Knitting on Impulse

Rainbow Socks

After one of the most dismally wet Septembers on record, we are enjoying a few golden days of warmth. Warm enough in fact, that the kids have been able to spend an indulgent after-school hour in the seasonally deserted condo pool, and I... have an excuse to sit down and knit while they do.

 

That would be a Stormy Rainbow knee sock in progress (Blissful Sock). The colour distribution is pleasingly blended (as intended) thus far - it will be interesting to see how that evolves after the calf decreases. I really like the fact that layering the rainbow onto thundercloud grey creates an effect that is rich, rather than garish.

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Many thanks to all the folk who sent supportive notes about my daughter - we've had our first team meeting of the year to sort out solutions to some of the biggest stressors, and small signs of stability and positivity are beginning to reappear. It is disquieting to see how little it takes to tip the balance, but I guess hypervigilance is just part of this parental package.

White is a Colour, Too

There are so many lovely flavours of cream and white in the alpine floral spectrum, that I thought they really deserved a post of their own:

   

Small Things

I've been a little silent here lately, despite the fact that both design and dyeing are happening at full capacity, and all sorts of fabulous and creative plans are afoot on both fronts. A great many things are going very well, but as much as September brings the return of kid-free productivity, it also adds a layer of emotionally draining angst. I don't say a whole lot about my daughter's issues here, as I think she deserves a certain layer of anonymity, but suffice it to say that each school year brings a whole new set of problems to be identified, solutions to be imagined and advocated for, and after-school unloading to be coped with, comforted, and buffered on behalf of the younger sibling. This year is shaping up to be a tough one as normal preteen angst dovetails with the pain of being genuinely different, and the stress of ramped up expectations and scaled back supports.

It is all too easy some days to slide back into that scary place where failure is unthinkable, but the imperatives pressing in on all sides are vastly bigger than my internal resources feel. I've found though, that when the big picture is just too big, a great deal of solace and fortification can be found in the particular.

 

There is a kind of strength in small things that is still and accessible, that speaks of perseverance and constancy.

Living in the presence of raw power and drama, periodically trampled by it, yet never overcome - just quietly, irresistably, continuing to be.

 

I forget the lesson regularly, but thankfully, the reminders are never far away.

Alpine Blues

With one or two striking exceptions, our alpine floral palette tends to the warmer side of the spectrum - pink, red, orange, yellow, and plenty of nuances of cream and white. There is no shortage of blue on the mountain though (even leaving out that brilliant expanse of sky.)

 

Fading Pink Heather

Although I adore the glory of flowers at their jewel-toned peak, I am no less drawn to the rich and complex variations that appear as they wither and go to seed.

The Fading Heather colourway was inspired by the transformation of this:

to this:

The resulting yarn turned out, like most reds, to be devilishly difficult to adequately capture with the camera.

It reads at a glance as a rusty brownish red, but the nuanced hues vary from golden brown to crimson and rich cherry, Since it was created in layers over top of the original saturated pink, it gives the impression of glowing as though lit from within, and here and there a subtle whisper of pink can be seen, like a ghost of summer's glory. I really do think it is one of the best reds I've ever created.

Merino Silk:

Blissful Sock:

Mere Sock:

Summit Sock:

  
 Having created the flower, I was then inspired to put it together with its surrounding environment:

 
 Full details on this week's site update can be found in the newsletter (which reminds me, I think I forgot to blog last week's update. I'm not actually sure if there's anyone left who relies solely on the blog to find out about the updates?)

Also, I got busy this week and redid the landing page for yarn on the website - the colourway section is now fully populated, and organized by colour family for easy browsing.

Have a great weekend!

Alpine Pink

A little mountaintop pink for your viewing pleasure:

 

Poised

to act, create, produce.... to fly. I love September - the first day of school is my New Year's Day, far more so than the first of January. Today was only an hour (why?) but tomorrow begins the year in earnest.

The laundry racks are groaning with new yarn, the laptop is crammed (figuratively, that is - it actually has a formidable capacity) with designs in various stages of completion, and my journals are bristling with schemes and diagrams and inspiration.

The stove - well, we've made the best of that. Two hot plates have brought my dyeing capacity back up to the required level, and we have mostly found workarounds to do most of the cooking we love to do. Although we've adopted a sort of dogged optimism in an effort to shield the remaining household appliances from the forces of chaos, the stove will get its own pro/con post eventually, as a public service if nothing else.

Speaking of the forces of chaos, these crisp fall days have me hankering for a new sweater. Though I've diligently stuck to this year's resolution to design first and knit later, the urge to ditch the calculator and cast on is strong. (It may be time to review the WIPs of shame, for a reminder of the folly of sweaters as instant creative gratification.)