On inspiration...

Inspiration is a funny thing.

I am definitely inspired by being here in Graz, Austria. This is one of many little courtyards, off the main square downtown. You can just walk through any of the lovely archways here, and find something so perfect tucked away inside. It's not knitting inspiration, but it's good for the soul.

Also good for my soul, has been coming back to the Land of the Knitting Blog. As I was away from it for almost half a year, I managed to gain a new perspective of all this Knit Blog stuff.

I am loving the exchange of ideas that is happening so quickly online. It also speeds up my inspiration process: I see something someone has knit (or even is knitting), and I want to knit it too. Two blogs later, I see something else I'm dying to knit. And, oh! That Peacock Feathers Shawl, those socks, the Finnish mittens!

Besides the new projects that I see, I also get reinspired to work on projects that have been lingering in the planning stages for a while. I have some gorgeous yarn at home, and I would love nothing more than to turn it into something perfect. Of course, the new projects I'm inspired to knit, and the yarn I'm inspired to knit up don't exactly match up.

The problem with this frenzy of inspiration, is that my WIPs get a little neglected. It's more fun for me right now to be looking at all the pretty fibre, than to work on my Icarus. Of course, I'm knitting my Icarus out of alpaca, and I'm in the middle of a ridiculous European heatwave... so maybe it's not all lack of inspiration. Next time I'll be sure to pack summer knitting!

How do you all stay focused? I feel like the internet and all these blogs (and I'm sure once I'm on Ravelry) are almost giving me a bit of Knitter ADD. And, I love it!