I try to keep my blonders (blinders) on when it comes to the work of other textile designers. I want to admire it, touch it and rub it up against my face and yet I do just the opposite.

When I see other people’s textile I run in the other direction. I do not want to be inspired by other people’s work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about inspiration—–however I would rather garner it from an alternate source. Tree, waterfall, weird colour combinations, textures of sand and soil.

I took a free form crochet workshop with Prudence Mapstone in July and I was terrified at what might happen to me after prolonged exposure to a room full of textile people (especially while we are all being taught the same thing) My fears were groundless and I came out of the course with the only 3 dimensional piece (a hat of course). Because what I see will be filtered and interpreted by the hat eye in me, the thing, the burning curse that wants to see most things on people’s heads.

And for the record, the learning experience and that new form of inspiration–which was simply in watching other artist’s faces light up when they realized they had done something new and different was quite over the top for inspiration. It was almost like their energy was electric and it actually passed through me. So exciting, that it made me sign up for another course with Lexi of Pluckyfluff fame.

I enjoy her reckless handspun, I enjoy her work. It really is ground breaking to have doll pieces, paper, scrub pads and the kitchen sink thrown into wool. I don’t think that way when I spin, it all has a plan, and I definitely do not want to make doll yarn, it just doesn’t have any point to me, even as a knitter. But, I want to have that feeling……

I have now discovered that there will be a few people I know in the course, too close to home, all textile people, local people and even some in the same shows and venues as I will be in. I’m not comfortable with that cross contamination as it were. I want my work to be my own, not sucked up into the great craft continuum. Oh hell, I don’t know what I want. It’s hard to describe what I want to achieve when I spin.

Wait……

I want to make something with whimsy that will make a knitter scream, please let me knit something, I know exactly what I want to make with this wool. I must own it and will stare at it for weeks before I knit it because it is precious to me.

At least this is what I thought the first time I picked up a ball of Ozark Handspun, yards and yards of nothing but unspun and dyed mohair locks. It was outrageously priced, but dreamy and I’ll never forget how much enjoyment it gave me to knit it.

If you design, you become so protective of your work, but to the point of not connecting with other people who will be inspired by you….that’s just wrong. Sharing your work is part of what makes this artisanal lifestyle so appealing. We do it for the love baby. I’ll have to keep trying to remember that.

Well, brain, heart, mind, open yourself again….Endless possibilities await.