I am fascinated by the different qualities of light, and I always have been.

June morning light, like today. Golden, fresh, touching everything. Morning light is full of promise.

Summer evening light that caresses the hilltops and can lead to reflection or sadness.

Winter light, pale and soft.

Right now I love the muchness of the June light that spills over everything in the cool morning. The brightness of the sun rising in the east, low in the sky. The shadows thrown by every pebble and blade of grass. The quiet tourist town, nearly deserted, the shops closed. A pickup truck comes into town from the northeast. Maybe a local, someone who has a business to open later for the tourists who pack the sidewalks.

The dog and I amble, he to smell and me to look. Birds sing above me and always the rushing sound of the river. We walk slowly over the suspension bridge, stopping in the middle to look at the water rushing by underneath. 

Lord God, teach me how to see. Teach me how to look at Your creation.

 
I finished knitting Tim’s second Boyfriend Watch Cap today, in Dream in Color’s Classy with Cashmere. It’s really soft. 

The question now: what’s next?  January is traditionally knit for yourself month in the knitting world, and I have any number of projects I could take up. I need a hat, for instance. I need to swatch for the Go-To Cardigan, which is the next sweater I’ll knit. I wouldn’t mind another pair of mitts. But I’m also considering what already started project has been marinating in my stash the longest.

One thing, of course, is the log cabin crochet blanket I started for Alex when he was in the 6th grade. (Or maybe 5th.) I started this before I started knitting. I don’t crochet anymore, and my current plan is to finish the blanket in knit log cabin, assuming I can figure out the right gauge.

But I have some others. A Philosopher’s Wool Color-Your -Own cardigan kit, for instance. Or my first lace scarf, a simple enough pattern but the yarn is Rowan Kidsilk Haze and it nearly drove me crazy, which is why it’s been sitting in my stash for ten (seriously) years. On the other hand, I am a more experienced knitter than I was then. And I have much better needles to choose from. 

And there are others besides these. 

My knitting goal for 2016 is to finish 12 pairs of socks–one per month–in addition to other projects. To do that, I’ll have to knit on the bus. But I also want to clear out my stash this year. I want to knit from stash as much as possible this year. So that’s another goal.

So, what? What should I start (or restart) next?

I had a goal of finishing 15 projects in 2015, which was ambitious for me. I finished 11, and I feel good about that. It’s way more than I’ve finished in the years I’ve been knitting seriously. I don’t know whether I have pictures of everything, but let’s see:

• Tim’s No-Purl Ribbed Scarf 
• My Celery Cardigan
• My Baby Genius Burp Cloth
• Summer Hat for Allie
• Mom’s Socks
• My Sweet Jazz Shawl
• Tim’s Hat
• My Neck-down Wrap Cardigan
• My First Turn-A-Square (for Alex)
• My Second Turn-A-Square (for James)
• Dad’s Hat