unleash the power of inspiration...

                                         unleash the power of inspiration...

Working on the then unnamed sweater on a train just outside of Interlaken Switzerland

Rebe                                                                                                     Interlaken

Thanks for stopping by...I hope that you enjoy the photos! 

This month they were taken on Christmas Eve as I made a Lumberjack Cake. I love to make fancy cakes but don't want to have to eat it all myself. So I make the most of being invited to or hosting parties -then I really push the boat out and try my hand at something elaborate. I first saw these cakes on Pinterest while I was "working" on the River City Yarns collection and decided I really want to have a go at making one. During my travels between then and Christmas I found the perfect napkins and paper plates too. It took all day to make it but it was so much fun to do! Yes the batter was really red. I took advantage of the cold weather to harden the chocolate out in the snow. My husband even made a faux axe to complete the look....and I used a decorative tree stump for my little photo shoot - always the designer eh?


Please check back in next month...when I'll be here telling you what my latest fascination is.

See you next month      
Fiona xxxx

On-line, On-nine
Monthly post on the 9th of each month! 
On-line, On-nine Jan 9th 2018

Happy New Year!


I'm not a big one for new year's resolutions. What I prefer to do instead is choose a word or phrase that sets my intention for the year. For 2018 I have chosen the word "kindness".

Even though some days it doesn't always feel like it, I try to hold onto the idea that there is more good in the world than bad. So this year I am going to try to add to the good side of the equation by attempting to be kind to everyone (myself included) as a way to staying focused on the positive.

 

Jan 1st is a new beginning but it is also the closing of a chapter. So rather than trying to anticipate what is to come I tend to take a quick look back and do a capsule review of the year that has just ended. I like to see what I managed to accomplish and what I have learned. Then I apply those things to my intentions moving forward (of course there is always a list too). Sometimes this can be sweeping out things which are no longer useful and sometimes that means consolidating the good things already begun. The beginning of new things I tend to leave for September when I'm in "back to school" mode. Isn't it funny how each season has it's own mood for each of us?


For me 2017 started off badly, with a nasty fall when I broke my wrist which of course put a serious crimp in my ability to work, which in turn made me very cranky. But after my recovery was under way the year proved to be very fun, including lots of pleasurable and enlightening trips. On the work front I was involved in some new projects, but also kept up with others that have now become almost fixtures.


So what's on my list of things to carry forward with me into 2018?

1) My injury showed me how much impact kindness can have on someone's day. I was very fortunate to be surrounded by many people willing to help me, some of them total strangers. It reminded me that a simple act, like holding a door, can make a difference. This is the major factor in my choosing my word for this year.


2) My day to day working life is mainly solitary. So having the opportunity to be an integral team part of a team (rather than working freelance) is a welcome change of pace. This has reminded me that being part of a team can be really rewarding and that by working together we can achieve terrific things. I so enjoy working with River City Yarns to help them develop their pattern collection. In 2017 the Canadian Cabin Collection was launched - so much fun to work on and we are all really proud of it. You can hear all about it on this podcast. I'm looking forward to more work like this (I hope).

 

3) Even successful endeavours reach a point when it is time to re-group and evaluate. This is in order to see how to move forward onto even greater things. Late in the year Twist Collective re-launched the magazine in collaboration with Webs Yarns (another team effort).  Then during the first week of the new year another brand new issue went live. If you haven't yet seen it you can find it here. I'm thrilled to have two designs featured in this latest issue.

One of them is Interlaken which I knit on as I rode the rails in Switzerland...that's why I gave it the name. I'm adding a screen shot taken from the video my husband shot of my doing this.

I'm super excited to see the continued success of Twist Collective and to watch (literally) what is new from them; a video Knit Along for Kate Gilbert's design framework. 


I hope that you all have a really wonderful 2018!