Designer...Me?

When I started knitting a few years ago, I never thought it would lead to where I am today. And I certainly never believed that I would be designing my own patterns. But here I am, in the middle of designing my first sweater and more designs flowing around inside of my head. A few courses I've taken and my Whitehead retreat definitely helped me to feel more confident about my knitting. Meeting other people who are just as passionate as I am has definitely given me the inspiration to do more.

So here goes, time to let my imagination run wild.

Itchy Fingers...

Do you ever get what I like to call "itchy fingers?" I get that way when I haven't gotten my daily dose of fiber. ;) I especially notice it when I start to get stressed or anxious at work. I guess I crave the peacefulness of knitting, the rhythm of my stitches, the comfort of yarn and needles in my hands.

Only a few hours until my work day is over with, then I can get back to my knitting...Sometimes this work thing totally gets in the way of my knitting time...

Vacation of a lifetime!

This year I decided to take a vacation by myself to Maine to go on a knitting retreat. Most of my non-knitting friends thought I was a little crazy to do something like that, while my knitting friends were pretty darn happy for me. It was the best vacation I've ever taken. :)

I arrived knowing no one, and left with 6 new amazing knitting friends. I spent 6 days on a gorgeous island off the coast of Maine, soaked up the sun in an Adirondack chair, and knit. We had classes on dyeing yarn and designing sweater patterns custom for our bodies and started on projects with the yarn that we dyed. Completely amazing!

We left Friday afternoon from Emery's Wharf in St. George, Maine on Biscuit!

 Arriving at Whitehead Island.

 My first view of the Lightkeeper's house on the trail up from the dock.

 My first sunrise on the island.

 The lighthouse (still in use today) and the lightkeepers house from our sunrise cruise.

 Adirondack Chairs with a perfect view of the ocean.

 Learning how to custom dye yarn for projects, we got artsy and decorated the dory on the dock.

 Knitting: From the Yarn Up class with our fantastic instructor Shannon Okey.