693 thoughts on “Down But Not Out”

1. I love those socks. They’re beautiful!

2. No, my winter wear sure does not match. Maybe it’s too knitty. It is plenty warm though!

3. Heck, no, my winter wear does not match since I am old enough to have dropped all criteria except Is It Warm?
   Jane, wrapped up for the winter in Chilly Hollow

4. I have noticed this as well… nothing I have matches, nothing. I am trying to correct this after having it pointed out to me, but alas. All wonderful, but no matching….

5. I second that emotion, beautiful socks. Wish I even liked to knit those things. Working on it…

6. Awesome set of winter wear! And no, mine don’t match (sock merino Sanquhar gloves and Handmaiden silk scarf) but now I’m left wondering how I’ve dared to appear in public thus eclectically clad and am thinking that I need to do something about that, thanks to Sam’s fashion forward tastes…time to root around in the stash to see what presents itself!

7. I think our new president is great too! I thought being too matchy matchy was reason for scorn from teens…but the set is beautiful. I WISH my kids would ask for handknits. They tell me, “I already have SO many hats, but if you want to knit another one, go ahead…” Not exactly the appreciation I’d like to have, but then you don’t become a parent expecting lots of appreciation and thanks (hopefully that will come when they’re older). Good luck with the college apps; my son went from CA to NY and he loves it. It’s good for them, but the parents do worry–another perk of being a parent–worrying and no appreciation. Of course, I do actually love the parenting job. Good luck with the brace/cane. Hope you’re more mobile soon.

8. No, my winter wear does not match. But it’s ok because my friends’ winter wear doesn’t match either…because I mostly made it!

9. No…it doesn’t. And it had never occurred to me that it might point me out as someone who wears handknits. But my goal for this year is to knit for myself (I have amazingly few handknits for a woman who has been knitting as long as I have)–so perhaps I’ll make myself a matching set.
   Beautiful hat and mittens! I hope you are able to get off the cane soon!

10. I know that this makes me a bad knitter but I dont have any hats or scarves or mittens or gloves at the moment. I lived in Texas (in the desert) for four years before moving back to Illinois (where it is wicked cold) and I never saw the need to knit any of those things until now. I am however inspired to knit a cabled hat and arm warmers. The hat will be from Lorna’s Laces Chunk Swirl in Black Purl and the arm warmers will be from Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sport Sock Yarn in the same colorway. So they will match without being “match-y” if you know what I mean.

11. No – my winter wear does not match, not even close!

12. my winter wear does match. this is very important! when I left Toronto and went to grad school in the US I was able to educate my friends about the importance of winter accessorizing and the meaning of the word “toque”. Love the toque and mittens!

13. Ha! My winter wear almost never matches, except in the sense that the colors work together for me. I have a wacky multicolored block scarf, purple & green Swedish mittens, and a handspun beret from an experimental yarn intended to resemble a fall forest skyline. You can see me a mile away. I look VERY ‘knitty’. 😉

14. Missed you glad things are well, relatively
    As an American from the era of the civil rights movement, I have spent many days with tears in my eyes since Obama was elected, I am not sure why, just some relief.
    I think he has made the invisible in society VISIBLE and I think even if he does not solve our $ woes or the war issues he and Michelle will have allowed Americans to find there hearts and souls again…

15. I love the button on that hat. My hat & mittens match – my first knitting endeavor – but the yarn I picked doesn’t quite withstand the cold. I’m thinking of doing a fleece lining.

16. No, my hats don’t match my mittens but I have four or five hats that I rotate, depending on mood, jacket, and temperature. More mittens are in my future but I’m thinking about gray ones to use on the bike (I have black handlebar tape that sometimes thinks about rubbing color off so I don’t want light-colored mittens.)
    More hats, too, perhaps one using the same stitch as the Leyburn socks.

17. Heck, NO! My scarf looks like a sheep (I really need to post a picture of me wearing it), my gloves are green, and I don’t do hats (they do terrible things to fine hair) but my red coat has a hood. In fact, I rather like that my things don’t match; the same with my socks, I like “fraternal twins” better than “identical twins”.

18. VERY clever hat and mitten set for Sam!
    No matchy-matchy here. I wear my hand knit Latvian mittens, a very plain rib scarf, and a wool hat bought on the street in NYC eons ago. These items all do their individual jobs so well that I could care less if they don’t actually “coordinate.” Now, when I was Sam’s age……
    🙂

19. and don’t forget, Barack Obama held a sock!

20. No, my hats don’t match my mittens but I have four or five hats that I rotate, depending on mood, jacket, and temperature. More mittens are in my future but I’m thinking about gray ones to use on the bike (I have black handlebar tape that sometimes thinks about rubbing color off so I don’t want light-colored mittens.)
    More hats, too, perhaps one using the same stitch as the Leyburn socks.

21. OMG I have been reading your blog for ever and this is the first time I am 3rd?? Could be 4th or 5th by the time I am done here.
    Ok I am with you on the foot thing. I broke an ankle once. Not fun at all. You are right everything takes longer. Who would think legs and feet are so important. lol.
    Love the socks!!! If nothing else they are bright and colorful.
    I agree that some people wear matching hats, gloves and scarves. “Real” people do not in the real world. We wear what we can find in order to keep warm. 🙂 That comming from the frozen PA area of the US. Brr. cold. Yep.
    Hmm our new President. He charmed you too. I will leave it at that. I would like to know what you think after he has served for 2 years. 🙂 That is what I am waiting for.
    Feel better. Glad you are back. Miss seeing your blog entries.

22. Same general colors, but match? not really now that I actually think of it!

23. OH and GO OBAMA YAYYYYYYYYY!! I was glued to my laptop all day, watching CNN’s streaming coverage. So awesome.

24. Ummmm Winter Wear? I live on the central coast of California. It has been in the high 70s and low 80s for most of this month. Can I come visit so that I will have an excuse to knit winter things? My fondest dream it to work with wool.
    -Very sad knitter who has run out of lighwieght summer patters.

25. Knitted stuff never matches. It’s great when your kids will wear the knitted stuff again.
    Don’t worry about Meg going so far away. My 21 year old moved 4 hours away, I cried everytime we ‘spoke’ on MSN for the first 2 months..then she came home for Christmas, I was happy when she went back. You love them dearly, but its nice when they grow up and become people.

26. No matchy matchy for me either. I guess my daughter didn’t raise me right 🙂

27. My stuff does not match. Blue mitts, striped scarf, no hat! I must really think of taking a closer look at this situation and come up with something as cute as the kit for your daughter. BRAVO!

28. I don’t think my winter wear ever matched, not even from Before Knitting! Sam is obviously a fashion victim and I think you need to knock it out of her as soon as possible by hiding anything that matches.

29. My winter stuff sort of matches but that is because my winter stuff is mostly black and I have one or two colourful scarfs.

30. Nope, my winter stuff absolutely does not match, but I love it anyway!
    Evidence here:
    http://livnletlrn.blogspot.com/search?q=knitter+new+england
    BTW, I too am liking the president who uses nice big words. ha!

31. Nope, doesn’t match.
    Of note, it didn’t match before I took up knitting. I think I’m allergic to matching winter wear.

32. NO…but I don’t care. It’s usually in colors that I love and that’s enough for me.
    BUT the asking of the daughter for something that you hand knit!!! isn’t that the berries? I will stop in my tracks, get her to define what she’s asking for (as the NOT wearing of said items is enough to send me), and will not stop…no meals, no bathing, no nothing…until I’m finished. Daughters…the power they have over us (even more supreme than the men stuff).
    Isn’t our Prez the best??? such hope and such inclusiveness, he exudes. Mighty smart, too. Ain’t he fine? and that Chicago Slump he did with his honey…that brought back memories.
    I have been waiting patiently for you to post, as I knew something was keeping you from the puter…..and the leg/foot thing sucks…it took soooo long to do things. I gave up and never left my bed….only had all my knitty stuff around me and water (you’d have thought I would lose many pounds..NOT). Could barely find hubby.

33. I never thought about it before, but my winter stuff definately doesn’t match… To anything.

34. The only things I have that match are accidental, i.e. something made with leftovers to match the sweater because the yarn is already there. Although, I did make a mittens and neckwarmer set on purpose, but it is the only set. I hope your foot mends soon, limping around is the pits.

35. I love the hat and mitten set. You do beautiful work.
    I realized earlier this winter, while I was in the throes of Christmas knitting, that I have very little that I have knit for myself and what I do have, no, does not match.
    One of the projects that I’m planning involves a very beautiful roving purchased from a knitting group friend who dyes. I’m planning thrummed mittens. They will match nothing else in my winter-wear arsenal. (Of course) Oh well.

36. Much of my winter wear does sort of “match,” but only by accident and because I am predictable and keep falling passionately in love with what somehow turns out to be the same shade of charcoal grey, over and over and over again. What can I say? It seems new and exciting to me every time, and so now I have a charcoal grey lace wrap in one yarn, and charcoal-grey pseudo-mittens in quite another, and a sweater that… need I say? And you’d never guess what color yarn I’ve been spinning lately. A lot of it.
    Sending you all sorts of healing mojo and hopes for speedy and painless convalescence. Also, give you joy of your running water.

37. I don’t think I’ve ever commented before, but I’ve lurked for years. I love the set you made for Meg. They look very grown up and matchy. Personally, my knits don’t match very often and knit socks get worn whether they match my outfit or not.

38. My winter wear doesn’t match, neither do my socks (except to each other.) I also have a navy coat while most my wardrobe is black or brown. My purse is navy too, but it doesn’t go with the coat. I kinda look like a warm bag lady in winter.
    As for the bathroom issue, if its to cold in Kentucky to bare your bum outside its DEFINITELY too cold in Canada to do so. I suggest holding it as long as possible and making as few trips as possible.

39. My winter wear doesn’t match at all. It’s horrifying, really. And neither my hat nor mitts match my jacket very well, either. I clash with myself in a very bad way. My boys, however, match beautifully. Stripy hats (one for each) and two pairs of mittens each, one pair to match each stripe, because boys are always losing mittens. My oldest, however, decided to wear one of each color mitten with his stripy hat. He’s a quirky one.
    Our President certainly can turn a phrase, can’t he? His whole family looked spiffy, too. Good thing I’ll never be President. My kids would NEVER behave that well at the ceremony.

40. My winter knitwear consists of the Knitpicks Andean Chullo hat. I have some scarves, but none are super warm so I stick with a store bought cashmere one until it’s warm enough for more “pretty” scarves, but then the hat is gone.
    I haven’t done mittens yet, but it’s a rare day that my gloves or mittens match each other, much less anything else. I do try to make sure that I have either two gloves or two mittens, however.
    And for fashion reference- I’m an unfashionable 27 year old, with no children, so I can’t even say it’s “mom brain” causing it all.

41. Smart and spiffy indeed! I too spent a good portion of my day parked in front of the television watching the festivities. It was a glorious day and I am still so excited I can barely contain myself.
    Love the knitwear set, and yes, mine kinda sorta match, but only because I am slightly OCD about that stuff. I usually tend to limit my handknits to one or two at a time and I usually knit them to go with something I already own. For example, I have two pashmina scarves that I am always wearing so this year I am rocking some green hand warmers that match one of the scarves and a plum colored hat that matches the other.
    That leg of your better heal up right quick!!

42. No, my wear does not match. But I am working on making sure that my hubby does, LOL. I have a scarf on the needles and I have a hat in mind to make match. *sigh* If I can find the same yarn, LOL. Love your blog and books, BTW!! MUAH!!!

43. No, mine don’t match either! I only had enough dog-fur yarn for a pair of mittens (oh, so warm!), so the scarf is very different. We’re supposed to match this stuff? 🙂

44. *blink* Real people have matching winterwear? Who knew?
    I totally don’t- in fact my winterwear is disgraceful because I keep giving knitting away to other people instead of keeping it. I have a crocheted hat that has done more duty wiping the windshield than it has on my head, several-years-old mittens of crappy but durable acrylic (they’ve done windshield duty too- I think they used to be brown, it’s kind of hard to tell now), and a ratty commercially woven scarf of unknown fiber (flannel?). I *do* have a hat and mittens on the needles for myself…but they’ll likely keep getting put off for baby blankets (has anyone else noticed an explosion in fertility this year, or is it just people I know?).
    Re #1..I have to point out that coffee and tea will exacerbate the up-and-down-stairs problem. Have you considered moving the coffeepot and stash to your bedroom for the duration?
    #5 You’re not wearing enough wool.
    The socks are gorgeous, and Meg’s hat and mittens are so stylish they’ve raised the level of elegance of the entire blogosphere. Lovely!
    Hope you heal quickly!

45. I prefer to Compliment rather than Match.
    Yeah, that’s it. Compliment.

46. No, my winter wear doesn’t really match. Of course, my socks rarely match either, so it doesn’t bother me much. (Well, the socks usually match each other. Just not anything else I’m wearing.)
    I love that hat! I love our new President too, even though I agree with you about those certain issues you brought up. You have to love his wife and little girls too!

47. Remind the daughter that we all turn out like our mothers. Some of us go kicking and screaming, but we all end up there.
    We U.S. citizens, most of us, are happy and excited about Obama. Thank you for your congratulations! Yesterday was was as good as Halloween, Christmas and the 4th of July all rolled into one. Happy Day! Huzzah!

48. Ha, as if anything matches! I wear jumpers / socks anything knitted that have no relation to the rest of what I have on. I am particularly bad with winter wear though – I have enough that I probably could make it match (or at least go together), but where is the fun in looking like everyone else with their matching sets?

49. Love the “set”. Just for the record, I have a set of handknit items…a Scandinavian hat and Selbuvotter mittens out of Frogtree alpaca (although your daughter is 99% right). I totally agree with your comments on our new President. I watched television more yesterday than any day I can remember. I love that he seems a combination of calm,cool and collected.

50. Ha! No, my winter stuff does not match. But does anything count as “winter” stuff here in San Francisco, where we just had a week’s worth of freak summer weather (and when I say summer, I mean Indian Summer, or San Diego weather)?
    You’re not going to use a power outage as a further excuse? I think you reasonably could. It’s cool, though. As long as you don’t never update again. Srsly.

51. I made a scarf and queued a matching hat on Ravelry. I think that’s the closest I’ve gotten on something that was for me. (For gifts I’ve given matching stuff.) Does it count since I haven’t worn the scarf yet?

52. Nope, and I like it that way.
    I do design matching stuff, for babies and other small people, but I like to have different stuff to choose from depending on my mood that day.
    I knit hats for charity, a lot, and often browse that box as if it’s my own special hat store. They need to be soaked and blocked anyway, so usually wear them a few times first LOL.
    I often make a scarf or shawl, wear it a few times, then give it away.
    Maybe I’m a short attention span kind of knitwear person?

53. Three cheers for MUN!

54. Most of my winter gear doesn’t match, but it has nothing to do with it being handknit. The only handknit I have been wearing is the first project I ever finished, a turquoise scarf in Lion Brand Chenille Thick & Quick in what I thought at the time was seed stitch, but what turned out to be a one by one rib, because…well, because it was only the second project I ever started and I was not clear on what it meant to purl the knits and knit the purls.
    I love the hat – totally adorable. and it all looks very chic!

55. You saved the day! I was finishing up my annual hats for chemo patients (22 and counting). I have 3 left to make. Unfortunately, at this point, I do not have enough of any one color to make solid color hats. So, the Robin’s Egg Blue hat will be absolutely perfect!! Many thanks!!!

56. Hmm, I am a grown woman with a purple scarf that looks like a dragon which I love. Head band in taupe alpaca yarn embellished with a knit flower. Kinda looks like something Daisy (from the Great Gatsby) would wear. Both knit by my sister. The mitts are denim blue, I made them myself from yarn I bought on sale. In my own world I match…

57. Nope and I don’t care because I am no longer so young that I’m bothered what other people think of my clothing. I have even been wearing odd gloves of late which I think may cross the line into “odd” but it was cold and I couldn’t find a pair.

58. It doesn’t match (I am fundamentally opposed to “matching,” it gives me hives) but it “goes,” as Stacy & Clinton would say. I like to play with color combinations so it is fun for me. Mostly, I wear a very fabulous orange cashmere scarf nearly every day, and so try to avoid wearing a yellow or red hat at the same time lest it appear that my head has been consumed by a fiery inferno.

59. Duh. That should be *Sam’s* hat and mittens…

60. p.s. Thanks for the good idea for a hat that features a button. My dh has been making glass buttons that I really like lately (see blog), so maybe it’s time to whip out some hats and get a jump on next yr’s xmas gift stash!

61. Someday my winter-wear will match! Some examples:
    A) I have a so-called hat knit and matching yarn for the matching scarf (not knit yet) http://ladysaphira.livejournal.com/332695.html
    B) I have an entomology hat knit and matching yarn for the matching mittens (not yet knit)
    http://knitalong.net/?page_id=3
    C) I just made some hand-painted fiber to spin for a “just enough ruffles” scarf and matching hat to be figured out later.
    And guess which of these projects has most of my attention right now? Hint, it’s the one furthest from being finished…

62. I only match because I designed a new scarf in KSH and then used the left overs to make a matching pair of Mrs Beeton’s and then with the last bits with other yarns to make a matching Instant Glamour beret 🙂
    I understand what you are going through with the Uni choices. My daughter did all that last year. We live on a small island so no matter what uni she chose we knew there would be a large expanse of water between us and her. As it happens she is loving it and worst case scenario we can be there is under 24 hours should we need to…

63. Oh, and to answer your question, no. My winter wear doesn’t match (nor does anything I’ve knitted for my family), something I noticed last week. We don’t get much cold weather here, so every time i knit something that is actually to keep people warm it’s been like a whole new adventure… one that doesn’t in any way coordinate with the adventure from before. Ah well.

64. Yes, I do think there will be more twists and you may have noticed that there are actually 2 possibilities for the 5th revealed on Friday. More mind frakking je suppose.
    And what about that Dualla scene. My DS claims that he saw signs (and has watched the episode 3 times now – how geeky is that – the only reason I haven’t is that I have been out in the cold every night this week and tonight is no exception)
    And I highly recommend Queen’s as an option, being only slightly biased as the 3rd gen of Queen’s grads (and the last alas as my son and daughter chose other options). If she goes recommend that she avoid Victoria Hall as a rez and choose one of the smaller options instead. Vic is like St James Town only in a smaller town
    Cheers to you and your injury – may you feel footloose and fancy free soon! I guess that means no DKC for you tonight (its about ethnic mittens – can I say ethnic any more?)
    Robyn Red Bird

65. Matching winter wear? No way, but not on purpose. I wear a purple (store bought) hat that was one of the few Christmas gifts my mom got right. Since she’s gone, the sentimental value has gone way up. Predominately pink scarf with colourful stripes, another gift that is just beautiful and a pair of “not-so-favourite-but-these-will-have-to-do-for-now” red gloves. I do long for the matching set though.

66. My winter knit wear does not match unless the criteria is “hand knit.” I did knit my husband a matching set, but it was kind of an accident. I had a ton of leftover yarn after knitting him the Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf… Stash busting is beautiful sometimes! Love your set too!
    I, for one, am pleased as punch about our new President! I’m glad people in other countries approve also!

67. My stuff doesn’t match. My hat is lime green bulky handspun-by-me with ear flaps and tassels. My scarf is orange and brown bulky handspun-by-my-friend-Erin in 2 x 2 rib. My mittens are plain mittens in red Possum worsted with strings (so I don’t loose them). I don’t match at all but mostly my hands are in my pockets and my scarf is tucked into my coat so people will only see my (violently) green hat (that doesn’t match my coat either).

68. Nope, my winter-wear does not match. I do need new gloves, as I’ve worn holes into mine, so perhaps I can remedy this. Probably won’t, though. But, Sam’s combo looks great! Stylish and classy.
    Regarding President Obama — thank you! I’m excited! It feels like we’re standing up and streching in the sunlight after such a long period cramped in the dark. I am also glad that he speaks not only of possibilty, but personal responsibility. It seems that in the past 8 years, that has largely been forgotten in our society.
    And BTW – I went to school 8 hours from home. Going far can be good. Strengthens the independence muscle.

69. I was just thinking about how my stuff never matches. As a teenager in LA I would have been sooo embarrassed. Now I’m a mom in the country and I guess I have gotten very knitty.
    Nothing matches but I am considering a set.
    Also I had to say Happy Obama Day to everyone I met yesterday!!
    Very spiffy indeed!

70. Yes, well, one would love to match if one had enough of the same kind of yarn for a hat and mittens to match one’s scarf. One might even go so far as to suggest that Tuesdays are for spinning and give a gentle nudge in the direction of Grafton Fiber.
    But of course one would not be so unmannerly.

71. No, my winter wear most certainly does not match. And neither does the stuff I made for my little girls or my husband. I’m lucky my socks match each other. I am contemplating wearing two single socks from separate yarns/patterns just to have another “pair” of hand knit socks to wear. Until I finish the second socks, that is… ha ha!

72. I have 1 set of matching hat/scarf/mittens, they were among my earliest knitting projects. Nothing I have made since matches anything else. Does that mean I’ve become more “knitty” over the years? Probably.

73. I wondered if Canada had frozen solid or what. Glad you are back, and hope you are 100% soon. We love Obama down here. Much easier on the eyes and ears than the last President. And yes, he speaks English very nicely.

74. My winterwear definitely does not match, but that was true before I ever took up knitting. I can’t seem to keep track of hats, scarves, and mittens well enough to always be wearing a matching set!

75. It’s funny that you ask this today, since I noticed in the reflection of the bank windows this morning on my walk to work that I look like a rainbow threw up on a hobo.
    My orange Malabrigo hat has a humongous pom pom (because you just don’t finish a Malabrigo hat and leave the remainder of the ball just sitting there); my Noro fingerless mitts are (of course) about evelenty-billion different neon shades; my sweater–of which you can only see the tri-colored yoke– matches nothing else on my person and I tied it all together with a plum scarf.
    I feel fabulous. 🙂

76. Match? What’s that?
    Only the family of this knitter has any objects that match. Mine – um – “sort of” coordinate.
    I believe that they all may coordinate with my dream coat – a lovely rust brown color coat.
    I don’t own this coat, but everything WOULD match it. My coat is baby blue.
    Right.
    OK, I do own one set of hat, scarf, mittens and wristers in Lion Brand Fisherman’s wool – the off white color.
    Good luck with lunching about your home. May making matching accessories distract you.

77. I do try—to not wear more than 3 colors at a time. I have noticed that people around here wear whatever they like and it can be rather interesting. My son coordinates without even trying, he has the best hats. (I made them and have forgotten about them) I choose my hat according to the temperature and the jacket I am wearing. My hands have been suffering though, they seem to get cold easily so a new pair of gloves is in the near future.

78. I don’t have any matching winter set for myself because thus far, I have made matching sets for others. I do, however, have a scarf made for myself, with plans to do a matching beret, once I find a good pattern for one. (The fact that I’ve used a yarn that doesn’t go with any coat I own is beside the point – obviously, I will need to get a new coat!) At the moment, I’m wearing a lightweight woven scarf that does coordinate with my coat (royal blue and black ski-type jacket), and I tend to add on black gloves, and another black scarf (for the really cold weather, which we’ve been having lately). So I might not match with handmade stuff, but I do coordinate, at least, with the coat.

79. My winterwear matches itself, and it goes well with one of my dressy winter coats, and sort of with my casual one, but it doesn’t go at all with my new-to-me dressy winter coat (used to be my mother’s… she’s had it for longer than I’ve been alive) which I realized last night 🙁 It’s also all almost 10 years old, and I’m pretty sick of it, but have no yarn budget to get new yarn for new winterwear 🙁

80. Did you watch the luncheon? In the statutory room? It might have helped that I read about it ahead of time, but I was completely obsessed. (Gifts! Painting of Yosemite! China! Crystal! All of Lincoln’s favorite dishes were served on (I think) his dishes! Rahm Emanual wheeling and dealing!) The only bad part was Ted Kennedy having a seizure. . . . but I couldn’t agree more-the day was riveting. I’m happy to be an American after eight years of shame!

81. My winter accessories do not match. They might be colour co-ordinated but not match each other. I usually only manage to knit 2 pieces. Either hat and scarf, hat and mitts or scarf and mitts. Can’t seem to make the three things together. I once did manage the 3 pieces out of the same yarn. Dog then ate the hat.

82. I am a bad mother…my daughter’s screaming pink stripped hat (knit of course) does not match her purple snowsuit at all, her mitties match the hat, or they will when I finish knitting them…. My hat, mitts, scarf do not match at all. Who cares??? I’m warm.

83. Yeah, I’m pretty thrilled with our new president. It’s the first time in 8 years I’ve been proud to be American.
    Cute set for your daughter. My winter stuff does not match, but I have some Manos that I’m planning to use for a headband/earwarmer and mitten set one of these days.

84. And yes, as an American who has waited EIGHT LONG YEARS – the new President is spiffy! I like that he is a good dancer. I like that he adores his wife even more.
    However, there is nothing more hilarious than watching members of The Other Party trying to look spiffy while they are dancing, and we did not have that form of merriment available last night.
    But I’m good with that. Really, really good. Good judgment beats out providing merriment any time.

85. Aren’t mismatched accessories in style? Oops.

86. Stairs are a major issue when a cane is involved. My personal workaround required a cane on each floor, a backpack and really great handrails on both sides of the stairway. I realize that home construction is right out, but a backback can save the sanity.

87. No worries on not blogging. I’m the last to cast a stone. lol
    Re: Excuse the first: Anger/rage causes inflammation in the body, the same as cigarette smoke. Meditation (or your calming-down method of choice) would be advisable if you’d like to EVER get off the crutches. (And get yourself some comfrey and aloe vera.)
    Re: Excuse the second: Bravo for your grown-up-ed-ness.
    Re: Excuse the third: I try hard not to think about my children leaving home. Best of luck with holding together. The fact that this is hard for you speaks volumes about how much you love your daughters, and I dearly hope they love you back just as much.
    Re: Excuse the fourth: Having been raised by staunchly conservative Republican parents, I’m leary of Obama . . . but I must say, there are quite a number of things that I like. (Posting Executive orders and such on the web for comment before he finalizes them is simply astounding. Transparency in government? Hooray!)
    Re: Excuse the fifth: My condolences for living in Toronto, in an old house.
    Re: Excuse the sixth: Geeks unite! :o)
    Re: Excuse the seventh: That set is lovely. I hope they serve a long, useful life for Sam.
    And lastly, no matching winter knitwear here. Then again, I only use a scarf (a Noro-stripe pattern scarf in a different yarn), so there’s not much with which to match.
    Get better soon!!!

88. He is definitely smart and spiffy, and a good writer and orator to boot. And he can SO dance and look comfortable and smooth doing it. He’s even human, flubbing his oath (although I swear the chief justice started it, and who wouldn’t be nervous taking an oath in front of the entire world?) We are so proud, and so relieved…
    We needed a massive dose of positive energy and hope, and yesterday’s festivities filled the bill nicely.
    I LOVE the hat and mitten colors. I think a little of the dark colors on the mittens, maybe a little band like on the bottom of the hat, would unify them even more. And I can see a scarf completing the set. Well done!

89. Matching knit wear?? Huh, who would have considered that. My mittens are my extra warm thrummed ones from a Fleece Artist kid — Pink with mostly blue rainbow flecks of thrums. My hat — fake isle hat (from Raverly) with rainbow Noro and black Patons. My kids are all under 10 so none of their stuff matches either. 🙂

90. I am with you on the final cylon….doesn’t make sense. Hoping for a twist.
    Our new president is a breath of fresh air for most of us too. I figured that if everything goes completely sideways, at least the speeches will be leagues better.
    I love the socks.
    And none of my knits match. I tried, I did…I have a “set” that is all bluish. But it is a Clapotis in Silky Wool, a Shedir in cashmere/merino blend and Endpaper Mitts in Louet Gems. So, not so much on the matching. Maybe next year….I am getting ready to start on some Anemoi Mittens…maybe I will build around that.

91. I seriously was beginning to get worried, Steph. Glad you piped up.
    Funny you should mention matching, because I am currently knitting a hat out of the same yarn as my Moebius scarf, because I saw myself in the mirror in daylight, all bundled up in the recent deep freeze, and I did kind of look like a bag lady: Noro striped hat, Twisted self-striping yarn in completely different colorway as an outside scarf, rainbow mohair scarf inside my coat, black and red leather gloves. My coat was black, at least….neutral.
    I’d been planning a Coronet hat from Knitty for some time, and from this same yarn, and I thought I’d multitask by knitting it so I could look coordinated yet knitterly and warm, and also it was my commemorative Inauguration knitting (the braid is symbolic, I’m trying not to call installation of our new president a coronation, however). (Though I too am delighted to see that he can dance!)

92. ha! nothing I’m wearing right now matches. I’m wearing a rose red hat made out of a nice navy blue Sheperd’s Wool, a beautiful grey ribbed scarf that has a rainbow of colors incorporated into the yarn (not sure of the yarn, the scarf was a gift from another knitter) and my own distorted gloves that I call “fetchings with fingers” (which are exactly that) knit from some variegated teal handspun that was another gift from a talented friend (I have nice friends!).
    I would say that they are not a set…but that they COORDINATE. And go very nicely with my grey wool coat!

93. Yes, it has been frighteningly cold for a long time. (Except for the two hours on Saturday evening when the snow turned to rain. Then it got cold again and snowed some more, producing (and obscuring) some surprisingly slick (and hard) ice. Ouch.
    Yes, we are very happy to have a President who can speak in complete (and often inspirational) sentences.
    No, my knitwear doesn’t match. not even close.
    Hope you’re on two feet soon!

94. My hat and scarf match but my gloves don’t. I frequently find a scarf or hat pattern I love, knit it and then have to sort of design the missing pattern to match. It can be fun and frustrating. And I always have enough yarn for both because I can never buy just one skein of a color I like.
    My gloves don’t match because I can’t knit them. Mittens are something I’ve never thought of making for myself, just for kids. After seeing your daughter’s cool mittens I
    may give it a try. Love the hat, too.
    I side with you that BSG must have a twist in store for us. The fifth just seems too out there, like when you read a badly-done mystery and at the end they blindside you with the culprit without any logical clues in the story.
    My college-age kids loved the new episode and think it makes sense.
    I’m also spent way too much time watching the inauguration yesterday. Obama is just that wonderful but rare mix in politicians who hasn’t let success go to his head, is intelligent, focused and inspirational.
    Our house only has one bathroom, upstairs, so I know how frustrating that can be. I hope your injury heals itself quickly.

95. I hate shopping and if seen wearing something “in”, it is usually accidental. I am embracing the concept of Wabi-sabi, and I’m pleased if my gloves match each other. Maybe I should try harder?
    About the President-If he doesn’t start any unnecessary wars, and keeps his pants zipped with everyone but his wife, it will be a fine start. That he speaks in complete sentences is a bonus to us all. I personally have a crush on the whole family.

96. I really was beginning to worry about youbecause as an 80 year old great-grand-mother, it is my job to worry.
    As an American, I cannot tell you how proud and touched and overwhelmed and in tears I was to see this man and his family taking over from a totally failed administration.
    This morning, at the National Cathedral, there was an ecumenical prayer service that was almost as moving for me.
    Hope your foot heels soon. Thank God it wasn’t your hand.

97. I bought a black wool coat to match my green Malabrigo Clapotis. Does that count? I made my daughter a Robin’s Egg hat. She’s 9, so she still loves my handknits. The 13 year old, not so much.

98. I feel for you my dear. 2 summers ago I broke my foot and was on crutches. It is the most frusterating position to be in. Finally tied a bag to the crutch so I could at least carry a thing or 2. Dishes, forget it.

99. What is this “matching” you speak of?

100. Funny you should mention it. No, my winter-wear does not match. But I was talking to a friend who very recently took up knitting. She made a hat first, is now working on a scarf, and hopes she can learn mittens next. She’s doing it all in the same yarn and asked “or do you think that’s too matchy-matchy?”

101. My winter wear didn’t match until this Christmas when I was given a scarf and hat (her first attempt at DPNs) by my daughter. But she ran out of yarn and the hat is a bit too short so after Christmas we went out and bought some yarn I am going to use to add to the hat. (it is totally different since the hat and scarf yarn came out of her sisters stash with no labels so we have no idea what it even was!) then there will be enough for mittens too so it will all go together.
     Glad you enjoyed yesterday. I saw none of it since I was asleep on the couch with a horrible cold. 12 hours of sleep later, I have a new president, know the chief justice can’t read, and feel a little better!!

102. When ever I get cocky enough to have matched clothing I either spill on it, rip it, or lose a piece of it. Usually within the first wearing. All of my good clothing, and matched clothing remains virginal in the closet to be admired but never worn.
     I broke my foot once and provided scientific documentation for the Opposite Theory-once collapsed on the couch whatever you need is on the opposite side of the room. There is a corollary-Once on the opposite side of the room retrieving said object, the orginal objects will somehow be necessary (such as ringing phone, hot water for tea etc)
     I think our president is very spiffy, as is his lovely wife. Both very intelligent. But won’t everyone miss the brooding darkness of Dick Cheney, or the misunderestimatings of W?

103. In addition to smart and spiffy, you must add sincere. Yes we did!!!
     My knitwear does not match either, but with me you can also add the three color felted purse I have been carrying for the last year!

104. Nope – my winterwear does not match, but it isn’t all handknit, either (I give away much of my knitting) — don’t know if that counts or not! I don’t wear hats, but I usually am wearing a handknit scarf (I get compliments all the time), but usually wear store-bought gloves.

105. Winter stuff match?
     Not a chance.
     orangy brown Mittens from an exchange, noro silk hat, blue cowl.
     Good job getting Sam to wear Any Winter wear!
     Granted it isn’t as cold here in KY, but I can’t get the 15 year old to wear more than a sweatshirt jacket. No socks, no hat and no mittens.
     “MOM, School is too hot and I’m getting in a heated car!”

106. I hope your injury heals quickly. Mothers don’t get a break even when they are injured or sick!! I’m quite proud of Obama, myself. I kept my 7 year old home from school yesterday so she could watch. Obama isn’t ideologically the same as me either, but he’s so different than anything we’ve ever had before. I’m proud that my country is capable of positive change. I was beginning to wonder….

107. We have a new president. This one quotes famous things in his speech, like the bible, 200 year old wars, the Declaration of Independence…and ASSUMES that you know them!!! YEAH! He can talk in complete sentences! He holds his daughter’s hand. He left his kids home to have a kids’ party, while he and his wife went to the ball!
     He’s not perfect (ditto on death penalty and marriage, but no way would anyone have won on other platforms), but he’s SO MUCH better than I thought we could hope for!
     I do love how we change gov’t with great celebration every 4 years. It’s what DOES work here! We need the reminder, sometimes!

108. No, my winter wear definitely doesn’t match. I’m not so sure it matched when I actually bought my accessories. Matching is so totally overrated. Why limit yourself when there are so many cool things to wear? Of course, my husband has already told me that I have a kind of (ahem) “bag-lady chic,” so I guess you shouldn’t be listening to me.

109. So sorry you’re having trouble moving around. It won’t be long now, Stephanie. Just a little longer.
     Also, Sam’s new hat and mittens are great! I’m so excited because I have the Knitter’s Almanac! Yay!!!
     off to queue….

110. I have my own theory — still somewhat in development. One thing I have noticed at fiber festivals. There are 3 kinds of fiber artists:
     1. The Earth Mother – “I love dirndl skirts and made this broach out of moss.”
     2. The Mrs. Roper (remember Three’s Company?) “I made 14 projects last year and I’m wearing them all!”
     3. The Nondescript Knitter – Cannot be picked out of a line up by the average person. Of course we can recognize on our our own.
     I am a #3 – perhaps the least exciting – but I come by my nondescriptness naturally. 🙂

111. So sorry about the mobility issues, you have my utmost sympathy!
     And like you, I too consider a bra a “sometimes” fashion accessory, so I certainly do not take any time to match my winter accessories. I do have a new scarf this season made from baby alpaca that was hand-dyed in some outrageously bright colors, so naturally it matches nothing else in my winter ensemble…and I am so much in love with it that I’m thinking of sleeping with it on really cold nights!

112. Plenty of non-matching knits on the mall yesterday. Cold it was.

113. That’s too funny. I was just noticing that on my commute into work today. A woman sat across from me on the train with an awesome pair of orange mittens that screamed they were hand knit (as I sat there knitting of course). I then noticed that she had on a black and white jacket, and a RED scarf. Red scarf, orange mitts. No hat but her hair was done up so it looked like a braid went overtop of her head (sorry if this is you and you are reading this). In anycase, I had the same though as Sam “those are great hand knits, but why couldn’t she wear a matching set?” We (knitters) get so caught up in the great knits we make we forget to care about whether or not they match what we are wearing – lol.

114. I bought Noro Iro and Cash Iroha, not matching, but coordinating and I thought they’d go well together. I ended up making Norah Gaughan’s droplet hat, and a plain garter stitch scarf in the Iro, so they don’t really match as such, but I like that they are not too matchy-matchy. I think your set for Sam is perfect – coordinated, but not too matchy. I absolutely love the hat!

115. Plenty of non-matching knits on the freezing cold mall yesterday.

116. So much…
     My first impulse was to say, “Add a downstairs bath,” but you’ve spent enough on home improvements this last month to last you the rest of the year.
     How about, “Have a couple of your devoted friends come over to fix you up with a kitchenette upstairs”? When I’m out of town (several days a month, every month), I manage with a coffeemaker, a small fridge, and a bag of food that can be prepared in the coffemaker. Subsitute an ice box for the fridge, and you’re set. You can live for days on fruit, juice, instant noodles, instant oatmeal, crackers, cheese, and hot and cold beverages. Add some chocolate and enough yarn, and you have a downright vacation.
     The hat and mittens are adorable. The hat, especially, is very 1920s. My cold weather gear doesn’t match at all. The last time I had to spend a cold day outdoors, I wore hot pink wristies, a purple hat, and a red scarf. If I had enough yarn to make all matching accessories, I would have knit a sweater.
     I did make a Noro hat and scarf that match, a Christmas gift to myself. I guess I should see whether I have enough yarn leftover to make wristies, too.
     I also watched the inaugural gala all day yesterday. My impression? I backed the right horse. And those little girls are too cute for words!

117. Glad to have you back, even if you are not “up and running” yet. Get well soon!
     Obama has no where to go but UP from that ding dong some people elected twice. He told it like it is: we have a lot of hard work ahead of us to make it better. Thank goodness we have a President who understands personal responsibility and how to use the English Language!

118. My knitwear matches in the Spring and Fall. If I am going somewhere special my knitwear still matches now, but for the most part it is too cold in Ottawa right now to care. My knitwear only matches in that it is the warmest stuff I have. I have a vanity/cold threshold and I passed it a couple weeks ago!

119. Sam is right. No matching around here. My mother (a longtime knitter) worries about matching but I just ignored her when she said “the neckwarmer! It doesn’t match the hat! Which doesn’t match the mittens!” The mittens (grafton batt) sort of match my solid wool scarf from Ireland, but whatever. matchy matchy is not my thing…I’m a knitter. 🙂
     About our new president, I am so stoked that it’s hard to express. I am so very glad that we have a smart man in office now, one who preaches personal and communal responsibility, public cooperation, and potentially–sacrifice. It’s probably a rude awakening for some,(esp. in my red red state) but I’m so thrilled I can’t keep it to myself any longer.

120. My winter wear doesn’t match, but then, neither does anything else I wear it seems. Though this idea of matching resolves the issue (for me) of why someone would need multiple hats, mittens and scarves…
     Re: mobility. Thermos, rubbermaid containers, and a *backpack*. I used a cane for a couple of years, without those things I would have gone (more) mental. My backpack is from MEC. You can put food, knitting and the laptop in there, and trek on up to the bedroom for working in comfort.

121. I love the hat and mitts. Good job!
     I usually manage 2 out of three. I have a hat and scarf that match, a hat and mitts that match, and a scarf and mitts that match. For some reason the third piece of the puzzle always eludes me.

122. My winter stuff is a navy blue coat, a moss green knit scarf, a black fleece hood and red gloves. I don’t care what I look like. 🙂

123. Some of my winter wear matches some doesn’t it depends on how much yarn is left over after the scarf, mittens or hat is finished. But everything usually complements the coat color. Love the socks.

124. Match- HAH! It’s so cold that I wear so many layers (3 pairs gloves, two hats, etc) so that I am lucky not to look completely like a bag-lady-type person.
     I have found the greatest combination for cold hands:
     1 pair angora knit gloves under a pair of regular wool knit gloves. Finally my hands don’t hurt!

125. None of my stuff matches either. I am lucky if I can get two gloves or mittens to match.
     Please, Please, Please, take care of your foot. I had to learn the hard way that if you don’t take care of business and you have to have surgery it will take twice as long to heal and be a million times more aggravating.

126. None of my winter outer wear matches, although I have had ideas of matching sets in year’s past. Some of my hats match vests or sweaters as they are made out of leftovers. I usually think that is nifty and special enough.
     While you are recuperating I suggest getting an audible download for your iPod or Mac of Obama’s books,Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Both are available read by Barack Obama. Spectacular insight and self reading with change for the better always the goal.
     Yes, we do love some pomp and circumstance. I did not watch the last two as Bush was not really elected president. This time I was also glued to the set tearing up, laughing, clapping and feeling like it was now again good to be an American. Hope, change and love with personal responsibility coming back. Yeah!! Thanks for writing about it.

127. Beautiful hat and mittens!
     And since you asked, yes, my outerwear does in fact match. I knit the Irish Hiking scarf, then the 3am cable hat, and some cabely mittens all in the same yarn and with the same cable. (well.. except on the mittens where I reversed them to make them symmetrical).

128. I am sorry the cane and ankle issue is driving you mad. The stairs issue is made easier if you go up and down in the manner of small children (on their bottoms), that way you can also bring things up or down with you in a basket or container. My mother (then in her mid-60s) did this at a church funeral while healing from a broken hip. I use a cane when out and the problem of only one usable hand is a tough one – perhaps an apron with pockets to carry sealed containers of coffee and other foodstuffs? I drape things over my shoulders and in my pockets all the time.
     As to matching winter wear – mine goes together but doesn’t match. I haven’t gotten to the age where I am all put together when dressed, I have made progress but still have a ways to go.
     Heal soon, knit well.

129. The socks are great and the hat and mitten set is just great. It looks really vintage and classy! And no, my accessories don’t match.

130. Love the socks…. and Sam sounds like my girls. They prefer to match.
     Me…i take what I can sometimes. Last Friday and Saturday, it was 10 below when I walked the dog in the morning and I live in Virginia. Isn’t that supposed to be the south??
     I had on 2 hats, one on top of the other, that didn’t match and a perfectly lovely scarf in another pattern and the dog did not complain at all. Of course, no children were around to witness this….
     Glad you’re back…

131. Yeah, I match, but I live in a place (SF Bay Area, California) where we only need pseudo-winter wear.
     When my kids were in their junior (second-to-last) year of high school there was a meeting for parents about getting your kid into college. I love that they told us “Don’t let your student go to a college farther away than you want to go to visit your grandchildren.”

132. One thing I learned while on crutches and then a cane several years ago is to enjoy the quiet time. While it is inconvenient about carrying stuff like mugs of coffee and a plate and getting up/down stairs, people aren’t asking you to chair a committee, bring two covered dishes to an event, pick up groceries on your way home……
     Get well soon!

133. I do have a matched set, handspun Sheep to Socks hat & mittens that have the same cuff, do I wear them together? Not often! Mainly I wear a scarf and mittens, no hat. But I am knitting a set for a friend that is way, way chic. Scarf & Gloves, silk & Merino. Luscious!

134. I have sort of matching scarf, hat and mitts, but sometimes I prefer a different hat, or another scarf, or I decide I can’t wear matchy-matchy things. The mitts are constant because they are warm — the bulkiest Brown Sheep outside, with teeny sock-yarn mitts worn inside! Toasty.

135. Not matchy. I actually knit a beret and scarf out of the same pink mohair, but I never wear them because I’m not a pink mohair person, nor a beret person really.
     I have on the needles a purple scarf to match my purple Utopia hat, but it’s a totally unrelated pattern and it’s not getting done very quickly. I guess I’m just not that motivated to wear matching knits.

136. My winter wear doesn’t really match, but my mittens and scarf are pretty close and my hat is white, so I figure I’m safe. I LOVE the set you made for Sam, so so classy.

137. That scarf Obama was wearing was GORGEOUS. (Am I the only one who noticed?) And a tall, thin man in a topcoat always looks elegant.

138. It totally depends on how cold it is. My everyday winter wear is a gray coat, a red fleece hat, a red and white fleece scarf, and (until I lost them!) red and black Celtic mittens. Once it starts getting below zero Farenheit, though, the ugly gray and pink and green mittens come out, as does sky blue hat and the purple and variegated pink scarf. You can’t miss me in a crowd, but I’m toasty warm. 🙂

139. I am so freakin confused by the last BSG episode. So his wife is the cylon, but WTF is starbuck. My h usband says they cloned her that time they did smoething weird to her ovaries. She had to have been a clone, or is she a hybrid? My husband thinks there is going to be a big hybrid twist, like all humans are actually hybrids etc etc. Bizzare.
     We knew something was up with starbuck, but why did her cylon boyfriend keep backing away? I’m not clever enough to figure it out!

140. I have an idea (sorry if it’s been mentioned) that may help your “situation” if only slightly. A backpack! Go downstairs in the morning, and fill it – thermos of coffee, food stuffs, knitting stuff, etc. As much as it will hold. Sling it on, back up the steps to the bathroom floor, and you’re good (at least for a while). In a short time you should have everything you need currently downstairs, upstairs. Same for going back down – dirty dishes in the backpack, and down they go. Just a thought.
     Good luck and love the hat and mittens!! (and my new President!)

141. I realized the ‘doesn’t match’ thing last year. My thinking went the opposite way of Sam’s: “I’m a knitter, darn it, why doesn’t anything match when I can make it all myself?” It was driving me crazy. And I’m not a matchy-match person, normally. So this fall I set about the Family Accessories Project, and made cowls, hats, and mittens that coordinated for all four of us.

142. I enjoyed the “peaceful transition of power” yesterday. Especially Aretha’s hat. My winter gear doesn’t match, mostly because I have one pair of mittens (dimorphous mittens by mimknits) and choose the scarf and headgear based on weather forecast rather than color. The “one handknit at a time” rule seriously gets on my nerves and I pretend it doesn’t exist when I’m cold. Besides, art majors are apparently allowed to dress more outlandishly than other student specimens, as the frequent response to a question about my chosen outfit is “its ok, you’re an art major.”

143. Sweater, cowl, leg warmers, mitts. All matching WITH pompoms.
     Who rocks the knitwear, I rock the knitwear

144. I noticed the same thing about my knitted accessories a few weeks ago and immediately knit myself a hat to match one of my scarves. But it has been so cold that I wear two scarves (non-matching, although very nice together, imnsho) and the hat and a pair of fingerless mitts (they match each other but nothing else) over my plain leather gloves. Oh, well, at least I am warm.
     When I broke my ankle last fall, I hit that wall of boredom and frustration exactly 34 days after the break. I think that if you subtract from that the days that I was taking the *good* drugs, the number remaining is probably about how long you have been laid up. My sympathies.

145. I agree with your feelings on BSG. If that one is the 5th cylon it will stink. My husband said he is going to be truely disappointed! I think the comments made by said cylon were made in the spiritual sense and we are in for a big surprise! Oh yeah, your knitting is beautiful.

146. Can you think of the trips up the stairs as part of your fitness program while injured? Maybe it would make you feel better getting double duty out of each trip.
     And yes, thankyouverymuch, it is grand to have a president who knows big words, can pronounce them and use them in context. I hear ‘smart’ is the new black here in the US. It’s about time!

147. No, my knitting gear doesn’t match, maybe my next winter it will. My sons made off with my Noro hats (made with less expensive Boku)and they are not matching either. But they LOVE their hats, so I am thrilled. I think you could knit her a scarf to match, if she wants one. The colors don’t look hard to match, but maybe that’s just my monitor playing tricks.
     I am so glad you could knit from your stash. My stash is very small, but I feel so smart when I can use what I already own.

148. What winter wear? The last few days, I haven’t even worn a sweater. (New Mexico, we love it!) I love looking at all the scarf and hat patterns, but seriously, our “winter wear” mostly consists of deciding to wear boots vs. shoes. Not always warm, but not nearly as cold as you have it.

149. Hey, hang in there, Stephanie
     I remember being on bed rest with one of my kids. Couldn’t go up, couldn’t go down, couldn’t sit up – makes you crazy! (He’s a teen now – it was worth it).
     Matching knits?? Well I do have a matching Noro Silver Thaw beanie and scarf. I’m trying to talk myself into knitting mittens in the same yarn – it’s a struggle…
     LOVE the set you knit for Sam.

150. 1) Wonderful socks
     2) Matching? Only some semblance of color connection. Not texture.
     3) Our whole family is thrilled with the Obama’s leading our land, also. A friend’s niece worked with Michelle O. in the Chicago law office and found her to be (her words) “absolutely brilliant”. How refreshing and comforting. I too wept in relief and pride on and off during the day’s telecast.

151. Does it count that I thought about making it match? I attempted, but failed. In case my winter stuff doesn’t even really go with my coat (red). I have an “unoriginal” hat in green and just finished a pink, yellow and red clapotis scarf.

152. Uh, no. I do not match, now that you mention it. Though I spend considerable time both helping other choose matchy patterns and designing them myself. When did this happen? And how come I never noticed?

153. match?
     I’m from Minnesota, you only need matching accessories in the skyway downtown. Anyone who doesn’t understand this, most likely travels from house to car in attached garage, to underground parking to elevator to indoor job.
     My hat/scarf is 24 years old, and has outlasted my poncho phase the black leather biker jacket phase, down jackets, and 6-8 assorted coats. My mittens are 2 and 10 years old, depending on the weather. and my assortment of scarves are alpaca, wool, cotton chenille, and acrylic, depending on the wind chill factor.
     To make all that match or coordinate would truly be a challenge.

154. I am desperately in love with my new President. And I do consider him MINE!!!!! I cried through the entire inauguration because I am still beside myself that I am alive to experience this amazing piece of history.
     P.S. I too had to knit matching sets for Christmas. They came out lovely but got a little boring.

155. Doh! I have been a stalker all day waiting for your next post and to make sure all is well and I still didn’t even make the top 100 comments… I am a terrible stalker!

156. My winter necessities/accessories don’t match, but they compliment each other nicely.
     Please give your daughter my support re school apps. I am applying to– well, I have applied this past month to 5 medieval studies PhD programs. Won’t hear anything until March or April (sob), but I decided to check the status of my stuff anyways.
     Turns out the University of Toronto didn’t get the transcript my alma mater was supposed to send to them (I *told* them to send them a copy!), and they also didn’t get the personal statement/writing sample/CV I mailed to them priority a month ago. They don’t have it. Not it’s past deadline, and I’m like “shit shit!” and emailed them asking wtf (on other words…) so hopefully this will work out…. *is panicky*
     Also, the socks are wacky!awesome.

157. OK, YES MY KNITWEAR MATCHES: AM I THE ONLY ONE?
     I actually buy stuff for the set that I want (hat/scarf; scarf/mittens, etc) so it looks like I meant that. And I do. And yes, sometimes I compliment, but that also is deliberate. However, my skill sets are such that I am afraid, unless you subscribe to the velveteen rabbit theory (and I do), according to Sam, I would not look “real”, either!
     And for the record, I am always proud to be an American. If I can stick with my ball team in the bad years, I can stick with my country, too. Semper Fi.

158. Yes, my stuff matches, but only as a result of supreme effort. This is something that occurred to me just today when I was choosing a hat. I wanted to wear the cabled cap I just finished but then realized it didn’t match the lace shawl I was wearing (as a scarf). Everything *is* a separate knitting adventure. Must knit faster, then eventually there will be enough knitted matter that some of it must match, right?

159. Of course not!

160. My winter gear matches, unless it’s bitterly cold (like last week’s 30-below windchill). Then I’m wearing the warmest things available regardless of what they look like. Not like anyone knows who you are when you’re that bundled up anyway.

161. Cylon – definitely has to be a twist coming. Besides, there were at least two possibilities on who it was – one blatant and one definitely odd something or other.
     You’re awesome.

162. I was REALLY disappointed in the reveal of the 5th cylon. That was so lame. I hope they have something planned that will make it less lame.

163. It’s so nice to hear from a knitter who enjoys science fiction.
     I feel so bad about your ankle and the problems getting around and I wish I could be there to help. Or at least I wish I had some idea of how to eliminate the up-and-down-the-stairs problem.
     For the survey, I wore a hat and mitts that matched yesterday while I knit a matching smoke ring (on the bus) rather than a scarf (not much yarn left). I was wearing a wimple in different yarn, but the color matched.
     I think everyone found the inauguration wonderful. I certainly did.

164. Match? Of course not — that would be an outfit: I haven’t worn one of those since I excaped motherly control. But then I’m a boy-person. I had to force myself to knit matching socks for my female relatives. Run free, little colors, run free! And yes, our new president is spiffy. How did your governmental fracas turn out?

165. match? LIke color? I’m doing well if I have a left and a right……

166. One of my favorite parts of the inauguration was when the motorcade passed the Canadian Embassy and they were all out on the steps, including the Color Guard (very nice, colorful uniforms there), saluting and the roof was full of onlookers. I thought of you. Very classy salute.
     Totally agree with you re: the death penalty and rights for all though. I can’t quite see the logic in telling people it’s wrong to kill so therefore, we’re going to kill you. And for heaven sake, why should it bother me if law-abiding people are loving each other peacefully? We mind each other’s business way too much.
     I thought the entire purpose of being a Knitter was to stand out in the crowd. However else are we to spot each other when we launch our take-over of the world? Plus, who wants to blend in with Muggles?
     Getting about on canes/crutches. Keeping necessities stuffed in totes/rucksacks/etc. helps. Having a nice apron or one of those “looks like a many-pocketed toolbelt” gadgets repairmen wear around their waists also is a plus, especially if done up in a nice fabric so you can use it on other occasions, thus not admitting it’s for emergency purposes such as this. For food carrying, a larger plate with deep spaces in it, I have a nice wooden one that has a cup/glass holder carved in it, along with 2 sections, and it has very nice handles, so it’s kind of a mini-tray and well-balanced so it can carried one-handed and not dump everything due to being off-balance. I will also admit to using those large clips you can use for memos and closing chip/cookie bags to clip stuff to me. When you find yourself getting stuck hobbling about frequently, you become great at improvisation. It also helps to have a nice tray on wheels you can push one-handed ahead of you. Claim it’s actually a hall stand and throw a doily over it and stick a vase or something decorative on it when it’s not being used for it’s secret purpose.
     As for the bathroom issue, if I were you and Joe, I’d consider putting a downstairs bath on the future to-do list. It’s a sad fact of life that, if we’re very lucky, we’re going to get older. And getting older means we’re really going to want to avoid going up and down steps forevermore. For now, turn it to a positive and think of it as replacing your running and yoga as your exercise means. Which means you can go ahead and have extra dessert to comfort yourself because you’re balancing out the calories dragging yourself up and down the stairs to the bathroom. 🙂
     Beware becoming really happy about the daughter taking the laundry with her. Mine even had her own apartment after moving out for college and always, always brought loads of dirty laundry home when she came to visit. I swear she’d still do it if she didn’t live 9 hours away now. Her youngest sister-in-law drove in to stay with them over the holidays, a 4 hour drive, and she brought not only her dirty laundry but also the dirty casserole dishes from her sorority party so she could use their dishwasher.

167. I never match my “holy crap its cold outside” knitwear, as I’m going for warmth, not appearances. I’ve toyed with knitting myself a somewhat matching set but have never gotten up the impetus.

168. Perfectly acceptable excuses. 😉
     Match? he he he ha ha haw haw hawwwhwhhehheeehhaawwww. Eh hem. Ah, not currently, no. Should I be worried or proud?

169. As much as I enjoyed watching our new President’s inauguration yesterday, it was just as great to watch the ceremonial departure of George W. Bush. In this case, regime change rocks!

170. Nope my winter wear doesn’t match. I figured that if I bought a grey jacket and dark coloured pants, I could just tell people that I was adding colour with accessories.

171. Matchy-matchy is what my mother and the cheerleaders believed should be a primary goal of life. Hence, I had foiled all attempts to please them.

172. My winter wear certainly does not match. Impossible. I can’t even imagine achieving such a grand state.
     And I’m thrilled to have a President who is smart, and not afraid to show it. Yesterday it felt good to be American, and many of us haven’t felt that for a long time. I’m still not sure the Bush presidency is over – I think we are all suffering from Abused Nation Syndrome. Make that Abused World Syndrome. It will take a few months for me to believe that he’s really gone and can’t hurt us any more. Of course, we’ll be nursing the hurts he left behind for a long time, but you know what I mean.

173. Hope you feel better soon! I love your BSG socks…I must say I watched that episode FOUR times to take it all in…and then we rewatched the previous season…needless to say it has been the topic du jour around our household.

174. I am totally enamoured of that hat. Nice power!
     My winter woolies only sort of match. I wear a light purple cabled scarf (a gift) and a light purple plain wacky-looking hat (knit myself) and some wildly gaudy purple-red-and-orange striped mittens (knit myself) that I made when I was teaching a mittens class. But they keep me warm.
     That and the thought of our new president. Hooray!

175. My kids match. Hello Yarn’s “They call them Pirates” accessory set. They can’t even lose them at school: all the teachers and students know that these belong to E & B. They lose enough other stuff- nice raincoats, nice jackets, that I’m glad there is at least something that EVERYONE else knows to give back to them.
     My outside clothes match- wool plaid blackwatch jacket with blackwatch wool scarf and green gloves; black coat with black scarf and black hat and black gloves. Not handknit anything, though.
     Used to be black coat with gold buttons, and black gloves with gold buttons, black pillbox hat.
     My inside clothes are usually ten year old Cr#$. The outside clothes cost approximately $150. They make the inside clothes ( all the rest of the clothes budget, which varies year by year) look elegant- old family heirloom, rather than seedy homeless bum.
     My friends from high school do this, too, for the same reason.
     I couldn’t watch. He’s going to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which means the gov’t is going to be writing checks to kill unborn children here, and around the world. The gov’t used to do it- mostly to poor, helpless women of color. I don’t see how this is progressive, or good, or decent, or “hope”ful or “change.”
     The set you made looks so Paris Flapper. You have the most elegant daughter in one fell swoop of knitting.
     ari

176. Matching knitwear? Actually, Yes! A couple of years ago in Scotland I picked up a gorgeous heather-colored hank of hand-spun yarn that weighed 2 POUNDS! LB, not Oz! (Price? Don’t ask!) So far, I’ve made a hat & a looooong scarf that would drag the ground if I didn’t wrap it around three times, and I’m far from done with it. After seeing your hat, I think I’ll just have to make another matching hat. Love it!
     Watching the festivites on TV yesterday, I kept thinking about the picture of Obama holding a sock with a rather confused/startled look on his face. Any way you can get a copy of it & post it or repost the link?

177. I am 40-summat and currently stuck at home/sofa recuperating from a total knee replacement. I have graduated to a cane but still face the cup or plate question! I dug out a little (and previously dismissed at useless) tray which accommodates a mug and a side plate. Hurrah. Wish three million times a day that we(e) had a downstairs toilet. Sock knitting has been my saviour (especially as it provided a way to make me feel useful around Xmas). My eldest is applying for Uni – yep, buckets of tears expected fairly soon. I don’t do BSG (came to it too late & didn’t get what was going on) my guilty Sci-fi pleasure is Star Trek, pref. Voyager but I have a thing for Jean-Luc too. Two boxed sets of Voyager have eased the sofa bound pain … a little. But as you say it gets so old, soooo fast. Good luck with your recovery – there’s a little bit of England rooting for you!

178. See what happens when you spend time away from the blog attending to your life? We get all pent up and the comments just explode when you resurface.
     Patience with the ankle. I fell last winter and ruptured a tendon and am still feeling it.
     As for the winter wear, I went on a kick this year to create matching gear. I’ve knit two hats and two scarves and I’m working on a 3rd scarf. (I believe in options.) One matching set, another set nearing completion and the search on for the perfect pattern to match the third. I also feel the need to come up with some mittens to complete all three. I hope I have enough matching yarn to do it.

179. I’m with you on Battlestar Galactica. The whole fifth Cylon thing just didn’t seem right. There has to be another twist coming. We’ll just have to stay glued to our television!

180. Nothing I’ve knit for hat/scarf/gloves matches – I must have knitting blindness not to have realized it outted me as a knitter 😉
     Very elegant and lovely knitwear for Sam I must say.
     My hopes for you to heal quickly – what a royal pain in the posterior to negotiate those stairs. Glad to see the post today – was worried about you!

181. oh I sooooo understand the frustration and rage issues with broken bones – I’ve had a few meltdowns over my arm – and I still have months and months to go – but try to do it when I am alone …. having broken my ankle when I was young though I do have one hint on the stairs — go up and down on your butt — it is much quicker and easier on the rest of your body.

182. My winter wear absolutely doesn’t match. I have my favorite handknit hat (soft pinks and browns and blues and purples and white, nubbly and wonderful handspun wool) and my favorite fingerless mitts (pink and purple, but not at all soft — bold colors) and the scarf is whatever is closest when it’s cold. I don’t have a favorite scarf. Except the red tartan one — but that’s embarrassingly NOT handknit.

183. It’s 70F outside – what’s winter wear?
     As for this American, it feels like an oppressive gray pall has been lifted and we can breathe again. I was moved to tears repeatedly by the moment of the occasion.
     Another plot twist on BSG? Do ya think? Um, YEAH!

184. Re BSG – I will be surprised (and a little disappointed) if there is not a twist coming. I expect a lot from the series, which I believe is some of the finest television we have today.
     My winter accessories do not match. I’d like to remedy that situation but other projects keep getting in the way….

185. Well, my hat and scarf sort of match, in that they’re both off white. But the hat is beaded merino, and the scarf is lacey alpaca. The gloves (fingerless mitts, actually) are black, because I refuse to make off-white mitts when I’m going to be reading the newspaper, grabbing dirty escalator handrails, etc. Hmm, sounds a bit knitty. I guess I need to make a new all-black set. Or red. Red would be good.
     And even though I live 12 miles from the White House and work on Pennsylvania Avenue (the parade went right past my office), I watched the inauguration from the comfort of my den. While knitting, of course. Didn’t want the tears freezing on my cheeks, you know.

186. I’m surprised that more of you did not say anything about the variety of scarves that were worn yesterday. As a weaver-knitter-crocheter I was fascinated. I should have kept notes. Joan

187. I especially appreciated your comments today as many of the points I feel in common with you. First about our new president. You cannot fully imagine the excitement around here. I know it will not last, but it is palpable. Like Maureen’s comment- I have found myself crying so many times…I think it’s with the feeling of hope. Like so many were quoted yesterday…for the first time in years I am proud to say I am an American. This isn’t because Obama can solve everything, but because he instills the feeling in us that maybe together we can solve at least a few of our problems. His sense that we are accountable for our own actions is something I have always tried to instill in my children. About children…I have an empty household for the first time in 22 years. I appreciate your comments about your daughter going so far away. I live in Portland, Oregon and my elder daughter is now in Edmonton, AB in grad school and my younger daughter is at Northwestern in Chicago. I am happy for them and sad for me. At least they are in cold climates and I can knit for them! Now if I can only solve my early onset carpal tunnel syndrome. Any suggestions?

188. Wanting to match? Hmmm. I’m thinking of going the opposite direction — working my way up to being comfortable in mismatched socks. It would make my serious case of second sock syndrome seem much less of a problem.
     Until yesterday though I did have a set of coordinated bumper stickers (a girl’s gotta be able to express her fashion sense somehow). Today, without its “Bush failed. Frodo has the ring.” “Got truth?” “9/11 <> Iraq” and “Regime change begins at home” my car seems practically naked. But it felt so incredibly liberating to be able to finally remove them after eight unbelievably long, frustrating, disillusioning years.

189. I have to admit that my knitwear does match. I knitted the coat from a super bulky red and black colorway with a red and black fun fur shawl collar. The hat matches in the same yarn. I don’t as a rule wear mittens as I prefer my leather gloves with thinsulate. I made wristers to go over the gloves, both black. It is warm and very knitterly.

190. Mrs. McPhee,
     President Obama is Head of State hence the huge, over-the-top albeit cool ceremony. However, we also celebrated our Head of State with pomp and circumstance for all.
     Don’t worry so much if Megan goes to Memorial; we’ll take care of her for you 🙂

191. Heck, I figure if my stuff doesn’t actually clash, it’s good enough. What is this matching of which you write? I’m really tired of winter though. It’s just TOO COLD.
     It is so wonderful to finally have an intelligent, coherent president!

192. My winter wear doesn’t even match my coat, let alone itself. I have brown and purple Anemoi Mittens, a brown and purple Felicity hat (different shades of brown and purple) and if I wear a scarf, it’s a black Icarus shawl. Oh, and my coat is bright red.

193. “Hell, no!” on the matching.
     The 12th cylon…WTF? I waited all this time for that revelation?
     However…what’s up with Earth…and Starbuck? There are so many new theories and questions bopping around in my brain, that I’ll definitely being watching it until the Finale.
     BTW, “Caprica” looks like it might be an interesting show if they do it right.

194. oh I see, html disabled. To clarify, Harper is our first minister, not head of state. We however, had a huge rousing cermony all over the world when our head of state, Elizabeth II, became Queen.

195. In Florida, you can tell how long someone’s lived here by how nice their winter stuff is: If it’s nice, they’re new. But if they’re new, they don’t need it. So, no, most people’s don’t match.

196. But, as a knitter, didn’t you think Obama looked cold? His hair is so short, and it was cold out… I was working on a charcoal grey alpaca watch cap for a man friend’s borthday, and had to resist an impulse to send it to Obama, instead.

197. How astute of Sam to bring up the non matching knitters accessories! I have this nagging me as none of my stuff matches. I don’t even have things in the same colors, but I can’t be bothered to make a set. I just want to make another two row Noro scarf. I have problems.

198. Yes. And I knit it myself. But I knit it as a set.

199. No, my winter stuff doesn’t match. It does coordinate, though. Not that that’s a huge achievement–practically all my stash and wardrobe are the same 3 or 4 colors. However, I would not say no to Sam’s set : )
     I’m glad our new president provided you some entertainment in your state of limited mobility. Hang in there!

200. No matchy-matchy here, I’m a knitty kitty and proud of it. Coordination is close enough.
     When my husband was on crutches & I had to be at work, he wore a bathrobe with big pockets to get things upstairs. Any drink, hot or cold, can be transported in canning jars with the lids on. Going downstairs to get it and bring it up is still a major effort, but at least your hands are free.
     Of course,if I was home,I heard “Honnee……..”.

201. Actually I have been thinking hard about what hats to make and trying to plan so that they will match my coats . . . which is probably why I don’t have any hats yet. Hats are supposed to be easier than this.

202. My husband has homemade mittens. I was going to knit him a scarf and hat to match. They would be all beautiful and matchymatch, like “real” people, but he told me that men wearing things that match look like dorks. I am not allowed to make him things that match.
     Whatever! Back to knitting for me.

203. My hat is from my fuzzy white dog. It is special and I have not gathered/spun enough fur for matching scarf or mittens.
     My scarf/shawl is whichever I feel best matches my outfit for the day. (I often wear it in the office, not just with my coat.)
     I am lucky if my mittens match each other, let alone my hat.
     On the other hand/foot, my socks usually match each other, but not anything else I may be wearing. (These have to get changed out at the office to something very dull and boring, so it doesn’t really matter.)
     p.s. No spoilers!! GAK!!! I’ve just adopted new kittens and am not caught up.

204. err, I think I’ve passed my once maybe twice a month comment limit…but to answer the question: yes, all my knitterly stuff matches. Not only do they match each other, they match my jackets as well.
     I totally get Sam’s point.

205. I didn’t realize I had tagged myself as a knitter with my mismatched accessories! I’m laughing as I recognize myself as being too “knitty”. I knit one of those “Noro” scarves in the brooklyntweed style, only I used Taiyo #4 instead of Silk Garden. My mittens were an experiment in writing my own pattern, and I used STR lightweight in Peaseblossom. I’ve been planning to knit a hat in a third yarn, so apparently my knittiness has not reached its peak yet.

206. I’d always been very matchy-matchy but now that you mention it, my scarf is black/charcoal grey, my sweater is blue, and my gloves are brown. Hmmmmm.

207. My knitwear doesn’t match, but it coordinates. For example, this morning I wore a jade green handknit beret with variegated yarn knit in along with an Ann Taylor Loft scarf in shades of greens and pinks, teamed with my black coat. Other mornings have featured a black (bought) beret with handknit red alpaca scarf worn with same black coat, dark green down coat or camel cashmere coat. I haven’t yet knit mittens for myself, only fingerless ones, and it’s a bit chilly for those here in 20 degree Philadelphia.

208. I love the hat and mittens! Very beautiful and classy. As for my own winter-wear, they never match. I’ve got a blue scarf, white hat, and whatever gloves I can happen to get my hands on first!

209. First of all *sticks fingers in ears about BSG* … had to shut the stupid cable off to save stupid money so I have to be a deprived nerd and wait a long time. But looooooooove the socks!
     Second, I have a pink and white ski jacket… with a pink and all sorts of mauve & purple fair isle scarf, pink angora gloves underneath pink alpaca ‘Hugs-And-Kisses-With-Love Handwarmers’. The only thing that wouldn’t really totally match, is the ‘le Slouch’ I made with a deep maroon classic elite city lights…. but I’ve been known to wear hideous stripes and a gorgeous designer scarf, just cause it was there to grab and my ride was waiting.

210. Smart, spiffy and has a beautiful wife with lots of style.
     My winter wear does match…it’s all hand knit.
     Heal quickly!!

211. When I knit a pair of mittens, I always knit a hat to match. I can’t help it. I do have a few hats that don’t have matching mittens, and I find that I don’t wear them much. Making matching mittens for them is definitely on my to-do list, but not yet at the top of that list.

212. All of my knitting is very knitty – I’m wearing my green guernsey ala Wool Gathering, and multi-colored wool socks. My red hat is a gift from my novice knitter friend. Unknitty-looking knitting seem like very boring projects but I kind of need to address this. Solid black, stockinette gloves go a long way to finishing off the winter outfit.

213. Does my knitwear match? I actually have two matching hat/mitts sets that I made to give away and ended up keeping… but neither set matches my coat, boots, or scarf. Your photo of the set for Samantha is actually quite inspirational… if I wasn’t still trying to catch up on Christmas knitting… maybe for next winter…(and then there’s the dale of norway I mean to knit for my baby…)
     I feel for you with the upstairs/downstairs issue (warning: self-indulgent story ahead). When I was a community development volunteer in rural Bolivia, I broke my leg in a motorcycle accident. I couldn’t use the latrine anymore because to squat down, I had to stick my cast-bound leg straight out and thus couldn’t shut the door, ergo no privacy. I ended up using a bedpan for six weeks. And limited BMs to every other day, when I would trek across the soccer field to the health post which had a Real Bathroom with a Flush Toilet and Running Water (using crutches hurt my hands enough I didn’t want to make the trip any more often). On the bright side, those six weeks of limited activity were when I LEARNED TO KNIT! I taught myself both intarsia and fair isle without knowing what they were called. That part was awesome.
     Here’s to swift healing!!

214. My stuff doesn’t match, because that would end the practice of buying one skein of something on the theory that I can do some mittens or a hat. If I’m spending $100 on one yarn, I need to get something bigger out of it.
     My six-year-old will no longer wear his Koigu socks to school, because “it’s embarassing for kids to know your mom loves you that much.” At least I’m embarassing in a good way.

215. My winter stuff definitely does not match, but my jacket is black, so I don’t think it matters much. I think I look like a winter faker anyway, since all my friends who actually live in a cold place wear nothing but black all winter… how depressing. I knitted my best friend a pair of happy, bright orange alpaca gloves, and he loves them, and requested another pair in black so that he can “accessorize them.” I’m not sure what he meant but I think that means he is too cool to wear orange gloves. I dunno what the deal is– if everything is black BUT your gloves, you still match…

216. Sam has us completely pegged. I have sets that match by colour family, often very loosely. And soemtimes I just wear the knits I love best or happen to feel like on a given day, and I trust that the sheer force of my personality will bring it all together.

217. My winterwear didn’t match even when it was storebought. Probably because I refused to buy a whole new set every time one thing wore out, so I’d buy the nicest, say, scarf I could find at the time, then made a minimal effort to find matching gloves the next year. (“Matching” as in “They’re both sort of red. Good enough.”) So knitting really only meant more winterwear to choose from, possibly in sort of matching color combinations (teal Koolhaas, blue/green lace scarf, but with yellow gloves, for example). However, your set looks pretty awesome! Love the hat.

218. If my son were any older, he’d probably walk a half-mile behind me. I typically wear a cabled red had (which I did not knit), and a multi-colored feather/fan scarf (which I did knit). But lately I’ve swapped out to a orange neck muffler (which I made in one day and looooove). On top of that, I’m wearing my “let’s see if I can knit gloves” gloves–one is navy, and the other is navy with a green cuff and a green thumb, pointer, middle and ring finger (navy pinkie and palm) because I ran out of one color and boldly continued in another because, hey! I CAN knit gloves! Good Lord, I must look a real sight (but I don’t care).

219. I have all kinds of love for that hat. I think the matching mittens are fab, but oh, that hat! LOVE!

220. Nope, it does not. I have a pink SWS calorimetry, a blue clapotis and a different blue pair of fingerless gloves. And a pair of mittens I bought that are made out of fur. Fake fur. And not fun fur. And are red.

221. My winter stuff does match, for the first time ever! My mitred mittens (ha!) and plain rib hat are petrol blue, which (surprisingly) goes really really well with my red down jacket. (Then again, I may have optimistic eyes.)
     Also, the Leyburn socks pattern is pretty much awesomeness – I’m making my pair out of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, and you were totally right about being charmed!

222. No, my winterwear doesn’t match! I’m a blend of handknit and boiled wool, smooth yarn and mohair. Same basic color scheme which I thought was good enough, but APPARENTLY NOT. 🙂 I LOVE the hat. Mittens are great, but the hat is FAB. and it’s a set. Who could ask for more?

223. Wow, I am so glad you are OK. I was starting to get worried! I thought perhaps with the weather, power outage and your inability to walk long distances, that you were sitting at home madly knitting and that your stash was declining, and insanity was beginning to set in and…all knit and no new yarn makes Stephanie a dull girl…AAAaaahh…

224. You have had quite a month! Your new socks are gorgeous.
     I do have matching hat and scarf but rarely wear them together! I live in Maryland so we do not need a hat very often – except for this year!
     I agree with those who celebrated Bush leaving yesterday as much as they celebrated Obama coming in. Both are so uplifting. Yesterday was magical, even if I did watch it from home instead of work which is right on Penn Ave! I am, once again, proud to be an American. It’s been a LONG 8 years!
     As for the laundry-no matter how far away they go, the laundry comes back! Listen to those of us who have been through it. They NEVER leave!

225. Matching winter wear? I’m lucky if I can find mittens that match each other. I don’t dare push my luck and ask that multiple items of winter wear actually match. (In a desperate attempt to stave off frostbite at the Christmas Parade, I even wore one mitten and one glove.)
     Good luck with that ankle and the whole university thing.

226. I too am thrilled with our new President. Isn’t he fabulous to listen to? My DH and I listened to him speak at the Democratic convention over 4 years ago and said to each other “that is an African American I could vote for as president some day” — and we did. Lets hope that he is the right man at the right time, and that he helps lead us and the rest of the world into Peace and at least a little better prosperity.

227. I remember when I was applying to university… I ended up going to a school in the same state, but on the opposite side. Let’s just say that California is pretty big. But there are always planes and you can fly out to visit her. I wouldn’t recommend it, since independence is a good thing.
     In all honesty, I think that there’s something about having matching winter wear. It does look more professional and pulled together…. I try to match it in some small way. Like I’ll wear the brown/white fair isle scarf with the brown and white mittens. I hate wearing hats. XD

228. Mine does not currently match. I have a random assortment of scarves, hats, and mittens I’ve made over the years. I am, however, working on a matched set that is handspun and hand-knit. I have the scarf (done 2 years ago), a hat (done last year), and now I’m working on the mittens. The hat doesn’t match as well as I’d like, so it will be re-done – perhaps that is next year’s project.

229. hang in there stephanie…….. this summer I did a gymnastic feat on the kitchen floor that would rival any seen on the Summer Olympics. I spent the summer on crutches and have now just started to walk on my own. With my husband at home with a bad back, I tried to cut the grass on crutches…..not fun. I spent the summer going to work at 4:00 am to catch a go bus on crutches, so I know the frustration you are going through. Knitting and a good sense of humour kept me going….. Hang in there….it does get better.
     p.s. love the socks…..going to make a pair for myself!

230. I love that hat!
     And no, my winter stuff does not match. And in fact, it actually clashes. I don’t care, though, the scarf is Noro and I adore it. The hat is my own design and I adore it. The knittens came from yarn from my husband and therefore I adore them. All together they make me look like a total dork, I’m sure, but a warm dork.

231. Checking in again to say I read the pattern and it looks like fun – I can’t wait to make it.

232. Sam’s description of things looking “knitty” resonates with me, as I am always looking for patterns that I can make that don’t look handmade.
     I equate the unmatched hat, gloves, scarf to the knitter who proudly throws her Charlotte’s Web scarf over her gray sweatshirt with the puff paint kitty motif (not made up). Sometimes handknits stand out because they’re beautiful. Sometimes they stand out for other reasons. :\
     (Having said that, none of my winter stuff matches except the stuff I bought at Target two winters ago.)

233. Match? MATCH?? What’s *that*?
     P.S. Here’re good thoughts winging your way that your foot/ankle heals up very quickly. It’s hell only having one decently-working foot, a real pain in the patoot…
     P.P.S. Gorgeous “non-knitty” hat/scarf/mittens set, btw. Just gorgeous!

234. I’m glad to hear you’re okay! And BSG? Yeah, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. There’s gonna be serious drama here.
     Matching accessories? It depends. If I’m just wearing a fancy scarf (colors or design), then I usually just wear my black leather gloves and no hat (yes, I know I am insane). If it drops really cold, then I have matching scarves and hats. Still the leather gloves though.

235. Meditation, soft music and knitting will put all right in your world again dear Stephanie. HOPEFULLY some sunshine thrown in to sooth us all would help a lot too. Love the hat and mitts and no I do not have one knitty item that matches anything but plan on doing that before we get this heat wave that everyone wants. As for bathrooms that one has to climb a set of stairs to get to are a pain in the arss for sure. Sam’s hat and mitts are just the thing or “”cool ” as they say. Wonder what word they use when the weather is cool but not cold hmmmmmm Take care and get better we are all rooting for you .Keep knitting.

236. All your excuses are adequate, on their own, in my opinion. After all, I can hardly walk and carry a plate and cup (ok, just a plate!) with TWO healthy legs.
     I love Sam’s set and she’s right. I hate to admit it, but she is. Sometimes, I’ve been known to let part of me remain cold because I have nothing that comes even close in match. Her set is lovely. Congratulations on your knock off.
     I hope you’re on both your stems soon.

237. “I’m a woman who considers a bra an accessory.”
     You made me spit tea on the computer screen with this line. I wear enough layers in the winter that I often can’t even remember whether or not I bothered to put one on in the morning.
     Thanks for the laugh.

238. “This injury makes everything that there is to do way more work, and twice as slow”
     Welcome to Disability Time. Not for the faint of heart.
     I’m immersed in the orgy that’s Season 3 of BSG (I took a break for a while) and disc 5 is DAMAGED so it pixilates and skips and stutters and I can’t watch it and have to quit cold turkey and my local video store only has ONE COPY and… sob.
     And no, my winter stuff doesn’t match. It’s all lovely, but there’s no matching. And I’m fine with that.

239. Umm… no not usually, although this year I knit a pair of handpainted mitts that match every coat I own, bar none. Then I made a scarf that matches one of the colors in the mitts, and it happens to look very fetching with my new foresty-olivey-green coat, so that’s my winter uniform. That and my purl bee beret in winter white. 🙂

240. On the matchy matchy—yes and no.
     I have knit/crocheted myself matching things, but I rarely wear it all together. Either (a) it is not cold enough in central Texas for the lot; (b) I decide I like the feel of scarf one better but hat two coordinates more with the outfit; or (c) because of (a) I can’t actually find the matching items together at the time I need to head out into the cold.

241. Match????? Nope. Not even the bought stuff matches although I do have a couple of hat/glove or scarf/glove combos where one of the other bit has gone AWOL.
     Thing is, and I am too old and far to ignorant of these things to know, I thought it was no longer fashionable to have things to match. So long as they (crockery, furniture, bags/shoes etc) went together in general colour scheme or design features then that was trendy. Or was that last year or the year before??

242. I love the set you made for your daughter – just lovely! Very “classic-chic” looking.
     My knitted winter-wear doesn’t match because I never seem to be able to knit myself an entire set in one season. Last year I made myself a Harry Potter scarf (maroon & gold) and an Irish Hiking Scarf (dark purple). Then this year I bought I bright red coat. I made fair isle mittens (in black & red) but haven’t had time to knit a scarf and hat, so the best I can do is wrap my big, long Harry Potter scarf around my head — and let me tell ya, the maroon does NOT go with fire-engine-red. But… meh. It’s warm!

243. The Fifth Cylon? Really? That’s what we get? And whats up with Starbuck? I think you’re right, there is going to be a very very twisty road here in front of us (or at least there better be).
     Matching- yes, I try to match. Funny. It bugs me when it doesn’t… But I usually fail at the matchy part. Heh. Follies everywhere!
     Love the Jupiter Socks. They really make me happy to see them. I’m knitting the William Street Socks for the honey, hope to have them done by the finale!

244. Hahaha. Match? My clothes don’t match. But I guess that is another problem. My accessories sometimes follow the same color scheme, like black scarf and gloves with black fingers, but they do not match. Maybe I should make some stuff to match… I know what yarns they all are…
     And my hat NEVER matches. Usually I have a Jayne hat, which of course matches nothing. But all my other hats are equally as hard to match. Weird color choices and the like. I have a hat I am going to make that might somehow accidentally match a scarf I already have, I just realized.
     For Xmas, I made someone a matching hat, glove, scarf set, actually using the Robin’s Egg Blue Hat pattern (and the matching gloves), too!

245. that’s totally not the fifth cylon. either she’s been recreated as number 6 or there’s something else going on….
     fab socks by the way!
     and no… my knit wear totally doesn’t match. i might have matching hat/mittens, or matching hat/scarf, but never scarf/mittens/hat all matchy.

246. So, while you are helping your daughter pick out universities, and you are still laid up, start sketching out the conversion of one of the girls’ rooms–either the smaller one or the one closest to existing plumbing–into a downstairs bath-and-craft room. It may have to wait until all three are off on their own, so the other room can become a true guest room, but still, it’s a start! And, experienced traveler that you are, you have probably already thought ahead to Madrona, but _do_ use the electric cart to get from the gate down to the luggage area at SeaTac–and does Suzanne have it set up for someone to meet you, help schlep your gear, and deliver you to the hotel in Tacoma? If not, I volunteer–you’re due for some pampering, for sure ;)! Best, randmknitter

247. My winter gear doesn’t match and doesn’t really pass all of the it’s warm tests. Though I’ve been contemplating for the past couple of days getting more of the yarn I used for my latest hat and making a scarf that at least conceptually matches it (and mittens after that, because I’m stupid cold and I’m not even in Canada). I’m not sure that I want them to all match because I like matching things as much as I really love the shade of blue I used.

248. No. But I have also noticed “unmatched” pairs of socks for sale.

249. Miz McPhee…
     Sorry about The Foot….I spent a fun-filled twelve weeks with 1) broken right (of course) wrist and, once it was healed, 2) recovering from rotator cuff surgery. I followed the physical therapist to the letter and am now back to knitting and weaving! Yeh! Take it easy….be good to yourself and your foot!
     I was so touched yesterday by the RCMPs lined up in their red uniforms saluting as the Obamas went by the Canadian Embassy. It reminded me of that heart-breaking RCMP singing (can’t remember what) in front of Parliament (?) right after 9/11. When I think of how The Shrub frittered away our national revolve and international goodwill post 9/11, I have no words to express my level of frustration and dispair.
     Let’s hope we have well and truly learned our lesson and respond positively to what will be the challenging years ahead. We Americans are not known for our national patience….this time we MUST have it.

250. So glad your back Stephanie. I’ve missed you.

251. My clapotis made from noro korochan really really does not match my green hat, nor does it match my road-cone orange waterproof shell that I wear all of the time. I love your eye of Jupiter socks and am super jealous of them. You did inspire me to use the Leyburn pattern to make my own pair out of some luscious Chewy spaghetti I have. They are next on deck after I finish the pair Im on, the sweater Im knitting, A matching set of mittens and a hat (as a thank you gift), and Da DA DA Dahh MY WEDDING VEIL. Maybe I will take the yarn on the honeymoon.

252. I’m envious that you CAN knit. I have a broken wrist and am encased in hot pink fiberglass for 6 weeks total. Major knitting withdrawal….
     Definitely get a backpack for toting stuff up/ downstairs–well, perhaps not the full tea mug. That worked when I had knee surgery and was in an immobilizer and on crutches.
     Knit a round for me. Heal quickly.

253. Hi! So nice to hear from you – I was getting worried there for a bit.
     As for the upstairs/downstairs thing, lots of folks use the “sit on the steps” method when they have a leg or foot issue that prevents using the steps the regular way. It’s not dignified, but it is easy on the hands (instead of leaning on a cane or crutch) and on the injured limb.
     Love the socks. I had some similar yarn that came to me in a swap from Australia – I believe it was called “Carnival”, but I like the name of your colourway much better. Mine turned into Monkey socks, which are also pretty nice.
     All the best in the college paper work thing. I have one in college with three more standing by (every three years- what was I thinking?). They sure don’t make the paperwork part easy for the student or the parents. I guess it is sort of the first test -can the student make it through the application process?
     Stay warm; healing vibes are coming your way.

254. Match….interesting concept. I actually did make a matching scarf and hat this year for my 5 y.o son (although it’s stretchy enough that it fits everyone in the house). Sam’s is a very elegant set that matches and yet is not too matchy-matchy. Very nice. Between Sam and Michelle Obama, I may need to pay a tad more attention to my wardrobe!

255. Ha. I have knitted myself multiple scarves, a hat, a calorimetry and fingerless gloves. One of the scarves matches the hat but for some reason they never get worn together. (Possibly because I despise hats. Which raises the question of why I knit myself one in the first place.) None of the others are even in the same color family.
     But if it makes you feel any better my 10yo daughter demanded a scarf to match her coat. Brown and yellow. And picked simply soft for me to knit it in. I tried really hard to talk her into wool. No dice. She says wool is ‘scratchy’ and acrylic is ‘yummy’. Please tell me that this stage will pass?

256. Well, no, my winter wear doesn’t really match, but that’s only because I’m in the process of knitting a set that does (ducking and running quickly away). Knowing me, the set should be done by the time winter is over.

257. no.
     i have a blue hat i bought from a store (fleece not knit)
     I have the very first scarf I knit in dark purple chenille thick and quick
     and gloves that i made out of a reddish brown alpaca that a friend gave me.
     (for awhile i was wearing on red glove and one blu green glove because one blue green glove got lost and i had a case of 2nd glove – itis)

258. yup, Mr. Obama is pretty spiffy.
     I’m of the opinon that my beloved Clapotis goes with everything, but then, knitters see the world through their own special glasses. I’ve been seen wearing it with my black Coronet hat, and fingerless mitts I made out of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted in the Baltic Sea colorway–nothing really clashes, but… A friend IDed me on the street from 100 feet away thanks to that combination.

259. My winter wear definitely doesn’t matched and sadly I noticed it myself as well but did nothing about it… However, my beret does match my coat that was done purposely =)
     And many non-knitters who ask for knitted things from me do ask for it to match another accessory they have.

260. Match? psshh, yeah I don’t think so… I prefer the Punky Brewster look;)

261. Does it match? Hee…hee…(wheeze)…heeeee.. cough…splutter…hee…
     Oh. you’re serious. I’m currently wearing green socks and a peach colour sweater, so I may be the wrong person to ask…

262. so glad to see you are back.. when i had to hobble on crutches i hung long-handled totes on my shoulders to transport the stuff. not much good for coffee cups and plates of food, though.
     i am in the no-need-to-match but try-not-to-clash club.

263. re: Excuse the Sixth
     I know, WTF was that? Did they come up with that one while under the influence of something horrid? Unexpected twist doesn’t always mean cool and exciting. Sometimes it means stupid and boring. Of all the stupid stupids.

264. I wish I had winter wear! I spent enough hours knitting hats, mittens, fingerless mitts, and scarves for the holidays this year that I still have sore tendons. Then I gave it all away. Now in my new office my hands are cold. Guess it is time to get the needles moving again using matching yarn. I would hate to offend the young women in my life by wearing mis-matched accessories. Fingerless mitts will be nice to wear at the computer.

265. I would love to wear matching knitwear in the winter, but it never really gets cold enough here in San Francisco. I’m actually jealous of you all who live in the cold, which makes knitwear a necessity instead of something you store in a trunk while waiting for a cold snap that comes once in a blue moon.
     About the foot and the stairs: i have advice after nursing my niece through a bad broken ankle — just go up and down the stairs on your bum. It sounds bad, but it works. If you have to go down standing up, be sure to lead with your bad leg; it hurts less.
     Good luck and thanks for the comments about Obama. There are a lot of very happy Americans who were also glued to the TV set yesterday.

266. My scarf/hat/fingerless gloves do match, actually. In fact, I went out and ordered more of the dark green merino yarn I used to make the scarf and gloves so I could make the hat (and I sort of regret not ordering the same color in fingering, so I can eventually knit normal gloves that match.)
     I also have a dark red scarf/fingerless glove set that knit to match a different jacket, but I made them from alpaca BEFORE learning that I find alpaca scratchy. So unless it’s really cold I wear the dark green merino set, even though dark green scarf and dark green coat is sort of a no-go.
     I’d kind of like to knit myself a dark red merino scarf (though I’m sure I’ll feel differently once I’m halfway into the scarf with half a scarf to go). I admit that thinking about knitting the matching hat and fingerless gloves is one of the things that puts me off.
     Ironically, when I bought hats and stuff in the store before I learned to knit, I never paid attention to whether everything matched or not.

267. I sort of know this about my accessories. No, they don’t match. But I mean for them to. Which is why I always have yarn in my stash to make matching hat/mittens for that scarf or a matching scarf for that hat. Somehow it rarely works out though. But I do think a pair of Noro striped mittens would work out nicely if I ever got around to it.

268. Not matching. As long as nothing clashes with the coat, don’t care. Love Obama! Finally someone who can string more than 3 words together at a time! Re: moving around with the cane: you need a big apron with lots of pockets, like the ones that hold tools or cash. If you have a travel coffee cup with a screw on lid you can put it in the pocket; food can go in a zip-lock bag (unless it’s messy like spaghetti) in another pocket. I have one level in my house, and I pushed everything around on a chair (regular chair, no wheels, and hardwood floor, no carpet) It worked pretty well.

269. Have you tried butt walking up and down the steps? Really much easier than hopping with a cane or crutches.

270. As a matter of fact, it DOES! But only as of very recently. I made Fleece Artist thrummed mittens from a kit, and had quite a bit of the yarn left, so I turned it into the patterning on a Very Warm Hat by Elizabeth Zimmerman. The very warm hat is because we had windchills around -40 for almost a month here in the Winterpeg, Man-its-cold-a (Or Manisnowba if you prefer). I still have a bit left, and am thinking of adding it to the edges edges of a cowl, since I find scarves rather choking and the ends don’t tuck in under a coat. And without the tucking in, you get a little triangle of bare or nearly-bare skin between the open coat and the scarf.

271. It’s matchy-poo all the way.

272. Match? They have to match? This season is a Noro Silk Garden Striped scarf and a beanie (can’t remember the pattern straight off) from Di’ve Autumno. The colorways. . .well, they don’t quite match, but they both coordinate with the “lily pad” green LL Bean down parka I wear them with.

273. On Obama –
     When the man speaks, he says stuff. Stuff I understand, and remember. Not waffle that cannot be processed; it is amazing. I almost started crying when I “heard” the shift in policy……
     “…….know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity………”
     Peace and Dignity. No longer the US forcing “Democracy” on everyone, I hope.
     On winter knitwear:
     My next spinning project (I hope) will be to make some yarn for a proper “set”. Power Station Hat by Shannon Okey, butm more like the photo in the book http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/power-station-hat
     a scarf similar to this one http://www.ravelry.com/projects/thepope/noro-linen-stitch-scarf
     And some sort of mittens, I hope.
     I have the most lovely pound of naturally-colored Corriedale fiber, in 5 colors from cream to chocolate and nice transition shades in between.
     Here’s hoping, because the only other hat I have is a rather hideous cheap microfleece one in maroon. Absolutely shameful for a knitter to not have their own handknit hat, I know.

274. In reverse order: The hat and mittens are lovely, would love to see them modeled. I know, good luck on that. The socks are fabulous, though I can’t geek out with you sci-fi style- I just don’t have it in me, but you go as far as you wanna. Thanks so much for the props on our pres. I’m delighted to. And it’s so *nice* to be excited about it, to feel good about it, and to be interested in it. And, of course, he’s not *perfect*, but, he’s a hell of an improvement, so we’ll go from there. (that was way too many commas) With the injury, I know this will not cheer you at all, but, be glad you’re not my mama whose femur broke and has to use a walker (she’s only 62). They put a metal rod in and she’s progressing well. She’s lucky the house is all on one floor (except for the basement- so somebody else will just have to do the laundry.). She’s looking forward to using a cane. I wish you a speedy recovery.

275. BATTLESTAR! I think there is a twist. I also have a personal theory on this.

276. Condolences on your footsie. Go find a backpack and carry things around in that. It’ll leave your hands free for other stuff.
     My hat/gloves/scarf are the only things I own that do match.

277. Hmm, it seems like those of us with matching winter knitwear are in the minority! I have a red wool coat and wear it with a red knit beret, a silver mohair Misty Garden scarf, and mittens made of the same mohair held with gray wool. I see a lot of college students around here in mismatched hats/mittens/scarves, when they’re smart enough to wear them at all.
     Hope your foot heals soon!

278. Nope! Hat knit out of Noro in various oranges & greens, Neck warmer knit out of purple alpaca (can’t remember the brand), Mittens knit out of Sheep Shop Bulky (sheep 2?) in bright red/orange/pink. Various orange hats, red scarves, orange mittens, rainbow mittens, etc. I never match and am damn proud of it!!!

279. Of course I don’t match! I do have some matching pieces, but the probability of my being able to find any of them at the same time is slim to none. I don’t think it really matters though… I’m at college, and looking around campus the only people whose winter wear matches on any sort of a regular basis are the ones who you will see pulling all sorts of ridiculous stunts on the weekend trying to escape from parties that have been busted. I think I would far rather be identified as a knitter… as for the rest of my non-matching friends, top priority is totally keeping warm.

280. No matchy stuff here, but apparently I only knit in about 2-3 colors so from a distance people know my winterwear is related. If they care. As a US Federal Employee I’ve been weeping with joy over our new President. Finally, a boss I can respect! (I came to work for the Clinton admin after he became a blue dress punchline, alas). With you on marriage and death penalty. From the inauguration festivities, I particularly enjoyed watching the DC Gay men’s chorus sing “my country ’tis of thee” on Sunday. That and Pete Seeger’s hat, of course. I’m going to guess he doesn’t have matching fingerless gloves.
     My furnace died last night here in relatively balmy DC so I sympathize. The guy is due any minute which is good cuz we’re dropping about 1 degree/hour. At least they’re Farenheit degrees!

281. Maybe there’s no big parade for the Prime Minister because Canada has do-overs if he or she turns out to be not quite so wonderful as first thought.

282. my coat is mauve, my gloves are purple, and my hat is in shades of blue & green. no matchy-matchy here! LOL
     our new president is an intelligent man who (I hope) can help heal our troubled country. mos def a damn sight better than the last one, fer sure! I cried when obama took the oath. such an emotional day for us AND the world!

283. Ran, er, limped, into the same problem when I broke my ankle two years ago. Everything downstairs but the bathroom. And I didn’t own a laptop at the time.
     I discovered that you can actually lose weight when you have a broken ankle because of the number of calories you burn when trying to manage stairs on crutches and you live in a two storey house – with the bathroom on the second floor.
     This too shall pass.

284. No, but I have Plans.

285. I live in Arizona… Winter wear is a pair of fingerless gloves for maybe a week in January. They match 🙂
     As for BSG – final cylon surprised me. There *has* to be more to it than that!

286. my winter wear does not match, at least by the standards of people like my sister… however, my clothes don’t match either as i’ve been told, so whether they were hand knit or store bought (at least if they were bought by me) doesn’t actually make any difference.

287. Cannot believe the last cylon. Hated her before, can’t believe it was her! There better be a damn good twist.
     On a happier note, love the socks, but love the hat and mitten set even more!

288. I adore our new first couple. They give me such hope. I was completely glued to the TV yesterday, and got nothing done.
     On the BSG front? Hell Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that things are going to get insanely twisty between here and the finish line. And I certainly never foresaw the identity of the final Cylon. (I have all kinds of theories about what’s coming, but until you open a Let’s Speculate Wildly About BSG thread I’ll keep ’em to myself. Dude, this is such fun.)

289. Mine “Sort of ” all matches. I knit my fingerless gloves out of a varigated yarn and then made everything else out of a solid color found in the varigated yarn. Does that count as matching?

290. Hmmm….nope, no matches here. Sam may have a point about us. May start a whole new “daughter of Harlot” inspired trend. Knitters with matching hat, scarf and gloves. How novel.

291. My hubby has been watching battlestar gallactica… ummmm I MENTIONED that you knit socks.. blah blah.. and suddenly? YOU ARE NOW THE COOLEST KNITTER EVAH.
     Suddenly? I am no longer mocked about the yarnharlot.. or knitting or traveling to far away places to do the same…
     THANK YOU.
     Also: he wants FELTED CLOG SLIPPERS in the Eye of Jupiter colorway… UGH.

292. Love that hat you made! The button sets it off just right.
     I wish that people felt proud to be a citizen of their country regardless of who is in office. My country is still my country, no matter who is leading it. Many people voted for our new leader. But there were many of us who did not. Here’s hoping we can bridge the divides.
     ~ Dar

293. I do not felt BMFA. For Petes Sake!

294. Thanks for noticing that we now have a man with intelligence at our helm. I too find Barack Obama not quite left leaning enough on all issues but I remain hopeful that he will make good on his promises and feel that, at the least, we are now in the hands of a thoughtful and highly intelligent person who is capable of understanding and handling the numerous crisis before us. It is a breath of fresh air. People are walking the streets of New York City filled with hope–its an amazing time.

295. Man. my winterwear is knitty, and I only knit one item of the three. What’s my excuse?

296. As with most of the others–nothing matches but I’m warm. I’ve never been, nor attempted to be, a fashion plate so I don’t really care. When I broke my foot and could put no weight on it for seven weeks, I found I could do stairs best on my bum and just slipped the crutches up or down with me. I also crawled a lot, keeping my foot up behind me. It worked but I had floor burns on my knees when I could finally get back to walking on two feet. Hope your time down is a lot less than mine.

297. Well, our very fashionable new First Lady had gloves & shoes in complimentary colors, not matching colors yesterday.
     Matchy-matchy knits isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; it’s just easier to buy.
     As for our new president – it’s going to be a lot of hard work & he knows it. Nevertheless, I like his message of hope instead of fear.

298. No, my knitwear doesn’t match, but my 18 yo daughter’s does!! And I made that same hat and loved the way it came out!

299. and as an American, I am SOOOO proud of our new president and of us and of everyone who worked hard for decades to make this come to pass!!

300. My winter wear does not match. However, my Mom has matching Maine Morning Mitts (ok, they are fraternal twins) and Quant. They are both knit out of the same dye lot. The scarf I knit her, however, not only does match, it does coordinate.
     I feel your pain with being laid up, but it could be worse, you could be on crutches, working with all men, who do not realize you cannot carry a cup of coffee when on crutches. Being cut off from the brown elixer of life is not a good thing.

301. I just knit a hat that matches. A blanket that is. Mine’s a version of Robin’s Egg Blue hat, too.
     Yay for leftover yarn? The blanket belongs to a non-knitter friend so I decided to gradually knit up all the ends into other things and give them to her. If she ever needs blanket mending yarn – it’ll need to be removed from some knitted article. At least it won’t be taking up my stash space.

302. Noro scarf, lamb’s pride mittens and debbie bliss hat, nothing matches. Thanks for pointing it out. Good thing I have no desire to be a real person.

303. No matching here – even worse, I wear unmatching handspun items! And yes, I do believe that there must be another twist – as my hubby says “as long as they keep up the tension, I’ll still be watching!” Good luck with the crutches!

304. Sorry…nothing matches. However, I do think of knitting matching accessories from time to time…but never get to complete them before I am interested in another, more interesting, project.
     I love your socks…they rock! I love Science Fiction. I am a Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter fan myself.
     Thanks for congrats re: Obama. I am very proud of us Americans. That we could actually come together and support someone whom we may or maynot totally agree with politically to guide us through a difficult time in the us, without looking at his ethnicity is wonderful. Mankind does have the ability to do amazing things. There is hope for us yet.

305. Hope your foot/ankle heal real soon. My winter wear matches if I’m going someplace ‘nice’.Other than that,it’s whatever is handy and warm.I’m enchanted with Obama also.I am cautiosly optimistic about him being able to do what he has planned to bring the U.S. around.He is only one man but if he can face his opponants in the right direction and get us back on track,we have a good chance.I just know that he’ll be 1000% better than the last President.

306. I’m afraid that I totally match — I’m a knitter and a weaver, and so I’ve made a scarf, hat, and mittens to all go together…and am working on another scarf, hat, & gloves combo. The second set is necessary, as the first set is purple and Manos “Caribe,” which is very bright and not nearly professional enough for certain things. I mostly don’t care, but there are those days….

307. Dear gods – I’ve been consciously trying NOT to match after years of very matchy matchy living – from knickers to eyeshadow. After knitting a lovely pink and orange diagonal rib hat I’ve been sitting looking at the remain skein and a half wondering if I should break my new wildness and make up gauntlets to match… Now I think I shall, just in case my younger cousins want to go in public with me an not be embarrassed. And here I thought not matching but complimenting and coordinating was so very sophisticated!

308. Ha, ha, ha…she is so right! I have to admit that my knitwear doesn’t really match in terms of pattern or yarn, but I draw the line at colors. So I’ll wear my multicolored (but mostly black) Tiffany mittens with a black scarf, or my cream colored Gap (gasp!) mittens with a cream scarf made for me long ago and my cream Unoriginal Hat. So there you have it…
     Love the new set. I think she is a lucky girl. And the socks are lovely. How long are they? They look like they go up really high. Did you do calf shaping and all of that? I’ve been reluctant to try that thus far. Please tell us more.

309. What?? They’re supposed to match??? But I like my eclectic lot….
     However, being the mother of a fourteen year old girl, I do understand the “not too knitty” dictum. One would hate to be responsible for one’s progeny dying of embarrasment due to improper use of woolens.
     Your “set” turned out lovely.

310. Not even slightly! This winter I’m sporting a Muted red and orange Icarus shawl, blue and cream mittens and a new hat that is blue, cream, orange and purple. My old hat was made from the same yarn as my mittens but beyond that there wasn’t much matching. Clearly it is a new way to spot a knitter or the loved one of a knitter – my husband has dark blue mittens and a rainbow stripy hat!

311. I had good intentions of my winter wear matching as I primarily mix a striped chevron scarf with a matching pair of gloves and a non-matched but color coordinated hat. However, with the rash of bitter cold of late, I’ve been subbing a pair of stranded knit mittens for the gloves, so they take all the matchy away.

312. My winter wear? I live in Santa Barbara, CA. My mittens, hat and scarf don’t need to match because the chances of needing all three at the same time are slim.

313. Not a whit – not even the socks.

314. dude. my socks don’t match.

315. Love the hat!
     My winter things do not match at all. My main hat is one crocheted for me about 5-6 years ago by an actor in my favorite musical at the time, my scarf is one I got for free a few years ago (woven Ralph Lauren scarf with a nice pattern) and my gloves are either thin flip top gloves I bought or some leather gloves, depending on how cold it is.
     Then again my winter coat for the last 2 years has been a heavy duty sweatshirt style coat from one of my jobs. The nice actual winter coats stay in the closet.

316. I get physically ill if everything matches – coordinate yes, match no. But I did just create a matching set for my Malabrigo thief because he lost one mitten and wouldn’t wear some store-bought ones. He handed them back to me and said “no, I’ll take the ones you make”. We hit -22 with windchill here last week and I figured he was due for a new hat & scarf too. http://beescanfly.blogspot.com/ BSG’s big reveal was just weird!

317. as per ex1 – when I broke a foot bone many years ago, I went up and down the stairs on my tush… found it to be fast and safe, if a bit humbling.
     as per ex4 – President Obama (I love saying that) and the First Lady held my attention pretty much all day yesterday. I wish them the best of luck, and hope all Americans will heed his call to action.
     as per ex7 – Sam is right. It wasn’t a week ago that I looked at my scarves, gloves & hats, and realized except for one set, nothing matched. Mostly, I have many more scarves than hats or gloves. I quickly whipped up 2 hats (including a Robin’s Egg Blue in black), but they don’t “exactly” match anything either… will continue to work on this.
     Feel better. This too shall pass.

318. So happy to see a new post! I was beginning to worry about you. And rightly so, as I know from personal experience how damned dreadful it can be to have to hobble around with a cane or crutches, and as to having to cope with stairs in order to have access to indoor plumbing and/or food, yarn, coffee, or other necessities of life, there’s nothing that can turn a person homicidal quite so quickly. (Interestingly enough, it never did bring on suicidal feelings, always homicidal. I won’t examine what that says about me.)
     I agree with Sam. One sign of homemade knitwear is that you get the mix-n-match look. This isn’t always just a homemade thing, though. Before I started knitting, I still ended up with a mixed bag of warm woolies, simply because I’d buy a hat here, some mittens there, whatever struck my fancy at any given time. Then again, my personal style seems to lean toward the “dotty aunty” look, and I, too, see a bra as an accessory (and one I usually am pleased to forgo.) I love the very chic (and matching!) set you knit for her, and I’m glad to hear it was a hit.
     As to the final cylon revelation, “whuh?” That was what I’ve been waiting for? I’m just not convinced it will be as easy as all that… I suspect we’re in for some twists and turns. The scene that tickled me (dark humour) was when Leoben ran away from Kara. I probably shouldn’t have found that amusing, but I did. BTW, love the socks, and I totally understand why you’re gonna wear them for every episode. Good on you!

319. Nothing in my winter wear matches, maybe wool brands might match but even that is doubtful. The good thing is that my kids are too young to be embarrassed and my husband just wants me to be warm and happy. I did make a goal to have a matching set by the end of this winter but I think they’ll end up looking “knitty” too, but hey, they’ll match!

320. No, my attention span isn’t long enough, though why I could spend the time to scroll to the bottom of the comments to tell you this I will never understand.

321. Nope – none of it matches… I keep meaning to make a “set” but I never get around to it.

322. Absolutely not. Likely because I am not a real person ;~)

323. $45 for dpn
     are they kidding????

324. My winter wear does not match. I currently do not even own a pair of gloves because I live in a warmer climate, but I have plans to make some as I am moving to Colorado. I have a hat that comes as part of the cloak I bought at a Dickens Faire recently, under which I might wear my Lyra hat (like the one from the Golden Compass). My scarf is really special though – my husband, who is not a knitter by any stretch of the imagination, learned to knit in secret (but not to purl), and made me a scarf out of Touch Me yarn for our birthday (yes, we have the same one). The scarf might appear hideous to those who do not know the story, but I match every winter accessory to it as best I can. The yarn is too bulky to make into mittens or gloves, but it could be made into a matching hat, I suppose.

325. My store-bought stuff has never, ever matched. The only consideration for me was comfort. Now that I am approaching my second anniversary as a knitter, (and have knit lots of things that are not hats or scarves) I’ve been thinking of knitting a matching hat-scarf-glove set for myself. Go figure.
     I guessed that you were glued to the inaugural news yesterday! I was too. I can’t remember when I felt this hopeful about my country’s future and our relationship to the rest of the planet.

326. Nope, my hand-knit winter wear most certainly does not match, unless you count that they’re all bright (I need that in the winter). I’ve been asked just how many colors I’m going to wear.
     I like our new President, too. And hoo, boy, is he kicking it into gear right away!

327. My winter wear kind-of matches. In the sense that there is some Baa-baajoes in natural in both the hat and the mittens. The mittens are all Baabaajoes. The hat is a one off. This was the result of last winter when SOMEONE ate a mitten. Yessss. So I grabbed the yarn and whipped out a new pair. They don’t precisely match each other, because I did the tops on the fly, but so far, despite several attempts at theft, noone has eaten these mittens.
     Then someone ELSE stole a hat. That was a human and her excuse was that she was freezing and I couldn’t let her out without a hat. By my count, in 2 winters this is the 3rd hat that has walked off with her, and that doesn’t include the 2 I’ve made for her. So, after going to my hat stash and discovering to my shock that is was my last hat(!) I knit myself up a new hat ASAP with the left over baabaajoes and some left over brown Bartlettyarn. Made a spiffy hat.
     And then went on a hat binge to renew the hat stash.
     However, my scarf is one of 2 scarves. It’s either a black and white alpaca (WARM!) or my faux fox (who comes out for holidays and special occasions). So, no matchy matchy on the scarf.
     OTOH, most of my other clothes match in the sense that 95% of my wardrobe comes from LL Bean.
     But, when I made a winter set for my Dad, I did go all matchy on the hat, scarf and mittens. But it’s burnt orange, which if pretty fashion forward for an old guy!

328. almost forgot
     Obama is awesome – I have been looking forward to his inauguration since his election in November. What a welcomed change! Hope is back; so is pride!

329. Yeah, srsly, BSG? What the hell is up with number 5? And the whole Kara thing? I want answers.

330. My winter wear does match – but mostly because I bought a huge amount of yarn to make that many-icord-scarf that Vogue did last year…

331. It most certainly does NOT!
     Then again most of my clothing choices don’t “match” either. I feel that matching is highly overrated.

332. Barack Obama has that effect on me, too. I worked, in my own modest way, for his campaign and was beyond thrilled when he won. I took yesterday off of work so I could celebrate in style with friends, and spent the whole day watching him and his lovely family, happy that after the last eight years I would wake up this morning and not worry about what fresh hell my President had gotten my country into while I was sleeping. Watching Barack and Michelle dance last night was the icing on the cake. 🙂

333. Ah, Sam, you must have spoken to my daughters. They also don’t want mittens one year, a scarf the next, and a hat the next. They want it all now, and matching!! I, like your mother, walk around totally mismatched in terms of color, stitch, texture and matching-to-coat. It’s a wonder that you teenagers will even consider going out in public with us. I have learned to walk 10 paces behind and not to call my daughter by name, as if I know her.

334. I actually own one matching set, but I rarely wear all the pieces at the same time. The socks came out great.

335. Matching winter knits? Hahahahahahahahahaha! I’m the disheveled mother of two young children with the third well on the way. I’m lucky I’m upright, let alone coordinated.
     I shoulda gone to MUN. I wouldn’t because it was too close to home. I’d have had to go to Sir Wilfred Grenfell in Corner Brook (since I lived there) and I thought I was far too cool for that. In hindsight, I wish I had done it and had a couple more years back on the rock. Sigh. I figure that is the exact reason why Meg might just end up there.

336. NO!!! Do anybodys??
     In fact, I got sick of looking like a coat rack for knitters orphan & on boxing day bought enough Fleece Artist River to make a matching, hat, scarf and mitts.
     I’m only done the scarf so far, so technically I still look like the forementioned coatrack.
     And Barack Obama? *totally* feel like my American girlfriend who traditionally dates losers that spent all her money just got engaged to a really, really, really nice guy.
     xo. Joce

337. No, my winter wear does not match! In fact, I recently realized this and set about correcting that. I’ve got a hat near completion and enough yarn to make the matching scarf (no mittens as this is really my fall/spring wear).

338. No. No, it does not match. Thanks for bringing it up. Now must go knit. And maybe buy some wool.

339. My gloves match each other, most of the time. Really, I think that should be enough.

340. Oh, yes, my winterwear matches! And so does that which I’ve made for my family. Knitters and muggles alike compliment the stuff we wear. I want it to look handmade, but not “loving hands of home,” if you follow.

341. Hahaha–no, my winter wear definitely doesn’t match. It coordinates…!
     YEAH BATTLESTAR GALACTICA! I was a bit disappointed in the 5th, too…
     And finally, President Obama is amazing.

342. My winter wear is a light fleece jacket and some of my own socks, which match, so I guess that means yes.

343. Yes, my winter wear matches, but only because I go through color obsessions. Thus, when I have a pink scarf, I also have a pink hat because it was the same color as the scarf.

344. noro scarf (The scarf)2 noros k2p2 forever pattern
     red (learn to knit)hat, madesome 20 years ago
     red thrummmed mittens
     does red count as a set?

345. Oh yeah! Welcome back – you were sorely missed. And Obama really IS amazing.

346. Actually my standbys do match, probably because I knit them up when I was a fairly new knitter and I was still a “real” person so I specifically bought enough of one yarn to make a set. Other than that, well I guess I’m too “knitty” myself because none of the other warm me up items match.

347. are there 3 mmms in thrummmed?

348. Matching winter wear. Funny, I just got the once over look this morning from one of my coworkers and the thought occurred to me for the very first time. Nope, Tuscany Lorna’s Worsted Prickle cowl with a simple homespun undyed Superfine Merino hat. They don’t clash, but they definitely don’t match… Great topic! 😎

349. It is finally cold in Florida and we can wear our winter stuff. I know you aren’t feeling sorry for us, but guys, knitting hats is fun and we don’t get to wear them often. I was the only one of 8 today at lunch that had on a hat, red Malabrigo, yummy and warm. No, my scarf did not match. Hadn’t thought about it until this post.

350. Does my winter wear match…? um, my noro socks don’t match cause that would be wasting yarn, so, no. Thinking of it now, they so completely don’t match, I am feeling self-conscience.
     Oh a helpful note, hopefully. When I hurt my knee, I would feed myself with the help of a canvas bag and tupperware… Make food, put in plastic container, fill up water bottle, get utensils, put everything in the bag, hobble to where ever I planned to eat, unload… worked pretty well, since I had no choice about crutches or a cane. It was 100% crutches.
     Feel better soon.

351. To Jennifer, 3:06 PM … just wait, that son of yours will drag along behind before you know it. My son, now 39 [omg! i’m not old enough for that] used to roll his eyes at me because I studied [he called it “stared”] at people when we were out having lunch. If I remember, most everything I did about then embarrassed him.
     Now about matching winter wear: nope, not even close. I’m lucky if my socks match –when I have to wear them. It’s that South/Central Texas thing. 75 degrees one day, freezing the next and back in the 70’s again. I wear ‘coordinated’ layers and keep my favorite Hand Knit Scarf at ready, matching or not.
     Stephanie, I’m relieved you’re ‘back in the saddle’ –a bit side-saddle, but riding. Take care; I send thought gifts of patience and peace in the midst of the frustrations and clarity to the college bound. Also, I pray for our new President that he finds courage and countinued grace in his days of service ahead.

352. Well, she’s right. I guess ‘normal’ doesn’t work for me. Who knew? 😉

353. First off, wonderful socks. Love the pattern and the yarn. I have to find some! 😀
     And to answer your question, my winter stuff doesn’t match. I have a red/blue/purple beanie, a 1x1rib scarf in brown and turquoise, and light brown fingerless mitts. They don’t match with each other, but they do match with the rest of my wardrobe! xD

354. Just to add, it occurs to me that I need to teach Danny that it’s in poor taste to expect a female’s accessories to match. Kinda like not expecting the rug to match the drapes. (heh, I crack myself up. Sorry! Crude humour.)This way, if he ends up with a girl who has a “knitterly” taste in fashion, he won’t put his foot in his mouth. (He inherited his ability to do *that* from his dad, who, when we were first dating and I weighed all of 115 pounds, told me “you’re a lot heavier than my first girlfriend.” It’s a miracle I dated him again after that remark.)
     And here’s another American sobbing with relief at the end of an abysmal era, and filled with pride at what looks to be a promising beginning. I don’t necessarily agree with all of Obama’s policies, but I absolutely believe he has integrity, intelligence, patience, respect for the opinions of others (even when they disagree with him), and a genuine respect for and commitment to the Constitution, which makes him such a vast improvement over the previous President that I could sing for joy.

355. you are right about the cylon. What the heck! Don’t you think we would notice her walking around? But I am totally interested to know if she really was such a mean, bad lady or if that was another cylon that just looked like her trying to infiltrate the military. but I bet if she is around, she is gonna be totally mad at her husband for the whole, killing her thing.

356. Well, yes, my winter items match, but not from planning. It is only because I wear mostly the same colorways so things all kind of go together. Wishing you speedy healing.

357. This was the very conversation I had with my knitting group last month when even Victoria had a cold snap. I told them that I know I looked like a fool with all my knit wear, but I didn’t care what people thought of me and how I looked, because I was warm and they were all shivering in the cold.
     I had a Rowan Felted Tweed hat in a dark blue (Midnight is the colourway I believe), a Diamond Luxury alpaca stole in DK weight used as a giant scarf wrapped around my neck and head and around my mouth and nose… Red and white fair isle mitts… And (this people probably didn’t see) black with hints of green and blue socks from Fleece Artist (Somoko in Seastorm). Oh wait, I had fingerless mitts under the mitts too, but I guess people didn’t see that either. Anyway… What I was telling the knitters was that maybe I would feel less dorky if my accessories (or wooly items) matched. Say if at least I had the same colour scheme going. They looked at me like I was crazy. What do you mean you don’t match? They’re all hand-knits!
     I felt like I wanted to be on a mission to knit matching stuff, but you know, nothing in my stash matches either. Perhaps it’s time to go yarn hunting?

358. Regarding BG: I totally think there are more twists coming….twistiest season ever, is my prediction.
     My gloves (store bought) match my coat and I have a scarf that I wear or a hat, but I confess I don’t like to wear both the scarf AND hat because they don’t match. I think it’s hard for a knitter to have everything match, who’s gonna knit a matching scarf every time they make a hat, and vice/versa!
     Best of luck with that pesky injury!

359. My winter accessories either match or co-ordinate closely. Yup, I like sets.
     Hope you’re keeping nice and warm.

360. Ya know it’s funny, i just started recently to notice the “not matching” thing! I was struggling to find stuff I knitted that went together, was not being successful, and decided I did not care. But then I thought back a few weeks and noticed something else. I fell in love with the Noro Cashmere Island a while back when my LYS had their big anniversery sale. I bought 2 skeins and made a scarf. I loved the scarf and the yarn so much more I bought 12 more to make a pullover with. But when I went to buy them, however much I wanted them, the thought that the sweater would match the scarf actually bothered me! I didn’t want anyone (for some reason I don’t understand) to know I used the same yarn for the sweater and the scarf. I guess all the years of “non matching knitting” ingrained it into me as a philosophy…. Like that’s how it HAS to be! hmmmm……

361. I can feel proud to be an American again but embarassed that I couldn’t name any one of your government’s leaders.
     No, none of my knitted winter wear matches. You’ve inspired me to try, though. The hat and mittens turned out beautifully.

362. At least you haven’t lost your sanity and gone the Lisa Nowak route so you won’t have to get up at all…
     Barack Obama and knitting are about the only two things I’ll cry about these days. I’m intensely proud to be American as of yesterday.
     I have to say, I have one matching hat,scarf, mitten set. It was given me as a gift that someone bought at a store… she’s right. I never wear those. The ones I do wear are homeknit, lovely and (usually) four different shades of were-the-lights-on-this-morning?

363. Well, I think Sam is right. I have to admit though that nothing I own matches, so why worry?

364. My winter wear does match, but then, I am from California. Our stuff has to look even more like we bought it, since it’s so rarely cold enough for knitted hats and scarves.

365. At least you haven’t lost your sanity and gone the Lisa Nowak route so you won’t have to get up at all…
     Barack Obama and knitting are about the only two things I’ll cry about these days. I’m intensely proud to be American as of yesterday. I’ve been claiming exclusively my British West Indian roots for the past eight years; I mean, I was just BORN here, that’s all…
     I have to say, I have one matching hat,scarf, mitten set. It was given me as a gift that someone bought at a store and wouldn’t you know it, I never wear those. The ones I do wear are homeknit, lovely and (usually) four different shades of were-the-lights-on-this-morning?

366. I hate to break it to Sam, but in the days when I wore mostly store-boughten accessories they didn’t get put into sets any more then they do now.
     This might be because I buy my accessories like I buy my yarn — on sale. =)

367. My knitted goods don’t match and neither do my husband’s (see photo evidence in the URL link) and that BSG episode couldn’t have been more anti-climactic! Grrr!

368. Only three hours after you posted and there are already over 300 comments? good heavens, woman, we really missed you!
     I’d say you were off the hook for any of those reasons (#4 is my personal fave though). No, my hats, mitts and scarf don’t match. Dang. Now I have something else to put in the queue.
     Sorry you’re getting cabin fever, it will end eventually, I promise. And welcome back, we really have missed you (see above re how many comments already!). Soft, warm fuzzy wishes just for you.

369. Match? Knitted ascessories are supposed to match?
     I thought matches were made in heaven, for lighting candles, incense and wood stoves.
     Who knew?
     Crazy though about the hat its is very chic vintage looking!

370. Yup, I’m roughly 4 years into this adventure of knitting obsession and I suddenly realized the other day that not a single one of my hand knit pieces–scarf, fingerless gloves, hat–match. It’s a good thing I’m well past the age when such things matter.
     Your ankle is looking much, much better, and very fetching in those socks. 🙂

371. No match-y here. I’m happy when my socks match each other and same with the gloves. (about 75% of the time)
     Your daughter is very observant and the hat and glove set is very nice. Obama is a great hope we need right now.
     Glad your back!

372. Well, in order to answer, I need to know first if by “winter wear” you mean the t-shirt and yoga pants I wore yesterday or the tank top and shorts I have on today. Because it’s been 80 degrees for the past week here, and if winter is over already, I’m taking my handknits and moving to where the cold is.

373. Let me give you this comfort: my 25 year old husband never left for college, I (30) did. Both of us feel like he missed out on a very important part of growing up and having some freedom from the resposibility of his family. So now, as adults we are having to figure moving away into life plans along with buying a house and having children. I think it’s going to be harder for his mom if we move away with grandchildren than if he had just left home at 18.
     I have a matching set on purpose, two in fact.
     with love…

374. Match?? not me, no way–but I *did* notice (from behind on the trail) that the recipient of some x-country skiwear from me has matching hat, mitts and knee-socks–so I must have thought about it sometime!
     Ouch–good luck and be careful! up and down the stairs. Lovely matching set and geek socks. It is good to have you back on the blogosphere.

375. My knitwear doesn’t match, but I’m working on it. I just knit myself a matching hat and cowl, and I *think* there’s enough yarn left for mittens, but I got distracted by the Francie sock pattern so the mittens will have to wait. So I wear cheap but warm men’s gloves (the curse of big hands) that I get or $10 a pair, always in black, so when I lose one or more I can just match up another pair. Plus mittens aren’t so good for driving.
     Have you tried going up the stairs on your arse? I had foot surgery and was on crutches for three months (which I needed because of two large dogs, to keep the dogs away from me — it’s amazing how quickly they learn when they get accidentally whacked), and found that just going up and down on my arse was much, much less tiring. And far less dangerous, considering the dogs. (My golden retriever believes his mission in life is to be glued to me at the hip; he was called a “Velcro dog” on the rescue organization’s website, and they weren’t kidding!) You might try it; anything to make it easier!
     I have real hope for the future for the first time in a long time. Not because I agree 100% with our new president, but because I think he’s really, *really* smart and has surrounded himself with equally really, *really* smart people, and he’s making efforts to make what he does visible to us (check out the whitehouse.gov website) as well as approaching issues with a sensible, calm, intelligent attitude. Plus Michelle is stunning — not traditionally beautiful, but I’d give anything to have *half* her poise (and fashion sense)! And the children are so adorable it should be illegal. On another blog they talked about the girls’ “campaign of cute,” and that’s the perfect description! The new first family is going to be a lot of fun, I can tell already. Such nice people!

376. Oh dear is it that obvious. I’ve been wearing a rowan biggy print allsorts colour garter stitch scarf and my very first fingerless mitts in bright pink and green stripes.
     I suppose it’s better people think I’m a disorganised knitter than a hobo!
     Promise not to suggest you use any kind of bottle with “female attachment”. I’m sure it a road that once travelled is hard to abandon. One minute it’s an emergency pee in your lounge. Next thing you know your going while stuck in traffic and in supermarket queues!

377. Whoa! It’s supposed to MATCH!?!

378. Interesting. I consider myself fairly rigid in the matching department (you know, belt, pants, socks…), but my knitted hat does not match my scarf, which does not match my gloves/mittens. Hmmm. That Sam sure is an observant cookie.

379. I don’t just have one set of winter wear. I like to knit small projects so I have lots to choose from. But none of them matches.

380. It didn’t, until a couple of weeks ago when I made an Unoriginal Hat and thought it might be nice if it actually matched my scarf. So at least the hat and scarf match…

381. Of course my winter wear doesn’t match…I have KADD (knitting ADD) and after one project, one pattern and one kind of yarn I have to move on! 🙂

382. Sorry to hear you’re having trouble getting around. Make large pots of coffee and put them in a thermos (so less need to get up to top up your mug). But that could increase bathroom usage… shoot.
     Memorial University is a FANTASTIC institution! I did my undergrad there (I’m originally from St. John’s, NL) and loved every minute of my time there. There are lots of volunteering opportunities, clubs and societies and other activities too.
     I LOVE the Eye of Jupiter socks! I totally agree about the “final” cylon. WTH?!?! There has to be a twist (to be discussed later).
     I’m still a new knitter (just over a year under my belt), so you really inspire me. My mother-in-law gave me a copy of your guide to the land of knitting. I LOVE IT!!

383. Good luck on surviving college applications. I’m convinced that it is much harder on mothers than on the kids themselves (then again, I went through it with twins). I have one child in college here in California, a little over an hour away if the traffic cooperates, and another just across the lake from you at University of Rochester. Both kids are attending schools that are very well suited to them academically and socially — it helped that they made one last visit before committing. My daughter, the one in New York, is particularly happy. I miss her terribly, but know that going to school far away has been very important to her feeling more adult (her twin brother was not ready to live far from home). She also appreciates northern California more than she did before, and wants to live here after graduation if at all possible.
     The first knitted item my daughter requested (post-puberty) was a sweater. I immediately said yes, then asked if she had any ideas about color. She said black (solid) and, by the way, she wanted it knit in thin yarn and covered with 2×2 or 3×3 cables. Oh, and it should also be machine wash and dry. AND, it needs to be close fitting (she is pretty curvaceous, so that means lots of properly spaced shaping).
     I’ve made two stabs at this stupid sweater, and can’t seem to force myself to get more than halfway up the back. It’s been 4 years now, and it’s our standing joke.
     Hope you’re more mobile soon.

384. I am so proud of yesterday – both for what it represents for our country and for how many people were enthusiastic about the day. Thank you for sharing your own joy in this history-making moment.
     I spent much of the afternoon in the LYS justifying to myself buying three different yarns to make a hat and scarf and mittens that won’t exactly (okay, won’t really at all) match except for a vague cable motif. White hat, green scarf, gray mittens… So does this make me, if not fashion forward, then at least a real knitter?

385. Oh honey, as a veteran of not one, but two foot surgeries, I understand completely. I had to use crutches both times, which meant no free hands. My tips: thermos for the coffee and a tote bag to haul it around in. Whatever has to be eaten on a plate rather than out of a ziplock bag (which can go into the tote) just has to wait until there are people in the house to bring it to you. I know it sucks, but it’ll be so much better to have a happy foot. I dropped a hardwood cutting board on my left foot Monday. Fortunately no fractures, just a really nasty bruise and a little limping on stairs. So, I’m right there with you in the “Heal you damn foot, heal!” category.

386. A. I have been, like you, looking to the inauguration of Obama on CNN almost all day; in the evening I attended my local Stitch ‘n bitch (Utrecht NL), where in the cafe they had a big TV-screen with life CNN. We love Obama over here in Europe!
     B. I have been looking to all great winterwear from the public in Washington DC. All those hats, scarves, mittens etc, a lot of which looked handknitted. And not at all matching, but warm!
     C. I have two adult daugthers (29 and 27) who on a regular basis ask me for knitted accessories. I try to make them matching stuff. And they use it! While my youngest is a real fashion victim.
     D. All the best with your injury. Reckon that it is good for your system to climb the stairs a few times per day!

387. Does my winter gear match, heavens no. But I have to admit, even when I buy “real” winter gear in the store, it usually does not match either. Never really thought about it. I guess that’s why we have teenagers, they keep us in line on those issues :o)

388. No, but neither do I ever wear the same thing every day. I mix and match depending on what clothing I’m wearing, how far below freezing it is, how windy it is and which coat I wear! The gloves stay with the coat so I won’t forget to have them with me. The scarf or hat or shawl used as a scarf and hat depend on the above criteria.

389. I recently finished a “Good Luck Cowl” and some lace fingerless gloves in a gorgeous Malabrigo Silky Merino but the temperature is so cold that I need mittons instead and a hat too but only have enough yarn for one or the other….I thought this was my chance to have everthing match. Anyhow, for the next couple weeks it’s my Steeler’s black & gold scarf and whatever else I need to keep warm.

390. Smart and spiffy is a GOOD combination for a President!
     And, I’m sorry you’re still on a cane. At least you don’t need as many trips for Sir Washy’s successor…

391. Hello
     Sam is totaly right about the non-matching thing : my hat, scarves and mittens don’t match and I’m proud of it. Each day, I wear at least one knitted item.

392. You can still knit with a bad foot – not with a bad wrist. (Go ahead – ask me how I know….)

393. Sometimes it matches and sometimes it doesn’t. I made a matching hat and scarf specifically so I would maybe look a little more put together, but I get bored wearing the same thing everyday. I am considering the possibilities of coordinating, but not matching as a solution to the dilemma of looking too knitterly.

394. well… they match except for the hat. But as long as its warm and not really weird colors, who cares?

395. Does my winter wear match Sam’s or does it match each other?
     It most certainly (well, mostly certainly) does not match Sam’s. It would match the lovely pinky hues if not for:
     I am having many personal vacations these days and most days don’t wear outer wear, let alone the accessories (including bras, incidentally). Lest someone think that I am somehow in a climate where this is a small wee statement, my son had two days off last week for weather below the ‘cold limit to have school’–negative 35 F with wind chill. And I went to the grocery store sans accessories, in my spring coat. Which was too warm and turned into just my tshirtish top. I got the mail today in my housecoat and summer not-sandals. Balmy, I tells ya. We might could solve the energy crisis with a bunch of menopause……if only we could bottle it and give it away…….

396. oh so sweeeeeeeeeeet!! sigh… i think i’ll be waiting for the proverbial cows to come home before either of my offspring (both males) ask me to KNIT them something. but thanks for inspiring! and my winter knitwear kinda matches… but some of it is bought and some is handknit so i try to aim for go-together-ness.

397. YES! Our new president is by far the most inspiring political figure I’ve seen in my lifetime (plus, he’s an Ox like me, so I know he’ll be honest, fair & hardworking)!
     And NO! My winterwear never matches- I confess to a love for fleece gloves, because they have no bulk, and whatever knitted lovely catches my eye that day to wrap around my neck. No hats for me either- unless I’m skiing or it’s REALLY cold, and here in the SF Bay area, it’s not, usually.

398. Yes, this year my winterwear does match. I bought a huge ball of cream coloured acrylic (nice soft stuff) from Walmart and made a hat, mitts,(two pairs; I’m a dog walker) and a scarf. Of course I have all kinds of old mitts and hats from previous years, and none of them match each other. But this year, I am co-ordinated!

399. 1) I sure hope you feel much better real soon. I can picture you hobbling up & down the stairs.
     2) That hat is just adorable….good job!!
     3) Don’t you just love our new president!? I just love listening to him. It has been pointed out that the man speaks complete sentences…he sure is a charmer too! I have every confidence that he will be the one who will turn this country around–to what it once was!

400. Glad to see you blogging again. The internet seems lonely while you’re away… I couldn’t even get in the mood for “WTF Wednesday” properly. My morning routine begins with firing up the pc, starting the coffee pot and then sitting down to read what’s happening in the world before the rest of the family awakes. Not that I’m a stalker or anything, but after 4 days of your absence my routine was suffering. The “news” is only so interesting. Glad that you’re staying off your feet. There is no frakking way that SHE is the last ceylon. I just don’t believe it.

401. I broke my foot several years ago and had to navigate on crutches for a while. I found it *much* easier to deal with stairs by scooting up and down on my butt. Yeah, not very dignified, but I felt much less like I was likely to pitch down the stairs with one clumsy placement of a crutch!

402. That’s funny, I was just thinking: “Who wears matching scarf/hat/mittens anymore? Just people who didn’t really think about the winter until it was too late, then ran to the store to buy something…and those unlucky folks with no one to knit for them.”
     Also: I am happy with our new President for many, many reasons, and the fact that he can dance made me feel not just happy, but thrilled. Because it’s nice to have someone making our country look sophisticated for once.

403. Good point by the child … and, no, nothing matches here. I have two hats, three pairs of mittens, forty-three-bazillion scarves … and not a repeat in the lot.

404. Matching? Definitely no 🙂 I have a pink & green striped hat, a purple scarf, and some oceany-looking convertible mittens. All hand made and never matching. Maybe someday in the future I’ll have a set…

405. My winterwear matches. It’s all knit out of Manos, and it consists of Fetching over black Isotoner gloves–cuz usually when I go out I’m driving, and mittens are too slippy on the steering wheel–a hat I made up to match Fetching, and a scarf based on a lace pattern that looks loosely like Fetching’s fetching cables. IIRC the whole thing took two skeins and no more. It’s a short-ish scarf.
     Missed you, Stephanie! Heal quick. 🙂

406. I’m fairly certain the only thing I ever wear that matches are my shoes. Knitted or otherwise I generally don’t match.
     I did have a coworker the other day ask me if my *ahem* unmentionables matched each other (she feels she can’t leave the house otherwise). I told her she was lucky I managed to make it out of the house wearing both top and bottom.
     Sending you healing vibes!

407. Heck no, my stuff doesn’t match. I wear no hat, a scarf knitted by a dear friend, and mittens that I bought because I am looking for the perfect pattern and the perfect yarn.

408. I am both a knitter and an academic (a college student aspiring to teach literature in high schools), so the mismatched knits work well with my tweed-skirt, corduroy-jacket be-spectacledness. People expect it of me.

409. Hah. This is only my 3rd winter after 30+ years of living in south Florida. Not only does none of my winter wear match, but . . . precious little of it is hand knit. All my lovely hand knit woolies have been made as gifts for frozen relations.
     I have mismatched polar tech fleece scarves, hats and hoodies, plus store bought wool sweat socks.
     As long as I’m warm and comfy, I don’t much care how my clothing looks. Yes, I’m just an old hippie in jeans and flannel workshirts.
     That black and grey set looks very sophisticated and professional. I could see it in one of those early sixties movies about modern business women.

410. do i match? i fell off my desk stool laughing. it’s a good day when my *outfit* matches (my husband has to help) … today was probably “doubly bad” because the minute i finished my suri alpaca cowl this morning i put it on. then on my walk home it was soo cold i put on my other alpaca cowl. my mitts don’t match anything (though they do match each other, mostly) and my hat is (gasp) store bought, but it looks so good i forgive it.
     sending healing thoughts…

411. Well, my winter wear is all purple and is all handspun but matchy, matchy no, not really

412. Another college student here, and I would like to state authoritatively that matching is something that is done by administrators and guests at classy alumni events. Real people (knitters or non-) cobble together fun combinations of winter weather wear, and don’t mind wearing fair isle and cables and Gore-tex at the same time.

413. *sigh* my hat, mitts, and scarf not only don’t match, they are purchased and not a one of them is knitted.
     What kind if knitter am I?!!

414. Hope you recover soon!
     Sam is totally right — my winter wear doesn’t match at all! Underscarf is blue, overscarf/cowl is green (hmmm, cashmere), mittens are red.

415. DH (the footless wonder boy) gets up and down the stairs on his bum. He reccomends a carpenters apron for carrying things.
     Like everyone else I don’t match. I don’t even match my mittens because all I can ever find is the left hand ones. Not only are you not alone, you are in with a really bright and eccentric majority.
     I am sorry that you are down but didn’t you wish for a minor injury of your lower extremity that would allow you to do nothing but sit and knit? I don’t know about Toronto but here you can rent or borrow wheelchairs which would give you some mobility and an upper body workout that is unequaled by anything else.

416. Nope, don’t match.
     I take my cue from designers and fashionistas who tell us that it is not cool to match, anything goes, so I am fashionably unmatching!

417. The hat and mittens are just loverly!

418. Oh my gosh is that a FABOO button! I adore it. It reminds me of Poirot.

419. Battlestar Galactica – We watched it too, a big deal for my family to stay up so late. And don’t get us started on killing off one of our favorite characters!! It has been a source of discussion all week.

420. Oooh, you’re right. Today I wore sock yarn gloves supplemented with Noro liners, scarf out somebody’s local handspun, and hat from something…leftover…. I firmly believe that my colours and textures were beautiful though!
     Glad you’re back!

421. Totally unmatched here. Oh the knitterly shame it has brought me. I’m wearing a hat and mittens from separate “knitting adventures” and a store bought scarf…. Franklin and I had a lovely conversation about this very subject in December. The conclusion was that as knitters we generally are more apt to make the matchy stuff for others … leaving the results of knitting adventures and single skein purchases for the items we keep for our own use. Maybe this should be the challenge for 2009. We should all knit matching sets… or not … maybe just embrace our knitty-ness!

422. So nice of you to make something ‘wearable’ for your daughter. Some thirty years ago my mother knitted me a pair of very elegant gloves with long sleeves to wear under my poncho. I’m still gratefull (and still keep them in my closet). I think you gave her a good memory to stay with her for a long time. At the moment, I’m just thinking about warmth at my bicycle here in Holland in winter, I no longer care if it matches or not. Get well soon. And the docter is right (my husband is an athlete): give the ankle a lot, lot of rest.

423. Love the Elizabeth Zimmerman mittens. I have that pattern book, and may give them a try. About our new president, wellllll, I guess I failed to fall under his spell. I will reserve my regard until I actually see some results. Personality is not enough to impress me.

424. Say what? Winter wear should match? Doesn’t it count that it’s all wool????

425. hell no – i don’t have a thing that matches..but i love it all.
     and, i think Obama is pretty nifty myself. while we don’t agree on everything either (or rather I suspect that we agree on more than he’s allowed to say), i could just bust my buttons.

426. Why, yes, my knitwear does match…toque and fingerless gloves out of handspun and some other bits to make enough yardage. In fact, it’s probably the only anything I own that matches anyting else I own. If only I had a scarf….
     Here’s (all raise beer) to a speedy recovery of both leg and nerves.

427. *chuckle* This is exactly the conversation that I had in a cafe in Putney last year – I was out knitting with friends, we’d all togged up against the cold to head home and we all looked like walking, talking mismatched knitwear clotheshorses. (I was no exception: reddish hat and a bright pink scarf.)
     So I started to watch Londoners on my commutes and I came to the conclusion that the majority of the general public opt for a single knit/handknit item per outfit. That is, unless the items are part of a matching/very similiar set – in which case, they can be worn together.
     From observation and in the main, it seemed to be arty students and knitters who break with this convention. So I am not sure, either:
     – we are too close to the things that we make/are too in love with the process and resulting product/enjoy being warm too much to be able to step back and take a hard look at our overall appearance; or
     – we don’t give a stuff and we’re right out at the leading edge, alongside today’s art students, creating our own aesthetic?!
     Now, as my winter knitwear still doesn’t match, I know what I prefer to think!

428. Nothing matches but it’s usually too warm here to wear more than one thing at a time; it’s either a scarf, or a hat, or mitts. No thank you, I don’t want to move somewhere colder just to wear my knitting.
     I’m thrilled with my president and every new proclamation gives me goosebumps. Instead of shudders like I’ve gotten for 8 years.
     I think butting up and down the stairs is the way to go. Having had a recent leg injury here’s a hint: stay off it. Yeah, not what we want to hear.

429. Nope. Well…blue is in my Stitch and Bitch scarf, and my Mary Rowe Fair Isle Tam, and my Nancy Bush Norwegian Gloves…but they are different blues with a ‘variety’ of other colors in three very different motifs. But comfort over fashion in Minnesota!!

430. I am so pleased that Barack Obama is FINALLY in office. I supported him during the primaries, hosted Obama campaign staffers, and attended a rally and a town hall meeting. Obviously, most of America loves him. (72+% approval rating).

431. When I first started knitting, I thought my outerwear accessories should match until I read on some knitblog that it was totally un-COOL! And then I realized…that’s probably true. Funky, coordinating knitwear that doesn’t clash, but that meshes nicely together is wonderous. And personally, I think it’s more grown up than having a matching set of knitwear, no offense to Sam at all. If all my knitwear matched each other, what would people focus on? However, with each individual piece they tell a separate story for the eye to wander, and for me to tell my story that day as I please. Some days I pop out a super hot pink hat to bring the eyes there, some days bright turquoise gloves. However, if everything was hot pink or bright turquoise, I think people would be overwhelmed. As it is, people appreciate the individual gloves because they can.
     But, as I learned in school, cite your sources. Here’s fashion school. Burberry doesn’t tend to match their outerwear accessories.
     http://girldir.com/news-events/top-five-milan-fashion-week
     I really like the look on this guy. Very classy.
     http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a-78sYu3cdk/SLK0nxkdT-I/AAAAAAAAAUI/KXimd0WFUQM/s1600-h/4fallburberry+black+tie.jpg
     Oh my gosh! Check out what happens when you do match your scarves to your pants, like Topman design in the picture in the bottom. Maybe he just threw pants around his neck. I’m not entirely sure.
     http://www.catwalkqueen.tv/2008/02/london_fashion_136.html

432. I love you, deary, but you are getting a little too whiney for me. Whatever happened to “I am woman, hear me roar?”
     By the way, my accessories have never matched, even when I didn’t knit. Neither does my furniture. Matchy match is boring.

433. I have black winter gloves. They go with everything. I have a black and gray “good” fleece jacket (as opposed to the barn fleece jacket). I have a red wool scarf and a thick blue eyelash scarf that was a gift. I have a dark teal serious-winter (thank heaven) coat. So far, so good. I have two cold-weather (not frigid-weather, not knit) hats that look good with everything mentioned thus far. And are good to about zero degrees F.
     I have a Kureyon multi-directional scarf that goes with some of the above. The mittens go with none of the above. Neither do the neck-warmers. Neither do the headbands. Neither do the SmartWool socks that I wear in my winter boots.
     But when it’s been as cold as it was last week, and will be again starting this weekend, I really don’t care. The mittens currently on the needles don’t go with anything either.

434. yeah, i don’t match, but I have sorta matching stuff, but i do not see where she got that “real” people match. I see no real people even wearing practical mittens, hats and scarves. They’re just nuts!

435. Hummmm. I thought all hand made (not necessarily knitted as one of my favorite things is my hand woven rayon chenille scarf) WAS matching! How observant of Sam. Now I know what to consider as I look in the mirror before I leave the house. Sometimes the obvious must be pointed out to me. BTW, the hat is gorgeous, and Sam will be spiffy when she leaves the house.
     As for our new president, I took off work yesterday so I could watch every minute. Even went to a Moveon.org rally down in the center of town, held flags while other rally friends held signs which said “take it back” and “with barack”–“it” being our country, the flag, the constitution, etc. I agree with your issues with his stand on certain issues, but after the last 8 years with lack of intelligence and thought and an excess of power, hatred and xenophobia (except for foreign oil), I think he will be the perfect remedy. Nope, I’m not expecting miracles or quick fixes, just sound judgement and thoughtfulness, along with a good dash of change/hope/kindness.
     Now, off my soapbox and back to my needles.

436. I am so, so with you about the final cylon. Seriously.

437. Sorry about the bathroom situation:( ..the hat and mittens ( and socks) are absolutely beautiful..not too knitty..very chic. I am an American and for the first time in *years* I am proud of my president. Its been such an overwhelming experience to have Obama sworn in to office. It seems kindof surreal..is this really happening? There really aren’t the words to express it…I’ve been choking back the tears!

438. I’m currently working on a matched set – all in Malabrigo. I bought enough worsted merino (in Continental Blue) for a Gretel and cowl, and I bought some matching Malabrigo sock (in Impressionist sky) to make some gloves. I’ve been meaning to make a matching set (or two) for myself for a while, and I’ve just finally gotten started, having cast-on last night for the hat.
     I hope you get more mobile soon!

439. That child is ASTUTE! No, almost nothing I wear that I’ve knit matches, and that made me laugh and laugh! And regarding our beautiful, shiny, eloquent and elegant new President — I watched the whole Inaugural all day long, too riveted even to knit, but *crying* from about 10:00 am until about 2:00 pm. I was a hippie activist, involved in the Civil Rights movement, and when my first husband (a black man from Selma, Alabama with darker lumpy rosettes on his back from electric cattle prods) and I talked about it, in the depths of the night, we told each other fairy tales about a black President some day. Seemed a LOT less likely than a female President. I feel an optimism and contentment I haven’t felt since — oh gee, maybe that fragrant night in the ’60s….

440. I forgot my suggestion about the upstairs – downstairs problem. This is what I did when I was post-op years ago and was restricted to up and down stairs twice a day (but we had two bathrooms) for more than 3 weeks.
     Purchase a really high quality coffee or tea carafe and extra cream/sugar/etc. Assemble a quantity of snacks, beverages and divide them between upstairs and down. Be sure you have radio or tv or favorite music both upstairs and down. Have knitting projects both up and down. Choose them so that wherever you’re knitting you’ll feel happy and productive. Then first thing in the morning:
     Make lots of tea/coffee. Put half of it in the carafe.
     Make your lunch.
     Get together the work stuff in the correct location.
     Enlist someone to take the carafe, CUPS, SPOONS and coffee/tea extras upstairs. Perhaps said someone can take your lunch upstairs, if that’s where you’ll eat it.
     When the day ends recruit someone to bring the snack remains, the carafe, etc. back downstairs.
     I got tired of being cooped up either upstairs or down for many consecutive hours, but after a couple of days of this I got past the lack of spontaneity and was able to minimize the frustration of not having things where I wanted/needed them.

441. I just try not to wear the fuchsia hat with the burnt-orange-and-brown scarf.

442. Crocheted blue/purple hat. purple silk woven scarf (not woven by me), and blue and white bird in hand mittens, my coat a brown tweed. I’m sure I wouldn’t pass inspection. In my defense I made the mittens for my daughter who owns a black jacket, but she is 16 and she said they were too Russian for her?? Too Russian I think translates into old-fashioned and non hip. Too bad for her, great for me, I love them.

443. What’s matching mean?

444. i just made a matching hat and neckwarmer for the exact same reason, I didn’t want to look too “knitty”…I think I pulled it off just like you.

445. I have a red and blue knit hat made of Patons Melody, a ridiculously long black scarf with green and purple stripes at the ends made of Bernat Soft Boucle, and store-bought fleece mittens because I haven’t figured out how to make them yet (they are striped in colours not found in either my hat or scarf).
     I am a paragon of fashion, I tell you!

446. Um, for anyone shivering in snow and ice, I don’t mean to rub any noses in California’s weather, but it’s been in the 70’s (F) the last couple of weeks so my winter wear is non-existent! I like cooler temps, and I’m looking forward to a cool down.

447. Er, the long scarf is crocheted, of course… can’t be too match-y!

448. I’m so glad to see that you are OK. I had to read the “not too knitty” bit to my girls. They make fun of the fact that my knit outerwear does not match. Your socks are gorgeous.

449. Outerwear, in LA? I have to laugh. It is frakkin’ 80F outside and has been that way for the past two weeks. It’s a good thing we live by the beach because it was almost 90F inland.

450. Match??? NO!
     my winter (outer) knitwear
     does not
     and will not match.
     I am more painterly in
     my Knit-To-Be-Toasty than Matchy.
     and i’m old enough not to Need to Be matchy.

451. I don’t HAVE any handknit winter wear because I never stop knitting for other people long enough to knit for myself.

452. when i had my ‘walking’ cast (*snort* misnomer if there ever was), i was not nearly graceful enough to go up/down stairs. i cheated–sat down & bumped my way down on my butt. when i wanted to go up, i did the same–on my butt & scooted right up! my dtr. thought it was weird, but at least she didn’t have to help on the stairs 🙂 love the socks. don’t watch battlestar galactica. the set is too dark & gloomy.

453. I’m a little weirded out right now. You said, “This week, my little shining rainbows, has really gotten on top of me.” If you will clicky and read my blog, you will see an entire post about rainbow. I don’t even mention the fact that when our dear President was sworn in, one of my best friends says, “It’s all unicorns and rainbows from here on out!” (During the swearing-in, his pipes had spontaneously unfrozen). He is riveting, non? I can’t get over it.
     Anywho, I have plans for perhaps three matching sets for myself, but have implemented none in its entirety. My daughter, whose name means “rainbow” btw, has a matchy set that was hand knitted by her mommy.
     All is rainbows.

454. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! the hat and mittens. Hang in there, Stephanie, I broke my foot (“do not put pressure on it for the next two weeks”) a few months ago while suffering “almost-empty-nest syndrome” and survived. You WILL get through this, and with many more gorgeous knitterly accomplishments than I!!!

455. No my winterwear does not match. It never has.
     Even the stuff I buy.
     I choose my winter gear daily based on the weather. Certain scarved are more functional, others are warmish but more chic, mittens are functional, leather gloves for driving, and the hats.. well my fave hat is knitted by me, but it’s not my warmest. My warmest is a Scarfit and is mainly worn when it’s freaking cold or I’m playing in the snow with my son (who also has one).

456. no, not really. The hat and scarf I wear were knit by my Grandma but the gloves are storebought fleece. So I’m half-matched.

457. “I’m wondering though, does your winter wear match?”
     Funny you ask about that. I had resisted the Noro 2-stripe scarf until you got on the kick; I gave one a whirl and realized I didn’t have a complimentary hat. I came |thisclose| to finishing a Noro beanie to match the scarf, but the beanie looked like poo on my particular head. So, it got frogged. There’s no way I know of to “match” Noro unless you’re using more Noro, so I went another route: I dug around in the stash until I found some Mirasol Sulka in a lovely mallard colorway that complimented my Noro scarf. I made a Robin’s Egg Blue hat from the mallard-colored Sulka and then said “What the hell!” and made my first ever pair of gloves (because why stop with the scarf & the hat?).
     So… yes, having matching (or at least complimentary) winter accessories is somewhat important for me. 🙂
     (Also, love your socks. Sorry you’re having such a rough time lately – seems like one thing after another. Hope it gets better soon.)

458. Nope, not even a little. Picture this: One hat in Berkshire Bulky yarn, with a green brim, wine and navy striped middle, and a wine top, each stripe three inches wide, sewn up the back with green. One scarf, in NY Yarn’s Mesa, four colorways: brown, next to blue, next to red, next to green. One pair Isotoner gloves, color white, with a Dalmatian on the back of each. (Gift from my late and much-missed grandmother). On the needles: a scarf in Sensations, color Red/Licorice. Do I match? Heck no! Do I care? Hell no!

459. Don’t we knitters pride ourselves on not being too “matchy matchy”? I try to refrain from knitting more than one thing from a favorite yarn. Alas, sometimes I can’t restrain myself.

460. re: BSG – Yes, I absolutely think there is another twist coming. While there are some things that make the alleged final Cylon make sense, I can think of at least a couple of reasons it doesn’t. I have a couple of theories about how that storyline will play out — I can’t decide which I like better, but I suppose it doesn’t matter since I don’t think I’ve accurately predicted much about this show. 🙂
     What REALLY is blowing my mind, though, is Starbuck’s latest plot twist…

461. It generally matches.

462. Good to see you back!
     My knitwear dosn’t match. Not even close…not even. Hmmmm. Maybe next winter. But probably not.

463. Dude, I SO feel your pain on the University front. I’m a senior in high school here in the US (woo, Obama!) and oh my gods is it overwhelming. Luckily, I was just accepted to Mills (a fairly prestigious woman’s college here in California), so there’s a bit of relief there. Best wishes to you and her. It will be over soon. I promise.
     Also: Battlestar Galactica. OMG. In the words of my housemate, “Is this the “rocks fall, everyone dies” season?!” OMFG. SO wasn’t seeing that coming (and you know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?).

464. A tree-hugging vegetatian who does not have a composting toilet? Google it; it’s not what you think.
     All my winter knits match, but I wear the one from each set that I love. The red hat, the taupe gloves, and the purple scarf. And I knit, so all my stuff is store bought (except the scarf.)
     I hope that you can force yourself to give up the battle and rest yourself until your ankle is all better. You will only be glad you did if you know what it will be like if you don’t. Nine months of pure unmitigated H-E-double hockeysticks in my case.

465. Knitting comes second to BSG right now. It’s the talk of my family. How come Diana hasn’t said to anyone who the fifth is, since she’s supposed to know. Or does she?
     Love the hat.

466. Nope. Nothing matches. When I was young and wanted to look sophisticated I would have made sure I matched. Now I’m old, decrepit, and have had too many years of having to look respectable at a job. I like to pick and choose each day depending on what I’m doing and where I’m going.
     She is right though. And if I needed to dress up for something, I would want a matching set. So it isn’t really a bad idea to have a set in the drawer somewhere.

467. Last year, I felt too ‘knitter-ish’ because my hat and mitts DID match. So this year I was going with same colour, different yarn. Oh well, I’m not one to be a slave to fashion. Most of the time right now, function is more important than fashion. It’s a long cold walk to the kids school. If I was working or going somewhere requiring something nicer than jeans, I’d try to find a matched set too I suppose.

468. Uh, you think he’s a good dancer? It wasn’t exactly a classic waltz step. Did you see him step on Michelle’s dress. I suppose after about eight balls and late on the end of a long day I’m surprised the Obamas could still stand let alone dance.

469. Wait, I’m supposed to knit for myself?

470. Tip for dealing with stairs: “Up with the good, down with the bad.” Going up, step with the good foot. Going down, step with the bad foot. This makes sure your weight is always on the good foot.

471. Piggy must admit to a pretty big crush on President Obama; I think he’s all that and a bag of cashmere.
     Best of luck to Megan! I think Memorial would be a great choice; think of it as gaining both extra space for more stash, and the perfect reason for more visits to the Rock. 🙂
     And best wishes to you for a speedy return to full mobility. 🙂

472. That’s a lot of excuses! 🙂 And they all seem perfectly reasonable! (gasp. whatever happened to “excuses only satisfy the person who is making them”?) I need to perfect my excuse-making….

473. I made your one-row scarf in my first year of university (2 years ago) and then the next year I wanted a hat and I had enough left over yarn for one, so I winged it and made it up as I went and decreased kind of haphazardly (I knit it in the round – it was bloody hard to knit mindlessly and I had to keep tinking back).
     It looks good (to me at least) and I like that it matches, but I don’t think everything has to match. I never did match (even store-bought things) until this.

474. And don’t forget! We now have a president who is willing to hold a sock!!!! WooHoo!

475. I have never been a “matchy” person. I love to wear colors, and vary up the textures in my outfits. Knitting was merely a means to make custom creations that coordinate, rather than buying items which coordinate instead of match.
     I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is fairly warm, but I am one of those perennially cold people who can always use a scarf or sweater – hooray! No worries for me about running out of things to knit.
     For my personal style, I normally wear 2-5 colors, all coordinating, with 1 or 2 of them being neutrals. The biggest three reasons that my winter gear doesn’t match:
     1) I have a red wool peacoat. It’s hard to make much of anything match well with red, unless you use neutrals or just one other color like purple or gold.
     2) I love cream, and I thought about doing all cream colored accessories, but I got as far as 2 hats and nixed that. I refuse to do cream gloves or mittens, because they will quickly turn gray – instead, I bought a cheap pair of black gloves that won’t show dirt.
     3) I wanted to try one of those fantastic hand-painted yarns. And to me, those look fantastic in scarves that are both fashionable and unique.
     My coordinating solution to the knitwear problem?
     * A cream colored hat
     * Black gloves
     * A red peacoat and
     * A simple ribbed hand-painted scarf to bring them all together: the scarf is various shades of reds, grays, blacks, purples and a bit of cream
     And then I went and added a few red, purple and black embellishments (beads & flowers) to the scarf to make it even more unique.
     It’s hard to quantify what makes a person look “accessorized,” and what makes a person look “jumbled together.” My mom used to call my style “bag lady,” but in recent years she has called me “artistic” and “unique and stylish” in my choices. I think too many bold patterns can be hard to make “work” together, whereas colors are easier to mix wildly and get away with it.
     Just two more days until our next installment of BSG! 🙂 Good luck with the craziness which has sprung up in your life as of late, and hopefully it will subside quite soon.

476. Matching? We don’t need no stinkin matches…
     (((Hugs))) on the brace thing. I had to wear one once. It sucked, majorly sucked!

477. Nope, don’t match. Not even the same color families. And our new President! I couldn’t be happier and I am looking forward to the changes that will come from the new administration.

478. Yes BUT I don’t wear hats and I wear leather gloves, so all that is left is my scarf which coordinates with my coat/outer layer.

479. I missed you so! I knew there was something serious for you to be away so long, my dear. Please take care of yourself and don’t mind us snivelling without our daily fixes of Harlot.
     Matching? We-e-e-ll, not pre-zackly. I wear a Fair Isle tam I made in greens and purples, with a scarf of riotous textures knit lengthwise of purples and a smack each of bright orange and turquoise. All with a black coat liberally speckled with white dog hair. Coordinate? Yes, sort of. Match? no.

480. My winterwear is an expression of my creativity (aka, mood swings). In this case, warm wins over winterfashion warrior. To h#ll with convention.
     Nope, don’t match, don’t care, but ohhhhh so toasty.

481. As someone without cable, who is still only partway through the second season, thanks for not saying anything else about Battlestar!

482. Yes, my knitwear actually does match… at least my hat and scarf do. They were knit for me before I knew how to knit myself by my husband’s wonderful grandmother. My mittens, on the other hand are a pair of *gasp* store-bought Thinsulate black mitts with a fold-down top. When dealing with two small children during freezing winter days, they’re a nicer option than having to take a mitten completely off to tend to their needs. I know I can knit myself some, but note… two small children. I’d likely have them finished sometime this coming July.

483. my partner has a matching set of hat, neckwarmer (she won’t say “cowl”) and headband/earwarmer.
     mainly because i wanted to use up the yarn. me? i don’t even have matching socks.

484. Match? What’s that? The color of my mittens is usually wrong for the color of my jacket. But I only make mittens every other year (that’s the rate at which I wear them out), and I have a lot of jackets. And I’ve worn the same hat every day for 20+ years, a lovely quiviut one from Oomingmak Cooperative. Except when skiing, of course, and then nothing matches, either.

485. Match…are you kidding. My socks don’t even match. Lucky for me, no one notices…or they are just too polite to say anything.
     Seriously, my nieces just mentioned this to me as well. I knit for them each Christmas, and Easter, and Valentine (well, you get the idea). Sons, however, could care less. Actually, just today, I notice my hat walking upon to the front porch…and lo and behold, it was my older son beneath it, stopping bye after a long cold day at work…realizing he did not have a hat, He stopped and pick mine out of the bin…Gray and white with green trim…It did not match his black jacket…Guys, gotta love them.

486. Hi! I only wear one knitted winter accessory at a time. Because they don’t match and I hate that! But not so’s I’ve remedied the situation. I am starting Leyburn socks tomorrow, with Cherry Tree Hill sockittome in Lake Effect.
     I got through my broken ankle with one bathroom upstairs episode by scootching up the stairs. I’d sit on the lower steps and scoot up one step at a time, carrying the cruthes. It was necessary going down, I never did get the hop and wooden stairs with wool socks were scary.
     Good luck!

487. does your winter wear match? – hell no, it’s supposed to do that?

488. No it doesn’t and it has ALWAYS bothered me. In fact, I decided to knit myself matching winterwear — matching in that it all uses the same yarn and colorway — so I don’t fell like a mismatched freak!

489. Does my winter wear match?
     Yes and no. I have knitted a few matched pairs of things (hat and scarf or hat and cowl), but I tend to wear things all hullaballoo depending more on what’s most appropriate for the weather or what’s cleanish or what I’m in the mood for.
     I do like Sam’s Set, though.

490. Last year, per request from my 16 yr old, I made a set of gloves and scarf from lavender cashmere. (recycled…lovely). The cable pattern on both were similar but not identical, because I got bored, and they are close enough to make her happy. This year she requested a hat out of the left overs…I had just enough. I made the hat sort of like your unoriginal hat, because I couldn’t bear to do another like the scarf (took forever). They are all cables, out of the same yarn, so she’s happy, and she thinks they match fine.
     And, after all, she wanted a hand knit and she wears them constantly!

491. I actually picked up knitting again a few years in order to make myself a hat that matched a favorite scarf, and I never finished it. Of course, I kept knitting, and no, nothing matches. And I don’t care. 🙂

492. My handknit winter wear does not match. The set I bought at Target, out of sheer desperation to have extra mitts, does and I can’t stand it. The scarf is scratchy, the mitts pill, and the hat scooges off my head (and I have a teeny, tiny, pin-head so I don’t know who they were making that hat for!).

493. Ok the period comment was pretty punny 🙂 or clue-y?
     I’m feeling really bad for you but lucky you have a bathtub. Bathtubs and hot water are what make me feel rich and happy that i live in this day and age. Too bad i don’t have a bathtub in this house! Hope it’s all better sooner rather than later..

494. Tough about the stairs and the bathroom, but I agree completely. Good plumbing is not an option.
     RE: matching winter wear. I answer. Michelle Obama. Lemongrass dress [Who sits around and names those colours??], green gloves and teal shoes… and it rocks.
     It does, however, look a tad classier than my scarf, gloves and hat – but then mine were chosen for the Canadian winter, not walking down Pennsylvania Avenue.

495. I hate to disillusion you but your daughter will not be taking her laundry with her- she will be bring it home for vacations.
     Didn’t some one once say that the only thing that had to come in pairs were the animals on Noah’s Ark? I know he was referring to couples but it it ought to apply to knitted accessories. Mine haven’t matched since college.

496. How outrageous – bathroom upstairs! When I was a young nipper (about 24) I sprained e.v.e.r.y. soft tissue in my foot. Over the next five months I had awakening after realization after humbling moment as I saw that THIS is what senior citizens go through all the time. It blew me away how much more thought went into my most every move. I dropped stuff, had to work out how to get through doors and stairs and gauge how to get close to something before opening a drawer, pulling open a closet…ack, it was quite a demanding, tiring, frustrating chunk of time. I feel for you and hope like heck the source of this thing gets treated or helped or whatever doctors can do for this. Meantime, the socks are fabulous and so trippy to see the words ‘Sam’ and ‘college’ in the same sentence. The mitten/hat set is elegant and no, nothing I wear matches… ah well.

497. Match?!!! Match?!! hayle NO! I don’t even BUY ’em that way!
     And BTW thanks for the good wishes on our new Prez. I am still pinching myself and getting awfully sore – small price to pay!

498. If by match, you mean all of the colors are all present in the rainbow, then yes. I match.
     (no laughing)

499. The hat and gloves you made for your daughter are beautiful. You know sometimes our kids encourage us to higher standards than we would have for ourselves. I missed your blog and hope you are feeling better soon.

500. My winter wear sometimes matches, but often not. I happen to have a Foliage hat and a Wavy scarf that match color-wise by sheer coincidence, but certainly do not pattern-wise. But even when I’m wearing them both I have on white and black We Call Them Pirates mittens. Sam would disapprove.
     In fact, I’m currently blocking a red cabled/bobbled hat, with the intention of knitting a pair of mittens to match (assuming I ever decide on a pattern, that is). Matching, egads! It’ll be a new adventure!

501. No, my winter stuff doesn’t match, now that you mention it. Then again, I haven’t been a fully-grown knitter long enough to have enough winter stuff, matching or otherwise.

502. I wear mismatched stuff all the time. This winter I swore I would do a set and dutifully bought enough to do a set. So I did stranded mittens. So far I have neither cast on for the hat NOR the scarf. Pretty soon it will be time to think spring thoughts. Maybe next season. 🙂

503. Doesn’t match, but it’s a goal of mine.
     Same with clothes. :oP

504. Oh god, I can so be spotted. I’m wearing mitered mitts in Noro, the side slip cloche in an orange colour, and a whambamthankyou lamb garter stitch cowl in green. I’m not even close to matching.
     By the way I graduated from MUN and loved it – though it is huge and easy to get lost. I wanted my own daughter to go there too, but she is at Bishop’s. She tells me her next degree might be gotten at MUN.
     Dear lord.

505. As a Calgarian who went to (and is still at) Queen’s, I really liked going far away for school, although my parents were a little unhappy at first. I haven’t seen many knitting students, though, which I’m sure will count against Queen’s when you’re deciding. 😉
     My winter wear doesn’t match, but I like to think it coordinates. A dark green hat with a black scarf, that sort of thing.

506. I confess I am a lurker and this is my first posting to your blog but I just had to send you a note about the potential silver linings behind foot and ankle injuries. 3 years ago I had a bad heel fracture over the summer:-( and could not weight bear for 8 weeks. Daytime TV leaves a lot to be desired and I could have started my own book club after a couple of weeks. The only to do was bring out my knitting needles and some yarn I had hidden away about 10 years ago and start knitting something. That Christmas everyone got scarves, hats, and socks. I rediscovered how much I love to knit and how much I missed making things out of yarn. Hang in there Stephanie, it does get better and think of all the fabulous undisturbed knitting time you have to play with.

507. Well, I don’t have either matching or unmatching winter knitwear, but my Tom Bihn Swift matches the ski jacket I use as a winter coat.

508. My winter wear consists of the following, which I mix and match:
     * Crocheted pink hat with earflaps (Brown Sheep Nature Spun)
     * Crocheted gray hat (Paton’s Classic Wool)
     * Chullo from Peru (multi-colored acrylic)
     * Fingerless gloves knit from Rowan Felted Tweed (purplish)
     * Fingerless gloves knit from handpainted yarn from Happy Fuzzy Yarn (http://www.happyfuzzyyarn.com)
     * Mittens knit from handspun (2 ply-gray and white)
     * Fingerless gloves with a mitten-top from Peru (acrylic)
     * Multi-directional scarf knit from Noro Silk Garden
     * Mobius knit from Noro silk garden (it’s the 1×1 ribbed noro scarf that everyone is doing, but I joined it into a mobius)
     I totally don’t match, and I totally don’t care…but then I’m pushing 40 and not a teenager anymore.

509. That’s so funny. I’ve never had matching winterwear. I’m kinda broke, so I usually don’t buy yarn in the quantities it takes to matchy-match, but I actually found enough yarn to make a scarf, hat, and mittens from the same yarn. The hat really has the least to do with the set, but it was the very gorgeous Beanpole Beanie (see Ravelry), and I made Bella’s mittens, and a cabled scarf with the same horseshoe cable to match. But it’s the first time in literally ever I’ve done that.

510. my winter wear absolutely does not match; then again, when i was a wee thing and not a knitter, it never matched either.

511. Set one – everyday wear for work – Actually, my hat and scarf match. They are The Irish Hiking Scarf and cap with the same cable wrapped horizontally around it.
     Alas, I have no mittens to match and no more of this wool in the stash.
     Set two – Very cold days and snow shoveling – My hat and my mittens match – Handspun Natural Brown Shetland wool. But there is no scarf for this set
     Set three – Sunday go to meeting – lace cowl but no mittens or gloves, but there is a half cone of Zephyr wool silk laceweight left. I’m thinking very elegant gloves here folks.
     OK. I obviously need to make a SET!!!

512. You are correct. Smart and spiffy…
     I’m thinking of knitting those cute little girls some hats…

513. I was looking around at my knitting buddies tonight and myself and yeah our stuff doesn’t match. Mine’s closest with my Kureyon Brioche Scarf and Hat, except the hat has Silk Garden and Kureyon, but that’s just being nitpicky.
     Obama took his oath again as it didn’t match exactly what it says in the Constitution, so he ended up having private and public swearing ins. To me it showed he was human and not perfect.

514. i’m sorry that you’re having such a had time with the whole walking thing.. i hope it doesn’t go on for too much longer.
     i feel lucky that i have two mittens that match. so.. too knitty here.

515. I seriously love your take on the Robin’s Egg Blue Hat. It’s very classic, Coco Chanel feeling. Is the daughter happy with it? Teenagers are so fickle!

516. First of all, I wish you a speedy recovery. I know that you won’t believe this, but I envy that you live in a cold climate. I live in South Texas where it is hot and sunny most of the time. I belong to a knitting group, and we knit and crochet mostly for our northern friends and family. I dream about relocating to northern New Mexico where I can wear what I make. Maybe I’ll retire to North Dakota and when I get snowed in, I’ll knit by the fireplace. aahh, a girl can dream. Yes, we Americans are all giddy over our new president. I’m afraid we have placed an impossible mission on him to remedy our problems quickly. God bless him and the USA.

517. Obama is a great speaker and does so on an intelligent and compassionate level. If only our current federal leader could make his public feel so necessary to our contry’s survival during one of the worst recessions in history…
     As far as my winter wear matching, I can honestly say that only my hats and scarves match. The gloves and/or mittens are a tossup, if anything because I’m still trying to finagle glove and mitten patterns using two needles.
     May your healing be as quick and pain-free as humanly possible.

518. I look like a colourful train wreck in my knitted winter gear. Everything is shockingly bright in a not so matchy way. Pair them up with a bright green puffy jacket and that’s me, walking down the street. I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window a few weeks ago, with a skip in my step thinking I was pretty fab with my knits, and was well, shocked. Is that going to stop me? Hell no!

519. My winter stuff doesn’t match. I do hope you heal soon although given the organisation of your house (work down, bathroom up) and the fact that you are a parent will slow things down. However, my daughter claims that hearing of people worse off than yourself makes you feel better so I offer you this true story. My sister in law had three pre-schoolers and after waiting 11 months was finally scheduled for knee surgery on BOTH knees to correct the damage she had done ski racing. Guess when it was scheduled for? The day AFTER her husband left to start six weeks of aprenticeship training 500 miles away. She did convince her doctor to only do one knee, but three pre-schoolers – sheesh!

520. so glad to find someone else that feels the same as i do about BSG, there really has to be more to it. the fact that they would actually reveal that on the first episode back is quite disappointing. And the person who plays that character has been talking their mouth off about how they have known for the past two years and i think thats really stupid of them. and makes me believe even more that its a trick on us.
     And as for the accessories. I’ve been noticing lately that i’m not matched. And i try and wear things that clash the least so I don’t look too silly. But that doesn’t matter, because I made them myself. But I usually just grab and go.

521. Match, smatch. My wear coordinates, I think matching scarves, hats and mittens look ODD. Besides, I like to have lots of different color options available. Sometimes I feel like a black scarf, sometimes a blue, sometimes pink and white. Some days I look fabulous in an abolone colored hat, some days not, so I have a fabulous emerald green one. Life is too short to match! Though, if it floats your boat, more power to you. And the hat and mitten set do look really nice. I like those mitered mittens in one color.

522. My winter wear is not matched. Then again, neither is any of my other wear. Maybe that is a match? I did not really think so, either. However, I am tempted to make another Ice Queen so that I might have the option of accidentally matching.

523. I’m laughing my ass off here–no–I was just thinking that this morning–you can tell I knit everything I’m wearing because it all looks completely different!!! My daughter knits, and she tends to knit singular pieces–which means she doesn’t wear hat, gloves, and scarf all at the same time. it’s her way of matching–she’s young. Soon she won’t care either.

524. I currently lived in Los Angeles, but when I was up north, no I did not match not remotely. My dear companion (who, bless him, just does not appreciate hand knits as much as he obviously should) has asked for a scarf for when we move back to Chicago next winter.
     He has thrown around the adjective ‘subtle’ about eleventy million times.

525. I have to disagree with you on how riveting the inauguration is. While I like that it’s a public swearing in and it’s a beautiful show to struggling countries about the possibility of a peaceful transfer of power…. I simply can’t condone spending well over $175 million for, as my father put it, a bunch of “froo-fra”. But I think our new president and his vocabulary are indeed spiffy. And I love the socks!!! I’m a big sci-fi nerd but for whatever reason, have never watched Battlestar Galactica. You’ve inspired me to head to the video store and rent the first season!

526. Love thos socks! 🙂
     As for the matching… Well, both a pair of my handknit socks and my mittens har knit in neon color, does that count? I often wear neon yellow felted mittens, bright red hat, purple or green (or both) scarf and orange neon handknit socks 😛 I really don’t care if my clothes don’t match! 😉

527. well, it sort of matches… I knit a lacy “Woodland” scarf from some yarn my son got me for christmas in 2007 (best gift ever, yarn my 10 yo picked out for me, on his own!!) and had some left over that I’ve used for mitts. I’m still swatching for a cloche hat made in the same yarns, and in the meantime I’m using a hat which is knit in super bulke yarn, but is the same colour…

528. Smart, spiffy, articulate, a good judge of women and horseflesh…..er, advisers – – special bonuses for us Americans for sure. But actually, don’t you agree that all O has to do is say “new-cleer” accurately every 10 minutes or so and we’re way ahead??!!
     I said yesterday at the very time that O and the Chief J would have a do-over……and it happened, all right. Next time the Chief might want to use a notecard just in case.
     Match? Why? Then I’d lose a piece for sure….but I’ve not made any accessory but a hat for myself in years, so no worries…400+ comments and counting…..your public was worried, YH!
     Still looking for someone to translate a Phildar pattern from French for me so I can do a lovely tank top ( “debardeur” ) in bamboo for DD, now volunteering in Cambodia for about a year. Anyone interested??

529. Sorry – I meant 527 comments! Dude!

530. I would get really pissy too if I couldn’t carry more then one thing at a time, and had to trek up and down a bunch of stairs all day. What a pain that must be.
     I love the socks and the Hat/Mittens set. Both very very cute. I especially like the colorway for the socks.
     Winter wear? What winter wear? I have 4 store bought scarfs (all in an array of color thanks to my little sister) that I wear all the time, and each year I have to go out and buy a new pair of gloves, usually in black so they go with everything I own. This was the first year I actually even wore any sort of hat….so no…my “winter weart” doesn’t match at all.

531. Match? After the sixties, I never gave it another thought. Lately by sheer accident I have a sort of gray-mushroom-color coat and the two hats I wear most often are charcoal and offwhite, and the scarf that fits under the coat best is charcoal and off-white. The gloves used to be bright white, the mittens are orangey-red and white acrylic that I knitted literally thirty years ago.
     Can you install a pulley system on wall by the stairs, like an old fashioned clothesline? Hitch a basket to it and it’ll be a dumbwaiter.
     (Mumble) years ago my sister flew home to visit my parents, with her cast and crutches; she ended up hopping around the yard helping my brother rebuild the front porch. We have photographs.
     Anyone who has anything to do with a university: send everything registered mail return receipt requested, and keep multiple copies, and always phone and write to check – most especially if you are a post-grad! I’ve known stuff that was hand-delivered to be “lost” under a pile of other paperwork on the desk of the person who swore they didn’t have it.
     Take care of yourself!

532. In fact, the winter-wear must NOT match.
     For wool’s sake, it’s cold, it’s grey, the suicide rate is up?
     This is the time for hats and mitts and scarves of humour, whimsy and their own sense of the ridiculous. The more colour the better – we’ve got to make it through the rest of the winter!

533. I’ve noticed the same thing about knitters’ winter accessories that Sam has. And I’ve had the occasional qualm about it, honestly. But then I remembered that I’m a woman for whom “dressing up” has long meant wearing shoes that are NOT sneakers, and so I convinced myself not to worry about it.
     I did have an interesting realization last winter, though, when I realized that through a quirk of my color obsession at the time (does anyone else go through that? Suddenly all the yarn you buy is one, maybe two colors? And then a couple months later, the color(s) change?), my jacket, scarf, hat and mittens all coordinated rather well. I told a friend about this, and she laughed and told me she thought I’d done it on purpose. HA! She gives me FAR too much credit!!

534. Ok, the winter wear thing is just a riot, especially since I was just thinking about this yesterday! I took my puppy for a walk and it was really cold so I wrapped myself in my warmest woolies, none of which matched LOL! My hat was Norah Gaughan’s (don’t you just love her and her patterns!) Droplet Hat made from Brooks Farm Primo in a blue/green colorway. My wool gloves were handmade from Peru and in about 10 different shades of red. My scarf was the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf made from a Noro Boucle yarn that’s primarily blue/green. Finally to finish my ensemble, I had a pair of purple and green socks made by my friend Liz (who also made the scarf, see why she’s my friend!) made from Plymouth’s Happy Feet. No matching there at all, but it was seriously cold and I was very warm which was why I was wearing all that wool to begin with. As for the leg I’m sorry that you are temporarily slowed. The key word here is temporary. Time will pass and you will heal. In no time flat you will be zooming around like usual. A dear friend of mind broke her leg and was in a cast for almost 8 weeks. At first, when she was having a tough time adjusting, I tried to gently remind her that this, while a major pain in the ass, is temporary. It’s a moment of time that will pass, she’ll heal and soon she’ll be back to her old routine. I have a very dear friend who wasn’t so lucky. She lost her leg during her second battle with cancer. She in her twenties at the time and had a 2 year old daughter. She is the bravest, kindest, and most compassionate person I have ever known. I know your leg and getting around is a pain, but it’s a moment in time that will pass. I have major health issues of my own, and so I know what a pain it is when all your plans and daily routine gets thrown out the window. When getting around is 10 times harder than it should be and you can’t do what you normally should or could be able to do, it sucks. I can tell you that for me when this type of thing happens, there’s usually something big for me to learn at that moment in time. Some lesson that I’d only get when I have to slow down and have an involuntary enforced time out. It seems that the more of a maniac we are, the more the universe has to do something big to get our attention. So, as frustrating and as much of a pain in the ass your foot is at the moment, try just be in the moment that you’re in. Besides, look at all the amazing knitting that you’re doing! Those sock are way cool and the hat and mittens are just lovely. I’m glad to hear that you are ok and just busy. Morning coffee just isn’t the same without reading your blog. Heal fast and happy knitting!

535. Wait a minute.
     You’re wearing a HAT?
     Palmed that card, didn’t you?

536. My scarf and hat are both the same colorway but not the same yarn. I love the purple colorway and it was a discontinued color. But the gloves are not the same. So, I guess your daughter has a point!

537. I don’t wear a scarf usually, but yes all my winter stuff matches. My most often worn set is my handspun unoriginal hat with mittens that I knit stealing the same cable pattern up the back. I get tons of comments! I never even thought of wearing stuff that doesn’t match. Maybe it’s because during my years as a non-knitter, I always wore sets and got in the habit? I dunno, but I love ’em still!

538. No, my winter accessories don’t match either. Nor do the bought ones I have, as I never bought “sets”. Everything is in the same general tones, but not matching, no.
     You’re making me v curious about that final cylon BTW. I am certainly expecting it to be someone familiar, not a “red jersey”!

539. I checked in with my teenager. Fashion or warmth? I asked. She rolled her eyes and said “Mom. Honestly. Fashion and warmth”. Sheesh!

540. You’re right – the only one of us with matching accesssories is my daughter, because there was a parka she wanted last year, and I bought her the hat and gloves to match. Also the snow pants, which with the weather this year, was a great move.
     Inauguration – Roberts flubbed the oath. Can you believe the BS about the whole thing – with some claiming Biden was actually president? He wasn’t sworn in as pres either, if you take that tack, so did that make Pelosi president? Total bunk – but I’m glad they did it again to shut the idiots up.
     A November Newsweek had a piece written by the author of “The Bush Tragedy”, Jacob Weisberg. (http://www.newsweek.com/id/169174) Quoting –
     “Bush, whose ego was threatened by any outburst of excellence in his vicinity, politicized all policy and centralized it in the White House.” The most important thing about the new administration is that smarts and science are in again. Hallelujah.

541. My knitwear will only match if the natural alpaca I get this year at the Shepherd’s Harvest in Minnesota matches that which I got 2 years ago and finally knit into a hat I love (and am told by a teenager is cool, who knew). I’m hoping for a matching scarf, but what if the alpaca gets more sun this year? What if their coloring changes with age?
     Our new president has made it cool to be smart. He also expects everybody to work to make things better. That fits right in with my Republican, midwestern upbringing.

542. Mine actually does. I have a set in every coat, so it also matches the coat. Though I have to own up to bought gloves. You would think someone knitting socks could do gloves, right? Not happened so far.

543. When I knit winter wear, I try to buy enough yarn to make an entire set because I like to be matchy, matchy that way. I do have a few peices that don’t match, but honestly it’s been bugging me that my current winter wear doesn’t match. I lost the hat and the mittens never fit just right, so I’m currently working on a set to replace it.

544. My winter wear doesn’t match either, except for the fact that they all came from Lands’ End and are fleece. See, it even extends to non-knitting adults.
     That hat and mitten set is very grown up. Very cool. Although being in my northern 30’s, I probably don’t really know what is cool.
     As for BSG, as I said to my husband — maybe the cylons were downloaded into the pocket watch that Dee found and are waiting for The Doctor to show up to “reactivate” them. But as long as Bob Newhart doesn’t wake up next to Suzanne Pleshette as their autistic son plays with a snow globe with rockets in it, I’m willing to see where this goes. But yeah, I am a bit skeptical as to how all of this is going to hang together.

545. Of course my winter wear matches that’s the whole point isn’t it? Curious you should ask as yesterday one of my daughters friends looked at me in surprise that everything I had on coordinated. Now I have to admit that the fact I was totally in blue(jeans turtleneck, sweater, coat, hat and gloves) was a fluke but the hat was knit to go with the coat and the gloves kinda match and I’ve finally found a Mitt pattern that will let me actually have mitts that exactly match my hat (Boa eyelash knit with a regular yarn so it has warmth and memory) and the coat actually came with Mitts that are the same fabric as the outside shell (thank-you Linda Lundstrom her La Parka is piece of genius)
     I thought the whole idea of being able to create your own garments was to arrange your wardrobe in a way that makes you look “Good”(suits your body type and actually fits correctly), “Stylish”(don’t need to follow fashion slavishly but should project a personal style) and coordinated. Perhaps I’m more my Mothers daughter than I thought. Her idea of Fashion happiness was having coordinated hat shoes gloves and purse (there’s a 50’s thought for you)

546. My scarf and gloves don’t match even though I bought them (I seem only to be able to knit socks at the moment you see; there is no space between episodes of sock knittage for even a scarf to squeeze in, and I am still rather scared of attempting to knit gloves or mittens), which is not good is it. I aspire to having matching knitted or even non-knitted winter accessories, so as to be a real person, but something in me obviously rebels against it. I once heard a man (he was gay) speaking derisively about women who match their eyeshadow to their jumpers… perhaps that has influenced me. (Although actually that doesn’t add up, as I still quite regularly attempt to match my eyeshadow or eyeliner to my jumper – hmmmm!) apparently, according my mother, French women always wear matching bra and pants sets – although I have never actually investigated this phenomenon myself – and this to me seems like way too much hard work. Ah the matching dilemmas!

547. Yes yes yes my winter wear matches, I make sure when I make mitts that I make a hat and scarf or neck warmer that matches but then again i’m the queen of matchy matchy.
     In answer to your bathroom upstairs everything else downstairs…… how about a bucket???? 🙂

548. hahahaha….does it match….that’s a good one…lol….NO! (and neither does my husband’s nor my children’s) I’m taking it on faith that they don’t actually clash. I think that there is something to be said for the “each piece is a knitting adventure” theory…at least in my case.

549. I’m sort of matchy, sort of not. I have a scarf that I made and love, it was my first “fancy” knitting when I relearned. Then I also have a hat made to match but crocheted by my friend. I also am ashamed to say that my gloves match…but they are storebought.
     So yes, I match in colourway but not in fibre or source.

550. Holy crap, my winter stuff is supposed to match?! Why didn’t anyone tell me this 15 years ago?

551. Haha! Leaving aside the ‘real people’ business, I never noticed till now that she’s right. I do NOT wear matching hats and gloves and scarves because each item is made out of just the yarn I wanted it to be out of, and making a matching accessory is far from my mind. How funny.

552. Yes, I have four sets of winter wear, and they all match…not in pattern per se, but in color yarn weight:
     White Set: Amelia Earhart hat and Cashmere Gauntlet gloves
     Black Set: Checkerboard scarf, purchased black mohair hat, double knit mittens -now lost:(
     Maroon Set: Esme hat and Chickadee Cowl
     Green/Purple Set: Vineland Mittens and Robin’s Egg Blue Hat (thanks for the pattern help!)

553. I have some matching items, but I don’t wear them together. I just wear my favorites.
     And, re: BSG: SERIOUSLY. I guessed that as soon as it first appeared! What a let down. Although, I do kind of like the idea of the 13th tribe, if you know what I mean (trying to avoid spoilers for those who aren’t caught up).
     I’m designing an eye of jupiter shrug/cardigan sweater…

554. I haven’t seen an inauguration since Clinton’s first, but the inauguration was riveting. He’s so charismatic and brilliant and SUCH a change from the world-wide embarrassment of our immediate past president.
     And it is certainly exciting as well to have a president who doesn’t sound like an extra on “Deliverance.”

555. At the moment I have a cream hat, two pink scarves (worn together), and a pair of black leather gloves. I do try and match my hand-knit socks to my tops though (largely through buying and knitting a lot of purple).

556. I have to admit, I am a maniac when it comes to dressing up. I just have to match/coordinate/compliment everything (down to the underwear, and knitwear (it doesn’t matter what season) is no exception. I can’t say everything matches (unless you call a red/darkred/maroon colored lace shawl and a red/dark red worsted boucle-ish urchin hat a match), but it sure coorditaes… So now as I knitted a green cardi, I just had to make green socks, to go with it, and now gloves and scarfs are on the needles…
     My flat is pretty cold (due to an old and messed up central heating system) the only comfortable place there too is the bathtub…
     Great socks, and matching sets!!!

557. Match?!? I’m wearing a black, lace alpaca hat, a hand-dyed (just for me) variations on blue, lace scarf, and fingerless mitts made from leftover REgia sock yarn. I knit the hat and scarf. My sister-in-law did the mitts and dyed the yarn for the scarf. I’m warm. I don’t care about the fashion statement part

558. I usually try for matching hats and scarves, but that can still mean I’m pairing a great scarf with a so-so hat.
     As for the final cylon–the first time she appeared on screen, I shouted,”Cylon!” Though I admit, I thought she was an older Six.
     I’m thinking the next twist is that she comes back. There’s gotta be some Cylon resurrection technology around there somewhere.

559. I have semi-matching winter wear. I made felted mitts and a felted cloche from the same dark grey lambswool. Then I have a burn-orange scarf to wear with my green coat, and a black scarf to wear with my black coat. I really want a red scarf to wear with my black coat, and even have some lovely red wool already, but other projects always seem to come first.

560. Yes! Only because my daughter thought it was important. She knit me two different scarves. With one of the same yarns, her friend crocheted (I’m working on converting her) me a hat, with a flower made from the other yarn. So, matchy-matchy! I wouldn’t have bothered for myself, though.

561. Oh, but Sam is astute! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing because…she’s right. I sometimes intend on making coordinating hat/scarf/fingerless gloves or mittens, but ususally never get that far. I’ve never been a matchy-matchy type of girl anyway, so I don’t really see the problem with wearing a handspun-style variegated pink yarn hat (with cables and bobbles), with a handpainted purple, pink, and teal Clapotis as a scarf, and striped pink and tan soy-wool Fetching’s on my hands.
     However, Sam’s new set is gorgeous and I’m contemplating knitting up a matching set so I look more “normal”. 😛

562. Of course my stuff doesn’t match! How boring! 🙂 I wear a scarf my mom crocheted for me in 1986, my hats alternate between one knitted for me by a friend, one I made out of scrap yarn (so… is UGLY but mine), a Strawberry Shortcake hat with a big puffball on top (again, from the ’80s – it would seem I never throw anything away), and my gloves are fingerless that have mitten flaps that I bought at Target before I figured I could probably knit my own but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
     My socks generally do not match, so why should anything else??

563. No, my stuff doesn’t match, but I’ve stopped caring long ago. However, I have considered knitting a matching set just to enter into the fair competition.

564. That set for Sam is SUPER cute. LOVE the vintagey look to the hat and the big black button! Hope you are healing fast and can be UP and AROUND like normal soon!

565. No, my winter knits don’t match either. I wear a red wool cabled cloche, a sky blue cashmere scarf (with **wonderful** silver beads on the tassles which click-click-click when I walk) and a pair of green/blue/purple cotton mittens. I am certainly very warm (DC winters are @#*$%ing brutal!), but fashion-wise, I’m sure I’m a sight.

566. Match? Well, no, but I don’t think it ever has, regardless of age or a knitting habit. Perhaps it matched as a young child when my mother still dressed me, but I doubt it.

567. I do have one set of matching hat, scarf and mittens but since my color theame is typically browns/golds most things go together well enough.
     Regarding the problem of going up and down the stairs, might I suggest thinking like a three year old. How many ways can you do stairs without using your feet. One of the more popular ways being, to bump down on the bumb. Bumping up on the bumb is a little more difficult, the good foot will be needed for that. And even though Hank is more then three he could probably give some excellent pointers on going up and down stairs without using feet.
     Hope you mend quickly.
     P.S. Love the socks

568. No, my winter wear doesn’t match, but now I wish it did! Does anyone have any recommendations for matching winter wear patterns?

569. Heck no, my winter wear doesn’t necessarily match, but I thinkit coordinates. :o) Sam is right, but I guess matching our outerwear is not that important to some of us.
     I agree with you, I think BSG has another twist coming, at least, I hope so. I was soooo disappointed when they revealed who the final Cylon was. I was sitting there thinking, Really?, Seriously?? WTF????? You can do better than that!
     I’m still trying to get my hands on some of that Eye of Jupiter Sock Yarn! I have to have some.
     Hope your ankle is healing quickly.

570. I’m a big scarf knitter, so I have lots of scarves, I don’t wear hats, and my mittens are store-bought because they have leather palms for driving. Considering my mitts are always black or brown, I do sort of match. Your hat and mitts are beautiful, but to me, matching would be if the mitts had a bit of seed stitch, or the hat had some mitering, some sort of stitch leit-motif. But is that too matchy-matchy, and therefore worthy of teenage scorn? I’m at that awkward age where I’m not sure if I want to be stylish or comfortable!

571. Re: BSG. I agree there’s more coming. I don’t believe that’s the final cylon. I just don’t.

572. A very classy winter ensemble, I must say!
     (But don’t listen to me – I’m knitting my first hat ’cause I think I should have one, not because I’ve ever worn one.)

573. I love that hat. I simply have to stop what I am doing(dreadful leg warmers) and make one. I love black and grey together.You are so creative. It is 22F today possibly going up to 37F so it can rain. You have my sympathy.I clunked around in a boot when I broke my foot (3 story old house, bath on second and middle aged bladder)The boot wrecked my hips and this cold just made them hurt.I could stay in the tub til I look like a big pink prune. Hope you mend fast.Again, I just love that hat.

574. 1, Glad you’re back
     2, Sorry you’re overwhelmed.
     3, Thanks for not spoiling BSG. I’m catching up on DVD
     4, In honour of your page-a-day calendar Haiku reference today:
     Damn, I dropped a purl:
     Ravelling always downward.
     Life can be a stitch.

575. my winter wear does not really see the light of day this year, even though it is cold as canada here (west of boston) — i am trapped indoors with a four-week old baby (and i can’t reach the shift key either 🙂
     someone has probably suggested this already, but have you tried scooting up and down the stairs on your butt? (facing downstairs of course) if the brace is not too heavy or unwieldy it might be faster. might want to have a second cane for upstairs too.

576. Also,
     5, Found the errant stitch
     Hook and ladder upward climb
     All can be repaired.

577. My winter wear doesn’t match at all. I wear my old green clapotis, some black velvet gloves I was given as a gift this year, and a rotating assortment of variously colored hats. I was wearing a brown hat for a while and my girlfriend told me I should maybe knit a black one if I was going to be wearing those black gloves all the time. I can’t really see why it matters; my coat is a huge blue puffer coat, so really NOTHING goes.

578. BSG was creepy-esp.the scenes with Starbuck..
     Love your socks…
     Hope you get better quickly..
     OMG, after 8 Bush years,I finally realized my IQ
     has dropped and I can’t form full sentences without effort. Or use big words-gak!
     I was going to vote for the other but couldn’t handle 4 more years of the same.Glad I did.
     Pres.Obama-slender,cool,no drama Obama ( what they call him),great scarf and poss. his Harvard
     tie. Oh he looked so terrific.
     His wife,the stunning Michelle-so slender,elegant. The girls are soo beautiful.
     Did you notice they wore matching knits,as did
     Mrs. Robinson,The First Lady’s mom,who had on a
     red hat and scarf?
     I watched the audience in the bleachers at the swearing in and everyone matched. The people
     standing on the Washington Mall did not as they were really cold.

579. Love the hat. Also understanding you totally on Obama(speaking from the UK here) as I think the Primeminister has tea with the Queen and that’s it: no inauguration at all so I too was riveted. Also so pleased the american president can string a very elegant sentence together and treats people like grown-ups.
     I make sure my knits harmonise in colour and texture(chunky hat with heavy scarf/fine knit gloves with lace scarf etc) but I avoid being too matchy-matchy. I think it shows a lack of imagination 🙂

580. You were missed.

581. I hate to burst your bubble, but as far as excuse number three goes, my daughters learned they could go to WalMart and buy another shirt instead of doing laundry at school. Then they would “go home to visit mom” bringing 6 weeks of laundry along. Good thing you have that new washer.

582. Yes, for the most part, I do try to make sets of clothes. I even made a scarf and hat set to match a sweater. I’m with Sam, I want my stuff to look handmade, not homemade.

583. I spent 5 weeks on crutches or the couch, total non weight bearing over Thanksgiving and Christmas. I too spent most of the time in rage. Total waste of energy. Glad I did it, now I have no pain or limp.
     No matchy matchy for me either. I did make a lovely shawl with turqouise and some months later bought a jacket with the same colours.
     Get well soon

584. my winter wear never matches….
     But will the new washer felt…..

585. Valid excuses all. 😀
     And yes, our pres is definitely spiffy. And well spoken. 🙂
     Um… I’m a knitter with not hand knitted winter wear. I tend to give it all away. (But not my Serpentine fingerless mitts. No way! Those babies are MINE! Bwahaahahahahhaha!) But none of my store bought stuff matches. My scarf is one that my parents brought back for me from Paris. My gloves are red Isotoners. I don’t wear a hat if I can get away with it.

586. That’s one beautiful non-knitty hat and mitten set! I just realized I’ve been walking around wearing a light purple koolhaas hat, some of those same Zimmermann mittens in a wild silk garden colorway, and a slightly more subdued striped 1×1 noro scarf (yes, that scarf!) all winter. Definitely not matchy. Hmmmmm….

587. It wasn’t until you made the comment about the parade and speeches and balls being in contrast to the way the PM gets sworn in that it really clicked for me that the inauguration is the American equivalent of a coronation. Pageantry to ring in a symbolic new age, not just a simple transfer of control of the government.
     And regarding the matching knitting thing, this is why whenever I’d make myself a scarf I’d make matching gloves. (A pity I don’t tend to actually wear the gloves I made to match my current main scarf.) No hat because I don’t generally wear them. (Though when I made myself a hat for the Ravelympics I considered using the leftover yarn to see how much matching scarf I could get.)

588. I do have one matching knitted set – made by my dear Aunt Noni years ago… a simple hat and scarf that I love… and a huge scarf/shawl my brother bought me over 20 years ago made by a local artist in Wyoming, made from… wait for it…. dog hair! She combed her St. Bernards, cleaned, combed and spun their hair and knitted it into wonderful items. Granted – it still smells a bit “doggy” when wet – but it’s warm and I love it still…
     I still buy winter coats based on if they match one or the other… Go figure…

589. My hat matches my coat, my scarf matches my coat, but they don’t match each other! And they only match the coat because I keep buying red coats — the scarf is about 6 years old, & the hat is brand spanking new, and both are red. Hey, I live by the KISS principle.

590. 4. I was also quite taken with his natural charm and charisma. My favorite moment was when he turned, gestured towards the First Lady and said “How good looking is my wife?” with a smile. I’m hoping that bodes well for us as a country – a young straightforward and motivated man who has captured the attention of the whole world… in a mostly positive way.
     7. The set is lovely, especially the way the hat looks almost vintage. My winter sets don’t match at all – a mishmash of handknits and storebought polar fleece and/or leather goods, only two of any three elements (hat, gloves/mittens, scarf) matching so that at least one item I’m wearing won’t match the rest.

591. Re applying to university : here in the UK, it’s my job at school to prepare students who are applying e.g.choices, forms, interview prep. We have just finishedthe application cycle – 100 students forms done!
     More time for knitting now!

592. If you’re not happy w/the final cylon, ponder this: Starbuck.
     And am I the only one who keeps trying to read the Leyburn socks as “Leoben”?

593. Winter attire: a matching set from Target. Pathetic, I know, but the kids are getting all the handknits these days!!! 🙂
     The new President: It was momentous watching the first black president be sworn in. Lovely. However, as a conservative, I could not disagree more with most of his stances and am not impressed with his flowery speeches. Anyone can run for office and say lots of nice words. But our nation’s economy is in ruins and our confidence at an all time low. I’ll wait to see if any real leadership actually occurs.
     I will also wait anxiously to see if our country stays safe from future terrorist attacks. I am not hopeful with this administration.
     In the end, though, I pray that President Obama is successful. I love my country more than I dislike our President, and want only the best for the United States.

594. I love the hat & mittens! I love that the hat has a 1920s feel to it.
     My scarf and fingerless gloves match. I had a hat that matched as well, but it got too big, and the calorimetry I wear definitely does NOT match everything else.

595. I have been missing you! May the yarn fumes speed the healing 🙂

596. Not only does my knitwear emphatically not match, but I inflict unmatching knitwear on my nearest and dearest as well. I had an lightingbolt moment recently while out in public with my partner, our 11 year old daughter and 2 year old son. I looked at them, each wearing at least two obviously handknit items, all of which slanted towards the bizarre, (because who wants to knit the same old boring thing?) and I realized: “I am that woman.”
     And they love me anyway…and continue to provide inspiration for bizarre handknits which they wear, proudly even. Amazing.
     Thanks for your words on our new prez…he is spiffy isn’t he?

597. Miz Sam expressed my point exactly! I want hat and mittens to match. However, matching scarf, hat and mittens would be too much. For me, the scarf should only match with the colors, but not belong to the hat-mitten set.
     Oh, and thank you for the great combination of patterns, I was looking for something like those!

598. Nope – none of the winter wear I or my children wear matches. My husband (who apparently does not get cold) does not wear hats/scarves/gloves, so he does not worry about matching accessories.

599. Learning that you watch Battlestar Galactica has made me fall in love with your blog all over. :p
     and yes the “big revel” was disappointing, which is why I thing they’re yanking our chains. The 5th is someone else, and the person who was proclaimed as the fifth is really just an aged version of one of the ‘normal’ cylons.

600. At first I misunderstood the problem… Homemade knitwear can be too matchy-matchy, no? My hat and my moebius scarf are both made of sweater leftovers. I have to make sure my coat is closed on days when I wear the sweater, or it looks like I’m wearing a gigantic ’80s cowlneck.

601. Not only does my winter gear not “match”, I carefully avoid matching winter gear, on the basis that if I begin wearing matching hats/scarves/gloves/mittens, et cetera, someone will notice (or worse, point out!) that nothing else that I wear “matches”! I do usually make an attempt at coordination, or at least complementary colors, though.

602. No disrespect to Rachel, but I prefer your version of the hat. So retro!
     As for my winter wear, despite my having been a knitter for 8 years, the only knitted item is my scarf. My hat is fleece and my gloves are some kind of heavy-duty fabric with fleece liners (my hands get cold easily). I have not yet found a really warm yarn for a hat that doesn’t irritate my head.

603. Match? Are they supposed to???
     Seriously though, I wear a humongous Doctor Who scarf that my Mom knit for me. Nothing “matches” a Doctor Who scarf! (But you know someone loves you when they knit you YARDS of garter stitch!)

604. My stuff matches…but DH claims I’m becoming dowdy, because I’m annoyed with his hat requests that result in an FO he refuses to wear…so I wear them, and he thinks all knitted hats are (unprintable), unless they don’t look like knitted hats. (Yet he keeps asking for them…no, I don’t get it either.)
     I have been smart enough to knit these things in colors that coordinate with MY wardrobe, and so all the colors match…but he says I am no longer chic.
     I say this:
     :-ppp
     Also, I’m glad you find our new president mesmerizing. Me, too! (Check my blog.)
     One more thing; the set for Sam is fabulous. I love cloches! The button is the pièce de resistance.

605. no, my winter gear does not match, either. My favorite mittens are blue and grey, my hat is a fair isle green and creme, and my favorite scarf is blue and grey. But if I want to fake it, I dig out my husband’s black fleece(not knitted, sadly) scarf. Black goes with everything, right? Maybe we should have a KAL for a WinterWearSet, so we don’t all look like crazy knitters (although we are!)

606. When I was a baby knitter I blew some bday money on some Manos del Uruguay to make a scarf. I thought shelling out $30 bucks or 2 skeins was huge. I made the Wavy scarf from Knitty. It was too short. I looked at my husband. I looked at my wallet then bought another $15 skein. Its gorgeous and I still love it. The hat was knit with Malabrigo in a solid color so it matches by color but not by style and the Manos is variegated. I do have a set that matches as well but its my dream set. I adore cables so the scarf is a reversible cable and the hat has some made up cables but its in the same yarn and definitely looks like a set.
     I don’t wear mittens because when one is chasing after 3 kids under the age of 6 then one needs their fingers (also its impossible to undo one’s bra with mittens on). I am a fan of the fingerless mitts though.

607. Go Sam! She is correct and no, nothing I make matches. Having two fashion conscious daughters aged 17 and 21 though, you can bet I will be making matching winter gear for next winter! I love Sanm’s set, especially the hat. Leave it to our kids to point out the obvious…….
     I am glad you are doing well Miss Harlot. I was beginning to be concerned! Hope you mend quickly!

608. Well, *I* think my winter wear matches. I mean, the pieces all complement each other, but technically, no, the pieces aren’t obviously a set. I’m not really keen on those sets though. I bought a set once, and I thought it looked really odd to wear all the pieces together. Made me feel as though I had no imagination whatsoever.

609. My handknit winter wear does not match (although I did just buy a bohus scarf & hat kit), but then again my store bought winter wear also does not match!

610. I love the fact that your daughter knows what she wants – and gets it. Well done you, the set is beautiful!

611. Thank you for your congratulations on our new President. We’ve not done the best job in that department for several years, so it was time for a change. I was in his corner from day one (actually, before he announced I was hoping he would–and not just because I am from Chicago), and I breathed a huge sigh of relief at noon on Tuesday. As my mailman and I have discussed (the mailman and I have bonded over our mutual support of Obama), we don’t know why anyone would want the job, but we’re glad he did. Hope your foot heals quickly!

612. Um, nothing matches in terms of hat, scarf AND mittens, but I do have matching mittens & hat, or hat and scarf. So I mildly knitty.

613. We need a picture of Sam wearing these! The internet demands proof!

614. None of the winter stuff I have knit matches. None of my winter stuff in The Time Before Knitting matched. My sister knit me a perfectly matched hat, scarf and mitt set. I wore it as a set for a while, and every time I did, I felt kind of weird and too matchy-matchy. I began mixing it up, and immediately felt better. Now I don’t even try to match, I just make things in yarn and colors I love.

615. My hats/mittens/scarves don’t match. But that isn’t exclusive to my hand knit items. North Dakota winters… I just wear what I can find!

616. it is an honor to hear that you were even a little inspired by my pattern! you took it to a new, even more adorable level. i bet Sam looks so matchy and cute it’s sickening (but in that too-much-chocolate way….i’m not sure what that means, but i hear you can eat too much chocolate.)
     the socks are rad, and i wish all colorways had names like that!

617. Match? HA!
     My gloves are actually two pairs of gloves- a commercially-made pair with red and black stripes and buttons down the sides, with my Knucks pulled over them. It finally got too cold for me to have the skin on my poor Raynaud’s-ridden hands exposed at any time. I have my football scarf superglued around my neck at all times, and in the event of a bad hair day, I have either a fair-isle tam or a cream hat with cables.

618. WTF? The Final Cylon? I mean…seriously? I wouldn’t have picked who it was at all. I agree. There must be some sort of twist because…well….YEESH!
     Love the socks and the mittens and hat as usual. I must be very knitterly because none of my stuff matches when I go out. But I’m warm and happy so I think that makes up for a lot.

619. I can honestly say I feel for you being layed up. I broke my leg in 2 places before Christmas and I am still not able to even get my own cup of coffee. Not to mention my stash. I have to give my b/f really good instruction on what I need so he can find it. I love the socks by the way. I wish I liked knitting them I would have to try those.
     I also had to comment on the not matching. I always try to make sure everything matches and is a set. Even when I split the knitting with my mom. One of us will buy all the yarn and make our part say hat and scarf and then send the yarn on for mittens and socks.

620. I have a hat with matching mittens (both red felted) but I hardly wear the hat because it is heavy and a little tight, and because it is sooo red.
     I am feeling soo American this week (something that I haven’t felt since Martin Luther King was assassinated) and very hopeful. To hear our president affirm that we would no longer excuse unconstitutional behavior with protecting us from terrorism and that torture by any politically correct name is still torture was … great.
     And the children’s health insurance bill has been signed by the House!
     I too have been misty eyed all week. Very snazzy!
     I love the hat and mittens, by the way.

621. No matching here. I was glad to see other were the same. I wasn’t sure if I was living in the real world:)

622. There MUST BE a twist coming on BSG! I think the twist has to do with Kara. She is clearly not human… but I’m not sure she’s Cylon either. The big question of the week in our house was this: What IS Kara?

623. When I askeda friend what her not too knittish meant, her answer was one of stitch size. To her something more knittiish would be chunkier wool where finer wool makes a more acceptable commercial looking knit.
     I decided to decline her request until she became more reasonable.

624. Are you nuts? My students are lucky I remember to wear pants. Match?!?!?!?

625. While matchy matchy is lovely and sophisticated, I find it a smidge.. boring!

626. You think you’re dealing with a lot of paper work? I used to work at the Application Centre where ALL the applications for ALL the Universities in Ontario are processed. Now that was paperwork. Fortunately a lot of it is electronic now.

627. “Matchy, Matchy?” Oh Hell NO!!!”

628. Interesting comments from that Sam. After knitting my daughter the Noro 1×1 scarf and starting in on a hat to go with it, my 21 year old daughter said “too matchy matchy.” I found some plain yarn and knit a fabulous “le slouch” to go with it.
     I guess I agree with Sam since I knit a scarf last year and this year went to the same LYS to buy the same yarn to make a hat to match.

629. bra is an accessory….I love it! And not a necessary one either if you ask me! Maybe if I knit one I would wear it more…then my kids would just die…because it wouldn’t match my hat either.

630. Well, once again, its knitters vs. the rest of the world!!

631. None of my winter accessories match, and I love it!
     And, to quote one of my favorite shows, Southpark:
     O-bama you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind Obama! Hey Hey, Obama!

632. I made a big effort this past July to knit myself a matching hat and mitts in some Lopi brought to me from Iceland. I used a Lopi pattern (yarn matching pattern is quite an exciting concept for me), and added the hat colourwork pattern to the mittens.
     I was impressed with myself! and it is super warm.
     I would probably have done a better job even 6 months later, but I am happy with them anyway.

633. No my knits don’t match just call me a knitter and I will proudly respond YES I AM!

634. My winter wear doesn’t match at all!! I was definitely checking out the crowd at the inauguration for knitted things- and you can totally tell the people who are knitters or have knitter friends!!
     I’m really into the fact that our president can dance, too!!

635. Of course matching! ALL is wool!
     Take care of yourself! Lots of good energy supporting your thorough recovery. I’m impressed with all the wisdom people are sharing to make it easier.
     I’m very happy with Obama (president who holds socks).
     And at least you can knit;-) And that’s going well!

636. My winter wear most certainly does not match. It is, however, warm and made from alpaca, and each piece is beautiful in and of itself. Matching is *so* yesterday… 🙂

637. Heavens, my PURCHASED winter wear doesn’t match.
     Although people keep asking me if I made my hat, which is sort of funny considering it’s woven, and plaid at that, with an obviously machine knit ribbing band sewn on.

638. No matching here… I get bored with the yarn! LOL!!! It all has to be gorgeous, but different. We are sounding weird…. I wish I had plans when I bought the yarn. But that would make sense…. Sigh!

639. Am still glowing two days after the inauguration, so it must have been good! 🙂 Here in the UK, we who normally go in for pageantry, have a very toned-down handover of power, but obviously that’s not for a Head of State. I have great hopes, and inevitably they won’t all be realised, because this is the real world – but I do wish people would stop talking Obama’s high aims down. So much cynicism in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime event that has inspired so much positivity, all round the world.
     I enjoyed spotting the knitwear in the crowd! There was a woman right at the front of the crowd who had a very ornate knitted hat on. Sort of like a country landscape with figures in it – at least, it looked that way to me.
     Sorry to hear about your continued travails with the ankle, but it (and its partner) look nice in the shiny new socks.

640. I’m sure they match something somewhere. I get claustrophobic when my clothes start to form “outfits”. “Hey, break it up. We’ll have none of that going on here.”

641. As someone who had ruptured her achilles, had surgery, was on crutches for two months (no weight bearing!), then a walking boot for a month and 4 months more of therapy… not only do I feel your pain, but I have tips! Especially since I lived alone for a good portion of the time on crutches.
     Make thee two things: An over the body, one compartment simple purse and a nice little, shallow flat-bottomed bag that can be carried in one hand without tipping over too much. Points for if the strap is narrow enough to be able to hold while holding crutches. These will be your best friends.
     Into these, place a few sandwich baggies. These come in handy for carting little things like snacks, gooey things, etc. Also place some chocolate, because that’s just a plain necessity.
     Get out your tupperware and use it for everything. Any food item that needs carrying– tupperware (no plate!) and into your flat-bottomed bag. Ditto for a thermos and water bottle. I found that, after months and months of eating this way, it was difficult NOT to carry all of my food in a non-spill container. If you must, carry your plate and cup in the bag as well and then transfer from the tupperware to the plate when you get to your destination. But then be ready to carry a washable bag to carry everything back to the sink!
     Over the body bag– perfect for the thermos/water bottle, books, anything that needs carrying that might weigh too much for an in-hand carry.
     It can be done, take it from someone who has been there. And take heart, at least until you get better, you can use those nifty little carts in the supermarket.

642. I love the “Eye of Jupiter” socks. Totally appropriate for BSG. It’s great to see so many people who share my two biggest passions: knitting and everything sci-fi! (Ok, hubby and kids are first passion) I have my own theory by the 12th Cylon. I bet the “12th” Cylon (I won’t ruin it for anyone) is a variation of Cylon #6, which would explain why Tigh had “visions” during his encounters with #6 in detention. Brillant, won’t you say? (unless, of course, I’m totally wrong)

643. “don’t you think there just has to be another twist coming?”
     I don’t fraking know (said just like drunk Bill Adama.) But it makes you wonder to whom the Three apologized when she saw the final five. I mean, I can’t make any sense out of that, considering this last “big” revalation.

644. Matching winter wear? I barely HAVE winter wear. Today I went to work wearing one shawl around my shoulders, one around my head, and my big medieval cloak with pointy hood. Living in Florida, I don’t get enough cold weather to bother with hats and scarves. What I have is almost strictly ornamental.

645. I must admit that while mywinter gear coordinates colourwise it certainly doesn’t come even close to matching. Must admit, I nver thought about it before. Now I won’t be able to get it out of my head! As for your comments on the new U.S. President – I couldn’t agree more; the man is fascnating and compelling. I have never felt so emotional and so excitied about politics before. What a great day to see Bush go and Obama be sworn in! And speaking of fashion, how great to have a First Lady whose style I actually would love to aspire to. Of course, I’d have to grow about a foot taller to even have a chance of pulling it off…..

646. I don’t think they chose the last cylon wisely. She better have a bunch of back story that’s interesting!

647. Couldn’t agree with you more about my new president. I am smitten. Totally smitten.

648. OMG! I love those socks! the colors the pattern!! absolutely beautiful!

649. I went to university in Canada and was one of the lone Americans in a sea of anti-US sentiment during the first Gulf war. It’s nice to have my Canadian friends, and others, looking at the US in a different light. I hope Obama can earn back the respect of the world.
     p.s. love the hat.

650. “Does my winter wear match?”
     What does the word “match” mean?

651. Aside from the ones who knew they were cylons already (and had previously thought they were humans), all sorts of people had freaky experiences on Earth, remembering their lives there 3,000 years prior. I think each one of them thought that “they” were the fifth. Is that why Dee killed herself? Are we all cylons? And no, my hat doesn’t match my mitts.

652. Does she want bags and shoes that “match”, too?
     Who is she getting her fashion influence from,
     Nancy Reagan?
     Those of us whose families live in the frozen north for a while develop a family collection of hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens that live in a closet. If it fits you, and it’s cold, you wear it.

653. Wow, in my own case, Sam is right! My handmade hat is black, my handmade scarf is black with a burgundy band and my mitts were bought at “Ends” in the Beaches many, many years ago and they’re a blue/green mix. A few years ago I sewed on pieces of black leather to improve the grip.Oh, and the mitts are machine-knit with Thinsulate inside. I love those mitts!)
     Those socks (the Battlestar Galactica ones; I forget what they’re called) are stupendous!

654. Sam’s comment is so funny, and has so much truth to it. I never wear matching stuff, but I made my sister a hat, fingerless mitts and a scarf to match… and they all go together. Wearing your adventures is exactly right!

655. My knits match…mostly. If I get a gift I’ll sometimes even make something to match that. Funny thing, I’ve never really noticed the non-matching thing before- I can usually spot a knitter because they are wearing an interestingly knit item.

656. You are inspiring so many ways. I hope the carrying bag suggestions are a big help. Perhaps there are knitting bags that can be re-purposed? (Though none of mine are waterproof.) The only reason my hats, mittens and scarves don’t match is because I, too, am in Texas and I can’t THINK of a time when I’ve needed all three.
     Speedy Recovery. (And your husband is probably nice enough that he’d forgive your book tour… since you hadn’t experienced the trauma of immobility. — plus he gets to share in some of the profits, right?)

657. Egad, NO, my winter wear doesn’t match! I’m willing to bet some of my neighbours think I’m colour-blind, LOL. BUT it is VERY WARM–and considering the temperatures in Toronto the past couple of weeks, and the fact that I’m out twice a day for at least an hour each time walking my dog that is saying something! As an aside, I got smart and had his fur spun into yarn and made myself a winter bonnet ; the only problem is it has to be BELOW -10C or I can’t wear it, as it’s (yep, you guessed it) too warm!

658. BSG, still need to finish watching last season.
     I have to thank you for introducing me to Signatre Needles. My 4mm straights are the apple of my eyes. I wish I could get gauge on 4mm every time!
     The hat is wonderful, with the contrast band and the button. I need to make another one that fits my recipient, even if it meant sort of ignoring Rachel’s fab pattern. No photo of Sam wearing it?
     I hope you’re well.

659. I can totally relate to your current situation.
     I broke my right leg 2 weeks ago slipped on the ice and have a cute red cast below my knee. I can’t bear weight for 6wks I am a total clutz on crutches and also use a walker complete with the yellow tennis balls and I am just a little older than you. 😉 I also hate when I get my coffee and cream all ready to go and then can’t carry it anywhere, and it is really hard to stand there on 1 leg and drink it.
     We also have a senior this year and we are all new to this college stuff and in the USA we fill out a grueling FAFSA only to find out we won’t qualify for money.
     My winter wear doesn’t match and the only knit hat I made for myself was of chenille and it is worming out all over my head looking like Methusula.
     We should compare pictures when we get our boot/casts off yuk!

660. No crutches for me but I have sent 4 girls off to college….kid #1 from Florida to California, kid #2 Florida to Missouri, kid #3 from Guam to Arkansas and kid #4 from Alabama to Arkansas…then we moved to Hawaii and she graduated while we were there. As you might have noticed, we move a lot…we’re a Navy family. In a call from our auto insurance…”Wow, your life is complicated!” answer..”This is nothing! You’re just hearing about the CARS!”
     Best of luck with the school search….and you will grow to LOVE the empty nest. I have a whole craft room now!! 8^)

661. Don’t tell me about applying to universities. It cost me a bucket of money, ten years of life and paperwork more Kafkaesque than Kafka could imagine to sign up for the University of Florence (which I’m consequently using as much as I can). I have social phobia and a terror of institutions to spice it up.
     Matching stuff… well, if one uses nail paint in screaming colour, it will match all other clothing items and accesories with each other. Gotta take a pic of my birks-shod feet to demonstrate (on a side note, here in Florence we have around +15 celsius and I do wear Birks. Some people look weird at me, though).
     And, I’ve had an unending itch to send you some of the angora/cashmere/lambswool or something blend I’m getting from my secret sources here – I’m sorta late with the whole Christmas thing. Do you have a snailmail address?

662. I know you’ve had a tonne of responses to your post, but here’s to hoping… I’m wondering how your daughter applied to 5 universities? I applied back in October and was only able to apply to 3! I’m going back to school, maybe that is the difference?

663. No matching here, though my hat and my mittens are red… ish, as is my coat. My scarf is one of the more hysterical Noro colourways that doesn’t match anything but it is long and warm so who cares?

664. My things did not match even before I started knitting. My rule is that more colors are better than fewer. So mine don’t match but that’s about me, not about the fact that I knit.
     On the other hand, I pretty much stick to four colors plus black, and my entire wardrobe (if you can call it that) all goes together within that color scheme. I love looking in my closet, it makes me smile… my favorite colors all smiling back at me.
     I tell the youths I teach to knit that I’m the odd adult they need to know and like. They need to understand that you can be odd/different and still be worth knowing.
     Matchy-matchy makes me nuts. I say it doesn’t have to match, but I like it to “go.”
     And nobody would take my advice on fashion anyway…
     LynnH who is somehow cool right now wearing the legwarmers she wore back when it was VERY uncool… I’ll be uncool again soon, but I’ll be warm.

665. Heck no, nothing matches each other. Looks good together, though.

666. Winter wear?! Yeah… winter wear. It’s all lived in a box for about 99.9% of the time since I moved from Alberta to Texas to North Carolina. People _say_ we get winter here, but it seems to vary between “really hot summer” and “slightly cool summer”…
     Although, I must admit, we did get snow this week. It lasted a whole two days!

667. Ummm, not for lack of trying. I knit a beautiful alpaca scarf , thought it would be nice to have hat and mittens to match. The Knitting Goddess smacked but me good. Lost one mitten the first day I wore them. And for some reason, the yarn is a little too lofty for a hat, ie. it is too floppy.
     So Sam is correct, we don’t match, but it is not our fault, the Knitting Goddess doesn’t want us to be “matchy, matchy.”

668. Sorry to hear about the mobility issues. I broke my right elbow this last summer and was ammazed at how much I couldn’t accomplish. As far as the winter ware goes, no it doesn’t match, it does all cordinate, but doesn’t match. I live in Texas we only have below freezing temp. a few weeks in the year, maybe two months at the most.

669. No way is she the final cylon. I refuse to even consider it. Its got to be Starbuck – if it isn’t, how do you explain her ressurection??

670. Nope. Winter wear does not match. Lovely smoke ring in baby silk merino in blue. Hat in green BFL. And, gasp, leather gloves.
     It has bothered me for some time. I will tell you that my socks do match as much as I am able–I even find the exact same color spot in the yarn to start the second sock. Anal about this.
     As far as winter just so I can forget that the woolies of my past were mismated.

671. Hell, no. My winter wear does not match I don’t much care because each piece is a thing of beauty… a delicate lacy scarf of kidsilk haze and some other unknown laceweight yarn in the most beguiling shade of emerald green that my dearest friend made for me, brown and white selbuvotter mittens that I felted because they turned out 3 sizes too big but are now utterly perfect, and a lovely and haloed hat in burnished reds/purples/organges of Mountain Colors. None of this matches any coat that I own, either.

672. Here is the blog where Obama holds the sock:
     http://stringativity.blogspot.com/2007/12/yarn-harlot-ness.html

673. Yes, my knitwear does match, but mostly because it is store bought. About every year or two, I get a new scarf and 2 pairs of gloves that match each other, to wear with my nice coat. I just feel more grown up with a matching set. Maybe when I start to actually finish scarves on a regular basis, and learn how to make gloves, I will make myself matching sets, but for now, I like the store bought kind, which are ready to wear while the colors are still in style. And for those that are wondering, I get two pairs of gloves because the gloves always wear out long before the scarf does, so I can easily get another season out of the scarf with another set of gloves. It is cheaper to buy second gloves than a whole new set when the first pair of gloves wears out (which is always AFTER the items are long gone from the store).

674. Smitten???? With your president????? Sad day for many of us…..YUCK!!!!!!!!

675. Nope, no matches here. My daughter has 2 hats, and I’m making gloves all of LL Georgetown. Her scarf is a total mismatch, being a Christmas gift from her cousin who crochets. That’s the closest this house comes to matching.
     I LOVE the Eye of Saturn socks. I be a geek, too. I feel sad that I don’t have special socks to watch BSG in, you lucky girl!

676. My woollies totally don’t match, and I’ve given up caring. Here in North Carolina we don’t get to wear our handknits all that much so when it’s cold enough, I wear as many as I possibly can. I may be a ragamuffin, but luckily my kids are still too young to be embarrassed.

677. It’s all knit, does that count?
     (And why yes, we does have us a spiffy new president! Watching the inaugral ceremonies on streaming video at work was, indeed, just riveting!)
     (Oh, and I totally sympathize with the foot….I’ve dealt with ankle and knee injuries and surgeries, and I live alone, and trying to make do *sucks!*)

678. I love the Eye of Jupiter socks! I saw the yarn on Etsy and thought that the yarn looked beautiful but it’s even better in sock form.

679. Playing catch up after the flu. I love the socks and set you made.
     My winter warmth wear doesn’t match. I have an orange hand knit hat my friend made me for Christmas last year, what ever gloves I can find (black, blue, red yesterday ect) and I don’t use a scarf, I loose them.

680. Yes, I have sets of matching winter wear. When I took vocational aptitude tests, I discovered that I am highly creative AND highly conventional….. so my wildly coloured pieces of fabrics are stacked in neat piles!
     I have spent years knitting matching hats and mitts in a specific double knit pattern I knit ONLY for my family so my kids would know which were their hats and mitts. Each new coat got new hats and mitts in a co-ordinating colour.
     My mitts/gloves may not match while driving (I prefer leather so not to slip on the steering wheel) but there is a matching pair knit and in the outerwear supply!
     Some of us just can’t help ourselves!!!!

681. Thank you for the comments on my new President. I have to say, at the risk of sounding like a nutter, I love this man. I have suffered these last 8 years with not feeling proud and confident in the person/persons in charge. Now I feel not only confident, but real hope and happiness. I believe that this man has what it takes to bring the US, as well as the world to a new and better place. I believe he is a truly GOOD man, with all the smarts and convictions to do truly good work. Thanks, Stephanie, for being a bright spot in my day!
     And yes, I like my things to match! My husband teases me about this quirk, but even my underwear match! Sick, I know, but what if I’m in an accident?!? I want the EMTs to be impressed with my pretty undies. LOL

682. Actually, most of my handknits do not match either. Although i do try to have them work in conjunction together. I like matchy, rather than completely unrelated handknit accessories being worn separately.

683. Thank you for your comments about Obama. The USA has great hope that he will the right man for the emmence job he has ahead of him.
     My daughter flies with the President (she has been all over the world) so she will let me know how he is on the helecopter and plane. I will pass on the knowledge to the blog.

684. I usually try to get hand gear and head gear to coordinate. Usually people can’t see my scarf so I don’t worry to much about that.

685. Yes, my winter wear matches. I impulsively bought 6 hanks of Misty baby alpaca in the most rich green with gold threads last year. I made a ribbed scarf, a cable headband hat (just learned cables last month), and fingerless mitts. They also go great with every jacket or coat that I own, an added bonus.

686. I just finished knitting that exact hat last night! And I also used a yarn with a drastically different guage and didn’t really follow the pattern. But because i still ended up with a hat that’s too big, and because i think your two-tone version is AWESOME, i’m going to rip and re-knit!

687. Cheers to any other woman who considers a bra an accesory! And of course my winter wear doesn’t match, my hat is gree, my fingerless mitts are multicolored, and my scarf is red and black. I get made fun of at the tattoo shop that I work at, but I mearly assume they are jealous that they can’t clash so horribly as I do, LOL!

688. My winter wear does not match. Most of my clothes do not match, in general, though. I do, however, get close– like most of my socks have pink and/or blue in them somewhere (usually both). All of my sweaters (both of them) are blue. So, I know I can wear a pair of my socks and a sweater and they’ll more or less go together.

689. I have same points of disagreement as you with the new President…but he is SO SO SO much of an improvement over the Previous Occupant, I can’t begin to tell you. The last eight years have been Hell.
     Matching? Whatzat? Although I do have a hat and mittens knitted from the same colors of yarn…

690. Sigh, I have a multi-directional noro scarf and whatever hat may somewhat match a color in the noro scarf. With my Giordini lava wool gloves.
     Someone said to me the other day, “Your hat, it sort of matches your scarf, kind of, well, there’s purple in your scarf, and your hat is purple, not the same purple as in the scarf….” Well, I never was matchy-matchy, even with store bought stuff….you should see my socks!

691. Wouldn’t that be nice. No my winter knit wear doesn’t match. A very astute observation of your daughter, I think her new set is smashing.

692. Beautiful set! You’ve knit some lovely things that are apparently good enough for “real” people (wink)!

693. Um, no, mine don’t but my daughter’s do. She has a scarf, a cowl and ear warmers all from the same yarn. Mittens yet to be added to the set and probably a hat as well. I have a lot of the yarn she chose and will just keep going until it is gone or she is satisfied with winter wear.

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