My Dad was quite pleased with his cabled hat.  He wore it several times during Thanksgiving
weekend and I hope he will continue to enjoy wearing it on his walks at
home.  It is a warm hat – all those
cables doubling up the insulation. 

He
commented on how soft it is.  My Mother
had said the same about her hat.  And
Emilia and Oliver admired the softness of the kimono I knitted for their baby.

They seemed so surprised – but, then, most people have
little contact with hand-knit woolen garments. 
Cotton, acrylics, microfibers, mostly. 
People shy away from commercially-made animal fibers, too, because they
have the reputation of being itchy (except for silk and cashmere – which are
usually reserved for luxury wear).

It made me realize that I have become so accustomed to
knitting with good quality wool (and alpaca and wool blends that include silk
and cashmere!) that I expect knitted garments to be pleasing to the touch.  In fact, I have pretty high standards!  I found myself frowning over the wool (blend)
socks I found at Nordstrom – too thin, too stiff, the cuff seemed like it would
be binding.  “I should just knit my own
socks!”  I huffed to George.

And certainly I could! 
(Don’t tell Sarah that I am even thinking
about knitting socks for myself…