Monday, September 18, 2017

Bombs Away

There's something about the concept of yarn bombing that just cracks me up.  Maybe it's the colors people tend to use - bright and out of place.  Or the whimsy it adds to a location.  Of just the title itself.  Yarn Bombing.

It seems like lately I've been enjoying this concept on a whole new level, by utilizing it in my artistic practice.  Bombing, or taking over, a place is a fun concept that I have been applying to locations around my area in a way you may not first think about.

When I booked a show for this month at my local (and favorite) cafe/gallery, I knew I wanted to do something that would appeal to a huge audience and make them smile.  I had been playing around with painting on old postcards and decided to try doing the same thing on my own photos.

 The ones you are seeing as you read this are just a few examples of the 50+ that I completed for this show.  Some are serious, some are funny, but all should bring a smile to the viewer's face, especially when they see all of them lined up like below.






I've placed oil paintings along the other walls of the cafe, so overall the show looks nice and cohesive.  The official reception is this Thursday and I think it's going to be a good turnout.

In other news, I recently booked my first Trunk Show! During the Hill Country Yarn Crawl, various shops stay open longer hours and host indie dyers to share their yarns.  A shop in Wimberly, TX, reached out to me via Instagram and asked if I could come sell some of my yarns with her one weekend.  Of course I said yes! So now I am in major sample mode, making things with my newest colors to encourage buyers.  


The willow cowl seemed like a good fit for this yarn, and a quick knit.  I chose to use my Mushroom Petal Bloom colorway and so far the variations and pooling are looking so amazing.  I really do feel like I am meant to do this. 






Tuesday, September 5, 2017

August FO's

A few weeks ago I talked about all of the WIPs I had on my needles and how I seemed to just keep casting on more and more things.  Well I'm happy to say today that many of those WIPs have found their way off my needles, with plenty of time left in the year to make even more things!

The biggest of these is my Fallen Moon Drops Cowl, which I designed myself with my handdyed yarn.  I was really nervous about this as I got to the bottom as I wasn't sure how the holes would work out with the feather and fan, but after blocking they turns out perfect! I even discovered a new bind-off that is perfect for any type of lace knitting.  The Frilled Standard Bind-off is a great way to end any type of wavy lace design and stretches so nicely.


The next thing that I finished is a bit of a miracle. But knowing my knitting skills, maybe not so much.  I mentioned wanting to knit a pair of socks for my little sister using some Neon sock yarn.  Well I was able to cast on those socks over my long weekend last week and finished them in exactly a week! I ended up not using that neon yarn as it was scratchy and she gets irritated easily.  So I went with some self striping that I had scraps of and paired it with black mini-mochi to make up the difference. I had just enough to finish the pair and gifted them to her this past Sunday.  She didn't try them on there so hopefully they fit!


Her entire birthday gift! She turns 11 tomorrow!

I also finished those dishcloths I mentioned and gifted them, and the crochet tank I had is currently in time out, likely to be ripped, as it doesn't stretch and is too small.  I guess you can't win them all.

With all of these things done, I've been working on my Breathing Space sweater, which is turning out really nice.  I plan to cast on my September socks soon too, but I can't settle on a pattern or yarn.  Sigh.


My final FO for now is a painting that took me over a month to complete.  With school starting, the dye business going and just the realities of life, it's been hard to really focus on new paintings.



Currently untitled, this painting is an extension of the glowing tidepool-esque paintings I have been working on.  I like this one with the blue, but I feel the first three were more successful.

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I hope everyone is having a good start to the month and if you had the day off yesterday, you were able to enjoy yourself. I got quite a bit done so I can't really complain.

~Lisa