Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 -In Review-

Well, 2013 ends in 2.5 hours over here and I can't believe everything that has happened. This past year I've had so many experiences - mostly good - and learned so many things. I've produced the best art work of my life, received TWO BFA's,  and finished almost 25 knitting projects! Whew what a year!

For the past couple of years I have made a "Fiber resolutions/goals list" and every time I go all crazy with it at the beginning the fizzle out by Summer. But I still want to take the time to look at it right now.

1. Knit a pullover/in the round type sweater: 2012 was the year of cardigans and vests, I want 2013 to be the year of pullovers! And I really want to start with this one: 
Ok so 2013 was not the year of pullovers but I did get one done! Dragonflies

2. Going off of the last one, I would love to knit a bulky yarns sweater, because there are so many pretty ones :)
That didn't happen... sadly I got distracted by other things I guess.
3.Last year I wanted to conquer lace and I feel like I did. Well this year I want to FINISH something lace, with very few mistakes. I have some amazing bison blend yarn that would make a lovely lace scarf!
 
The bison yarn is still in my stash, but Salacia is by far my favorite finished project ever. And I even learned to seam in the process :) 
4.Felt something, anything. 
I did try felting a headband but it didn't work. And I accidentally felted a pair of socks in the washing machine. Do those count
5.Learn more cast-on's and bind-off's. Because I just didn't do it last year and I know it would be beneficial to know.
I don't remember any new ones by heart, but I did use new ones in several projects for my monthly knitting club. 
6.Design another pair of worsted weight socks. They always seem to go over so well. It's my dream to publish a whole book of worsted socks!
Oops, I guess I forgot...
7. Design a pair of sock-weight socks. Just for the fun of it!
Although not published, I semi-designed a pair for my knitting buddy Ivy!
8. Design and publish something other than socks and submit something to at least 2 publications. I didn't get into Knitty, but I got great response from the editor and I want to try again with them and others. 
I submitted Drehen to Knitty (no go) and Pixelexia to Knitscene (no go). I ended up self publishing Drehen. I also completely improvised my lacey babydoll top with only slight issues along the way (including running out of yarn and having to tie it with a cord)


9. Spin something other than worsted/bulky. I would love to make a fingering weight yarn. 
I didn't spin much of anything all year. I worked a bit on some merino/silk but it didn't get done (however it is pretty thin...)
10Learn to blend fibers through plying when spinning (like merino and nylon). This goes back to the above point. 
See my response to #9
11. Learn different types of drafts and how to know when to use which. I am still stuck in a rut of doing the same thing every time, whether it works for that roving or not.
Yea, that didn't happen. Maybe this year I'll actually start spinning again. 
12.Learn how to properly dye with natural materials (flowers, roots etc)
I did dye a lot this year, but always with food color and kool aid. Although I didn't do natural dying, I am super proud of my new found abilities to dye with the sun. (Check out my shawl for proof!)

Once again, I did about half the things on the list. But I also did so much more this year. I finished so many amazing projects - 6 different full sized garments !! - and learned so many amazing things. What will this year bring? 

I plan on writing up another list, but I don't plan on making it my primary goals like before. I just want to collect my thoughts and get ideas.

What's on your list this year?

~Lisa


Friday, December 27, 2013

Long Overdue

Hello friends! This post is very long overdue, and for that I apologize. It's been such a long month (and year). This coming 2014 I plan to try and update much more.

It's been almost 2 weeks since I graduated (WOAH) and with graduation came the much anticipated BFA Art show. 

(Mine are the paintings, the other stuff is by other graduating seniors)


And of course, some of my knit night friends! 
And let's not forget the amazing shawl!

After all was said and done, I did the math and found out I put 194 hours this semester! Woah. Given I had 5 paintings, that's almost 40 hours per painting. Plus my other classes. I can only hope that I can keep it up in the future.

This is my favorite painting!

I also finally broke down and purchased a domain name. So if you want to see ALL of my works, go check out Lisa Urban Art and tell me what you think. I am really proud of it!

And guess what else happened that weekend?

And to add even more excitement, I am officially a college graduate. Talk about scary. The real world just is finally here. However, I am not sure if I'm ready. I secured a job at the preschool, 30 hours a week, but I am just not sure how excited I am for the next step in my life....

In other news, I finished my Boxelder Cardigan just in time for Christmas. I'm not sure how I feel about the buttons, but I'll probably leave it open more often than not anyway. I am really proud of it. The fit is perfect and I kind of like the raggedyness of it.


I had a great Christmas with my friends and family. I hope you all have too. I am looking forward to whatever the coming year brings, scary or not, I know 2014 will be good. 

~Lisa

Sasha got into the wrapping paper and stayed for 30 minutes!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

November Update

Hi Friends! Sorry I have been so distant in the blog world again. I think after the next couple weeks get through I may be able to start blogging more regularly. But for now a quick update is in store.

Knitting:

Over the summer I self designed a gorgeous spiraling hat. I then submitted it to Knitty. I heard back a couple weeks ago - no go. But the editor liked my style. Long story short, it is now available on Ravelry as a self-published pattern.  


This hat was knit in Wolle Rodel from the UK (a gift from my aunt) but can easily be adapted with other yarns. It has quickly become my go-to hat to wear in the chilly autumn/winter air.

I also managed to finished my color wheel shawl a few weeks ago, which is perfect because the plan is to wear it over a simple outfit for my BFA Show reception. I don't have any model photos yet, but those will be up in the next few weeks :) Overall I love how this turned out. It's big enough to wear as a wrap and keeps my shoulders nice and warm ! 


Finally, I started a hoodie at the beginning of the month, and despite my busy school schedule it is going very very fast. The Boxelder Cardigan by Maria Leigh from the Winter 2013 Knitscene (which btw has a TON of amazing patterns in it!) is being knit in Cascade 220 superwash. The photo does no justice, but this is such a hard project to show mid-way. Take my word for it, it's looking good!
(c) Knitscene/ Harper Point


Art:
The countdown to my BFA Painting show has begun. I officially have 1 week left. And yet here I sit, not in studio. Hahaha. Seriously though, most of my paintings are done. I have one left to finish up but I think I'll be good. Maybe I'll work on it later. 

To get you excited, here is a thumbnail preview of my favorite painting:


I also have all of those smaller gouache paintings at a local coffee shop right now, and everyone so far seems to think they look good! I haven't had a chance to take photos of the 'show' (I feel weird with people I don't know being in the photos) but here's a snippet of some of them all framed up nice.


Life:

I had this past week off for Thanksgiving break, which was a much needed reprieve. I still got a lot done school wise, but the pressure was a lot less, which was nice. 

I've been hunting around for jobs and art opportunities, as graduation is a mere 2 weeks away (WOAH). Let me just say - job hunting sucks.

In other random news: Has anyone seen Disney's Frozen yet? I saw it on Thanksgiving with my family. It didn't quite live up to the hype it's been given, but it was a good movie with good songs. Some parts weren't needed, while others were amazing. The animation reminded me a lot of Tangled (not sure if that's a good thing or not). But I'm glad Disney is cranking out good movies again. And the song "Let it go" has been stuck in my head all week. 
With that being said, I finally finished my summer mission: Watch all 52 Disney movies IN ORDER before Frozen comes out. I was able to finish the day before seeing Frozen. Man it feels good to say I have seen EVERY Disney movie. :)


(PS Idina Menzel is amazing - but it's hard not to think of Wicked when I hear/see this song)

I hope everyone is having a great fall. Christmas is on it's way and then it'll be a new year. Where did the time go???

~Lisa