An ODE TO SPRING

Spring flowers are the muse for this piece of knitting

At the edge of my steps, nestled amid the dried leaves or poking their heads up from the moist earth, spring flowers arrive. Never mind that every tulip that dares to nod its head in the sunshine risks ending up as bunny food, never mind that the squirrels (natures masters of assumed entitlement) have already decapitated every crocus, the sight warms the heart. Last spring, so enthused was I at these heralds of spring that I knit the poncho seen hanging out with the spring greens and columbine purple above. Using textury yarns and jubiliant colors, I flecked up the texture with grassy bits of eyelash and bud-like puffs.

Big sigh here.

Here's a little news for everyone: after multiple near yeses, one of which actually moved into the negotiation stage, all my attempts to publish my book have ultimately failed, as of yesterday. The market is flooded with knitting books, I am told. I am not famous, comes the implied sense (come back when I'm Martha Stewart with needles). The masters of the publishing universe, armed with their dire predictions and their statistical charts, do not see room on their lists for 'Adventure Knitting'.

Personally, I think a book like mine would be too expensive to produce (all those pictures!) for a regular publisher and I really do want this publication to follow my vision, not someone elses. So.....though I have only tried 5 houses, I'm going to stop submitting to standard publications for now. The CD concept is where I'm heading.

• All shrug knitters stay tuned for a big announcement on a Shrug Kit Giveaway.
• Did everyone see my article in SPUN magazine? Here it is: http://www.spunmag.com/article/060421tripping

Next pattern on the horizon, a variation of:

WATERGARDEN: ONE SIZE FITS ALL

Did I mention that the Watergarden pattern is a one-size fits all design? The pictures taken for the pattern shots are all modeled by a lean and lithe young woman so I gathered up my camera and set forth to find different proportioned models. Voila! Above you see my friend, Edith, having supper at my kitchen table wearing a fall version of the shrug and below a shot of another friend, Ilga (another pattern designer who creates beautiful, classic patterns) wearing my first Watergarden. One woman is sized short and generous, the other tall and stately. The shrug, in my opinion, looks equally ravishing on both.

My friends face (with abundant good humor, I should add), the possibility of appearing on the web just by wearing my work. Usually I have to agree to behead them because they're uncomfortable having their faces so 'out there' so I wield the crop tool as per their instructions.

Meanwhile, I'm busy on my own next shrug project for the knitalong, designing a tunic top for Knitaly!, knitting a gossamer-net vest for summer (almost finished), knitting a scarf for sale and putting kits together. Oh, and the jewelry: submitting designs for upcoming publications.

Edith, a shrug & a blender....

LITTLE FISHIES PANEL SCARF/BELT PATTERN AVAILABLE

Sometimes serious, staid and sensible just won't do. Sometimes every corpuscle of your body craves funky, a tad radical, and a Little Fishies panel scarf/belt is perfect for just such diversions. I've designed many versions of these and this one, among my first, is the most light-hearted of them all. This design counts among its fans women of all ages. Maybe the fishies themselves hold part of the appeal, being fleet-moving, energetic explorers of the seas? Why hide our fins under(in) a tank? Set them free!

The pattern comes with a stitch-by-number map to help guide the yarn changes and addional photos of other versions shows how you can alter the pattern to suit yourself.

The scarf is knit in three pieces, beginning with the central panel, with the two side pieces created by picking up stitches along the panel's sides. My choice of stitches is very random with color being the single most important factor. I provide directions for exactly how I've put mine together but this is a project that cries out of individuality. Don't be afraid to try your own combinations and embellishments. This is a stash project extraordinaire!