I aim to always have something ready to knit. It's embedded in our routine, mine and Doug's – during morning coffee in front of the news and at the end of the day, as you can see.
So when a design is launched without the next yet coming into view, I look for something simple but meaningful to bridge the gap. This last time, the filler became my Happy Thought cowl – named for an optimistic, one line poem I found in my tattered copy of A Child's Garden of Verses, a gift from great aunt Lillian Hildegarde, on my bookshelf since day one.
At the time, still fresh in my mind was the collar of Brooklyn2. I loved the density of its aran-weight wool (Quince & Co's Osprey) and the fact of its buttons that snugged it close to the neck, or not, if left undone. So, with yarn on hand from my Mary design of a few years ago, I made this – version 1 (as it turns out. I didn't expect its versions would be multiple.)
I can be a color coward, I admit it, and this proved true again with my recently published Lucy cardigan. I loved the blended Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine yarn and had been drawn to their Sun Haze color, but in the end I caved, settling instead on the still lovely but less adventurous Moonbeam. So, with golden color beckoning, and seizing my chance at redemption while still noodling indecision about my next something, I recalculating stitch and row gauges accordingly, for this – version 2.
Meanwhile and finally, I was making good progress on a new design. It will be a textured cardigan using Quince & Co's worsted-weight, blended, Owl yarn in Cielo – an inspiring light blue. So, while waiting for mail order delivery, its sample skeins on hand for gauge testing became this – version 3.
A perfect designing segue, I'd say, and a win-win-win for me and Doug.
I'm excited to report that my new textured cardigan – dubbed Listening to the Robin's Song – is nicely underway. I'm hoping that Cat Stevens won't mind the reference. EPD (estimated publishing date) is expected sometime in April. I'll post and tweet upon its release.
Update – Listening to the Robin's Song published 4/21/2017.