Re-set (...I'm a looser baby...)

I love knitting.  And I don't want to overstate things, but for the most part, I consider myself a pretty successful knitter.  Most of my projects work out really well -- beauty and function intersect seamlessly, and I am nearly always happy with the outcome.  In the past months, however, something has gone very, very wrong.  Everything that I touch seems to turn to disaster.  I've knit a hat, most of a pair of socks, and two entire sweaters that have been good for nothing but ripping right back out again.  All of that misfortune kind of kicked me right in the mojo, and I turned to the comforting embrace of embroidery and crewel.  As lovely as that all is, I can't embroider in the dark, or while watching a movie, or while monitoring my children from a park bench.  I missed my knitting.

About two weeks ago, my friend Pixie came over to visit.  Pixie and I have decided to start having DIY trade-off days as an excuse to hang out...not that we need one, but there's something fun about inviting someone over for a themed visit.  Anyway, in this last visit, she taught me to make kombucha, and I taught her to knit.


Starting some kombucha

She took to it immediately (fastest learner yet!). and as I watched her fall into the gentle rhythm of the stitches, I felt inspiration spark in the dusty crafting corners of my soul.


Pixie and Billy knitting

During naptime that day, I cleaned up my studio, located abandoned knitting projects, and worked through my mending pile.  It felt amazing to have a clear space to work in again; my mind felt refreshed.


some of the mending...

When we set off to San Antonio to visit friends over Thanksgiving weekend, I brought some socks that had stalled out at the heels (with so many projects failing, I couldn't find the emotional energy to turn a simple heel), and a laceweight sweater that needed to be ripped back about 6 inches before starting again.  While we were in SA, my friend Heather gave me a wild rainbow skein of fingeringweight wool, and she got me started on a cute ribbed hat for Daisy (it's knit on the diagonal, and it's Heather's own pattern -- maybe she'll write it out sometime so I can share it with you dear readers).  All of this to say: I am pleased to announce that, after a much needed Creative Re-set, I now have 3 promising projects on my needles.



Today is a great day, my friends.