Knit Design Inspiration

There is often the perception that artists and designers have lighting bolt/out of the blue flashes of inspiration which arrive 'from within' or from a divine entity as a full or near fully formed idea. Whilst this may be the experience for some individuals, and on rare occasions for others, for the majority of creative folk it's a much more grounded process often starting with a spark of inspiration and working (hard!) over a period of time teasing out and developing an idea from this original source.

More often design inspiration is found outside of ourselves in the first instance and may involve an interplay between this and our inner selves, previous experiences, current preoccupations etc. Finding design inspiration can be a real challenge for many, but the truth is it's all around us and we often encounter sources of inspiration in our everyday lives and often by accident. For example here is a Romanesco (broccoli/cauliflower) I had in my veg box one week: 
 

I don't know about you, but I hadn't seen one of these before and found myself completely fascinated by it and in awe of nature for this impressive structural design. Like many others, I often find inspiration from nature, though in this case I didn't even go outdoors! I've not done any design work with this yet though I'm sure I will, and it's on a back boiler while I ruminate further. I don't know at this stage what the destination will be, but it suggests a play with textured stitches such as blackberry stitch but I also want to capture the spiral/fractal structure............

I'd love to hear what sort of things fascinate and inspire you - do share by leaving a comment below.

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Introducing Millie - Feline Design Assistant

"One Approves"

Well I thought it was time you should meet my fab little feline studio assistant, Millie - Wherever there are textiles to view Miss Millie is there like a whippet to perform essential quality assurance. Here she is undertaking a thorough assessment of the felted nuno scarf I put out to dry on the table. I made the scarf at a workshop I arranged last October for Stitches Coven which was tutored by the talented and inspiring Mandy Nash. I'm pleased to say it was a definite hit with Miss Millie (or Miss Millamena as she is sometimes called) who is a lover of girly accessories including bags & shoes.

The same could not be said for her opinion of the colour scheme I've been putting together for a new design. Here we see Miss Millie just in shot heading straight for the trouble spot with those blue/grey shades at the top of the stack.

She's quite right too with her diagnosis as there is simply not enough tonal contrast happening there, but I think a quick substitution of ivory for a blue does the trick.

After all that hard work here she is having a well-earned rest.

I can't believe how well behaved Millie is with my knitting and other work - unless you really waggle a bit of yarn under her nose that is. Do you have little 'helpers' like Millie? Or do you have little 'hinderers' instead?

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How will you be greeting 2015?

A new day and a new start- yesterday we took a bracing walk on the beach to dust off the cobwebs and welcome in the New Year.  There we witnessed the Port Talbot New Year Dippers - a local tradition where brave souls gather at 11 in the morning to greet the new year by stripping off to their bathers and racing en masse for a dip in the icy sea.

Many will have gained sponsors to raise funds for various charities, some will do it for the fun (?) of it, but for others it is a way to embrace the new year with attitude - demonstrating an intent to face any challenges ahead with gusto. I was merely a spectator but hope this spirited approach will have rubbed off and I can take a leaf out of their book.

I'm not keen on making New Years Resolutions in the traditional sense - I see little point in making lists of things that I musn't do - where's the fun in that? I think it's always best to go with your strengths - and I have willpower by the sack load - just not so abundantly gifted with won't power!

So instead I like to think about what I will do - I have a short lost of things I'd like to achieve, such as learning a new skill or tackling a specific project I have in mind, and I like to have a couple of  life enriching principles/philosophies in mind to focus on for the year ahead.

1.This year I'm feeling inspired by Paloma Faith's recent song offering - Ready for the good life - this is about letting go of negative experiences, fostering optimism & positivity and being receptive to the good stuff instead.

2. Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful (William Morris). In order to be ready for this 'good life' I'm also going to be big on the decluttering this year to allow plenty of time and space for all these wonderful things that will of course be coming my way!

How will you be facing 2015? Do you have any New Year traditions or do you prefer to simply go with the flow? Do share by commenting below.

I hope you have had a lovely holiday period,  and wish you all the best for a fulfilling and creative 2015

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Seasons Greetings

One of my little Christmas traditions is making paper snowflakes - I love the fact that each one is unique and when you are cutting them you are never entirely sure how they are going to come out Despite my years it never fails to excite me to see how they turn out.

Here's one I prepared earlier :-)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Creative 2015!

Finding Design Inspiration

Finding inspiration for your next creative project can be a real challenge and when faced with a blank sheet of paper/canvas/piece of fabric we can feel truly daunted and find it find a starting point. And there is no single definitive process - this can vary from person to person, but also from project to project. I  always find it fascinating how people's processes can vary, and thought I'd share with you the sort of approach I have when working creatively.

Inspiration can come from many sources, and sometimes unexpected, however it is extremely rare to have a bolt out of the blue fully formed idea, and most ideas come from a process of adjustments, corrections and further ideas generated as we actually do the work. Some folks seem to get down to that work almost immediately, but I tend to need to do a lot of 'mulling over', and it can feel like an age has passed before I can actually start to move forward.

Each year Stitches Coven, a creative textiles group I am a member of, put on an exhibition on an agreed theme. Next year's one will be on the theme of Memories. I have been letting this 'percolate' in the background for a good couple of months as it is a fairly abstract & conceptual topic, and I want the resultant work to be really personal to me. I still hadn't come of with a suitable 'hook', but a recent trip to visit family in Poland has unexpectedly provided me with a great source of design inspiration and will allow me to express a personal story.

My family on my mother's side are from Szczawno-Zdroj, a small Spa town in the South west of Poland, which has a long tradition as a health resort for healing, convalescence and rehabilitation, and boasts a mineral water pump room which dispenses naturally carbonated spring water.

Pump Rooms at Szczawno-Zdroj

There is also a Spa park which is great for recreation, plus some plants & trees are grown that are considered to have medicinal qualities. We took a stroll around the pump rooms and grounds with my family  including my aunt, an ex-teacher who is suffering with dementia. As is often the case for this condition, her long term memory remains strong and she is able to recall and impart information well - it's a pity my ability to understand her 'teachings' was not so good due to my limited polish, but as we walked through the park she pointed out a gingko tree and tried to explain how this was considered to have medicinal properties which were good for memory. She picked up a few leaves for me to take with me, and this was a lighbulb moment for me  in terms of design inspiration.

I love nature and especially forest & woodland - my earliest memories are of trips to the woods where we used to live at that time, and trees feature prominently in my memories of visits to Poland. The gingko leaves serve as a personal and poignant memento,  as their association with memory and my aunt's dementia strikes a deep chord from me. Thinking about memory also makes me consider how I experience being born in the UK but with family in Poland - in the absence of regular day to day contact, much of the 'relating' feels like it based on memories rather than the present. Whilst I have a deep desire to keep these relationships alive, I also fear that without taking due care to ensure this, they will fade like memories over future years.

So, a quick stroll around the park has given me plenty of food for thought, and a great starting point. The gingko leaves look attractive too, and are a great motif to work with. On my return home I quickly did some gelli printing with them, making numerous prints onto paper and some fabric - this will provide raw materials for developing further. I've no idea at this moment what direction it will take or what my finished piece of work will look like..................but it was great fun making the prints!

all set for a printathon!

the actual leaves with lots of paint and pattern on them from printing

a stray mulberry leaf

Gingko with dill and sweet chestnut leaves

So that's a little glimpse into how I approach a creative project, at least this one as it varies. I'd love to here about how you find your inspirations, or if you have any good tips on finding your inspiration and getting started, so do leave a comment below.

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