The beginning

So here we are. Four years ago, after a couple scarves in garter stitch, I picked up the Shipwreck Shawl pattern. I had been dabbling in all kinds of crafts for my whole life, but never really developed a special relationship with any of them. Until then. After that shawl, I was hooked. I think it was a combination of the simplicity of it (2 sticks and some string) and the endless possibilities that it allowed, plus the fact that what I was creating was functional and could actually be given a life and a purpose other than to sit there and be pretty. 

My first "non scarf" knitting project

What ensued was a serious addiction to yarn (I once traveled to the US with an almost empty camping backpack, which only purpose was to carry the yarn I had planned to buy. That was back when I had a steady job and no rent to pay!) and a delighted foray into the world of spinning. For some reason, fiber and yarn filled me with ever renewed joy, and the well of colors and materials was endless. 

Spindle days, before I got my wheel... 

I always managed to fit knitting into into my (many!) other activities, and until now I have been content to just follow patterns and enjoy the process. I wished I was a faster knitter, and I wished I had a better memory for techniques and didn't have to look them up every time they reappeared, but all in all, I didn't need more than what I was already doing. 

I did get into more complicated lace after a while...

But then I moved to New York, and I started acting, and knitting became both a luxury and a necessity to stay sane and hold on to a feeling of being productive, even during long hours of sitting in class without working. I moved from huge, complicated projects to small mindless ones that I could knit anywhere, and developed a craving for bright colors, probably due to my spending my days in a basement. I also started to realize that what I liked to knit was not necessarily what I liked to wear, and I came to the conclusion what I wanted were patterns that were at once challenging, practical, and used color in an exciting way. Now there are a lot of those patterns out there, but I could help beginning to have IDEAS... And once IDEAS begin, it is the end of mindless anything...

The $4 yarn from the corner store is great for samples! 

 So here we are. I'm embarking on a design journey, and already pulling my hair out because what I want to do with color cannot be done. Also, I never really paid attention to construction, and know I'm regretting it. But most of all, I'm excited! I know there's a lot of competition out there, but just being able to create a pattern that is my own would be an achievement and a joy in itself! Right now I'm working on a bicolor modern lace/slipped stitch shawl for The Yarn Company, but I have so many other ideas already... I'm going to need more yarn! :)