Last autumn I joined Sue at Backlane Notebook in a cut flower challenge. With only our tiny courtyard garden and local hedgerows to pick from could I pull together a floral offering with which to adorn my home each and every week of the year? I promised to be sure to keep you up to date ... oops!
That's the first promise broken then. But I've kept up with the challenge, oh yes indeedy! And I've stuck to the rules that I set for myself. First and foremost, follow the Wild Flower Society's Code of Conduct when picking while out and about. Anything less than three stems or sprays doesn't count, but if all you can find is foliage that's fine. And if scavenging for blooms - the whippets and I pass the gardens of a derelict cottage on our walks - don't take home what others may be enjoying.
I won't pretend there hasn't been repetition, but you really can't have too much holly in December or too many hyacinths and hellebores in spring. There's been mistletoe, fumitory, white campion, buttercups, primulas, pussy willow ... I could go on but I'm endeavouring to keep my word count under control here. This week we have, from the verges and hedges along the lane that runs down to the river, an everlasting pea, a wild geranium that I'm guessing is a garden escapee, and something I've yet to identify ... anyone know? Inspired by another Sue I made a nosegay, or tussie-mussie, and pondered each plants floriographical meaning ... apparently geraniums denote gentility.
The 2013 Sketchbook Project is still go though, despite my having yet to begin. I've been battling with a dilemma and I'd welcome your thoughts. You may recall that I decided to take The Beetle Correspondence as my starting point? Well I got to thinking about using iron gall ink and traditional carmine watercolour, neither of which would exist without bugs. But where no insects are harmed in the production of the ink - the gall wasps that hatched within the tannin rich oak galls are long gone - the cochineal beetles that furnish the carmine clearly don't survive the process. They're farmed for the purpose but some folk do seem to get a bit hot under the collar about it all. I'm not entirely comfortable with it myself but it's what my biographee Mr M., the eighteenth century entomologist, would have used. So would the use of carmine be acceptable do you think?
I fear I'm waffling. So what prompted these meanderings? A question I was asked, that's what. Do you take on more - more projects, more challenges, more commitments - than you would if you didn't have blog posts to fill ? It's not something I'd ever thought about, but yes, if I'm honest, maybe sometimes I do. Which isn't such a bad thing, surely? Blogging broadens my horizons and is so much fun! But how about you, how would you answer the question?
* Inspired by Project :: Sky 365 which I have shamefully neglected. A handful of stalwarts - Babajeza, Clairej810, and zamburak - have kept it going and I am profoundly grateful to them.
* Inspired by Project :: Sky 365 which I have shamefully neglected. A handful of stalwarts - Babajeza, Clairej810, and zamburak - have kept it going and I am profoundly grateful to them.
I really must put more sky photos on. I often see beautiful skies and I always think of you when I do but I either haven't got my camera to hand or I get distracted and then the opportunity is gone. So must do better!!
ReplyDeleteRe the carmine as a veggie I avoid it at all times, I never use products when I see the E120! I don't get offended when people use animal products but as a vegetarian I obviously would be happier if they didn't.
Vivienne x
I have to be honest and say I don't take on more. For me knitting and crochet should be relaxing and so I try to get things done, but not to post about. I try to get them done for myself, I also try not to make any goals like 12 sweaters in the year 2012, I just want to make what I want and that changes as I find new things to make. So I really try to just enjoy my time with yarn.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
it's such a big pleasure to read your posts, each time!!!
ReplyDeletethe answer to the question : I agree with you!
xxx Alessandra
Annie, in the ten months I have been blogging I have felt that I have been more focused and productive with creative pursuits in general, not so much because I wanted to complete something so that I had something to blog about, but rather in reading other folks' blogs I have been inspired and received instruction to try new things that I find enjoyable and often exciting! As for your choice of inks: What is more important to you? Are you more concerned about offending others or using a particular kind of ink? [that did not help, I bet :)]Your tussie-mussie is lovely, by the way:)
ReplyDeleteGracie <3
Gracie <3
I must admit early on I had fallen victim to the blog becoming the project motivator as well. I soon realized this drained every bit of enjoyment out of my projects and now completely avoid committing publically to any type of project goals. Projects and blogging are a pleasant escape from my full-time, highly left-brained job. Like Gracie, I do find inspiration in reading other people's blogs and work on my projects at my leisure.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you should absolutely use whatever kind of ink YOU think is appropriate :D
xox
I am inspired by the blogs I have followed and read. Without this friendly warm community I feel that my projects would never surface and see the light of day. A fascinating dilemma regards the ink? But I think we should all make our own choices. :) Hugs
ReplyDeleteI definitely 'do' more since I started blogging, not fuelled by guilt, but probably more inspired.....I'm glad I do more, I am pleased with how much I have achieved and improved in my skills. I don't feel under pressure, it hasn't made me wan to stop doing, so for me, it's no bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I know the answer about the ink, interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas unfold.
Hello Annie:
ReplyDeleteWe really do not think that it matters at all how many projects you take on at any one time, nor indeed what commitments you make to yourself to do things, if you continue to take pleasure in, and have fun with, all that you do.
From the start we decided that we would not take part in any blog memes as they can so often, we feel, in time become something of a chore, even a bore. But that is a personal view and the great joy of the blogosphere is that one can, so to speak, dive in and out!!
Goodness, you've done well with your flowers challenge. That's one I wouldn't know where to start with. I think it's interesting to keep challenging ourselves, I guess we keep to the ones we really want to or get the most out of. I wouldn't have a problem with the using the Carmine personally, I eat meat from cows and sheep farmed for the purpose after all.
ReplyDeleteS x
Well, Annie, I think blogging gives me a kick in the pants every now and then, to get on with something, either because of what someone has mentioned, or a photograph of something I really fancy. I don't get caught up with blog challenges and linky-uppies, though I'm often tempted, for the sociability, but I know I would not enjoy having to work to deadlines again, and would then feel embarrassed when I don't keep up.(And, as Jane and Lance, above , say, it can become a chore and bore.)
ReplyDeleteI already have my own internal chaos, because I like to have more than one thing on the go, to give me variety. hence things take quite a while to be completed. but that's how I like it. I have, thorugh you, become interested in sketching - I can't really draw,- and have a couple of lovely sketch pads and pencils; I intend to do some while the grandchildren are here as they want to do scrap-books documenting their visit to the UK. I'll be posting about it I expect. There, you see, I've now set myself a challenge!!
Ditto on the sky challenge I'm embarrassed to say. I blame the sky!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what your mystery flower is but you have made a nose gay that Jane Packer would be proud of and as for the carmine, I'm not sure I would do it but wouldn't be offended if you did ;)
Ditto ditto Sky 365 although funnily enough I thought of it this morning. Clouds looked fabulous on the school run this morning but of course (!) I didn't have my camera with me.
ReplyDeleteDon't know about doing things just to blog about them but more that when you read blogs you get inspired to do things. Just a shame there are only 24 hours in a day :-)
I find blogging can be inspiring but I am not good when pressurised and for that reason have decided not to join in or commit to any of the challenges although I did think of starting another blog as a sort of scrapbook where I do bits and pieces of the challenges which I have felt drawn to but at my own pace. Love the little posy - my sort of flower arrangement!
ReplyDeleteThe flower looks a bit like a cyclamen - could it possibly be? It's a bit hard to tell, though it does look lovely. Well done you for finding your flowers all through the year. It's all poppy heads here at the moment.
ReplyDeleteInteresting questions, Annie. I do find many blogs inspiring, especially when they make you think about the world in a different way, stretch the intellect and make you try out things you might not normally do. However, I'm pretty selective about the challenges that I join in because there is only so much time in the day and much of that is already committed.
Inks? Go with your conscience.
I sometimes wonder if I hadn't commited to picking a vase of garden flowers every week for a year would I keep blogging. I guess I would skip the odd week here and there but I find I really enjoy the challenge. And it's exciting to find unusual and unexpected combos that work when put in a vase. Also my allotment keeps me focused on vegetable growing and some of those experiences may be worth recounting. It's difficult to know but I really enjoy your blog and others even if I don't comment every time.
ReplyDeleteHi Annie, I find blogging has just made my projects become a little more organised....I'm less likely to forget about a project. The amount of projects are the same I've always been a 'serial knitter/crafter' with a few (many??)things on the go at one time.
ReplyDeleteI love to see finished projects whether they're a week old, a month old or have even taken a couple of years to complete! So looking forward to seeing your progress on your embroidery even if it is well into the future!
Happy knitting.
Fleur xx
Oh I've been terrible at starting too many projects this year that sadly still haven't been finished. Other Blogs have definitely given me a lot of inspiration to start different projects but it hasn't translated into actually getting them finished and therefore writing about them on my Blog. So now I feel under pressure to finish things which I don't really like. I am going to finish what I've started and then only do one thing at a time in the future, enjoy the journey more and maybe not even mention it on my Blog until it is done. Mel xx
ReplyDeleteIsn't it good to have many interests? Blogging has introduced me to folks all over the world who share many of my long held interests, like art, needlecrafts, reading, writing, fashion, nature, and people...and introduce me to new variations on these themes.
ReplyDeleteHaving such windows open to endless positive and creative possibilities can be a great antidote to reading less pleasant international news developments.
Thank you Annie for posing your question. xo
When I first started blogging I found myself committing to various things that I ended up not sticking with. Now I qualify any new venture with the admission I might not stick with it, and at the beginning of this year I listed some directions I wanted to head in 2012 rather than resolutions I would have to stick with (knowing full well I never would!). The one exception to this is my Sky Scarf. I did announce on my blog I was doing it, and in an odd way it has helped me stick with it. I am on month 5 and the thrill of knitting it wore off long ago. If I hadn't said anything about it on my blog, plus showed pictures of it in progress, I think i would have quit long ago.
ReplyDeleteI've always been better at starting a project than finishing one - even before I started blogging. The worst times for casting on new projects are when the new yarns come out in spring and autumn - I cannot resist trying out a new yarn and so a new project is born. I think it's probably because starting is exciting and that often wears off quickly (especially with shawls I've found!)
ReplyDeleteNo doubt some will be offended by the idea of using carmine and others won't be bothered, I suppose that you just need to go with what feels right to you because as blogging has taught me - you can't please all of the people all of the time.
Your flower photographs are just delicious Annie, thanks for sharing them.
Gorgeous. Ax
ReplyDeleteI way more often look up to the sky than I take pictures of it. As you said blogging opens the horizon. It is inspiring and lets us do things we wouldn't do. For example look up to the sky.
ReplyDeleteI'm good at finishing projects. Although I have lots of ideas I don't start to many at a time.
Ooh Annie you are awfully good at prompting conversation and thought... I suspect I do start more projects since starting my blog but I honestly never regret doing them, they make me learn new skills and i relish the challenge. I am inspired by the endeavours of other bloggers on a daily basis. Re the beetle ink, just do what feels right for you.
ReplyDeleteNice info about the gathering of wild flowers, I enjoyed that link. I walk past lots of pretty wild flowers/weeds daily and have often wondered if it's ok to pick a (very) little.
Being the absolute opposite of a completer-finisher, I am often in danger of breaking promised but I work on the basis that the 'promise' is to start something with the intention of enjoying it. As long as I'm (or we, or they) are enjoying it, that is fulfilment for me. Once my interest wains, there's not much point in continuing!
ReplyDelete(Of course, this doesn't hold for the 'let's get a puppy' project that was meant to inspire my children with responsibility, get them up early in the morning, take them all on long walks in the countryside and distract them from their Nintendos and computer games....I will have to initiate a 'let's look after the dog properly this summer and give mum a break' project with them.
Sorry - all about me, not your lovely blog and your own soul-searching questions. Save the beetle, I say! Axxxx
Ahh, Annie. I am grabbing five minutes between the next toddler wails, the next tick extraction (from the puppy not the child) and the current rabbit sweater knitting. I read your post yesterday and have come back with my thoughts on this post. I have a butterfly mind (my son has inherited this trait) which leads me to dreaming up dozens of creative projects each day. I flit from one to the next and therefore completely understand your enthusiasm and desire to embark on many projects at the same time. I have also inherited my father's rational - yawn - mind which sternly forces me to be reasonable. Sadly there is so little time in the day that I do not wish to spread myself too thin by taking on too many (creative) commitments. I know I will become frazzled and unpleasant to live with.
ReplyDeleteReading other blogs fires my desire to create. I remain very grateful to their authors for igniting my spark on those days when the daily grind can have the adverse effect.
Have a beautiful day, Annie.
What a beauty. I would far prefer foraged flora (responsibly) then a bouquet of shop bought flowers any day.
ReplyDeleteNina x
i am always picking flowers by the roadside on the way home from work. My general rule is only pick what will most likely be cut by the roadside maintenance vehicles.
ReplyDeleteOh yes definitely! but i do find having a blog keeps me motivated...which can only be a good thing, i guess. I have a huge collection of projects on the go, but i like it that way, its nice to be able to pick up something you fancy...i'm never short for choice!
ReplyDeletepretty flowers
love jooles x
I think I'm fine with the carmine question; after all, I'm not a vegan (although tend more towards vegetarian than carnivore)......and I think you have done amazingly well with the flower project. I love having fresh flowers around, but freshly cut posies last longer than a day....and I hate the thought of picking just for the sake of picking.....
ReplyDeleteand........hmmmmmmm. Your last ???? I tend to take more pictures that I wouldn't ordinarily take to illustrate my blog---which often leads to something else, and then another project...it's sort of like starting to put away the laundry, and see the dishes in the sink---so you put down the basket of laundry, and start to wash the dishes, but look out the window, and there is the vegetable garden...so you leave the dishes to pick veggies, and look at that zucchini--so you have to make some zucchini bread.....etc etc and the day ends and the laundry still isn't put away. (That never happens to you does it????)
Hello Annie...Oh my, twelve shawls in 2012 is quite a challenge isn't it?...Only for the serial shawl makers amongst us I would have thought!
ReplyDeleteI don't take on more projects because I blog but I do enjoy the whole process of working on a project more because I can share it with like minded friends whose opinions I respect and I'm constantly inspired by my amazingly talented blog pals! I always have a few projects on the go but don't take part in challenges...I would love to, but fear I would let everyone down..well, it takes me long enough to get a blog post togethet!
In regard to your dilemma about using the carmine...I will always look for other options at such times where I can but completely understand that it would add a real authenticity to your project...so just do what you think is best Annie.
Susan x
P.S Sorry...that should say 'together'....I'm blaming my bandaged left index finger!...x
ReplyDeleteStunning photos again, Annie! xxx
ReplyDeleteStephanie at millefeuilles has put it very well for me too. I am caught between the flitting and the rational. Summer is easier because I am garden obsessed in summer, it is in winter that knitting and crochet take over and I have find I have started yet another project without finishing the ones already in hand. I don't think the blog has made that any better or any worse. I have always had a strong tendency to bite off more than I can chew. When it works I get all sorts of fab things done, when it doesn't I tend not to blog about it!
ReplyDeleteHi Annie,
ReplyDeleteI have seen so many projects this year only I would have loved to participate, but was sure I didn't have time. I also have been breaking so many deadlines I have set myself I can't even count - I think we just need to let go sometime. All the wonderful blogs we read have so many great things to choose and try and participate, but I have slowly learned that it's as funny (and less time-consuming) to follow how others do with their projects, that's the beauty of the blog-community!
Happy last days of June and there's an award for you in my blog! No pressure attached, just a thank you for bringing sunshine to my days!
Yours,
Mia
Beautiful tussie-mussie.
ReplyDeleteCarmine - tough call. I don't know how I'd resolve that one. (I feel bad enough about silkworms.)
I think blogging has helped give focus to my creativity - knowing that I can photograph something and use it for a post is an encouragement to start it, and more importantly, to finish it.
P.S. I have taken so many sky pictures and then forgotten to post them! I'm sorry. :(