Summer Updates

Well, we are mid-way through summer, and I am sad that I have abandoned my blog once again.  But with summer here I am going to try and update a little more often, just to share a few things happening in my life and on my needles.

The biggest update for me is last week's fiber festival. I have been planning and preparing for several months now and now that it's over, I'm sad that I don't have that anticipation anymore, is that normal?

The Houston Fiber Festival had it's fourth year and I was one of the vendors this time around.  I spent a good deal of May and June dying yarn, ordering and matting prints and getting my fixtures together to take.  I love that I am able to share my yarnie art with people on top of my lovely yarn colors.

Having both payed off! The large art was able to draw in visitors that wanted to hear my story and having prints of my paintings meant that I was able to sell and share my art with people who wanted a little pop of color in their homes and offices!  And the yarn did well too! I quickly learned which colors - speckle-ish (go figure) and cool tones - and bases - fingering/sock wins out over worsted - were the most popular and what to focus on going forward.

The event was a week ago and I spent the following Monday updating my shop with the leftover inventory.  Take a peek if you are wanting a lovely art print or some beautifully painted yarn!

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In other life news, I will be moving to a new apartment/studio in a week, so sadly not much dying or painting will get to happen for a period of time as I adjust.  But moving is for the best sometimes.  It allows you to purge and clean as well as start fresh in a new place.  I am excited to make this transition and see lots of amazing things to come.

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On my needles I have been working on a few things lately, finishing many since summer started.  While that is a post for another day, I will share my latest finished project.  The "Mini Madness Shawl" was started about three weeks ago when I found that I had a fair amount of sock yarn scraps that could fade into each other.  I purchased this pattern and went to town.  The last section I even decided needed some weight and bling, and added beads to make it sparkle! I am very happy with this huge shawl and know that it will get worn a lot when the school year starts up again.

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How are your summers going? Too fast, not fast enough? What's on the needles right now?  Leave a comment and let me know, I always love hearing from readers.

Until next time!

~Lisa

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. 

Summer of Art

Being out of school for a few months sure feels nice.  I've been able to travel a bit, get some major knitting done, and most importantly - make some new art!

I decided today's post is going to be about the art that I've been working on as of late, since it seems like it has been a while since I've shared anything from that side of my life.

First up is an oil painting I finished last week.  "Green Sea Tears" is the first in a series of at least three 20x16 paintings where the viewer is looking down and one of the forms is glowing.  I think I pulled it off well.  I do plan to make the next ones have a bit more of a glow to them. 

The second one has been started.  I have decided this series will have paintings that are all radically different in color from each other.  I haven't done a straight up orange painting in ages, so it's about time.  For this one the top right circle will be the glowing form - I just haven't added the yarn on top yet. 

Figure drawing group is every Wednesday night and I get to run it for my boss. It's given me a chance to really hone my drawing skills (and enter some shows - see here).  I really enjoy this style of layering all of the night's poses on the paper.  I just wish photographing drawings on white paper were easier.

Finally, a project I'm working on for my solo exhibition in September at the Village Cafe (pictured above).  As it will be my three year anniversary of moving to Texas I am going around and taking photos of places that have held significance to me during this time and then "yarn-bombing" them.  The cafe has this one wall that I plan to just plaster with these photos.  It's been fun so far!

Art is a thing that will never leave my life, no matter what form it decides to take.  I'm just too creative for my own good sometimes.  What about you? Do you ever create anything that isn't knitting? Any art happening? I'd love to hear!

~Lisa 

PS: For anyone interested, I recently changed my artist website again. It's a lot cleaner and more  professional looking. 

Firsts of 2017

Here we are, the end of January, and I already have some milestones to share! If this month is any indication of the year to come, then I am in for a very wild ride.

The first thing is of course my art show, which was my first major installation and also the first (and hopefully not last) of the year. It comes down in a couple of days but the response was great and there is no where to go but up!

The next thing is my first finished oil painting of the year, which I started last Saturday (1/22) and finished this past Sunday.  I am moving in a slightly different direction with my knitted landscapes right now, having chosen to paint the forms floating in water with no real ground plain.  This first one is a new favorite, having chosen to play with blues and browns and I think I pulled it off!  The colors on the photo below are not quite accurate, but are very close.

Finally is my first pair of socks for the new year.  I discussed these last week, but the My Cup of Tea socks has been a KAL with my local group, although I finished them way early! The yarn knitted up fabulously and the pattern shows very well.  They fit well too, considering I haven't done top down with a gusset in what seems like ages.

I'm excited to announce that I plan on continuing with the sock craze and have already picked out my next yarn! I have several other things on the needles, but this last pair made me want more! I think I may even go for 12 in 12 (!!!). A friend of mine did it last year and it's been hugely inspiring.  Have you ever tried it?

I would also like to shout out to the amazing KAL group on Ravelry, MySistersKnitter, for enabling me to use stash yarn and join in the conversation with some amazing people. It always helps to have people to share and chat with :) 

I hope that the first month of the year is going good for all of you out there in blog-land. I truly cannot wait to see what February brings!

~Lisa