Getting Your Groove Back
How do the rest of you get your creativity flowing when you have no juice left? I did a lot, and I do mean a lot, of spinning over the winter. I played with colours, with silks, with blends, mohair, qiviut, camel, linen, all sorts of wools and nothing inspired me, nothing moved me. I joined a knitting group to relearn knitting. The group speak French as their primary language, so that was a doubly challenging. We have a blast and I have to say I’m still a terrible knitter and still not bi-lingual, but I love their company. Perseverance might be the only way through this arid spot.
We have started cleaning the Guild space and prepping for destashing. In the 100 inch loom studio was a very large bag containing rags for weaving catalogne blankets. These are traditional Quebec coverlets to keep sleepers warm during deep winters. They are thick and heavy. They are also quintessential recycle projects since they are made from strips of rags. I was allowed to purchase all the yellow strips. These are made from cotton jersey and I loved the colour.
One of our guild members made the happy/sad decision to accept a job in her home city and left here to move across the country to Vancouver. She generously offered her yarn for sale to Guild members. I love her colours so much that I violated my promise-to-self of no more yarn in the house. If you closely at the picture below you might spot a little loop of thread laying on the yellow spool. That is all that remains of the mushroom cotton. That’s yarn chicken at it’s finest, less than one yard remained on a 500gm bobbin.
All the mushroom, yellow and magenta cotton threads are now measured as a 10 yd warp ready to go on the loom and be woven with the yellow rags.
The final piece of this little “get moving – get weaving” scenario was a bag of warp spacers for a sectional beamed loom. These spacers really were the topper because they allow me to do a really long warp on my loom. I have no excuses anymore. This weekend I just need to put my mind to getting on with it and know I’ll enjoy getting creative again.
10 thoughts on “Getting Your Groove Back”
When you lose your mojo it’s a horrible time. Often it’s just a matter of ‘it will pass’ but if it doesn’t we find two things that help.
A deadline or a challenge.
A deadline is when you’ve promised to have something by a certain date so no matter how you feel you just have to get on with it …
and the second is the quarterly forum challenge – it’s surprising how, when you start to think about what you could make for the challenge, your mind slowly gets its enthusiasm back as you tinker with ideas that you maybe wouldn’t have considered had it not been for the challenge.
I’m late the party again as I’m just playing catch up with posts. I’m hoping that by now you’ve got your mojo back. I’m sure we’ve all hit the wall at times and struggled to get back to feeling motivated. Personally I’ve found it’s happened less and less since joining local textile groups that set challenges with deadlines that have to be met. There’s nothing like a looming deadline to focus my mind!
I hope you’ve found something, from the many suggestions that folk have provided, which has worked for you.
You certainly are making the right moves and we hope this weekend will prove creative and enjoyable for you – let us know with another blog post 🙂
I certainly hope so! I’ve discussed this issue with others and they recommend to just keep at it, keep trying, so that’s basically what I’m doing. I’m seeing so many wheels and looms for sale here from fiber folk who’ve given up and it’s sad.
How do the loom spacers work Bernadette? Do you wind the warp over them on the warp beam? My friend, who is a spinner and weaver, uses fairly thick paper and rolls that on the beam as the warp is wound on and she’s able to use that to keep long warp threads apart and organised. I generally take her the quite stiff brown packing paper that usually comes in long length in a box of something I’ve ordered on line, so it doesn’t cost her anything.
Mind you, that’s the exact opposite of what I’d do. The thought of having to keep weaving a long long warp would drive me mad. I can only to about 2 – 3 inches of plain weaving without succumbing to screaming boredom – even when listening to an audio book, the while.
I am looking forward to seeing what you do with the lovely coloured yarns and rags. I hope there will be a follow up post?
Ann
The spacers are the same idea as the paper but are made specifically for a sectional back beam. The sectional can be used for short warps in which case you can get away without using spacers, but for a long warp you need something between the little “u” shaped sections to keep the warp from cutting through and messing with your tension. When used properly it allows a solo weaver warp a very long and wide warp by themselves.
Sounds like you’re definitely moving in the right direction. I like Lynannierosie2’s suggestions. One that may not be suitable but has worked once for me is to decide not to make anything but just to think, browse & sketch ideas. It helped I was on holiday so didn’t have any materials. I couldn’t dive in and give something a go, so I just kept thinking, recording & revisiting. By the time I could get back to making I was full of ideas & enthusiasm.
Good luck.
Yes, it’s either apply a little more pressure , or step back and take a break. For now I have a little pressure added, so that’s the direction I’m heading in, but the idea of a break without any supplies sounds really appealing and a little scary.
Looks like you’re moving in the right direction. Sometimes, you just need a break and let yourself be “fallow”. The hardest part of this is not stressing out that you’re having this uncreative period but all of us need a break now and again. My way of getting through is to go into the studio and do something very simple, whether it be playing with color, organizing supplies, looking through old sketchbooks, reading a fiber art book, going outside and sketching something (anything), going on a “play date” where I allow myself to do something childish and fun without preconceived notions and outcomes, make a small sample, practice some stitches (hand or machine), try a new craft, or essentially just do something.
I’m looking forward to seeing your weaving come together 🙂
I am sensing excitement happening towards the end of your post Bernadette. As the saying goes (I think) it’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good, making a decision to join a knitters group whose primary language is not necessarily yours was a bold decision that has certainly paid off. I hope you have your mojo back but if not stay cool, it will come.
Helene x