Practising in the gap

So there has been quite a lot of talk about perfection and completion and ability and taste on this blog lately - which has been fantastic - lots of people chiming in with their experiences. And just so we don't get stuck on any one topic, this will be the last post around this idea for a little while.

But I came across one more thing last week that I thought might be of use to all of you who are thinking about this stuff. And that is something the lovely Brienne said in a post that has really stuck with me. She was talking about making a dress for one of her small people and she was trying something new. At then end of the post she talked about all of the things she wasn't happy with about the finished product and proceeded to say that 

“Honestly, there’s a lot about this dress that I’m not that thrilled about. But I loved both the fabrics and I’m comforted by the idea that I’m just practicing. And I’m working in the gap:) ”

— http://briennemoody.typepad.com/by_brienne/2014/01/re-imagining-the-recess-raglan.html

And that gap is the one from Ira's quote from my blog post last week - The gap between taste and ability. Brienne's take on it is such a comforting thought. That at the moment this is where I am at AND that I can just keep practising and working in the gap! So thankyou Brienne!!

So this week I've been holding tight to two ideas

• that idea that I can just practice in the gap with no pressure
• that in order to make the things I really want to make, (ie. the things I have imagined) I might have to do a little more practice

My kid quilt idea in my crinkly scribbled-on visual diary.

One of the many many mock ups.

And it has meant that I have moved forward on my longer term project of making all three of my small people a quilt. I have wanted to do it for the last two years but in my head have been avoiding doing it for the simple reason that I don't plan on making them more than one single bed quilt for their childhood. And because I only want to make one I really want it to be perfect! .......and here we go again ;) rambling on about perfection......The lovely Claire has pointed out that that was a hell of a lot of pressure to be putting on a thing - which is an excellent point!

Figuring out colours using paint swatches - ala Anna Farago

Trial and error.

In making the quilt last year that wasn't perfect but was still beautiful I got a bit of practice. That was practice version 1 of the quilt and the kids versions are going to be 2,3 and 4. Maybe by the last one I will have moved closer to where I want to be. And how exciting is that.

What are you practicing??

Felicia x

Craft as comfort, craft as art?

So I stumbled across this video of Marina Abramovic* on youtube today (as you do?) and it clarified something to me about how craft fits into my life. I have wondered in the past what is the point of it all. Is it just the actual act of making? Is it just to make things?  Is it to make useful things? Why do I get so obsessed with following through on a particular idea? Why do I feel the need to have something in my hands on a long train trip? Why do I feel a bit pannicked when I forget said project? Why do I completely loose myself in the moment when I am taking photos or choosing fabrics for some new idea? Why am I sometimes unable to force myself cook (another) dinner because I want to work on some particular project? Why is it that i would much rather make a tee shirt for my small boy than chuck down $10 on one from Bonds? What is it all about?? Why is it such an important part of my life?

Marina is talking in the clip about art and being an artist. Which I am not. BUT I do recognise the feeling she describes at the start of the clip. And it gave me some words to describe what it is all about.  

Craft as art - this is the obsessive joy part of craft for me. Marina defines it as an urge to create. I think I think of it using different words usually, but it is the urge that she describes that is such a big part of craft for me. When you wake up with an idea and it won't go away. And you find/make time just so you can get to whatever it is you are thinking about. And then you can't put it down. There is such a calm joy involved in this part of it.  

There is a psychological state called flow that I think describes this feeling perfectly.  

“Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.”

— Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

Craft in this capacity brings the true joy of being truly and completely absorbed in the moment. 

Craft as comfort - this is the meditation part of craft for me. Equally vital to my everyday state of mind. This is the thing that means that I don't mind sitting in the park for an hour while the small people climb a frame. Or reading books about bears to small people for two hours while it pours down with rain outside. Or sit in the car for a 3 hour drive while people in the back (again small ones) argue about who has put a leg/hand/head into someone else's "bounds". This is the bit that keeps me sane and calm. It helps with the "waiting" parts of life. It isn't always possible to meditate but it is often possible to have something calming and natural moving through my hands in the middle of the chaos. Something that stitch by stitch is getting bigger. More quiet joy!

And while writing this I have found that there is a third one. Probably just as important but very different to the first two. The first two are all about the process. They are about the joy that comes in the doing. The final one is about the product and brings a different kind of ongoing joy.

Craft as utility - mainly about the outcome. This part of craft doesn't bring me as much joy in the process. Ocasionally I have even beeen known to be slightly resentful of this bit, as I feel it takes me away from what I truly want to be doing. It is definitely more (all?) about the end product. But that end product brings joy that isn't of the moment. It's joy that lasts. Every time I see the thing I made I get a bit of the joy.

One of my favourite examples of this isn't even something I made. The lovely Claire (who helped organise The Craft Sessions) once made a cabled DK single bed blanket. It is beautiful!! It took her about 3 years - and in a way this in itself does my head in - but she is a patient woman. But every time I see it it brings me joy. And I didn't even make it. I am sure it brings her joy too. And the same applies when I see my kids dressed in clothes I made or I wear a frock I made. Ongoing joy. Little by little.

I love that the things that I made all have this joy in them. And then this joy is littered throughout our life in the things we surround ourselves with. And that I love!

All this talking about the joy has got me thinking - crafting needs a new slogan I think. I still feel like craft sometimes gets a bad rap. What about Craft - everyday joy in so many ways. I agree it isn't that punchy yet and maybe it needs a little (lot of) work.....but I'm onto something right?? 

Love to hear your thoughts. Are you with me, or is it something else for you entirely? Anyone got a better slogan?

Felicia x

* I know very little about her but came across her through this clip of her at MoMA.

Kids Clothes Week Is This Week!

It's come to my attention that not all of you know about the wonderfulness that is Kids Craft Week - and it starts tomorrow! So I thought I'd better slip in a quick post about it to see if you wanted to join me.*

Kids Clothes Week was started a good few years ago by Meg from Elsie Marley. The jist of it is that for a week you commit to sewing an hour a day on kids clothes. Super simple - no other rules and the commitment is to yourself. It is a fantastic way of getting started sewing again if you have been off the machine for a while, or for getting all organised for a new season of clothes for your kids. It is now running once each season - so four chances a year to reset your sewing mojo and jump in.

A favourite Japanese sewing book.

T-shirt pattern that isn't really a t-shirt pattern but has such a sweet shape. 

There is absolutely no pressure in this thing. I've done it about four or five times over the years and rarely get around to posting something online I have made. For me it is more about reminding myself that I don't need huuuuge blocks of time to sew and that I can get a lot done in a week with just an hour a day.

Many people do post what they are making during the week on the KCW site and the results are truly inspiring. In the lead up to the event they have people posting hints and tips, inspiration and about getting their kids clothes needs organised.

For me this year it is perfect timing with school going back in the next week or two. I know there is one kid that is in desperate need of some simple t-shirts/shirts and my smallest is off to kinder so needs the traditional family I'm-starting-kinder-backpack. (She has been asking for her version for at least a year.) If I can get the backpack and a couple of t-shirts done I will be calling myself a winner. 

Our family you-go-to-kinder-arnen't-you-big backpack comes from this lovely book.

She has had some input into the fabric choices. Mine is the one on the left. Hers is the PINK - I'm being a little mean and just using it for the lining.

A lovely friend of mine Brienne has been posting over on the KCW blog this year. As well as having killer style, she has been chatting about making things in the gap after my blog post last week on the Gap Between Taste and Ability. I'm going to be remembering that this week - that I am just practicing in the gap. No need for perfection.

Have you joined in before? Do you think you might?

Felicia x

* If you want to join in but miss the start it truly doesn't matter. Start Tuesday, or Wednesday or even Friday. It is all about jumping in and doing a bit each day.

Part 2 - Best of light sweater/cardigan yarns

So I think we started off strong with Part 1 of this post - lightweight sweater/cardy yarns that are in the sport/dk category. Go have a look - both of them are complete winners of yarns. They don't pill, wear well, are affordable and make a beautiful fabric. 

Today we are going to talk about another winner - Shilasdair Luxury DK. This is a yarn that is relatively new to me. I came across it by complete accident and boy am I glad that I did. My bloke happens to be British; a random fact that means that every year or two I have to take a trip to the UK - which means I get to visit the gorgeous Loop in London. Now this fact is a super thing for me as well as you, because it means I can introduce you to this yarn.

Anyhoo, on my trip last Christmas I was lucky enough to have a day to myself in London - about two hours of which were spent in Loop. I was about to leave when some lovely woman opened the most gorgeous box of yarn and emptied it onto the floor. The shop staff started chattering about the perfect blue and the perfect green and so my little eyes wandered over to see what the commotion was. It was love at first sight. Not just lust you understand but true love. 

One of the things that makes this yarn super special is that it is dyed with natural dyes in the most stunning range of colours. I purchased two that day - Tansy which is dyed with tansy flowers and Hawthorn which is dyed with a combination of lac and cochineal. I will say that it is not possible to photograph the true colours of these yarns and even after editing the photos to try to make the colour a bit truer I can't get it perfect. They are more luminous than the photos suggest. The red is more red and less rust and waaay more beautiful. And the yellow is somewhere in between the bright colour below and the yellow of the top photo. It is lovely.

And lets talk about the structure. Again we are talking about another blend. But different to the other two again. This one is 10% cashmere, 10% baby camel  fibre, 40% angora and 40% fine merino lambswool. I haven't come across something similar in terms of the way it feels or the blend. It has a twist but at 300m per 100g it is super light for something that knits up as a DK. (If I am confusing you then please go back to Part 1 as I explain this a little better or ask me a question in the comments).

Show the texture and the beautiful semi solid-ness of the yarn.

The yarn feels a little thin for a DK as you are knitting it, but after washing it blooms beautifully. It the close up of the yellow above you can see the texture of the yarn, some twist, some longer fibres (camel??) and you can also see the beautiful variation of the semi solid.

As I have said before I am a fan of the semi solid. And according to the stats so is the rest of the world (have a look at these great posts from Bristol Ivy on knitting stats from around the world). It gives your garment more depth, it looks less flat and more interesting. What I don't like is when there is too much variation in a semi solid leading to a more spotty look. These yarns have the perfect balance - perfect!!

I planned on having my cardigan finished by the time I was to post it but it wasn't to be. I knitted the yoke, both sleeves and had started the body before I figured out that it was too big. So I ripped it (with the help of the lovely Martine who talked me through the pain) and have started again. I am almost where I was but I thought I would show you some photos anyway. That way you can see how another of the beautiful semi-solids knits up. Lovely isn't it!

Dodgy bathroom photo of it before I ripped it out.....

Yarn Stats - 300m in 100g and is a blend of 10% cashmere, 10% baby camel  fibre, 40% angora and 40% fine merino lambswool.

You can buy it from Loop here and Die WollBox here.

Next up will be something a little more local. 

Felicia x

The gap between taste and ability

Last week, while I was writing the post about perfectionism I came across this quote on pinterest by the super Ira Glass of This American Life. And wow! So very encouraging and so very very true. 

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.””

— abridged version of a transcript of a video of Ira Glass from This American Life

You can find the original video of Ira here  (note: the quote above seems to paraphrase it a little. I can't figure out whether he rewrote it or someone else did?). And some clever person has done it poster style here.

An example of my knitting and my photos from nearly six years ago - Anna and I looked through my Ravelry page last night and could clearly see a massive change in ability and style occurring gradually over those five years. I didn't know how to compose a photo (still learning this one) and they were all pretty dark as I was still learning about light and didn't know anything about editing.....nothing. 

Like many people who enjoy making, there is often a long period of time when I am learning a new skill or even a new craft. And boy can that be a slightly demoralising process - not quite achieving the thing you were trying to. Especially when, the version in my head is perfect, so perfect.

Again, it really reminded me again of the quote from my lovely friend Anna's friend Gina (who I talk about in this blog post about being stuck) who says that "sometimes the piece you are working on is the piece you need to make, so that you can make the piece you really want to make". Or in other words, "sometimes you need to make bad art to make good art".

As the lovely Amy said to me this week on Instagram - sometimes we need to hear this stuff over and over again.

So - 2014 is the year where completionism is the name of the game! And that it is only after creating a body of work and making many mistakes along the way, that we can create the things we imagine. 

This quote made the process just a little bit easier. As always I would love to hear your thoughts!!

Felicia x