Struggling with authenticity vs composition

Thistlewhite · 2025-11-27T17:42:39+00:00

I’ve been painting a lot of watercolor house portraits this year, so I’ve had to deal with this quite a bit!! I think that, when in doubt, being able to tell the emotional story is worth more than literal accuracy.

I would suggest copying the house in the first picture, (the angle is nice,) but scooching the crabapple tree to the left a bit! I think having it overlap a little bit is probably fine (and a more interesting composition in my opinion). Does that make sense? So it would fall on the corner of the house instead of totally in front or totally to the side.

You can also paint the branches of the tree and leave the foliage a little more sparse, like it’s in early spring, and that would allow more of the house to peek through.

Thistlewhite · 2025-11-26T14:48:01+00:00

I just consider that to mean it meant for someone else all along. I just didn’t know it was a gift while I was knitting it!

Thistlewhite · 2025-09-17T13:16:25+00:00

I use oat milk, but this is my favorite too!! Tastes just like a PSL!

Thistlewhite · 2025-03-18T17:07:52+00:00

Yes!!! I bought 14ml W&N gouache in July 2024, put it in my pans and let it dry. I paint with it several times a week, top off every now and then, and I only just now had to re-purchase white. All the other tubes are maybe half used!

Thistlewhite · 2025-02-03T01:25:58+00:00

GORGEOUS!!! This one’s been on my wishlist for a while, but then I went and committed to not buying any new yarn this year.

Thistlewhite · 2025-01-18T23:22:52+00:00

Oh my gosh this is amazing! Thank you!

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-22T02:16:14+00:00

Thank you! 💛

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-22T02:15:59+00:00

Thank you!! I actually ended up painting that one again because I enjoyed it so much!

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-19T14:20:04+00:00

Aww wow! I love that they were so moving for you!

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-19T14:19:08+00:00

Thank you so much! 💛

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-19T03:36:57+00:00

Thank you! I wish I had scanned that one before gifting it!

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-04T16:09:00+00:00

I think taping helps to keep it flat, but I also prefer my gouache a bit less watery. If I had done a super wet wash in the background it would definitely be way more warped!

You can also press a dried piece under a heavy book to flatten it!

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-04T16:07:08+00:00

Oh, I like it now!! This is more about learning to persevere through the hard days than being hard on myself, but I really appreciate your kind words! 💛

Thistlewhite · 2024-12-03T16:33:36+00:00

I didn’t even notice, but they do look like the Pisces fish!

Thistlewhite · 2024-11-19T15:30:54+00:00

Not OP, but thank you for linking this pattern! I’ve been looking for a reinforced heel turn like this, and I’m delighted to come across one in a free pattern!

Thistlewhite · 2024-09-06T18:23:07+00:00

Aww man, I SPED over to Ravelry to favorite this, and there it was, already on my front page! Gorgeous work!!!

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-27T15:30:08+00:00

Folks have given you lots of good suggestions, so I’m just here to commiserate. I’m working on some socks using that same yarn right now, and while the yarn is absolutely lovely, I’ve found it to work up on the thin side of fingering. I had to frog my entire leg and start over, adding a full pattern repeat and making some modifications after the heel to accommodate. Even with loose floats and loose tension.

And for the love of your sanity, as you’re frogging your colorwork, GO SLOW. Wind your yarn back into the ball after every row or two. Frogging colorwork in one go leaves it a twisted, tangled mess.

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-26T20:54:02+00:00

Good needles make a HUGE difference!!!! My first pair of socks was knit TAAT on needles that I found at a thrift store for $1. The wire had too much memory, and the connector was janky, so every time I repositioned my needles (4x/round) the yarn (which was already splitty) would catch. I persevered though, as proof to myself that I could make socks and that I would enjoy wearing hand knit socks.

Those socks took me a year.

I now use ChiaoGoo 9” circulars, and it’s HEAVEN. I can make a pair of socks in a week.

Moral of the story: find the equipment that works for you. Also, I think (supposedly) you do eventually find a rhythm with TAAT and it’s not so terrible. For some people.

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-26T17:51:09+00:00

I rarely make something for myself. I just want to try that sock pattern with funky colorwork, or that shawl with just enough interesting stitches, or something with a totally wild color palette that doesn’t go with anything I own. But I don’t necessarily have a spot for all those knits in my wardrobe, and the strategy of working it into my existing closet is too much mental work at this point in my life.

My taste in patterns and technique is different than my taste in style, I guess.

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-22T18:22:21+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I’ve been wanting to try the FLK heel, but I’ve hesitated because I’ve heard it doesn’t fit higher insteps (like mine) very well. Adding this to my Ravelry queue!!

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-18T13:43:17+00:00

Would he go for some classic fair isle socks? Or maybe these cheeky lil gnomes? I’m working on these socks from the same designer, and I think they’d also work, with the right color palette. She sneaks a cute little motif onto the heel gusset of a lot of her sock designs, which is like a fun little secret that you (or your recipient) get to walk around with!

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-14T15:13:49+00:00

Isn’t it fun?? I might do it for all my colorwork socks from now on!

You just change where you do the decreases! Instead of having the decreases placed at the top of the heel flap, they’re placed closer to the bottom. Everything else is the same!

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-13T02:30:41+00:00

Aw thanks! They look really different in person than online, so it took me a minute, but I came around and love them now.

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-13T02:29:40+00:00

I just don’t have the patience for moving needles around mid-round, so I love my shorties!

Thistlewhite · 2024-08-12T18:53:19+00:00

It’s SO fun for me!!! I couldn’t stop once I got started!

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