I've been sick for the last week or so; I'm feeling much better now, although I can't quite shake the last of it. I went to the Y for the first time since last Monday, but I wasn't able to do nearly as much since I'm still having trouble breathing. (I did manage 10 minutes on the treadmill and one set on each of the weight machines.) The really crappy part about being sick was that I didn't have the energy or the attention span to knit, even though I had plenty of time since I was stuck on the couch.

I did manage to knock out a few hats in the days before and after my cold peaked. I love this one.

It's made of Artyarns Supermerino #123 using a size 3 needle, and it's the same Classic Watch Cap pattern as the one I made for my brother-in-law for Christmas. (The colors started to pool rather unattractively when I started the decreases, so I ripped it back and redid it while attempting to fake the color changes to more or less match the rest of the hat. I think I did a pretty good job, but I had to weave in about 17,000 ends.) This is such a great pattern. I made another one in a different colorway of the same yarn which I gave to a co-worker (before I had a chance to photograph it, alas, but he has promised to have his daughter take a picture of him wearing it). I also made a black one for my husband in Merino Style, and I'm currently about halfway through an orange one for another co-worker. (I forgot to check my Merino Style color card when I placed my last KnitPicks order; the color I ordered - for a different project - was Strawberry, but instead of a pinkish red like I was expecting it turned out to be traffic-cone orange. Fortunately said co-worker had already asked me to knit him an orange hat, and when I showed him the yarn he thought the color was wonderful.)

When I finish the hat, I'm going to do some more socks. I used a gift certificate to buy Sensational Knitted Socks, and I'm so glad I did! This book rocks. It's more of a technique book than a pattern book, so I will get a lot more use out of it than I do out of my Nancy Bush sock books. Don't get me wrong, I love Nancy's patterns - I must, since I have three of her sock books - but Charlene's book will help me design my own stuff, which is far more useful to me. I wish I had bought this book a long time ago. I just found out that she has written a sequel, and I'll be buying that one as soon as it comes out next month.