And here we go!

We are days away from launching The Linen Workshop and I am reflecting on my journey from my kitchen window, coffee in hand, after just pulling my latest "go-to" sweater out of the dryer. Being careful by nature, I have purposely chosen to have humble expectations for this venture other than life fulfillment and craft sharing of my time with needle and thread. And I am talking a lot of thread!

If memory serves, my first project was a hat I knit for my father when I was in high school. It was a K2, P2 cap that smelled of sheep and pastures and was in a scratchy grey wool. I do not remember that he ever wore it, but that is how my journey began. Some 46 years later (as I will turn 63 in a couple of weeks) I am still at it.

I feel a sense of innocence when I attack a new project as if everything is new and I am still in wonderment of the results. It seems the more I design, the simpler and more sublime the shapes and forms become. I want to wear things that are understated and tell a story.

So today, I am happy with Beachcomber (color version #2 in Marine Blue, Natural and Lavender) and cannot wait to throw it to the wind see what happens. It is knit in linen that was imported from Belgium, holding two strands together as one while I knit. The design couldn't be simpler!

The story? Years ago, I knit a sweater out of all the leftover linen and cotton in my basket. I did not want to waste an ounce of the material as it was all "the really good stuff". I also did not want to spend a major amount of time in the process, I just wanted to feel the fiber sliding across my hands and luxuriate in the color transformations. At the time, I also held two strands as one as I knit.

When this sweater was done, I washed it in the machine and threw it into the dryer. I shook it and let it cure on the counter. Now, years later (I called this sweater "Sand" at the time) Sand goes with me on every vacation as it is the perfect thing to toss on as I travel. Vacations would seem incomplete without Sand (double entendre intended).

So, here we go! I thank you for reading this... I hope to be able to blog often, but as I stated above, I have humble expectations. Having said that, I have a lot of stories to tell.

Enjoy your knitting, it is truly a special gift.

Gail

March 30, 2022

Beachcomber

Version #2 in Marine Blue, Natural & Lavender