Inspiration (and a teaser)

There is none lacking in my studio aka living room couch. I am literally surrounded by yarns of all types, colors, thicknesses, in a variety of fibres. Many times, inspiration comes from touching a certain yarn, or looking at the color(s). Something will spark and boom! Voila! there's the beginning of a new design.

Other days, I look at the yarn and it doesn't speak to me. Not one single word, not even a bleep. It doesn't want to play. So on those days, I turn to my crochet stitch pattern books. There I sit with my homemade coffee with cocoa and milk (much much cheaper than Timmy's) turning page after page of inspiration. That is what I call my pattern books, inspiration. I have post it notes next to me, a pen ready for notes and my pattern design notebooks all waiting for annotations and ideas as they flow from the pages of inspiration and start the old brain bubbling. It usually doesn't take me very long after that process to get the 'itch'. Anyone who has worked with yarn knows what I mean by the 'itch' and no it's not something the doctor can take care of with a shot or some ointment. This is the need to touch yarn to complete the creative process. Now that all those lovely patterns are floating around in your head, time to attach some yarn to them and turn them from dream to reality.

Once I have my yarn picked out, the swatching begins. Sometimes it doesn't take long to figure out what works well and what doesn't, but there are those days that swatch after swatch yields nothing and the 'itch' returns. So back to my yarns I go, letting my fingers do their work and once they find what they are looking for, let the eyes see what it is and hope it all melds together.

Such is my creative process. It involves other things, but those are the intangibles, sometimes it's a visual memory, other times an odour induced memory or even touch induced that I try and turn into something that can be worn. Each new design comes from my heart, through my mind to give it form and finally through my hands to share with you.

PS. I've been working on some new designs, these specifically for the guys out there or for anyone who loves to wear unique conversation provoking clothing! Stay tuned as I work my way through the development stages of these new patterns.