What Do We Crave?
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Dear One,
Is it unique to me, or do you sometimes lean your head into the fridge to look for...something unnamed? You tell yourself you'll know it when you see it, even though you are well acquainted with the contents before you open the door. And then, if you're me, you mosey over to the cabinet where the sweet and salty things hang out. And somehow the sweet things all seem too cloying and the salty things don't appeal either.
That's how I sometimes feel about my knitting in the late winter. It feels too late to start a wintry project because we only have a month (or so) left of the season. But then, isn't it a bit early to start knitting something summer-ish? Linen and cotton and silk blends seem sort of un-cozy as I sit with Mabel on my lap and a fire in the fireplace.
I think the answer, at least for me, is to work with glorious color at this point in the season. The yarn can be as woolly or as plant-based as I wish, as long as the colors are leaping off my lap. Last winter, I started this beauty (Favorite Flannel by Alicia Plummer) in February and finished in late March. I think it may have kept me sane. Not only was the yarn bright and cheery, but I was never sure which color was coming next. The anticipation was a perfect antidote to February/March fiber doldrums.
This winter, Susan chose from the same family of yarns to create the charming DRK Everyday Sweater. I didn't think it was possible, but she seems to have chosen a colorway even happier than mine!
The secret ingredient these two sweaters have in common is Saiun yarn from Noro. It's a playfully rustic DK that's a blend of 70% wool/30% nylon and comes in a classically Noro array of fascinating color combinations.
Susan and I each used less than three skeins to complete a sweater (these skeins hold an impressive 492 yards each). My sweater was knit with Color-01-Yuki and Susan chose Color-10-Bara. Have fun choosing the yarn that suits you best!
I'm not kidding about the value of adding some serious color to your days in this weird spring-now-winter-now-kinda-spring time of year. If I could afford it, I'd buy fresh flowers every other day...but the next best thing is to get color into my hands and into my home via yarn. And, while yarn isn't inexpensive, I'll end up with something that lasts for years (completely unlike flowers).
I hope you find a tactile way to work with color in these next weeks. It might include fabric or beads or paint or jigsaw puzzles. But reach for some color wherever you can find it.
Warmly,
Gaby
On-Going Opportunities:
Makers Mornings -- typically the 3rd Saturday of each month
Beginning Crochet Class -- usually once per month on a Thursday afternoon
Beginning Knit Class -- usually once per month on a Thursday afternoon
