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Last night I had the pleasure of listening to Tara Swiger talk at Gather Here. Tara has a new book out - Market Yourself. It was an evening of lively conversation about crafting, marketing and small businesses.
In addition to the thought-provoking discussion and good company it was also an opportunity to sit and knit. And I did just that - round after round after round.
All it took was a little more knitting when I got home, and my Lighthouse Gansey Socks were finished.
This design is a 3 x 1 ribbed pattern with a gansey motif on the leg.
A close-up of the motif. There's something satisfying about following simple knit, purl instructions to create a design. It's like drawing with wool.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Lillian, colorway Gooseberry. This is a new color that will be posted to the website soon. The weekend weather may be too warm for wool socks, but I'll have these with me at New Hampshire Sheep and Wool just in case.
I'm waiting for the sweet smell of this week's color inspiration.
Dainty white.
I started this week in search of a knitting project. I had finished my latest booth sample - more on that in another post. What to work on next? My queue of knitting projects is a mile long, and I share desk space with yarn that's wound and waiting for the needles. I certainly didn't lack for ideas or options, but somehow making a decision was a daunting task.
In the process of organizing my life after Connecticut Sheep and Wool I went through my project bags and stumbled across this.
My Lighthouse Gansey Sock. I had put this aside, probably to work on a booth sample, and it had fallen off my radar. It was ready and waiting - like a frozen meal you effortlessly pop in the oven.
I turned the heel, picked up the flap stitches and worked 'round and 'round on the foot - calming, comforting knitting. I only have to work a few more rounds, and then the sock will be ready for the toe. This week has been challenging on many levels, and it's only Wednesday. The knitting goddess was looking out for me. Quiet, meditative sock knitting is just what I needed.
For the past week or so I've been working on Gray Garden. I'm loving this shawl. I've been taking it everywhere, but over the weekend we had a bit of a falling out. Not the falling out where I cast it aside and don't look at it for weeks. Instead I came to the realization that this project is not traveling well any more. It's become big and bulky. Juggling the long rows and pages of charts has become too cumbersome. Gray Garden has been reclassified as a stay-at-home project.
I don't have much else on the needles right now, so of course I had to start something new to be my on-the-go project. For the past month or so I've been mulling over new project ideas - more booth samples, a fun kit, a new sweater. On Saturday I contemplated yarns and colors for all of these ideas. I tried different color combinations, but nothing grabbed me. I tried different lighting - still no luck. In the end I decided that these ideas need to marinate for a while longer.
For my new project I turned to an old standby.
A sock.
Lighthouse Gansey Sock has been in my pattern pile for a while now.
I cast on, and everything fell into place. This is the perfect project for me to lug around. Gray Garden will still get plenty of attention; the new projects will sort themselves out. And when I'm out and about I have a new sock to keep me company.
