Walking (Small Steps)

I feel like it has been very hard to concentrate on (& define) my personal goals lately. And I struggle to be consistent with things I need or want to do in my personal life.

But there is one thing that I have been doing consistently since February: I have been walking a little bit every day.

Sometimes I only walk about 1/2 a mile at work. Some days I walk around my neighborhood and use my phone to take photos for my Instagram account or hack an Ingress portal or catch a Pokemon. Other days I just walk and listen to music and pretend I am in a music video. On rare occasions, I will leave my phone at home and just enjoy the breezes and the flowers along my route. Occasionally a friend or two will join me.

I have found that tracking an approximate distance walked each day, & writing that down on a steadily growing paper log, gives me a small but valuable sense of accomplishment. Maybe I didn't get to "X" and "Y," and maybe I only walked 1 mile, and yes, it would probably be better if I could get myself to walk a little farther...but I did get outside, I got some fresh air and a little sunshine, and if I was lucky I met a cat. And I added another day to my current walking streak.

I think it has really helped me to have a small goal. It doesn't matter how far I walk, as long as I get outside, even if only for a few blocks. If I want to add a couple more blocks for an extra half mile (or an extra Pokestop): Great!  If my feet hurt and I just turn around at the half mile mark: Still Good! I only went outside because I had cabin fever? Still counts!

It seemed like such a big deal to hit 100 days of walking in a row. And then suddenly I realized that I was about to reach 200 days, and I hadn't even noticed I had gotten that far...

Today will be 220!

New Perspectives: Fronts & Backs of Projects

I try to incorporate both the fronts and backs of projects into my pieces, whenever possible. 

Front side: patches machine-stitched onto a piece of felted sweater.

I think both sides have beautiful elements to them--I actually think that sometimes the back of a project is more beautiful than the front--and more surprising.

Back side: now the geometric stitching is the focus. Completely different.

When I knit, I put so much thought into the outer pattern, and I carefully try to control the way the colors interact.  But when I look at the finished product, it is often the more impressionistic, fluid back that interests me.

An unfinished knit piece I acquired.
(left=back side) (right=front side)

I find that by looking at the piece from all sides, I gain a greater appreciation for the medium, and a greater understanding for how it can be used. 

Stitching is functional, but it can also create an interesting pattern or visual effect.

Even embroidery and stitching can create a beautiful effect.

Whenever I'm stuck, I can usually get new ideas just by turning a piece upside-down or inside-out.  I actually find that I often like an abstract painting that I've labored over better if I turn it so a different side is up!

It can be helpful to keep samples, or a photo collection, or notes, to help you remember particularly interesting techniques.  You never know when you'll need some inspiration!

Neat Color Experiment--Try It Out!

Here's a fun color experiment that my study group tried out.  It's from Laura Bryant's A Knitter's Guide to Color.

Basically, you take all of your yarn and arrange it by "color saturation" or "weight."  A weightier color is a brighter, stronger color.  So for example, a pale yellow would be lighter than a bright yellow or a brilliant green.

Here's my study group arranging our samples of yarn:

The fascinating thing is, if you arrange yarn by weight this way, you can take a sub-section of your rainbow, and those colors will all work together in a weaving or other yarn project, even if you might not see the affinity at first glance.  These colors will make a good "color story," a color combination where all the colors enrich each other but sort of blend into each other from afar, and where no one color competes for center stage.

How do you know if you've arranged the colors correctly by weight?  Here's the neat part!  Take a picture of your yarn "river" and switch the image to black and white.  My camera has a black-and-white function, or you can do this on your computer, or in a copy machine.  Have you arranged your colors correctly?  Take a look at what happens!

The yarn samples in color

The same yarn samples in black & white

You have a perfect gray scale.

Isn't that cool?!

 

Edit: When choosing your colors for a new project, Laura Bryant suggests using this "color river" to your advantage.  To create a harmonious, blended effect, choose colors that are near each other in the river.  If you desire a bolder, contrasting accent color, or stronger emphasis on your pattern, throw in a color from a different section.

 

Here's a preview of her DVD if you're interested in learning more about color combinations and "color stories."  The DVD & digital download are available at interweave.com (this is a great website for all sorts of tutorials).