Skilled knitters around the globe — like those in Shetland and Iceland — are able to create beautiful, intricate, colourful masterpieces of knitting without referring to patterns and plans.
I have no such skill, and periodically find myself in a place where I need to have some idea of what alternative approaches to colour and pattern might produce, without actually knitting an entire yoke or sweater or what have you.
Sometimes, I try sketching.
But that can get cumbersome for trying many different options — such as when you’re half way through sketching one idea and an entirely different thought comes to the fore.
I’ve been playing around with ArtRage on the iPad — it’s a fun art app, which lets you play with different types of tools. With pressure-sensitivity, you can get some interesting effects with water colours and pencils.