Friday, July 20, 2007
THE YARN WHISPERER
ARE YOU LISTENING?
I'm sure you all agree that yarn is special. Very special. If it weren't, we'd be out spending all our money on dishtowels or cushion covers or something. But, no, many of us are seriously addicted to yarn. Why? What is it about yarn that draws us forward again and again. Now, at last, I believe I have the answer: yarn lives. Yes! Unlike with cushion covers, with yarn you can commune on a deeply satisfying level, actually speak to it and hear it speaking back. Yes, after all this time, the truth will out: yarn talks. Time to listen. But first you must learn to be a yarn whisperer.
How can you be a yarn whisperer, you ask? Simple, oh so simple. You must begin with understanding the two basic truths in the sociology of yarn:
- Yarn is a social creature. The undenialble proof exists in any yarn shop. Simply survey the shelves and all you will see is yarn hanging out in packs.
- Yarn yearns to mingle with others of its kind as well as others in its divergent fiber species. Yarn by nature is nomadic, exploratory, and will work well with others if properly understood.
A picture of tribal unity, complements of String Theory, Blue Hill Maine
Amed with this knowledge, you are now ready to begin yarn whispering.Take a skein of hand-dyed or variegated yarn that attracts you and hold it in your hands. Study it, turning it over and over, allowing it’s texture and color to fill your senses. Identify specific colors or color blends that make up the yarn. What, if anything, do these colors remind you of? Often color, like scent, evokes potent, if buried, memories. The trick is to follow your imagination (yes, you DO have an imagination!) and quiet your mind long enough to hear what you’re thinking. This is the ‘whispering’ state. Enter it and let the yarn guide you...
Posted by Jane on 07/20 at 03:30 PM
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
Wildflower stitches
Spanish Dancers
While I visited Spain with Amal, we toured across the hills seeking glimpses of beauty to inspire our knitting and crocheting. Every brush of pine forest or cluster of ripening lemons could easily inspire a stitch, a design, an explosion of color. Amal has an idea for a book featuring portraits of our knitted pieces dislayed beside the landscape of their inspiration. I loved the idea, especially when Spain offers so many settings begging for translations of color and texture. Above, an unexpected delight: soft fringes of violet wildflowers dancing against a muted backdrop of mist. Below, Amal's feather and fan where swirls of mohair rise and fall between textured steps. Constantly experimenting with new ways to bring this timeless stitch alive, her body of work is simply incredible.
Posted by Jane on 07/12 at 07:54 PM
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From the entry 'Wild, Mysterious Australia'.
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| By Christine Jones on 2008 12 28 |
