Winter's Deep Silence

"I only write when I'm inspired, and I make sure I'm inspired every day at 9 a.m."
--Peter DeVries.

After more than six weeks of silence (Sorry!!!), I'm finally writing again. I don't feel particularly inspired, but I know (from writing for a daily newspaper) that if you wait to feel inspired, you could be waiting an awfully long time. That's why DeVries' comment resonates with me.

So...Christmas and New Year's celebrations have come and gone.


As has the Winter Solstice--the most important event in December, to me, anyway.

Full moon in downtown D.C., December 2006, through a bamboo shade.

I can already tell that the sun is slightly higher in the sky, that we have a few more minutes of daylight in the evenings. And I can feel my spirits lifting. I love the sun, love the light. Winter is very difficult for me. I wish I could be more like those people who yearn for "long dark evenings of knitting, reading, and sipping hot chocolate in front of the fire." But we don't have a fireplace, and I don't like that many hours of darkness. Different strokes, right?

Katja, meditating. Obviously, I'm not the only one in the house who enjoys the sun.

Here I am, now, ready to pick up where I left off. Knitting important to me, but so is writing. When I don't write, I don't feel well. This year, I want to focus more on my creative writing, something that tends to fall by the wayside as I try to earn a living.

I also want to focus more on knitting fun projects, more garments, fewer gifts (I know that sounds selfish, but so be it). Money is frequently tight, so I forego the pleasure of making sweaters for myself and for Chris, and spend lots of time knitting small projects. But that's starting to bring me down. So I'm going to save my yarn dollars and spend them on fewer--but larger--projects.

Speaking of projects (and garments), here are some photos of the Soleil tank top I made last year. I finished it in October, but never got around to posting these...



I used Rowan Calmer, which is a joy to knit with, in that dark plummy blue. After the lace and a few rows of knitting, I switched to a smaller size so that it would be snug up top, but not at the bottom. It fits like a dream. I love it. AND, since we've had so much warm weather in DC over the past six months, I actually had a few chances to wear it before autumn set in.

Right now, I'm working on a surprise gift for my sister, and on my husband's Dr. Who scarf. Oh, my God, that thing is long. More than 1,000 rows, each one consisting of 60 stitches of DK-weight wool. All garter stitch. If it weren't for the color changes (and the fact that I love Chris overwhelmingly) it would have driven me to distraction by now.

As it is, once that scarf is done, I'm going to buy a few hunks of great yarn and make myself something special. But I don't know what, yet.

Suggestions always welcome...

Winter's Deep Silence