Mica wrote:
<<How many of
those disappointed are longtime veterans? Does it take something with
extra oomph to get us excited anymore? How many of us, who are wading
hipdeep in fiber stash, want to create any sweater just the way the
pattern reads? How many are forsaking patterns altogether?>>
These are some interesting questions, indeed. But is there an
assumption that beginners can't benefit from the same articles and
projects that excite more experienced spinners/knitters/weavers?
I don't know if that's what you meant to imply, or if I'm reading
something between the lines that doesn't exist, but I think it's an
interesting question.
Creaking my memory back to when I first got started in spinning and
first encountered Spin-Off, the first issue I vividly remember having an
influence on me was one with gloves by Rita Buchanan in them--I don't
have the issue on hand (out on loan) but the cover had a miniatur great
wheel, and a pair of red and a pair of dark brown gloves--only the brown
ones were handspun, if I remember.
It took me a good 12 years to reach a point where I felt confident I
could spin for a pair of gloves of equal quality, but I did, and have
made 2 pair. The same article probably inspired my handspun sock yarns,
too, since the spinning isn't much different.
Does a project need to be as basic as the sweater on the current SO
issue to inspire beginners to stretch their skills? I personally feel
most inspired by things that are well beyond my current level of
confidence and skill. It might be some small portion of the project or
article that's beyond me at the moment. That cover sweater turns me off
as a whole, but I *am* impressed at spinning a heavy yarn so smoothly
that I honestly wondered if it was commercial yarn.
The more I think about it, the more I realize inspiration comes mostly
from things I don't think I can do at my current level of skill. As I
flip through back issues of SO and other magazines, that's what keeps
hitting me. Projects I remember impressing me with the skill of the
spinner/knitter/weaver are the ones I remember inspiring me with ideas
and a desire to keep experimenting and learning.
To Interweave Press: Let's not talk down to beginners. Let's assume
they, too, can benefit from excitingly designed and executed projects.
Holly
http://www.hjsstudio.com
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