I started by applying some filters to the original photo, which will help me in my planning and also when I get around to actually hooking it. Never having taken a fine shading class or worked with swatches, I sometimes feel at a bit of a loss of where to begin and where the highlights should be, etc. I find that letting Photoshop do the work is quite helpful. I’ve saved some of these various versions to share. Of course, the smaller resolution does lose some of the effect, but hopefully there will still be a visible difference….and you can see a little of what I see…
I also applied another filter (the name escapes me, sorry), then played around with the colour and saturation to get black lines around all of the basic shapes (insofar as the computer is able to recognize them)….and printed it. My printer/copier/scanner is not very advanced – you cannot specify a percentage for enlarging or reducing, only a finished size (4x6, 5x7 or full pages) – so I carefully cut the original into 8 equal pieces and print to fit on a full page (a clear quilting ruler and rotary cutter does the trick). Once all of the copies were made, out came the scissors and tape…and I now have a version that is “real size” (i.e. the same size as my actual piece).
Tonight I will be using this enlarged version, along with my light box and some extra large pieces of paper to draw my actual pattern, hoping to incorporate lots of squiggles and keep the shapes loose and organic. It might be a good idea to start with a gin and tonic ☺
If I keep my fingers crossed, I might even have enough time to trace it onto some linen and start picking wool. I’m operating on a bit of deadline, you see – I’m off to Wendie’s cottage this weekend for some hooking, food and fun! It’s just what every girl needs…
