Think Bigger

In my never ending quest to find the people, places, and things that are going to help me grow artistically, I had this thought come to me out of the blue this week. This little idea popped into my head, saying "You're thinking too small." "Thinking too small?," I thought. "What does that mean?" For me that means that I am not setting my goals high enough. It means I need to stop limiting myself to opportunities that don't require much experience or many qualifications.

How often do we think too small in our day to day lives? How often do we choose what is safe and easy because it provides us with a predictable outcome?  All of us are meant to set the bar higher and dream bigger. This means if you want to run a marathon, do it! If you want to write a book, do it! If you want to paint, sing, or dance, then just do it! It is easy to get caught in limiting ideas of what is possible. Often people will give what seems to be well meaning advice, such as that's only for the young, rich, healthy, etc. I beg to differ. I think if you can see it in you're mind's eye, you have the answer inside of you on how to achieve it. It might take some stumbling along the way, but anything is possible if you believe in yourself and your dreams, no matter what age you are.

In the spirit of thinking bigger, I am posting an image of a soft, knit, city sculpture that I created from Anna Hrachovec's book Knitting Mochimochi. If you are looking for some cute and funny patterns for soft sculptures, I recommend checking out her site http://mochimochiland.com

And remember THINK BIGGER!

Felted Lunch Bag

Well, here it is, my felted lunch bag off the lion brand yarn website. I am now watermarking my photos because I found my photos posted on other websites and if they are going to end up other places, I want people to know that they're mine.

Other then that, not much is new here. The weather has been quite cold, but no snow here on the East Coast. I often wish that I had more time to travel to more rural places. Being in an urban environment is great for meeting other artists, but one also needs to experience nature as often as possible. I think it is important for keeping one connected to what is real. With "reality" TV, Facebook "friends" and everything else that to some extent seems to draw us from what is tangible and concrete, a good walk in the forest is what one needs to keep him or herself connected to him/herself, the earth, and other people.

So it's been forever since I last posted....

Hello blog community!
Well, it has been a millennia since I last posted. (Well, maybe not that long, but it sure seems that way.) I suppose in essence, it makes it a good time to reflect on the year behind us and my hopes for the year ahead. I have been knitting a lot, maybe in essence to keep some sense of place in a world that changes too much too fast. I've been working a lot with developing new skills in the knitting arena, and right now I am working on a fair aisle cowl off the lion brand yarn website.  The link for the pattern is here: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90660AD.html?noImages=.

In addition, I recently completed a felted lunch bag pattern (also off the lion brand website, http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L0618.html?noImages=&utm_source=20111104_Nov04&utm_medium=Emails&utm_campaign=Weeklynewsletter&utm_content=P-KnitFeltedLunchBag) As soon as I get photos taken, I will upload images of the bag.

As for my hopes for this year, well, I for one am hoping that people feel a greater sense of abundance in their lives this year. This is something that I need to work on in my own life and a lot of it relates to gratitude and mindset. In addition, I also hope to regularly post blog updates! I still have an attachment to this little blog, and my goal is to update once a week if possible.

Anyhoo...please feel free to comment about your hopes and goals for the year, and have a blessed and super abundant week and year!

Cheers!

Green and Brown Beanie Hat

Warm and fuzzy beanie hat. This super warm beanie was crocheted from two strands of bulky weight yarn held together. The green is a warm moss color and the brown is highlighted with stands of green so it blends together perfectly.

This is the perfect hat to wear when you are out playing in the snow or out running the city streets!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66545337/green-and-brown-beanie-hat

Workspace

So it is the new year and I am again reflecting on my artistic process as well as what it means to be an artist in the world. I am in the  process of rearranging my home workspace in the hopes that it will give me a more productive work space. I have recently taken the TV off my desk in the hopes that I will be more productive in my lesson planning for the week and will also give me a place to set up the small, portable sewing machine that I purchased. Today I had velvet laid out on my rug for a dress that I am making and I realized how helpful it would be to have a table to spread it out on. Right now I am limited on space so I have to make due with what I have.
I am definitely in the process of experimentation right now. I am playing with different materials and rearranging my workspace. I also have a few t-shirts lying around that I want to make into a laundry bag to replace the giant plastic bag that I have been carrying back and forth to the laundromat. As for my crocheting, I am almost finished with the shawl that I started in the Czech Republic. It is constantly reminding me of traveling and I am a bit restless to explore a new culture again. Hopefully as I continue to rearrange things, it will also help me to rearrange my thought process and help me to see new opportunities.  And hopefully I will be traveling again soon!

Holiday Thoughts

On my long train ride from New York City to Cleveland, Ohio, I had an ample amount of time to reflect on our modern idea of doing more in a shorter amount of time and whether this thinking is healthy for the human spirit or not. Right now I am of the opinion that doing less but with great enthusiasm is more important than getting more things done.

I have also been reflecting on this in my art work. It is easy to get caught in this idea that you need to produce more, make more, and try to sell more. However, the act of enjoying the process and letting your creative life grow and meander is also important.

So now I am in Ohio and I am in the process of finishing a shawl that I started in the Czech Republic two years ago. At this point it is almost finished but it has taken me two years to get it done! But that's not the point. The point is it has the same quality that an old friend acquires after years together. This shawl was with me through my first year of ESL teaching, traveled with me on the bus to Vienna, made a long journey on the plane back to the United States and will be a finished article of clothing that will come back to New York City to keep me warm at my current teaching job. And hopefully it will travel abroad with me again in the near future!

Cream Knit Scarf

I would like to introduce my newest creation, a bulky weight, cream colored, knit scarf. I have been working with heavy weight yarns as of late because of their fun, funky texture. This scarf is suitable for a woman or man and it is super, super, duper warm! It is a wool and acrylic blend yarn and has beautiful hints of blue and brown interwoven into the main cream colored yarn. It is also easy care machine washable. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to visit http://www.etsy.com/listing/63659261/cream-knit-scarf for more photos and info. :)