I am starting this blog for two primary reasons. First of all, I want to share things that inspire me: my garden, my little boy and his love of yellow (and lately pink), my husband (and my on-going quest to finally knit him the perfect sweater for his life), as well as my students’ questions and work (I’ll share these stories and pictures). Secondly, I would need three more of me (or be Shiva) to make everything I have it in mind to make. So, I’m going to share my “knitting off pattern” ideas here.

Knitting Off Pattern . . .What About This?

Here’s an idea for a great pillow: use the Four Pegs in a Square pillow pattern but forget those circles. Make the pillow in a solid color or stripes. Easy knitting. Great stash knitting. Then get out your Forget-Me-Not pattern and make them in all colors all with yellow centers. Sew them to one side of the pillow and you’ve got the coolest pillow ever. [If your LYS doesn’t have the pillow pattern, have them give us a call at the Noni line (1-877-410-NONI) to place an order for your pattern and ask the shop to mention the secret password “Forget-me-not Pillow” to special order less than three copies (only shops can do this, so please go through your LYS).] I can’t offer you a picture of this because my set of hands is busy with Spring 09 design samples, and, as I mentioned before, I just don’t have enough hands for all my ideas, but I can just see in my mind’s eye how much fun this pillow will be in great colors. Here would be my pics: use Plymouth Galway, Louet’s Riverstone, or Stonehedge Fiber Mill’s Shepherd’s Wool in colors that match your couch or in black to make the flowers pop. All pale blue Forget-me-nots would look fabulous, or pick a selection of three or more petal colors that like each other with the same color (or yellow) for the center and have at it.

If you make this pillow, send me pictures and I’ll add them to a new Noni website feature we are working on – A Gallery – AND I will add YOUR pictures to this blog posting. Don’t forget that 100% of my profits from the Forget-me-not go to support breast cancer research.

My Inspiration: Pictures of My Garden

I will also share the events that the passage of days brings to my inspiration, my oasis, my garden. Today, the daffodils are poking their creamy green noses through the mulch and fallen leaves. Great color combination possibilities here. . .

Daffodil noses

I see the first bit of tulip leaves unfurling here, brilliant green, and there, dark ruby and bordeax.

My favorite firey orange tulips.

Right now, the weather is gloomy, vacillating between large clumps of snow flakes and rain. But this cold day can’t stop the trees from budding up. I’ve even saw robins in the backyard last month! The lenten roses are just beginning to unfurl.

Lenten roses

The Clematis vine is budding new growth starting from the vine that always seems to narrow and weathered to contain such vibrancy.

New leaves on the Clematis vine.

If you love Clematis as much as I do, look for the Shopping Bag I will release in April that features Clematis flowers and a Clematis Flowers on the Vine pattern that also includes instructions for the vine and for flowers that have dark or light stripes down the middles of the petals.

I hope you’ll join me in this blogging project: check back and read the blog, try some of the project ideas I have, send me pictures and comments on your creative adventures in realizing these and other knitting ideas, write to me, take one of my classes. . .

Happy knitting. . .