Intrepid needles

For my most recent post, knitting was my primary focus. Since then, other interests have emerged, and thoughts about my personal goals and direction are under consideration. Needles are involved at times, but I'm not limiting myself as my creative spirit is expanding into new and, for me, surprising territories. 

2010 was showing some creative wanderlust as I finished the year knitting small items as gifts. The yarn for many of the gifts was purchased at Village Yarn & Tea's closing sale in October. It was my LYS, and I was very sorry to lose the people and the camaraderie we had there, even while I understood the choices the owners had to make. I still miss my store today.

Also that fall, a friend joined with me to make each of us a duct tape dress form. What an adventure! We each took hours to wrap each other on a Sunday, and the finished product, while showing us as we were at the time, was shocking. I'm the red, and she is the white form. I'd like to say that I don't really look just like that, but... 

The plan was to fill them with poly-fiberfill, mount them on a stand, and use them for blocking sweaters to our exact sizes. At this very moment, mine is sitting behind me, empty and forlorn, likely because I didn't accept my girth and posture, so I wanted to change those things and make a new one. The most noticeable point is the fact of my left shoulder so much lower than my right shoulder. I knew this to be true from my flat pattern design sloper in college, yet while the 3-D example is a little scary, there isn't likely to be much I can do to change that!

Besides the knitting, my handmade gifts include creating jewelry by working with silver rings or crocheting silver wire with beads. Occasionally, I'll sew a project bag or an apron. I'm so fascinated by all of you who create items in enough mass to open stores on Etsy - it's one of the possibilities I have in the "someday" corner of my mind.