Wednesday, January 06, 2016
Permission to Play
One of the hottest gifts this Christmas was coloring books for adults. Geometrics, florals, abstracts and a pack of pencils, crayons or markers kept plenty of parents delighted and engaged long after all the gifts were unwrapped. The Rainey Sisters of Mason Dixon knitting book fame published a Knitters Coloring book this past December.
Why are coloring books so popular? Because they give us permission to play, to find joy in our creative choices and to make something uniquely our own. The pleasure of coloring comes in the process more than the product, which is the definition of play.
Isn't that why we love yarn? Yarn is another way of playing with color, texture and shape. It's color you can touch.
As you begin to plan your 2016 projects, we at River Colors Studio invite you to play with yarn. Think of it as doodling or coloring with yarn. Pick up the skeins that fill you with joy. Is it the color? Is it how the yarn feels in your hands or against your skin? Is it the smooth progression of the worsted stitches or the slippery beauty of the silk ribbon that delights you? Don't start searching Ravelry for a pattern. Pick up your needles in a few different sizes and swatch. See what your joyous yarn wants to do. Does it want to drape or stand firmly? Does it want the rustic simplicity of garter stitch or the dimension of cables?
You are a creative person. Your years of experience crocheting or knitting mean that you can make whatever you want from your yarn. Try it and see. Follow your own rules. Trust your own ideas and play with your yarn. You may just surprise yourself.
This chevron cowl is what happened when Laura gave herself permission to play. The bright saturated colors of Malabrigo Worsted spoke to her. Putting them together in chevron stripes of random widths, she created the softest, most cheerful infinity scarf that she could imagine, the perfect antidote to the gray days of a Cleveland winter. There's no particular pattern or recipe to share; she just played with the color sequence and the needle size until she ended up with the fabric that made her smile.
Come to the Studio and find what makes you smile
Why are coloring books so popular? Because they give us permission to play, to find joy in our creative choices and to make something uniquely our own. The pleasure of coloring comes in the process more than the product, which is the definition of play.
Isn't that why we love yarn? Yarn is another way of playing with color, texture and shape. It's color you can touch.
As you begin to plan your 2016 projects, we at River Colors Studio invite you to play with yarn. Think of it as doodling or coloring with yarn. Pick up the skeins that fill you with joy. Is it the color? Is it how the yarn feels in your hands or against your skin? Is it the smooth progression of the worsted stitches or the slippery beauty of the silk ribbon that delights you? Don't start searching Ravelry for a pattern. Pick up your needles in a few different sizes and swatch. See what your joyous yarn wants to do. Does it want to drape or stand firmly? Does it want the rustic simplicity of garter stitch or the dimension of cables?
You are a creative person. Your years of experience crocheting or knitting mean that you can make whatever you want from your yarn. Try it and see. Follow your own rules. Trust your own ideas and play with your yarn. You may just surprise yourself.
This chevron cowl is what happened when Laura gave herself permission to play. The bright saturated colors of Malabrigo Worsted spoke to her. Putting them together in chevron stripes of random widths, she created the softest, most cheerful infinity scarf that she could imagine, the perfect antidote to the gray days of a Cleveland winter. There's no particular pattern or recipe to share; she just played with the color sequence and the needle size until she ended up with the fabric that made her smile.Come to the Studio and find what makes you smile