I am taking a chance, and this is what I'm going to do.

As i'm finishing up a pair of socks, the threat of autumn looming in the hills - a trip to the presidio and the fort yesterday and the blustery winds through the tunnels is a sure sign. I had to wear a jacket with the halter-dress I wore out into the City tonight, as opposed to my usual light sweater, and the city is screaming fall fashions. Wednesday evening and Thursday were spent in shul, welcoming in the new calendar year and Rosh Hashanah, Friday was spent studying as we wrapped up the second week of classes here at the Academy. Not much avoiding it now, is there?

With all of this in mind, my plots and plans for knitting are once again falling to hats and sweaters which, if I start now, will be done in time for spring, winter at the earliest. The new Knitty is out - my favourite knitting magazine, and while in the past i was a bit disappointed this fall is brimming with patterns I adore. Cherie Amour is a beautiful sweater with fabulous possibilities - and looks like a pretty quick knit! Cinderella is a cute sock and I love the idea of a princess sole, although i'm not fond of that Herald pattern. We'll see. Danny Oulette has a pattern, Diamond Waffle which looks so soft I could die. What I'm really loving though, is a different pattern by him, his Travelling Rib Hat which is not only gorgeous, cleverly constructed, and funky; but it reminds me of my favourite style of kippot, the large embroidered Buchari kippot. Stylish, comfortable, fun, and a wonderful head-covering (for whatever reason you might do it.). This is definitely on my to-do list.

I've still got a bit of planning to do by way of a hedgehog hat based on the mohawk hat in one of the knitting books I have laying around my bookshelf.

Having been gone for so much of the summer, I had completely forgotten that one of my favourite band released a new album July. "The Walk" is one of the most amazing albums i've heard in a long time, and let me tell you that I have heard some AMAZING stuff over the past six months. I reccommend picking up the album, or at least downloading a few tracks - dont let the name of the band fool you, you wont find a hint of bad mid-90's pop.

A lot of the tracks on The Walk resonate with me in a way I can't quite understand. Being of a similar age, at least somewhat, to the band - and having grown up with them, in a way, I find every album they release speaks to me just right. 'Wierd' was just as powerful to me in 1997 as songs like 'Go,' 'The Great Divide,' and 'Georgia' do now, ten years later. You'll find, sadly, that everytime someone talks about this band you find the phrase 'all grown up,' but I think for those of us in our 20's, the notion of finding ourselves, coming into our own as adults, fighting injustice and working to make the world a better place, discovering that maybe there are parts of your life that you need to cut away from and parts that you need to go back to for your own sake - these are themes that resonate with us very strongly. We often look for something deeper than just a good jam to bump on the way to the club. We expect our music to have substance, and this is like pure yayo on a musical scale. Substantive lyrics, beautiful melodies, and that sort of combination of musicianship and lyricality which will bring a shiver to your spine and make you rock out at the same time.

I'm not a wise man
But I see the haze
And this is what I'm gonna do