Inspiration

I have many inspirations when it comes to knitting.  It is hard to narrow it down honestly. I have to say that number one goes to my mom, who patiently year after year tried to teach me to knit without much success. I think it took me 5 years to finish a garter stitch scarf!  Some of those lessons must have stuck though because after I actually decided that I wanted to knit I was able to pick it up pretty quickly.  She has been my go-to person for help fixing my many mistakes and teaching me the joy of short rows as I stumbled through my first pairs of longies (that became shorties b/c I was too impatient to finish).  I am still in awe of her speed with the needles.  I swear the woman can knit an entire sweater in three hours.  Someday that will be me, right... Her particular passion is knitting socks and I think for the time being I am going to leave that to her.  I'll stick with the baby gear!

I have also found a lot of inspiration in blogs. I have always been a journaler so blogging has just been an extension of that.  What initially started as a way to keep my in-laws who live in MO updated on the kids and our life here has practically turned into a knitting and crafting blog. I still try to keep things updated on the farm and kids but as they get busier so do I.  Anyway, one of my favorite blogs is He Sows, She Sews. Gretchen is a mom, a knitter, and a wife to a farmer. So while our lives are very different somehow I felt like we had some common ground.  She is truly an inspiration in terms of her knitting and it's been really cool to follow her blog as she has become a honest to goodness published knitwear designer. She has some beautiful and fun patterns and I have enjoyed knitting them, especially the clara cowl seen here and here. I'm looking forward to knitting some buttercup soakers for the new baby.

Along the blogging lines Ginny from Small Things has also been an inspiration.  I love her Wednesday yarn alongs because not only do we get see what she has been working on, it's a glimpse into the knitting life of lots of different folks.  Ginny and I share a lot of the same faith and beliefs so I enjoy reading her musing and stories about her family life.  I am anxious to see what becomes of her bee-keeping adventures since it is something that we are also considering.  Her photography alone is worth stopping by to check out.  I wish I were as talented with a camera! 

Finally I have to mention one of my favorite knitting authors, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  Her Yarn Harlot books had me laughing hysterically out loud and trying to explain knitting jokes to my husband (not worth the bother by the way...).  Her blog is also pretty funny. It is so nice to find someone who is as passionate as I am about knitting and crafting and isn't afraid to poke some fun at ourselves!