unleash the power of inspiration...

                                         unleash the power of inspiration...

On-line, On-nine
Monthly post on the 9th of each month! 
On-line, On-nine  May 9th 2017

Thanks for reading...I hope that you enjoy the photos! 

This month they are all from a mini photo shoot I staged. One of the things on my long term list is to improve my photography skills so I try to set up a time to take a bunch of photos of the same thing in order to play with composition and camera settings.


Please check back next month to find out what my latest fascination is.

See you next month      
Fiona xxxx

Making a list (and checking it twice?)


I'm an obsessive list maker. I'm pretty sure that this stems from my being easily distracted. To avoid forgetting things I have developed a deeply ingrained habit of putting everything that I need to do on a list. It works really well, but I have to admit the list habit does occasionally take over, especially when I have a lot of things to do or there is a big deadline looming. 


As I pondered what to write about this month I simply couldn't narrow my thoughts down to a single topic. So in the spirit of my list making habit I'm going to share my list of nine things that are currently making me happy. OK I know I've stretched it a bit but I had to keep the nine theme going...


     1)  I'm currently reading the book Hit Makers by Derek Thompson. I love learning new things so I read quite a lot of non fiction. I'm only part way through the book but I can already tell that it's probably going to have a strong influence of my thoughts. Several points have already resonated with me. For example, have you ever thought how the trend in unusual baby names came to be?  It turns out the trend began as people began to move to live in cities when industrialization took over from agriculture. It's explained in full detail in the book of course.  My main take away so far is that for new items (songs, films, clothing, technology) to take off in popularity they have to be just different enough while retaining a familiarity. 


     2) Last week was the Hot Docs festival but sadly I only got to see one film. The film I saw was really fun and took a unique approach to the genre of documentary. Becoming Bond is George Lazenby's story of how he came to be cast as 007. In additions to the usual doc style of the subject being interviewed also included are reenactments. These are done in a Bond style which make them super fun. Many of the stories sound like tall tales which just ads to the overall effect.


    3) We have just bought a new sofa and I'm now shopping for new lighting for our living room. Wandering around furniture stores I notice than Scandinavian style has become an even stronger trend. I love looking at the simple elegance of these pieces.  


    4) Late last year I saw the documentary California Typewriter which set me off wanting one. Tom Hanks & John Mayer are featured in the film and made them sound so romantic and a great tool for creativity. I was given one for my birthday and it's now all restored and in full working order, so I'll be tapping away on it soon. Must remember to put a trip to buy fancy paper on my list- ha.


    5) My fit-bit continues to keep me motivated to walk longer and longer distances. Combined with joining a new gym a year ago (it was the anniversary last week) I am significantly fitter than in May 2016 & I've lost weight too. 


    6) In related news I am happy to report that by sticking to all the exercises that my physio recommended that last Saturday I managed to lift heavier weights at the gym than I had before I broke my wrist.


    7) The last weekend in April was the Toronto Knitters Guild Frolic. An annual event which is a highlight of local knitters calendar. I'm still basking in the fond memory of the weekend. I got to teach lots of eager students, hang out with tons of knitters, hear both Sally Melville and Stephanie Pearl McPhee give presentations and my work was featured in the fashion show. For photos check out this Flickr page.


    8) In design news the second issue of Rib magazine has just launched & I am thrilled that I have a design included. It's been a long time since I worked on menswear so I loved working on this project. I was so excited to see it featured on the website landing page & the photography is really wonderful.


    9) I just finished a new project for Sweet Georgia yarns and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Sorry but you will have to wait until the Fall to see it tho. 


As I review this list I realize that there is a thread linking most of them together - habit and sticking to a plan. You see this is where the list making really works. If I decide that I want to achieve something, make a change or simply get something finished then breaking the overall plan down into manageable tasks makes it doable & less overwhelming. Knitters are very good at this, they totally see how if you keep working in increments you end up making progress (for the most part). They understand that just putting one stitch in front of another you create a row, then row by row you eventually end up with a finished piece. I guess that's why we are constantly saying " just one more row".