Creativity

I've been busy.

Since I finished the Martini dishcloth I've hosted a pool party, broken the news of our cats terminal illness to the children, shopped for school supplies, done the monthly Costco run combined with my daughter's regular trip to get allergy shots and hulled 6lbs of strawberries.

I decided that all this work earned me time with my knitting friends yesterday, so I ran around searching for needles to cast on for a market bag before flying out of the door to meet them. Each child was given a chore to do while I was gone and then, praying they would all end their summertime squabbles during my absence, I took a couple of hours off.

My third dishcloth, made from Lion Brand Cotton Solid from my stash, is almost finished, but I'm not overly pleased with it. It's an attempt at a Yin and Yang design, but it's hard to knit a circular pattern on to a dishcloth. The design needs some adjustment.

The market bag got off to a flying start though. Again I'm using Lion Brand Cotton Solid, but I bought a neutral shade which is turning out to have a much softer texture than the coloured skeins. A market bag would actually have been fine in a tougher yarn, so it's been a bit of a surprise to find that the same brand has a different texture when it's not dyed. We'll see how it goes.

I've found it extremely satisfying making such useful items. Some people think knitting dishcloths is beneath them. They have gone beyond that stage and consider them projects for 'new' knitters. Frankly I've found that there's nothing quite as satisfying as creating something to use every day. I look at my dishcloth as I mop up my family's messes and am reminded of my gifts and talents. Hopefully the market bag will also not only save the environment from the perils of plastic every time I use it, but fill me with that warm fuzzy feeling of achievement that creativity always brings.

Meanwhile I'm hugely excited about what's happening in my vegetable garden. I have planted several containers with veggies this year and now I have corn that is taller than I am, tomato plants covered in yellow flowers, cucumber vines that grow visibly every day and carrot tops that look promising. Every night I water my Earth Boxes and study my 'crops.'

Now it's time to get creative in my kitchen. I have 6lbs of sugar-soaked, hulled organic strawberries waiting to be turned into jars of delicious red jam. My Darling Daughter (#2) is heading off to stay with a friend for a week, so I shall bake treats for her to take with her too. Then I have fresh spinach, tomatoes, potatoes and spices to turn into an Indian side dish called Sag Aloo which we will be eating with chicken curry for dinner tonight.

A day of delight in the kitchen awaits!