Frustration averted!

I began a post this morning saying how frustrated I was that my inner designer was being cruelly denied by a heartless eBay seller, but 'lo - I'm back in the saddle!

I know that I'm a creative person - I can draw, paint, arrange furniture, quilt, sew, decorate tastefully for Christmas, and I'd like to think I can knit or crochet anything I want. However when it comes to designing, I just don't have the tools. No Barbara Walker. No Alice Starmore. No Vogue Stitchionary. I do have Nicky Epstein (Knitting Over the Edge), who has been quite helpful and inspirational, yet not particularly in the direction to which I want to travel. The main thing I learned from Nicky's book is that I really really like color photos of swatches where I can actually see the edges. This is probably why I have no Barbara Walker in my life (though I'm earnestly thinking of "losing" my library copy of her 1st Treasury and forking over the fine).

So I wandered over to eBay and found a Vogue Stitchionary Vol. 1 Knit & Purl. I knew if I strategized correctly I could get it at a good price. Luck bent my way and I scored a copy for $16.00. That was last Wednesday.

Now I know that was a week ago, but for pepperoni's sake, I paid immediately and I wanted my book! The Cast-On podcast has got my brain whirling at Muzzy Broadhead speed and I simply cannot be kept waiting lest my zeal go flying off into the first buck to roam in front of my window!! (um, can you tell what the talk has been around my house lately?)

Well, my "patience" was rewarded today by good ol' Ms. Postman - she brought me my book!!! I like it! I'll probably be looking at it all night. Ok, so here's what's prompted my zest for designing:

They are just balls of Lion Wool, purchased on clearance last spring at Walmart, but I hand dyed them with Wilton icing dyes (bottom two) and tea and Kool-Aid (top). I especially love the yarn on the lower right. Yummy! Looks like fall so I thought it best to photograph them with my trees in the background. My first thoughts are a hat or neckwarmer, but the yarn is mute and I'm content for now to simply watch.

So anyways, the yarn and I are looking at stitch patterns and I'm trying my best to be patient while I wait for the yarn to tell me what it wants to be. For someone who has never experienced the profound event of yarn speaking, that may sound unutterably corny, but I know you know what I mean.

Yarn really does talk.