2017: The Year That Was...

2017: The Year That Was...

1) The start of a new tradition: knitting journals.

Gifted from a fellow knitter, I have spent the year chronicling every project I worked on and cannot wait to do it again in 2018.  I just wish I didn't have to retire this really nice journal.

2) An (almost) successful attempt at keeping my feet forever warm.

You can see all my projects here!

I am happy to report that I finished 11.25 pairs of socks.  The December pair is still on sock one, as I just cannot speed up those cables.  But I plan to finish them by the end of January, which was when I declared the goal to begin with, so that counts, right? 

3) A major inspiration in my painting world.

With these beauties being my most successful to date (although I am kinda sick of looking at them), I feel like my art is going in a new direction and cannot wait to see how 2018 goes!

(Also, I recently sold the Originals!)

4) The start of many new and exciting things.

I cannot believe I only started this dye journey in March! It feels like I have been doing it for so much longer.  But I guess when you find something you love, time seems to fly.  I have truly enjoyed this new endeavor and cannot wait to introduce my new colors (last 2 on right) and new ideas in 2018!

I have two shows coming up already! One in March and one in June.  I cannot wait, but that means more work for me...

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What else can I say? I went through and re-read all of my posts from this year and am very impressed with myself on how consistent I was and my ability to share what was happening.  Thank you to everyone who read and commented this year, it always means so much to know someone is listening.

I'm leaving you all with this song, which is from a movie I saw last week.  The lyrics are stuck in my head and are very inspirational for me as an artist.

Bring on 2018!

~Lisa

The Art of Journaling

Notebooks. Diaries. Journals.  No matter what you call them, we probably all have some form of physical paper that we write our thoughts on.  Whether it be personal secrets or quick notes, sometimes it's fun to have something to write and doodle in. 

My topic this week is inspired by the art of journaling, specifically when it comes to my knitting.  I was recently inspired by MySistersKnitter to start a knitting journal for the year, chronicling each project I do in it's pages with stats, photos, doodles and yarn. The hope is that at the end of the year I can look back and remember everything I did with a smile.

The timing seemed right to try out this endeavor, as my good friend Laura made me this lovely felted journal for Christmas, equipped with enough blank pages to fulfill my mission. 

And fulfill I will, as I have already added to four pages, two of which are my 12 in 12 sock challenges.  I had to make a couple pages after projects had already been completed, but now that I have started I plan to write notes as I work.

Above are two more fabulous journals that I have, both gifted by my wonderful friend Ivy. The first is especially nice because it is loaded with sturdy grid pages as well as helpful knitting tips and tricks in the back. The second is also gridded and was even bound by her.  Both tend to get used when I'm working on design ideas and need a place to keep my thoughts. 

I taught myself how to bind books about a year ago, and began designing my own covers to go with them.  The one below is a good example. I've had it for about two years, using it as a calendar/day planner, although I gave up on that last November because I couldn't be consistent with my planning.  So now it sits on a shelf.  The nice thing though is that, if I want, I can take apart the book and rebound the covers for another purpose.

Do you keep a journal? For knitting, crafting, writing or planning? What sort of pages do you prefer?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Have a fabulous week :)

~Lisa