New projects.

Every time I hear the phrase "New Project" I get very excited. The perspective of starting a project that will offer numerous lessons and that will be part of my thoughts and dreams for a particular period of time up until I finish it is quite thrilling. There is nothing like the touch and smell of that first ball of yarn that will be your accomplice on that first step we knitters know as "casting on". Yes, you got it, I belong to those people who need diversity, who need to be working on more than one project because I tend to get easily bored if I am just working on one project at a time. Many times I have tried to "discipline" myself into just focusing on one project at a time only to discover that it will invariably end up piled in a knitting basket and neglected from time to time. So finally one day I stopped at trying to be someone I am not and gave in to the tuoe of knitter than I am. I never looked back: the whole giving myself the chance to cast on a new project and discover its initial magic is a lot of fun and eventhough it will perhaps take me a little longer to finish it as I am knitting several at one time, I always finish them and always remember how fun it is to work on them when I want! Are you like me? Don't ever stop your restless hands and somehow tie them if anybody tells you you need to "discipline" yourself. What matters is to have fun and enjoy your crafts, no matter if you are working on one or several, or if you finish one fast or take to long to cast off. Just enjoy it! 

Paper Dreams.

image, a photo by angorarabbit on Flickr.

Very recently I went into my container of old patterns. I was looking for a particular sewing pattern and a great nostalgia invaded me. It had been a long time since I had opened that box and the memories of sewing projects with their many hours of studio work suddenly came to mind. I did not find the old Vogue Patterns sewing pattern that belonged to my mother, so I did a web hunt and found the way to chose a pattern, buy it and get it shipped to Mexico City, all done online. When I received it I was thrilled.
It is a new world indeed, I still recall back in my Mom's and Grandmother's time the Patterns section at the big department stores where huge books placed on large tables were available to chose as many sewing patterns as you wanted. All from Vogue, Mac Call's, Butterick, etc. I also remember the fabrics department next to the patterns one and the wide variety of notions needed for sewing. It was, in my tender childhood years, like walking into a wonderland. Little did I know then that many years later everything related with creativity done with fibers and fabrics would be my calling.
I am very happy with my new sewing pattern, nevertheless I can't help to long for those days with my grandmother and mom when the activity of sewing was part of life at many homes. It was not weird to know how to sew or knit, it was a respected craft. My generation was the very sad witness of the demise of the craft when department stores started cancelling the sewing pattern departments, then it was the fabrics departments and lastly the yarn departments. I was in my late twenties then, the time when I was launching my own fashion design business. Then it all shifted to the market of little fabric and yarn stores where obviously prices were and keep on being quite high.
Very recently I had to visit those small stores because now I need the fabric for my new pattern. It was fun but I still have nostalgia of those past days. I feel so very fortunate to have had that experience thanks to my grandma and mom.
Time to open my new pattern, what a wonderful feeling!

Dreams.

image, a photo by angorarabbit on Flickr.

The combination of loving cake, spring and special occasions. All mixed up together to become part of many dreams. I find this so very beautiful in a wedding cake.
The same applies to any creative activity and it is the stuff that makes its examples unique when such a loving combination of different things is balanced perfectly only to leave us wishing it would be repeated again and again. This is impossible though because what makes occasions special is indeed their fugacity and one can only seek consolation in the wish that such experiences will remain within us forever in our memory.
A future project of mine: learn fondant and sugar techniques for cake decoration!

Azaleas.

 

So it is the time for azaleas in Mexico and I am truly enjoying it as they remind me of Spring and also of my Dad.
It has been a while since I last posted anything and I guess it is because I spend much more time on my iPad than I do on my PC. I love its friendliness and I am finally doing this post from my iPad with the help of Flickr since the Blogger App simply does not work when I try to post pictures here.

The weather is wonderful and I have been busy trying to finish as many projects as I can. This blog is dedicated to anything regarding fibres and so very soon I will post pics of my latest fiber related finished projects. I will also start posting much more about my sewing and loom work. The air in the wind that announces the exciting arrival of Spring can set the creative mind into being much more active and wreckless with the hands.

This Spring is the eve of most fantastic time of my life.

Thanks for visiting!

Fabric of Britain Knittings Golden Age [HD]

I absolutely loved watching this video. Knitting is one of the most beautiful crafts in the world. Never stop knitting, never stop filling your life and that one of others with the uncomparable touch, feeling and overall experience of a handknitted garment!

I feel so lucky to be part of it!

My Favourire Season.

It is already autumn and I am enjoying the soft sunshine, chilly evenings and beautiful steady warm weather now that the rainy season has ended. It is in this season that time for reflection over the last eight months has an opportunity. This year is ending and in about a bit more than two months one of the hardest years for my family and me will be coming to an end. I really can't wait. In times of great challenges, both healthwise and finantially wise, if there is something that I have come to be reminded of is about appreciating the people and the good things in my life. The gift of faith, the gift of health, the gift of music, the gift of handcrafts, and last but not least, the gift of love.

So I have spent more time with music -mainly playing my piano and singing while driving- and knitting, crocheting, weaving and sewing. The joy and unattachment from difficulties they all bring is immense. I tend to be more productive while under great stress, it is like my whole self screams for a lifesaver before I feel like drowning.

Lately I have been learning new knitting techniques where I mainly gave myself the gift of two online courses, one in Tunisian Crochet, and another one in Broomstick Lace through Craftsy, both by Jennifer Hansen (absolutely an enthusiastic and great teacher), which I am enjoying very much. I am still on a basic level, however the door towards creativity and knowledge it has opened makes me feel very happy and look forward to becoming even better at it.

Time to plan knitting for the coming chilly weather. Well, we do not have real cold weather here but it is still an excuse to bring out the wool yarns and have fun like I have been with a Kolka yarn made in Mexico. I love it, I have been knitting this quick and funky design from Knit.Wear magazine -which I think is so fashionable without pushing it-, and I am almost done with it (below). I will post a picture of it once it is done and tried out.

Thanks for visiting!

Surprises.

Has it happened lately to you that a particular day ends with a totally unexpected surprise? It's been a while since I had such a day and I must say it was quite beautiful. For some of you it might sound strange to know that finding spinning wheels in Mexico is not easy at all. Well it is pretty much like finding a needle in a haystack. The way thread is handspinned in Mexico is through a spindle which obviously requires practice, patience and skill.
Well, just by doing a quick search over the web I learned that someone close to home was actually selling a real spinning wheel brought into Mexico from Germany. Well, I was thrilled. I ended that very day purchasing it and feeling very lucky about it. Why? Because it is a real antique flax spinning wheel with more than a hundred years old. When I look at it my mind tries to imagine who owned and used it, and which must have been her story. I own it now, somehow destiny wanted me to find it because very few people can appreciate something like this like me. It is so sad that very rarely people here actually know what a spinning wheel is. I find this to be so sad, especially when spinning wheels were once a very important household item whose presence was crucial to the well being of a family. I can't wait to make my own history with it. It is amazing that it still works! I just love how it looks in my studio next to my loom.

So now jumping to another favourite topic -knitting-, I recently finished this fabulous sweater designed by Debbie Bliss. I obviously used a different yarn than the one suggested from her line because although I did see it at a store I considered it to be extremely expensive. So back in Mexico I found a very beautiful handspinned all wool yarn made in Aguascalientes, Mexico. I love the results and can't wait to use this coming winter.

Thanks for visiting!