Started a new (self-designed) pair of socks last night - charted out a stitch pattern (altering it from one I found in Vol. 2 of the Vogue Stichionary), began the socks. Not sure if it will work out - they are 78 st socks on size 1 needles, with a plan to reduce down to 66 sts for the foot. And I'm not sure the pattern will look as I intended it.

but it's sort of exciting to take at least a little risk in my life for a change.

This is a "solo" pattern, not going to be part of the planned booklet - so if it turns out neat, I'll share it here, just as a little freebee.

I'm also giving more thought to the prairie socks, thanks to an encouraging e-mail. I realized that the next Prairie Conference is in 2008 - and if I get the book up and running as a way of generating donations for some kind of local nature-center or perhaps the Nature Conservancy, I could do a poster on "A Novel Method of Fund-Raising for Prairie Preservation." If that's not too goofy. (There have been posters in the past that strayed from the strictly scientific theme. There was a very neat talk one year about early pioneer quilters using depictions of prairie flowers in their work).

I have two pretty solid ideas and one more that could be solid with a little tinkering. And I have several sort of amorphous ideas, and a sense that a little research could generate some more ideas for me.

Maybe I should re-read "A Sand County Almanac." I always find that inspiring. (I'm thinking of the passage where he talks about sunflecks on plover's eggs...I wonder if there's an idea in there somewhere...