (!), I have been trying to work some exercise into my schedule. I’ve biked to work a couple of weeks now. It’s mostly downhill on the way to the office, and Portland is extremely bike friendly. There are plenty of little side streets with almost no traffic, and also busier streets with bike lanes. Almost every night, on the way home, there are a ton of other cyclists on the road. I was getting passed a lot, but it’s a combination of not really being in shape (other than “lumpy”), having a heavy mountain bike, and my low gears not really working. I want to ride at least 3 times during the week, and work up to riding everyday. It means giving up my commute knitting time, but since I have to transfer midway anyhow, I don’t really get much knitting done when I commute, so I can’t really say I’m sacrificing much there. I’d rather get in shape in those 75-90 minutes of total commuting. Plus, I don’t like squeezing onto the crowded trains, dealing with the crazies, the rude people, and the plain obnoxious. It’s win-win.

I'm having a problem getting excited about my knitting. I want to cast on for new projects, but I'm having a hard time deciding what to start. I'm trying instead to faithfully finish everything I've started, and it's slowly coming together, but I'm ready for a new love, too.

I’m picking away, very slowly, at a shawl.

This is Ene’s Scarf from Scarf Style. The yarn is Kaalund Classic Two in “bushfire”. I have two skeins, and I’m nearly through the first one, but just over half way done with the pattern.

Another slow moving project is a pair of socks. This is a particularly slow, fiddly project that I used to work on during my commute, but since I'm commuting less, it's gotten a little stalled. I have the first one done, and I'm past the heel flap on the second.

Pomatomus Socks by Cookie A. I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Black Purl"

The existence of actual changeable weather here in Portland means that I had a need for hand-knit hats! I made a fancy cabled beret for myself.

This is Ysolda’s Gretel Beret. I made the slouchy version, I assumed (correctly) I would need extra room for my 23” head. The yarn is Malabrigo. I used a little bit more than one skein. I like to wear it and with my long black wool cape and pretend I’m in Scotland or Ireland, someplace misty and green with hills and cliffs and not walking to the light-rail stop to go to work. One word about the yarn—fantastic. I know it’s been raved about across the blog-o-sphere. The colors are wonderful, and I like that it’s made by a small family company working with a cooperative of women from Uruguay. I feel like I am helping women provide for their families when I get the yarn. I feel justified to get more of it, just for that reason.

Walker also got a hat, a little plain, but something I just made up using math and his measurement. A basic ribbed watch cap in a handsome dark tweedy green. I knit up a swatch, looked at the Knitter’s Handy Guide to Knitting Patterns for the number of stitches to begin with, and just made it work. The ribbing is long enough to get folded up to make a nice snug brim and cover his ears. The best part is when I gave it to him, and he put it on, he said, “It’s perfect, like it was made just for me! It fits!” Yes, yes, yes. It’s nice when math is useful.

The yarn is Rowan Scottish Tweed DK, in “Celtic Mix”. These patterns (especially the straightforward watch cap) were a good reminder how easy and satisfying knitting a hat can be. Sometimes, you just need to finish something.