Inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing.  It can be all around you in the colors and patterns and textures of life, in the juxtaposition of items you would never put together, in the buds of spring, the drifts of snow, the heat coming off a hot engine.  Or it can just be gone and you fear you'll never find it again.  I've spent the last part of winter and this early spring with not much inspiration.  As I've gotten older, I find I'm much more influenced by the weather than I ever used to be.  When it's been dark and gloomy for more than two or three days, I start to droop.  The sun brightens everything including my mood and my inspiration.  But we've had a lot of gloomy, raining, windy, stormy days this year.

On President's Day we had glorious sun.  I was just getting over a horrible cold and finally felt like I was up to venturing out in the world again.  Peggy and I met our friends Nancy and Janet for a fun day of shopping.  One of the places we visited was Yarntopia in Katy.  Yarntopia is our most favorite local yarn store.  Sheryl and Amy, the owners, are wonderful, funny and first class enablers when in comes to knitting yarn.  After months, or is it years?, of inspiration-less plodding through life, I found wonderful yarn that will be my next shawl.

After Janet had to head home and Nancy went back to her wonderful goats, Peggy and I stopped at the Lone Star Loom Room, our favorite local weaving store.  Once the inspiration is really all around you, you just keep seeing things that look wonderful.  I found Cottolin (60% Cotton and 40% Linen) that made me smile and some wonderful hand painted linen that was stunning.  So here are my next kitchen towels:

I feel like a shadow has been lifted.  I have three great projects ready to go.  When?  Not real sure.  Life keeps interfering, but they are now officially on the list and I'll get to them soon.  Inspiration is pretty cool.