MORE PICTURES IN THE LOOK BOOK LINK BELOW, Check it out.  🙂

wired to the past shawl pattern look book teaser

Check out the new Wired to the Past Gradient Shawl Look Book and Photo shoot fun in the link above coming soon to www.valeriebaberdesign.com, www.valeriebaberdesign.etsy.com  The Wired to the Past Gradient shawl is part of my collection “Wired to the Past”  where I am taking inspiration of the past in design and architecture and “wiring” it to the present in yarn with an essence of the past.  This shawl has a wired feel to the design in both the colour and stitches.  I used beautiful yarns from www.sweetgeorgiayarns.com that include the Party of Five Gradient mini skeins in the Graphite with a skein of the Cashluxe Spark yarn that has a lovely sparkle effect especially when light hits it a certain way.  This really shows up in evening light beautifully giving it a metallic essence perfect for the Wired Look I was going for.  To top it off it is extremely luxurious yarn.

On a side note, I would love to start patterning some of the many designs I have made over the years, however whenever I start I stop as it is just not what I enjoy nor it is something I am good at anymore.  I used to design kids and adult sweaters and accessories and pattern them for others to enjoy, but that was years ago.  When I took my Interior Design and Interior Decorating it opened a part of my designing mind that hasn’t been able to stop since.  I absolutely love the designing process, it is where I experience pure bliss.  I scribble down in my notes, very messy notes, of what I did in some sort of short form that I can’t always read later.  You would think I would know better by now lol.  🙂 There they sit on pieces of paper, books, post it notes and other strange places that were available when my thoughts and hands started designing the newest idea.  It’s a dilemma that I struggle with as I would love to pattern many of my designs, but it really is not in my skill set to do this well anymore.  I can be honest about that and though I wish it was something I excelled at I feel it is more important to be who I am and create in the realm that I was meant to be in and that is in the designing end.  Perhaps one day I will come across a company who is look just for a designer or a person who is wonderful at pattern writing and just loves this part more than designing and we could work together to bring you beautiful patterns to make.

This is one of my dreams I wanted to share with you today.  You can’t always have everything you want or be good at everything, but if you work hard at what you are good at, concentrate on that skill set you will become great at it down the road.  Don’t get side tracked by the ideas and goals others think you should take or even the ones you feel you should be adding to your goals because that’s what other people do.  If it is not who you are you will not enjoy it and then what is the point! If you are a designer, then design to your best ability.  If you are a pattern writer than write the best ones you can.  In whatever you do work the best you can at it and enjoy it. Work together with people who love what they do and the outcome will be amazing and great.  When we work together to support each other and help each other everything is better.  Perhaps one day I will find a company who wants a designer to design and nothing else or a group of people or another person who whats to collaborate our skills and make amazing designs and patterns together for you to enjoy.

I have struggled for a long time about this and have tried doing some recent pattern writing, but it truly is not something I am good at anymore as my mind is purely on designing and I truly enjoy it.  Designing is my bliss where I can create something new on a daily basis.  Designing something I am inspired with each day or take an old design and revamp it into something better and continue in my adventure in design with yarn and some needles.  Working with colours and textures with beautiful yarns that are hand painted by other Artists and creating something special with these amazing yarns.

My newest love of yarns is from www.sweetgeorgiayarns.com the colours Felicia designs and the staff make are just amazing and inspire me everyday to design something new. The Wired to the Past shawl above was inspired by their new Part of Five Gradient yarns in the Graphite colours and their new Cashluxe Spark yarn.  The outcome of these two yarns together is so very soft and elegant with and edge. The Cashluxe is stunning with the soft sparkle in it that comes alive when light bounces around in the evening, it really is a beautiful stunning yarn. The Part of Five Collections are so fun and fabulous to work with, check out some of their newest colours including the lightest one in the shawl called Snowfall.  This colour is so elegant!  I absolute love them together.  I wanted to pattern this design and share it with you as I love making them.  They are calming and relaxing and easy for most people to make, but my dilemma is as above when I get to the pattern writing part I stop.  I would love to share this pattern with you, perhaps down the road something will come together and I will be able to share it with you.

I am currently selling various knitting kits with patterns and yarns by Sweetgeorgia Yarns on at www.valeriebaberdesign.com and www.valeriebaberdesigns.etsy.com  More to come including yarns soon.

In the meant time I will continue to do what I love and design and create what I am inspired by each day.  Be inspired today and remember to do you best at what you love!