Snowy Monday

I was so happy and filled with creative hope when I peaked behind my roll up shade after creaking out of bed this morning. Last night Jubal and I made the short walk to the Inn on Peaks for a cheese burger and fries which is very good I might add. The snow was just coming down and it was lovely and quiet outside. The snow didn't stop and left a lovely fresh carpet for the morning. I hear that some kiddos around the state had a snow day which always warms my heart. Since I moved out here at the end of August, I knew I would relish the day when snow fell, I had no plans to leave the island and I could create all day- with snow coming down. For some reason my creative senses feel especially saturated with snow or rain falling. It really means I don't have any reason to go out side. And now it feels extra specially good because we've gone for a walk around the block all ready and picked up eggnogg at the store. 

I enjoyed looking around at trees and berries pondering what I might be able to get away with foraging for dye. I've been thinking of collecting the rest of the good looking rose hips for a boil up and dye. I also pondered the bittersweet. Earlier last week we came across a bush of black berries that when squeezed with my fingers are actually purple. 

I made this hat about a months ago from a really fun and easy lace pattern that I found here which is the Foliage pattern by Emilee Mooney. I used Manos Del Uruguay Yarn in Oxygen and the rib in Spirulina. Beautiful color combination. Both of which I purchased at my favorite yarn shop, Knitwit.

This hat has been quite a work in progress for the last two weeks. After pouring over my new book, Super Sticthes, a knit stitch dictionary, I knew I wanted to create a hat using a stitch pattern I'd never done before. I decided on the Chevron pattern but having never translated a flat pattern to circular, it took many test runs, frogging, and explicits. I finally looked up what to do in this case and learned that in order to turn a flat pattern into a round pattern I must work backwards and opposite. I took the time to rewrite the pattern and then learned all I needed to do was knit each odd row twice as it was the same! It did make it more fun and not quite so frustrating. I was going cross eyed, sea sick and turning into a fox faced sailor (foul mouthed). The yarn however, though I enjoy using it a lot, may not show the pattern after all. Blocking will take place after I complete it then I'll know. The yarn is 100% alpaca and has been over dyed twice. It was originally a variegated denim. I wanted to add more fun to it so I splashed in some green and purple. It kind of only darkened it but I like it:) I'm not one to take my time to knit fine but I'm working on new skills. 

This will be my next project one that I have not been able to stop thinking about since I brought this sweet little loom home. I picked up some pearl cotton for the warp which I may to today. For the weft I'll be using my hand dyed silk hankies. 

I used to feel quite overwhelmed if I had an unfinished project hanging around and I wanted to start a new one. I felt like I had to finish the first one before I started the second one. I've gotten over it though and find it quite freeing to have a few to several floating around and going back and forth to weaving to sewing to knitting to spinning to felting like a bird collecting for her nest. It's felt good to come into my own natural process for creating.