Happy Easter

The church service today went well. It was absolutely packed, as churches usually are on Easter and other high holy days. The service was sort of long because there was the Lord's Supper and a few other little extra bits. When we were leaving the church, it was snowing big chunks of snow. Fred and I went and had a little breakfast at a little cafe called Brasserie Meuwese Espresso at Rokin 119. Fred said to mention it because the appeltaart (apple pie) was really good. I had a ham and cheese omelet that was a little overpriced, but really good. A good, reliable place if you're in the neighborhood, and right on the cusp of a pretty great area.

Anyway, we sat at a little table looking out the window into the little side street. It was sort of idyllic. A snowy street with people walking here and there viewed from inside a restaurant with a plateful of warm food in front of me and the whole day ahead. It's one of those times when I really appreciate where I live. You can get that at a Denny's in Texas, but it's different here.

When I go to church in the Center, I take a completely different route than when I come home from church. Similarly, if I'm with my friend, Dorothy, I take another route. So it is with socks made from the cuff down as opposed to socks made from the toe up.

Last night I finished one of the heel flaps for the pair of socks I'm working on. Previously, I have knit socks starting a the cuff, going down the leg and then I hit the heel flap. Then there are all those stitches to pick up. I was curious how this was going to work coming from the other direction. It's sort of brilliant, and the result is sort of elegant. That's what I like about knitting. There are always these thing that someone has figured out how to do, something to learn.

The instructions look absolutely mad. None of it made sense to me when I read it before starting. But if I just take it one step at a time (like so many things in life) I find that it's completely doable. For anyone just tuning in for the first time, or keeping score at home, this is a modified Diamond Waffle socks from Knitty.com. By the way, they fit perfectly.


I think the next sock I try is going to be the Brother Amos by Brenda Dayne. I'm curious how she does the toe and the heel flap. I'm a fan of her; I want to be a fan of her sock. I'm not completely crazy about how the toe on this Diamond Waffle is done. I finally got the M1. I also had to do some wrapping and turning (of course) and that turned out beautifully. Again, one step at a time. The yarn I'm going to use for the Brother Amos is some that I got from a girl named Eliza in a trade. Eliza is a shy, understated girl from the Midwest. The yarn she sent is fabulous. I can't wait to start.

There's also a wonderful new pattern on Knitty called An American in China that I want to do. Sort of a clunky name, but I love the look of the sock - also toe-up. Again, that will be done with yarn Eliza sent. It's beautiful yarn, but completely different than the yarn used in the pattern on Knitty. I've got a lot of sock yarn, so it's time to start using it - I'm knitting through the stash.

It's a lovely day to sit and knit, so that's what I'll be doing. Have a happy Easter.