Mexican Adventures: A Burst of Colours Inspiring My Next Yarn Collection

June 2, 2023

a digital collage of four images in old skool polaroid frames with a beige piece of paper texture in the background. the first photo is of a bunch of marigolds growing in a clump in the ground, lots of green leaves with the flowers being a vivid orange and a bright pink. next picture is a close up of a bush. the leaves are various colours of green with a firey red edge. the next is a picture of orange life jackets in various shades of worn out against a yellow pianted wall with a thatched roof peaking at the top. last picture is of a teal building with a white door frame

¡Hola, amigos! I'm back from my incredible adventure in Mexico, and let me tell you, it was a feast for the senses, and that's without talking about the buffet. Spending time around the area of the Riviera Maya I was surrounded by natures colours that left me completely inspired. Today, I want to take you on a journey through my experiences and share how the kaleidoscope of hues I encountered has ignited my creative spark for my upcoming yarn collection.

a digital collage of two images in old skool polaroid frames with a beige piece of paper texture in the background. the first is of a traditional mexican graveyard. lots of little brightly painted houses. the next photo is an orange hibiscus flower on a really light brown sand.

The first thing I noticed after a few days was how the vibrant colours of the plants, flowers and fish meld perfectly with the very natural colours of the sand, the limestone buildings and the more muted colours or the world. like a wee pop of colour on a very muted background. in my head Mexico was a riot of colour, and to some extent it is but I found myself really enjoying the suppleness of the combinations. I'm not explaining that well. but you can see what I'm trying to say by the orange hibiscus flower on the beige sand picture above. Something i think could be interesting to take forward into this new yarn collection.

a digital collage of four images in old skool polaroid frames with a beige piece of paper texture in the background. the first image is of a really worn out wooden door with a bright yellow painted wall surround. the next picture is of some cocao pods laying on the ground, they aree cirucular with brown lumps. the next is a picture of a bright blue sky with natural beach shades at the bottom of the photo anad some palm trees. the last photo is of a heap of pink hibiscus flowers laying on some chuckies on the ground with a yellow kerb to the right

As I wandered around the hotel complex I was really taken by all the native flowers they had around and what beautiful colours they were, even the foliage was beautiful. They were so different from what we have in Scotland, even the colours on the hundreds of lizards running around has ideas spinning in my brain. I feel the need to dig out my sketchbook and work out these colours. This is the first time approaching a collection like this since college. normally i just go straight to the dye pots, and while that works, its not really letting me enjoy the process.

a digital collage of four images in old skool polaroid frames with a beige piece of paper texture in the background. the first picture is of a grey very large lizzard just sitting clinging onto the pavement. the next is a close up of a flower that is a tight curl with yellow petals blending into a light dusky pink. the next is a carving at the chichen itza its an mayan face, very blocky and carved in a redish colour sone. the last picture is inside a cave with stalagtites coming down from the roof and there is bright green water at the bottom

there is just something so wonderful about being able to have fresh eyes in a place. As a tourist somewhere new you soak in all the sights and smells, things you don't really notice in your own place. This trip has reminded me how to open my eyes and look at the simple things around me and how to just absorb the colour around you. I'm excited to start working on this new collection, reignite the spark, get back in the sketchbook...and pick out some new sheepy yarn bases <3

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