Making artworks, being creative without a studio

…can be difficult. And I won’t lie, I am at complete odds with myself a lot of the time since I have started traveling. Where are my pencils, where are my bolts of cloth and bags of wool and vast array of needles, hooks, pins and embroidery hoops? What if I have an idea that I cannot work on because I cannot immediately put my hands on a hammer, or a pair of needle-nosed pliers? What if I want to make some more paper? What if I want to sketch…something? How am I going to make artworks or be creative with the (admittedly overstuffed) studio I had previously?

Short answer is;  I am still finding out.

A longer answer is, I just keep doing little experiments to find my way. I don’t like to think about it too much, as it creates a tremendous pressure in my head and makes my chest feel very tight.

So, here are a few testing-the-waters experiments that I am working on.

1. Embroidery

Embroidery is hard without an embroidery hoop. But, after some initial clumsiness, I get into the swing of things and create some interesting geometric shapes and patterns.

2. Wearable crocheted….things.

In London I have Officially Run Out Of Wool. And so far, I have had no luck finding wool that is acrylic and most importantly, inexpensive. This sounds like not much of a problem, but woolly textile creative endeavours are crucial for my well-being. Sitting still with my hands in my lap, just looking at things, is just not for me. I remember a time when I used to do this, and I cannot go back. It just feels…too strange.

But I am keeping my brain ticking over with some adaptations of clothes, and other bits and pieces. And I have a last few metres of wool here and there, and have been perfecting that technique. So I have been using these flowers to add colour to various garments, for example, some VERY chunky gloves.

3. Making my own threads for crochet

Since I can’t find a ball of wool to crochet, damnit, I will make a ball of wool to crochet. Fortunately, London is like a lot of cities in that you just wander around, and can find things people are dumping on the street that are completely serviceable. I have found filing cabinets, large manila folders, kitchen sinks, mirrors, picture frames, whiteboards, and most memorably, a one-quarter scale pool table with all the trimmings. I didn’t need or want any of these things but there are other things I desire which are also available in high quantities; clothing and other materials.

So I have found quite a few different types, and after bringing them home, washing them and hanging them outside to dry, they are ready to be turned into long strips of material, which I will be using in conjunction with a 12mm (at least) crochet hook to turn into a rug (hopefully, two). It takes awhile to do this, once again, I lament the lack of a machine to take some of the grunt work out of this process. If such a thing exists, please tell me about it! I would love to know.