What's the difference between motivation and inspiration?

First of all I want to thank my youngest son (I'll call him Son the Younger for privacy sake) for his invaluable help today. He helped me figure out how to include links in my blog. He is entirely self taught in a number of computer languages and completely amazed me with his knowledge. I can't believe what a smart young man he has become. Thanks guy. I can almost guarantee that I will be asking more questions (grin).

One of the reasons that I wanted to start this blog was to get more involved in my knitting. Lately I have had a difficult time finishing the things that I have on the needles. I only have 2 knitting projects on the go (one crochet project is in hibernation) but for some reason I just can't seem to stay focused on a project to the finish.

I have been listening to lots of great knitting pod casts in search of motivation. Interestingly, along with finding the motivation to finish one pair of socks ( photo below of socks in progress) and one nearly done sweater (pics might follow) and the one crocheted bolero thingy that I am designing as I go (pics may never follow)- I got inspired to start, among other things, this blog. Go figure!

Inadvertently I also found the inspiration to give spinning a try. My favourite LYS is having drop spindle workshop next Saturday and a Learn to Spin workshop in February. The London Wul Farm is located in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. Check it out here: The WoolWorks. The owner, Heidi Wulfraat is also currently running an Einstien KAL on her blog but I think I will fore go that one, for now. Don't want to take on too much. If you have never been to this little out of the way shop, go - go now - go as fast as humanly possible. Directions can be found on the website. Heidi runs an amazingly unique place that is so wonderfully warm and welcoming. But take lots of money because stash enhancement is guaranteed and with Borg-like inevitability, resistance is futile.

One good thing that has happened is that while I have been sitting and listening to some wonderful pod casts like Lime & Violet a podcast for the yarn obsessed , Cast On with Brenda Dayne and Sticks and String a podcast by an Australian bloke who knits, I have been knitting away and am well on my way to the toes of the socks. They are a soft pair of top downs in Opal Silk, colour 1120.


Oh I know some people think that the self stripping yarns have run the course of their popularity but I love these yarns and I love wearing these socks. I knit 2 socks on 2 circs almost exclusively. I haven't done a thing on DPNs for about 2 or 3 years. So finally these lovely Opal socks are quickly nearing "wearable".

Yesterday I did pull the sweater, a Philosopher's Pullover, out of its winter cave (my closet) and looked at it briefly and then put it back. I decided that I had best finish the socks before I decide what I want to do with the sweater. There are a few things wrong with it that stem from the fact that it is my first Philosopher's project and my first attempt at 2 handed fair isle knitting. I have some tension issues, which has screwed up the gauge and well that is a discussion for another post.

While I have been searching for motivation, the amount of accidentally discovered inspiration has created a "to do list" of sorts. There have been a number of things that I have been wanting to do, things that have been on the back burner for ages. Felted bags and clogs are at the top of that list and I hope to embark on those adventures soon.

I guess that's it for today. I am off to take some photos and then I want to go through my knitting books to see what I am willing to get rid of, if anything. I have so much printed material and I think it is time to try to purge some of it. I might put some of it on eBay or something or just offer it on this blog - who knows.

As for the question - What's the difference between motiviation and inspiration? - well I am not sure really but it appears that you can't have one without the other.