World Wide Artist Blog Hop

I was invited to join in on the World Wide Artist Blog Hop by the multi-talented Andrea of Kokopelli Design (http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/2014/08/worldwide-artist-blog-hop-and-four.html) - thank you for thinking of me Andrea!

Artists around the world post answers to 4 questions on their blogs and link to 3 (a minimum of 1) artists who post their answers the following Monday and so it continues..! 

The blog post looks like this:

 • Link/ intro to the person/blog who invited them on the blog-hop.
 • Answers to these 4 questions:

1. Why do I do what I do?
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

3. How does my creative process work?

4. What am I working on now? 

• And finally the links to the artists of your choice who will post their answers the following Monday.

These are some of the other bloggers who have participated in the blog-hop: http://lovingrd.wordpress.com/ http://www.kimwerker.com/2014/06/02/around-world-blog-hop/ http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk/2014/06/around-world-blog-hop.html http://pagesintime.blogspot.com/2014/06/blog-hop-last-week-i-received-email.html http://inthehillsofnorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2014/06/blog-hop.html

WHY DO I DO WHAT I DO? 

Because I love it!     I love colour!    I love "making" things!   Even my very earliest memories revolve around crayons, paint, paper and yarn!   Creating is like breathing - something I do without thinking, but without which I would not be able to LIVE! 

RAINBOW VERMICILLI MANDALA

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF IT'S GENRE?

To say my work is unique or set apart from other work in the same genre seems a bit pretentious!    My work may be a bit different in that I do not work with a set number of colours only.   My yarn stash is more built on colour variety than type of yarn!   The only colour I do not work with is black.    I also don't worry much about trends!     I create what I FEEL!

GRANNY SQUARE HIPPIE JACKET 

HOW DOES MY CREATIVE PROCESS WORK? 

Sometimes I wake up with an idea in my head or I see something that inspires me (colours, pictures, flowers etc).   If I cannot start crocheting or crafting immediately, I do a quick sketch and make some notes in my ideas book.    

The inspiration for THE "PACHA" PONCHO came from a Dutch design site.    It took on a personality of its own and ended up looking like Pacha's Poncho (the big guy from Disney's The Emperor's New Groove) and not even remotely similar to the original inspiration!

Often when I start working on a project, more ideas seem to flow - I will also jot these down in my ideas book.

While I was making the DAISY CENTRE MANDALA, I had the idea to turn it into a SQUARE and make an afghan!

Sometimes I am too tired to crochet or craft and I will just sit at my desk and draw and colour little doodles - a lot of my colour combinations flow from this.  The Starflower Doodle was the inspiration for the Starflower Mandala

I am a "neat freak", and have a bit of an aversion to storing "scraps".  When I have crafted myself into a literal corner, and I am surrounded by half balls of yarn or mounds of cut paper,  I will have a quick tidy up and spend a bit of time "thinking" what I can make (anything not to have to hoard the scraps).

GRANNY SQUARES HAPPYGHAN

WHAT AM I WORKING ON NOW? 

I have been on a serious WIP and Stash Busting mission since the beginning of July!     Part of this plan is to finish writing all my incomplete patterns.

The pattern for my SUNFLOWER MANDALA has been completed and posted on Ravelry

I am also holding a crochet along on my blog for a HAPPY DAYS BLANKET, with a different square every two weeks

I invited the following artists to join the Worldwide Blog Hop:

Dedri Uys of LOOK WHAT I MADE

Julia Gartner of  DADA NEON CROCHET