For me, the joy of knitting isn't just one particular thing.........I feel great joy walking into a yarn shop and seeing all the different yarns available.  The colors, the texture, the promise of a finished project.  I also experience joy as I sit, relaxing, needles in hand, working away.  But there's also great joy when I've finished a project and the fruits of my labor become reality.

Ah, and I bet you thought I just sit around all day munching bon bons, huh?  Nope.  When I do take a break from my writing, I can usually be found relaxing with my knitting.  I've recently finished up some scarf projects and wanted to share them here with you.

This one above was actually completed a couple months ago and I've worn it a number of times this winter to keep my neck warm.  Not to mention, the great colors blend nicely with just about anything.  This is simply a straight knit project and works up very fast.  I used a yarn called Vagas-Multi, which is a polyester metallic and rayon.  It's also pretty warm.

Some of you might remember when I began the above scarf.  It's now finished and I just love, love, love the yarn!  It's by Berroco and is a Bonsai yarn.  The shades of silver, black and white will also go nicely with just about any outfit.  This was done in a lace pattern and while not difficult, it was a bit more tricky.  Lots of yarn overs, knit two togethers, etc. Here's a close-up of the pretty lace pattern it produced.

And this scarf below was done with one strand of Berroco Jewel FX and one strand of Katia Sevilla.    It worked up very quickly with a simple knit stitch and every ten rows I dropped three stitches to produce the ladder effect. 

I'm one of those people that are never without a knitting project in the works.  At the moment, the scarf below is the one I'm working on.  A gorgeous cable twists its way up the center and it's a very easy pattern to follow.  As for the yarn......I actually purchased this yarn about five years ago.  It was in a kit to make a hat.  That never happened and the yarn got stashed.  I loved the colors and the yarn has a soft, cottony, feel to it.  I thought it would be perfect to wear this spring as a fashion accessory.

Those of you that are knitters, what are you working on? 

While the mid-Atlantic and northeast is getting bombarded with snow, there's mudslides and rain on the west coast and here on our island we've had our share of cold, a deep freeze and enough rain to make me consider looking for a blueprint to build an ark. 

Although I knit year round, I know many people prefer it more in the winter time.  What could be better than curling up on a gloomy, cold, wet, snowy, day with a cup of hot tea or coffee, knitting needles in hand, creating a project that gives you joy.  Both in the making of it and in the finished piece.

UPDATE ON WRITING:  Well, folks, book #2 has been revised, completed and mailed off to my editor over a week ago.  My Christmas novella is also finished and was mailed to New York today.  And I'm already in my "thinking" mode for book #3 in my Cedar Key series.........This will be Grace's story.  You'll meet Grace in book 2.  She's Monica's best friend and has her own story to tell.  And I'm in the process of creating that story.  I really love this part of my writing process.  This is when I literally get wrapped up in my story.  My characters are constantly with me and I'm trying to figure out what they need to say.  Therefore, if you see me out and about.....you'll probably also see me with a notebook and pen.  Thoughts, images, dialogue, suddenly appear to me and I jot everything down.  Everybody writes differently.  But for me, I have a pretty good "road map" of my story and where I'm headed by the time I actually sit at the computer to begin composing.  As I said, I really enjoy this phase of my writing.  It's always so much fun to meet new characters and try and figure out what they're saying.

Ray and I are invited to a surprise birthday party this weekend for somebody on the island.  Nah, I can't tell you who right now.  Heck, then it wouldn't be a surprise!  But join me here next time and I'll tell you all about it, complete with photos, of course.

See you then.......................