For many years I've followed Felicia Lo from Sweet Georgia Yarns. She started off dyeing when I did, around 2005 and went on to scale the heights while I dawdled through! It's so exciting to find someone who is on your wavelength and follow their journey.
So I was excited to watch her YouTube channel and hear her talking about her design process and how sometimes she feels a design paralysis. This is something I'm sure we all experience at times, especially when the stresses of life catch up with us and particularly with the demands that we place on ourselves as a result of social media- seeing other artists produce amazing work at a seemingly alarming rate can be a little disheartening when your own process is a little slower.
So Felicia's take on it- just weave. Just knit or just spin. It doesn't matter. The doing of the thing is what helps us to improve, so just do. It's not rocket science, we all know that this is the case. Stop overthinking... It's helpful to be reminded of this now and again, that we aren't perfect, we're just human.
So I had a lady unable to attend Saturday's weaving workshop, she had given me almost free reign to chose the colours of her warp for her so I chose Vintage Rose, Ilsa and Mrs Weston yarns. An almost solid colour, a neutral with a fleck and a variegated with light and darker pinks to bring it all together. Even as I was warping it I knew I loved it. But rather than start weaving, I kept it for you know, someone else, a better time, when I had more yarn, i.e. a million and one reasons not to start.
So today, I am warping up with those same yarns in the same colours on my rigid heddle loom. It's going to be slightly wider but I'm getting started. I will post how it looks (even if it's not great), I promise.
If you feel paralysed at times, then take a look at this post by Drew Kimble, haven't read the book but I think I might
Felicia's You Tube channel is here and I highly recommend Taking Back Friday