Everyone has particular preferences for images and ideas that give them great ideas. Some people react creatively to songs, poems, news, even emotions. My creative switch gets activated by visual stimulation—flora, color, moss, geological formations, water—and by very old, well-crafted things. Here are a few examples.
Inspiration-seeking project
Another great source of inspiration is raw materials. A really great yarn is often the spark that ignites the idea fire. A couple of weeks ago I was in New York City (not usually a place to find nature or old things) and had the opportunity to go to Habu Textiles (storeroom, right), unfortunately only about ten minutes before they closed for the day. This place is astounding; it’s full of all kinds of material for knitting (and, of course, for other fiber arts), from spun stainless steel to paper (yes, knittable paper) to raw silk roving. With little time to look closely for the perfect project materials, I took advantage of their grab bags to get a great little bag full of extraordinary fibers. I don’t know precisely what they are, but oh, how tasty!
To the best of my flawed fiber-detection ability, the yarns are:
* pink & purple space-dyed, lace-weight mohair/silk blend
* black slubbed nylon
* gray lace-weight merino
* magenta cotton ribbon
* silver crimped acetate
* black lace-weight mohair
I also bought a skein (?) of raw ramie. I tried to knit with it, but it was a bit too fine—sort of like knitting with hair. It’s really better on its own, but I’ll give it another try soon. It calls to me the way birds’ nests do. Maybe I’ll make a nest.
I’m trying to combine as many of these disparate fibers as I can into one wearable project: a fairly simple scarf, to allow the fibers to shine. It is very, very light and airy, and I chose an eyelet pattern in keeping with the “I” theme. It is so lightweight, in fact, that it’s hard sometimes to feel anything but the weight of the needles. I tried using three or four different yarns together, but they really seemed to muddle in combination. I’ll post pictures of the finished project, but for now, I’m just really enjoying the touch & the cloudiness of it all.
Inspiration(al) Bib (some of which I have previously listed)
- Gaughan, Norah. Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature (Stewart, Tabori and Chang Craft/Melanie Falick Books, 2006)
- Gschwandtner, Sabrina. KnitKnit: Profiles and Projects from Knitting’s New Wave (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2007)
- Tellier-Loumagne, Françoise. The Art of Knitting: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces (Thames & Hudson, 2005)
- Moss, Jean. Sculptured knits : 48 Timely Designs Inspired by the Decorative Arts of the 20th Century (XRX Books, 1999)
- Lavold, Elsebeth. Viking Patterns for Knitting: Inspiration and Projects for Today’s Knitter (Trafalgar, 2000)
Inspiration(al) Blogs
Etc.
1 comment:
I saw you in Ravelry; I find your blog is very interesting, and your knits are beautiful!
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