Is the Blue Moon a Creative One?

I was jolted out of summer doldrums this week by several good challenges to my creativity. My mind has been buzzing with ideas and I thought I would outline a few here to help me get some focus. I love this intense burst of creativity but if I am not focused very little actually makes it to a finished project.

First challenge is to make one or two squares for a group afghan. Even if I knitted both of these in garter stitch, there has been such good energy thinking about all of the patterns I could have knit. And that is the goal of these squares, to send good energy and comfort to a friend that is battling cancer. However, I think I have settled into doing one in a flat brioche stitch, maybe two colored, and the second one will be to try to do a picture knit. I have grafted out a simple flower design which will be done in purl stitches against a knit background.

The second challenge involves getting things ready to enter in the state fair. There are five skeins of yarn for five different categories. Those were not really a challenge, just spinning to specific specs. This year my designer yarn is spun from a carded batt I purchased combining dyed wool and buffalo fiber. The other categories include a 50/50 wool/angora blend yarn, a Lincoln lambswool yarn, a merino yarn, and a dyed 100% wool yarn. I will have pictures in a couple of weeks after the fair.

The real challenges came from other categories in the fair book. For the first time I am entering something that I knit on my knitting machine (a lace scarf, but different than the camel yarn one shown previously).

The biggest challenge, and the one I am still doing some serious design considerations about is to create a wall hanging. It states it should use textiles, but my thoughts are revolving around taking a fabric base and fusing rovings to it for design enhancements. And that's all I can say about that right now :)

And the last of the state fair challenges probably will not happen, but I have been thinking about it none the less. The category is for an original design garment. I feel like getting two glasses of wine into me, and sitting down at the knitting machine and just seeing if I can do anything that might look like it goes on a human body. Oh wait, did it say in the details of the category that a human had to wear it? This one is 'truly out there' but I may still try something this weekend and see.

The next challenge, after state fair is over, is to develope one or two original scarf patterns. I have several ideas for this also cooking on the back burner of my mind. These are going to be submitted to an exchange after the patterns are written. The recepient in the exchange is to knit the same scarves, following the pattern. They get mine, I get theirs, at least I think that is how the exchange will work. There is talk too of gathering all of these into a book and submitting it for publication. That is a good possibility, but definately a bridge that will be crossed when everyone has their scarves done.

To honor and support all of these great challenges, I bought a $5 ticket for the powerball lottery. After all, what good will it do me to have all these great ideas, and still have to go to work!
CW