Organized Hyper Stimulated Inspiration

Sometimes I feel like the only thing keeping me together is my skin. The possibilities and ideas are endless. There are so many fun mediums and so many ways you can make something old new again. A random youtube video leading to another, a new craftsy class or scrolling through pins for much longer than you intended can bring a spur of ideas. Sometimes working on a project with only your thoughts to keep you company can bring this on as well (this happens a lot at night when my mind doesn't have to compete with my energetic boys). One really odd time, it happened in the middle of watching a movie where there didn't seem to be an obvious trigger.

Finding focus in these hyper stimulated moments can be challenging. When I get into these modes (like today), focus is no longer my goal; recording those ideas down is. I like using the Magical Pad app to mind-map those ideas. I keep webs to include photo ideas for peyote patterns, color inspirations, knitting pattern ideas and other ideas for mediums I want to experiment with in the future. Not everything sticks or turns out great but when you're having a dry spell it's perfect to remember those incubating inspirations.

What I like about using the app is that I always have that web of ideas with me everywhere my phone or iPad is. Remember those peyote photo ideas? Maybe I can take some of those photos while I'm out walking and enjoying the sunshine. Remember those ideas in other mediums? Maybe the boutique art store downtown has some interesting classes coming up or a book store has a book with the know how to make those ideas a reality.

If you're an avid pin collector on pintrest, maybe adding the ideas you like to your mind map can help separate the "thats cool" from the "lets change this and that and then make it happen." With app you can add to do lists, photos, sketches and more. You can delete sections that really just don't work or move sections to a different part of the web. You can hide sections of your webs or view it all at a glance.

I don't always write directly in my mind-map. Sometimes I just let the ideas pour on to a paper envelope or scrap then organize it in the mind-map later. There are journals, whiteboards and poster boards can be just as effective too. Whether mind-mapping is for you or not, don't fight the flood or try to find focus; ride this wave, see where it takes you and record those ideas!

A Magical Fairwell

This week marks the end of one of the most popular movie series of all time, Harry Potter. To celebrate the finale, many fiber enthusiasts are showing their love for the series by coming up with some truly amazing patterns, some with really innovated techniques. Even if you are a casual knitter, check out these patterns and challenge yourself to make something different and fun.




Best of Hand Knits
If you haven't seen some of the work by Steve Plummer of Wooly Thoughts, you're missing out. At first glance head on, it looks like an ordinary striped blanket but then as you continue passing by, it catches the corner of your eye and an amazing photo realistic image appears as if by magic. The technique is surprisingly simple. Strategically placed purls on plain stockinette striped fabric create this effect. He has five Harry Potter designs among others, you just have to check them out. Prices for his patterns vary but his website has free tutorials for designing your own which is very cool

Although I haven't seen any images or looked deeply into it, it appears Terry Bradford has tried converting a couple of Steve's Harry Potter patterns into crochet. It might be worth looking into if you strongly prefer crochet.




Best of Crochet

Todd Paschall founded a technique called crochet by numbers. These pieces are gorgeous and photo realistic at any angle. I has done portraits in crochet of several famous people and since added several stunning nature scenes. There is a great article in Crochet Today about him and how it began. What does this have to do with Harry Potter? One of his fans, Lee Mac (totallee) who is also a fan of Harry Potter figured out her own method for generating these amazing patterns (unfortunately both have kept details of their designing methods a secret). All of her patterns are free and she does offer her own technique tips in addition to the tutorials on Todd's site along with many stunning gallery images. She also has a Ravelry group dedicated to this method.

Megan McDuffee has her own method and wrote how to crochet your very own photo realistic Harry Potter blanket (or whoever else you wish to snuggle up in). Details can be found in her pattern page for her. Harry Potter Blanket. 



A Few Smaller Projects with Great Appeal
Here are a few smaller projects I found on Ravelry that I absolutely love (*Free PDF or Website):

• Gryffindor Cami*
• Harry Potter Uniform Sweater*
• House Pride Knee High Socks: Hufflepuff | Ravenclaw | Gryffindor | Slytherin
• Hermione's Scarf* 
• Sorting Hat*
• Wizard Robe
• Mandrake Root
• Dobby
• Harry Hopper
• HP Fair Isle Pouch*
• Gryffindor iPhone Cozy*

If you're looking to make something but are willing to