Thursday, April 19, 2007

In Search of Inspiration!

This knitting has been relaxed and enjoyable. Still have more, in order to get it into the shape of a rectangle. But for a boy, these colors should be just fine.

Yesterday, knowing I would soon complete this blanket, I began poking my nose into yarn drawers, looking for something to really grab me. I found a beautiful big cotton in the most glorious shades of pinky orange - in fact, it is called "Tequila Sunrise." I have exactly four hanks (440 yards) of it and the label suggests a size 11 needle. It is very soft, Egyptian cotton, and I think working with it will be wonderful; but so far I have no ideas about what to do.

I am still a beginner knitter in my mind; teaching myself different techniques has been a joy, and often a new project draws me because it has something for me to learn. I put down the little entrelac scarf I began a couple of months ago, and now must refresh my memory about how to continue with it. Maybe picking up this UFO will allow time for the Tequila Sunrise to establish itself in my brain, and for images to develop.






In times of stress, I find I fall back on the easy, the familiar, to soothe me and bring me through the storm. I knit, knit, knit. But when I am feeling stronger, I seek the novel; my heart is open to something new. Spring nearly always enlivens me, and I gather strength with each warm day, with the unfurling of another fern, with the sweet birdsong from the tiny patch that is our yard. I read recently in someone's blog that she found this entrelac addictive; in this I agree. I wish I had not put this down in February; but with spring,...a challenge, revisited!









If knitting is a part of your heart, you will understand many of the ways it fits into your life, and the ways your life wraps around your knitting. Maria Fire has written beautifully about this in her little treasure, Knit One, Haiku Too. I found it, with her signature in neon salmon inside the front cover, at the Folk Art Center when I stopped by with out-of-town guests last week. If you have an opportunity, take a peek at this little book; it is marvelous inspiration for the springtime!



Beth

No comments: