I was going through my knitting files the other day and came across some old messages I'd printed out from CompuServe's old Fibercrafts forum. (This was many many years ago - early 90's maybe.) I was just learning how to knit. I had some intarsia questions answered at length by the woman who co-wrote the SWAK intarsia book. I printed out a fascinating message about color knitting by a woman who only knit Kaffe Fassett sweaters. There was a really in-depth conversation about buttonholes of all things.
That was a long time ago and the knitting world is completely different now but I realized why I still knit. The reason I knit now is exactly the reason I started to knit. Because I need wool hats. Because I need some gifts for the holidays. Because I need a certain type of sweater in a specific color. Pure practicality keeps me knitting. It is the same reason I have an herb garden or bake my own bread. Because I need those things. The thing that turns me on the most about knitting these days is my sock drawer. It is filled with all sorts of colorful socks and I enjoy having so many to choose from.
In that vein, I knit something I used to knit often in those early days. A washcloth. Yes, I know, I know. But I needed a new one and I enjoyed doing it. So there. The pattern is HERE.