I attended a workshop on design this past Sunday at the LYS. Mostly it was organized as an open discussion with a few creativity exercises thrown in for good measure. I enjoy workshops like this, I think it's good for people, including myself, to share their ideas with others. I always find it rather enlightening to hear what inspires others. I came away from the workshop with several ideas rolling around in my head.

Idea number one - The importance of making each project you do your own. Whether you are making changes to a pattern, or embellishing an old sweater, everything you do creatively should be stamped with your own personal sense of style. We all have a personality that's unique, we are all, by default, individuals. Your personality should shine through in all your projects. If you do what you love, and what just feels right to you, your sense of style will show.

Idea number two - I came away from the workshop with a renewed belief that we all have a creative muscle, and like any other muscle it needs regular exercise to stay in shape. This exercise can come from any number of activities. Sometimes the activity may be a workshop like this one, the opportunity to share with others and hear and see what inspires and motivates them to continue to create. Sometimes this activity is small, your time is limited for whatever reason. No matter if you have hours to spend, or moments on a given day, the important thing is to exercise your creativity. Do something creative everyday.

Idea number three - Experiment! Embellish! Improvise! These three ingredients are essential. In my humble opinion they are the cornerstones that any creative endeavor is built on. Challenge yourself to try something new, or to work with colors you don't usually gravitate towards. Change what's already there. Think outside the box. Make stuff up as you go along. The important thing is to push your own boundaries creatively. Experiment, Embellish, Improvise!

Here are just a few of the projects to try we came up with during the workshop. Many of them are things I feel inspired to do myself, maybe some of them will get your creative juices flowing as well.

• Change the next pattern you're going to knit to make it your own. Add stripes to a plain sweater pattern, or a few rows of lace work to a shawl, or a section of ribbing at the waist of a tank.
  
• Take all the buttons off a store bought sweater and replace them with vintage buttons that are really special.
• Needle felt into an old pair of jeans to give them a whole new look.
• Add some lace to the cuffs of an old sweater, or some vintage trim to the hem of an old skirt.
  
• Make and sew an applique on a plain old tee-shirt.

The important thing to remember is to give all of your creative endeavors that little extra something, to put part of yourself into each idea so that your personality shines through and everything you create will be uniquely your own.