Isn't it exciting when so much inspiration comes across your path that you can barely contain it all? Several knitting books have inspired me lately: Annie Modesitt's Confessions of a Knitting Heretic (see link in the side bar) and Anna Zilboorg's book Knitting for Anarchists Both of those have been by-the-bed-side reading, which inspired me so much I had to run find yarn and needles (granted, it's not as though the yarn and needles was far out of reach!) and try what they were describing.

Because of them, and because I'll be taking a Reversable Cables class with Lily Chin, I've been rotating through three projects, and I just can't decide what to work on. One is my Blizzard sweater - I've got the sleeves done up to the elbow on that, and the waistline, but decided to wait on knitting the body, since there will be a cable up the front and I wanted to see what cables I learned in that class. Then there's the modified Angell Street - I'm adding sleeves to the Berrocco pattern - which I did the back in my usual continental, but started on the front in Combination as per Annie's book - I'm a convert! So quick and even! Even still thinking about the motions it's as fast as continental to me, and I'm sure it'll speed up greatly when it becomes more second nature. And in reading Knitting for Anarchists, I went through about 5 attempts of frogging a tank top, because I couldn't decide which of the great stitch patterns to use! Zilboorg breaks them down so logically, I almost started a one-color fairisle, but decided since I'd be doing that cable class to design a cabelled tank, and used just a touch of pattern at the hem to keep it from curling.

I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece for the tank. I got a great deal on it on E-bay, as it was seconds. The dye is VERY runny, and my hands are dark green by the time I've knit for a while, but it washes right off, and I can easily rinse the tank in vinegar a few times when it's done. The yarn itself is nice to knit with, and I'm curious to see which of its cotton and which of its wool properties it will maintain.

But as usual, it's just about all I can think of - that and the spinning wheel-to-be. (by the way, www.woodlandwoolworks.com has twice answered e-mails about the spinning wheel within one day of my sending them, and has been very friendly and helpful. They'll almost definitely get the sale for my wheel, and I so far highly recommend them!) I'm sitting here at work, wishing I was at home knitting. For some reason, I can't seem to get into a reasonable sleep schedule lately. When I've managed to take a nap, it's kept me from falling asleep at night. Waking up is still easy for me (darn lark that I am!) but then almost as soon as I'm in the station - sometimes even in the car on the way - I feel like I'm fighting the urge to crawl under my desk for a quick nap. The only time I'm not dying to go to sleep is when I'm knitting.

If I didn't have two clients coming in today, I'd have brought the Cotton Fleece tank in today, in the hopes that a little play time would keep me awake. But I don't think shaking hands with Green-Handed Girl would be a good professional first impression, so I restrained myself... in just six short hours I can play again...

Thoughts for the Day:

Igor Stravinsky - “Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”

Ella Fitzgerald - “Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there's love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong.”