hands, head and heart

he who works with his hands is a laborer.
he who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
he who works with his hands, his head, and his heart,
is an artist.
–st. francis of assisi

i adore this quote.

with this new year, i am going to explore more with my hands, head and heart. on four needles is a good enough place to start.

in my mind, hardcore knitters knit socks. though, knitting gloves is ooching its way up there on the serious ladder. all i had to hear was "mom, of course, you can do those!" she was picking out the wool and i was finding the right size for the four needles before i could say "oh, sheeeeeeet."

when my daughter was born over sixteen years ago, i was determined to be a knitter. i checked out books at the public library in brooklyn and read phototutorials in print to teach myself how to knit. i started by making sweaters and hats for her and her brothers.

this pattern is from weekend knitting: 50 unique projects and ideas which is a superlovely book.

the grey bit is the thumb marker. once i do a few more rows and get ready for the fingers, i will have to carefully take those stitches out and work in the round for the thumb and, later, the fingers.

this new year will be an exploratory year while i work on my thesis. i am so freaking excited about this new year. happy new year!