it creeps in. the need for a color that makes you smile. a color that you’ve secretly loved since you were a child. a color that you’re sorely lacking. and then a detail unexpectedly found in it delights you.

and you can’t get it out of your mind again. you have to fill that desire right then. you gather some good candidates from the materials at your finger tips. you mix the perfect color. and you make the materials that you want to work with. there’s simply nothing else for it.

knowing exactly what it wants to be the moment it slips out of the dye pot. starting the project the same morning that the materials are finally dry. needing eleven measly yards of a third skein to finish binding off.

[a handspun shawl out of squishy yarns overdyed just enough to be similar but still interesting in their right]

remembering another material that would make this one sing. wanting something that would be touched and caressed constantly so that you can enjoy the materials fully.

[a pair of handspun mitts to keep my hands warm in alpaca, silk, yak, and merino]

because you’re not yet done with the love affair, you make more. to explore it more thoroughly.

[three skeins of sproingy yarn spun from the superwash merino of an incomparable dyer]

it leads on…

… and on…

{how to measure colored pencils}

{how to sort bits; in old mini muffin pans}

{spools of crochet thread}

{buttons and other bits}

{rings of one variety or another}

So how do you sort your little pieces? My mom in law gave us the muffin pans a little while ago, they make cute muffins, but are even better for putting things in place.

{getting ready for a weekend bbq with friends}

{adding a pop of color to our mostly neutral home}

{starting to replace old coasters with bright aqua ones}

{falling in love with a simple crochet motif}

{the first roving back from the mills; 3 pounds of truly amazing wool that I had blended up}

The next few weeks are shaping up to be wonderful; finally starting to see things coming together. It’s such a great feeling to see the product of so much hard work and collaboration.

Oh and this:

this is easily one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever knit. Simple, decadent, vibrant and saturated. Silk and merino held together. If you could only touch it.

{for keeping his hands warm}

{my favorite skein of handspun; so far}

{a beautiful gift for holding small things}