For my summer cardigan, I have learned how to cable without a cabling needle. (At least, I think I have. This might not work out for a project with real, traveling up the whole sweater, aran type cables, but since it's working for me now, I'm counting it as a learned skill.) I have to say, I love it. It seems like it's such a daredevil feat... when you come to the part that needs to be cabled, you move the stitches off of the needles, work a little bit more, and then pick those free floating little loops back up and carry on. It's like parachuting, but for knitting. Every other time that I'm working, one of my worst fears is the stitches falling off of the needles, since that would cause damage that, to me still, is irreparable. (I'm still scared of crochet hooks, so ladders are my enemy). But when I'm cabling, that definitely changes. I like the ballsy, gutsy way I feel about my stitches now, as though they'll do what I tell them to, no matter their needle status.

In other news, short sleeves take much, much longer than they should.