I’ve just spent an inordinate amount of work this week doing sketches and swatches for submission to a yarn company. Realistically, I’ll be surprised if they take ONE sketch. Then they’ll hire someone to knit it and I’ll walk away with perhaps a good fee for 3/4 day’s work. That’s after I write the pattern in 5 sizes, make the charts and schematics and send them off.

The real reason I spend the time sketching and swatching for the yarn companies is that I want to keep the yarn coming – it’s so great to have a good palette to work with – and to replenish my bank of designs thatI use to submit to magazines and will use for book ideas, etc.

But while I’ve been doing that I’ve been blowing off writing work that I should be doing. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it’s GOOD for me to sit and write for a few hours. Up to now I’ve sort of been ‘stealing’ the time to write – fitting it in where I can instead of making it a priority – and if I’m serious about writing more books (and I am) I need to change my work habits in that way. I have a few ideas for some books, a few technical and project oriented, but several that use knitting as a metaphor and aren’t really straight-on “how to” books at all.

Camp starts on Monday. I love walking the kids to the camp – something I used to do 2 years ago, but didn’t do the year I had my hysto because I was just too darned tired. A nice walk downhill to the camp (a harder walk home) but it’s a good 2 miles – and it’s good for the kids to get used to a nice walk, too.

After I drop them off then make my way home, I’ll have several hours of peace until they come home. They’re actually great kids, but our backyard has become ‘kid central’ and a gathering spot for all the neighborhood kids, so I can’t really let them run around unattended out there or we’re itching for a lawsuit (terrible to have to think this way) I sit out back and knit while I watch them – it’s lovely and not a burden – but not time that I could be writing.

So here’s to a nice, balanced summer – lots of walking, lots of writing and lots of knitting!

PERSONAL

Later today I’m going to a graduation party for a boy who I’ve known since he was 6 months old. He’s one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever known, just a wonderful, loving, funny and kind person. Plus he’s a redhead (like his sibings) and his black-haired mom and I used to joke that it was kind of her to have my children. Well, now he’s graduated from high school and I’m verklempt. I want to go get him a nice present, something art-related (he’s quite an artist) so I’ll head over to Jerry’s later this morning after my first class. I love this kid so much – and I’m stunned that so much time has passed.

I went on vacation with his family when he was 5, at that time I was in grad school studying Costume & Set Design. He asked what I did in school and I told him I built little tiny models of scenes. He was such a clever kid, he said, ‘I know why your name is Modesitt (mod-uh-set) – it’s because you build “model-sets”‘

Is that remarkable. I know, I sound like a grandma! A parent wouldn’t be so cheesy in their praise!

Happy graduation Frank – we love you so much!