Find your own way to it

I was a bit surprised when my recent description of a conversation with an experienced basket maker sparked a few comments about how unacceptable it is to discourage someone from experimenting. It honestly hadn't occurred to me to be discouraged! I may have made too much out of what was actually such a brief exchange. I didn't present any concrete idea, just mentioned the vaguest of concepts. It might have been nice if she had taken an interest and drawn me out a little, but I'm not sure I would have had anything to add if she had.

What I took from the exchange was food for thought about the particular challenges you might meet when combining disciplines and/or media, as well as the value of taking time to learn skills (like knowing the rules before you break them).

I have lots of loopy ideas, and often try things that don't work too well, or that I will need to get back to once I figure out a better way. This doesn't bother me too much. (The main problem is what to do with the failed or half-made projects that languish around the house.) I also have ideas or plans - like combining felting and basketry - that I expect to take months or years to go anywhere. I could probably do with a bit less patience at times.

I'm thrilled that so many of you are fans of innovation, experimentation, and breaking boundaries. I'm keen to keep revealing and sharing the results of my ideas (good, bad or indifferent), and I hope you do too.

A bit of what's happening here this week

These are pre-felting pictures - this stuff is all now soaking in a bucket, nearly felted.

(TSS, it's been a while but I'm pretty sure one of these has your name on it.)

It's not the first time I've had a week off for making things, but it feels a little different this time. I think it might be because I had last week off too, and away in the skiing world, getting me right out of the routine. I'm more withdrawn from the 'real world', going out very little and really immersed in my own world. It's a taste of what it might be like to use some long service leave this way. But I do wonder how re-entry will be next Monday. Don't even want to think about re-entry after a longer period spent like this!

Driven. Enamoured. Armed with sticks and string.

I think Elizabeth kinda gets it. With a big wink.

They dream knitting I think, as every spare second, every minute waiting for a doctor or on a plane is spent, knitting, knitting, knitting.

She doesn't even hint at that phrase , you know the one, that includes "your grandma" and "knitting's not just" and "for" and "anymore".

Actually I don't really like to identify as a "knitter", like that's a special category. I may have said this before, I really think the urge to be creative and 'make stuff' is actually a basic human drive. It's just a shame that many people suppress it quite young because society says you have to have 'artistic talent' and that only a small percentage have that.