Sometimes I look at yarn and I see it as something else. I see it’s potential. Sometimes it has to sit for awhile before the idea becomes clear. And even worse, sometimes I know exactly what it is going to be, but I have too much other crap going on to get to it.

The creamy handspun natural on the left is going to be something lacy. At first I thought a stole, but now I’m not sure. It might be a hat, or a scarf, or I don’t know. But the beautiful twist and the lovely color says lace to me. Probably Shetland. The middle yarn, the gorgeous silk/merino has always said cowl. Something meant to be worn close to the face. That color is flattering to me, and I don’t want to waste it. And the third one, the beautiful champagne colored merino has always been a beret in my mind. And I think I finally have the stitch pattern for it.

So today will be swatching day. I know what I want for the cowl and the beret and I just have to make sure it works. And then comes decision time. The self-publish vs. submission question is so tough. I know I need to get some things out there, but the waiting and the secrecy, and the timelines involved really just drive me insane. In theory I understand how it all works. But in practice it really is weighted severely against the designer. You do this work, you have this vision, and then you submit it. And it sits in limbo while you move on to something else. And sometimes the places hold things for weeks or months before they reject you. I don’t know. I’m not really meaning to complain. I just need to be prolific enough that having a half dozen things in limbo doesn’t bother me. Or a dozen. Right now I’ve only got two. I need to figure this out.