Fall/Winter 2017 is here, and I am thrilled to finally share these pieces with you. When I started "Lady of the Lake," I was thinking about water and the mythological women from Camelot and Hamlet. However, as I worked on the collection... well, I hit a wall. A big, sucky, creative block. Weeks went by with little progress to show for them. And although the experience was trying, it seems fitting that RESPONSIVE TEXTILES' fifth collection would be a landmark one for me as a maker. It would also perhaps be the most RESPONSIVE one yet.
Real talk friends. Initially, creating this collection felt more like pulling teeth. Each little step was a struggle. Nothing flowed naturally. By mid-September, I was emotionally drained and overwhelmed. That is when I decided to take a cue from water itself and follow the path of least resistance. Instead of continuing to kick against the current, I let myself float along with it. I granted myself permission to leave my studio, embrace my blues and get back to the basics: self-care. I started spending the time to make my meals every day, exercise and go to bed on time. Seriously, the basic basics! I scrapped much of what I had made so far and let go of my lofty expectations for this collection (how large and grand it had to be, how this needed to be my best work ever). I allowed myself to relax, experiment and play with my medium again. To use colors and create textures that reflected my heart. The more I took the pressure off and cared for myself, the more my passion for knitting ignited again. As if carried by water itself, I eventually flowed around that creative block, which had been standing in my way.
When I started this collection, I did not intend for it to be autobiographical. However, it turned out to be the most personal one yet. Through my process of working on this collection, I embarked on my own journey of embracing my blues. This series became a story of releasing emotional weight and healing. About getting back to basics with what feels right. About bravely diving in and being content just going with the flow until you can swim again. I turned out to be the Lady of the Lake, whose spirit I was trying to capture in my pieces. And in these knits, I hope you can feel the healing and calm I found in myself again when I was creating them.
xKristine of RESPONSIVE TEXTILES