Look ma, no cable needle!

Foof. Probably a rash undertaking, but I am knitting some Baroque socks for my MIL's 60th birthday do. The reasoning being, she knits loads of socks, but almost always gives them away because someone has said "oo, those are nice" whilst she's been knitting them, so she has very few pairs of knitted socks. Of course, I'm panicking that these won't be good enough, or that she'd rather have had the wool to knit her own. Still. They are in Malabrigo Sock, Impressionist Sky Blue. They are bloody hard. I am taking telynor's lead and cabling without a cable needle (admittedly, much helped by the fact that there are cable instructions for without as well as with!) I am hoping it gets easier with practice. Also, I am wishing that I had taken telynor's sage advice and bought me some Addi Lace needles. I suspect it would be foolish to change needles halfway through a sock/pair, however, so I will soldier on.
My "last person on the planet to realise it" discovery of the week is the Eye of Partridge heel, which I am doing on some Charlene Schurch socks in a variegated coral pink wool. I know triskellian raved about it last time I saw her, but I think it's the sort of thing one has to do and experience to see the full glory. It shimmers! Bloody hard to keep track, but absolutely worth every minute of it. So very, very pretty. :-D