Fall

Both Spring and Autumn are my favourite times of year. Spring heralds a new beginning. Life in a delicate green blanket, wafting on fresh crisp air. It's cotton or lace. Autumn provides a stunning display of nature in all its glory. A colourful, fiery showcase of the world around us. Fiercer winds hinting of things to come. It's flannel or wool.

Maybe that's why I equate this season with knitting. Time to look through the stash, dream over patterns not yet knit, seek inspiration from fellow knitters, and cast on. That analogy may seem strange after spending a summer finishing a significant number of knitting projects, but that was just available time and creating a clean slate. Now it's time for new beginnings, new projects, like the start of a new school year.

September used to inspire me to look at university courses, topics of general interest, professional and personal development. I now realize knitting is just that -- okay, maybe not at a university level, but acquiring my degree is now behind me, and I can focus on the "personal" interest aspect.

In a moment of clarity, I realized the amount of yarn I have waiting to be introduced to my knitting needles. Some of it is yarn I haven't knit with before -- different weights, brands, composition. Yes, I'll continue to knit the things that fall into the "traditional" or within the usual confines of "in the box thinking", but this is the year where I'm committed to trying something new. Lace with laceweight yarn. I have it in my stash... and I
didn't buy it to keep the dust from the shelves. Silk....blended with merino and as a  laceweight. I'm sure I can find just the right pattern. And then there's that stainless steel yarn with silk....I'm sure I won't have to look far to "think outside the box".

Bring on the Fall. I have my knitting needles and stash at the ready!