The Next Big Thing - Product Testers Wanted :)

I hope that everyone had a splendid week and a wonderful new year. Mine was pretty casual - stayed up late watching TV shows and knitting. But isn't that the best way to spend the holiday? 

I am writing today with a request for all of my friends in blogland. 

This past holiday, I wanted to give my brother's girlfriend a homemade gift. Knowing that she was going to be student teaching this coming semester, I thought some sort of lesson plan book would be a good idea. After doing some googling and shopping, I decided to try my hand at making here a homemade binder. 

After finishing her's (which I never did take a photo of...) I got to thinking about knitters and how we all have so many patterns floating around. We all need a place to keep them right? Thus "The Pattern Keeper" was born (title may change). 

Each binder starts with archival matboard for the covers, and is then assembled using simple material. The cover features a beautiful, handpainted watercolor stitch design.

The binder portion is created with 3 binder rings inserted along the spine. These are just simple rings like you find in any standard binder. The only thing is they don't have the fancy mechanism to open and close. 

Inside each binder is matching paper to cover the fabric. The front cover also has a pocket to fit all of your random papers. The plan right now is to also include blank dividers and some of the page protector sheets to get the user started. I am also considering adding graph paper for the budding designer.

So what I am asking all of my readers is for opinions. I have 4 of these made up, and will send them to you, completely free, to analyze, test, and review. I really want to start selling these on Etsy - I think they could go well - but I want to have real feedback before I jump in,

Interested? Comment here or Email me - Lisa(dot)Urban(dot)24(at)Gmail(dot)com. I would love to send you a handmade binder to try and use !

~Lisa 

Christmas Knitting

It's been so long since I posted about my knitting life - there have been so many other things happening and so little time to really blog about anything. Things are finally slowing down, and I'm headed back to Texas tomorrow, so now's the perfect time to share my recent projects.

With the holidays this past week, I found myself making lots of holiday knits for my family. The first was for my sister. When I was home over Thanksgiving, my sister loved my Temple Cats hat, and casually mentioned wanting one in purple and blue.  Luckily the LYS had a Black Friday Sale and I was able to get the yarn I needed for a great price.

Happy Cats Hat

The yarn I chose is Cascade Yarns Elysian, a nice blend of 60/40 Merino/Acrylic. It's really soft and worked up great, although it was a bit splitty at times. I decided to use the purple for the base color, so the cats could really pop. And I also added the aqua stripes to the top because I thought it would add nice accent. She really liked it :) 

My sister has a birthday three days after Christmas, and I had extra yarn, so I decided to knit her a pair of mittens to go with the hat as a birthday gift. I reversed the colors and found that I really liked the cats against the blue. The patter was completely charted from scratch, with only a basic mitten pattern to give me stitch numbers. She has really long fingers, and thus they turned out super long. But working on these really made me a colorwork master! 

Happy Cat Mittens 

When I asked my brother what he wanted for Christmas, he replied "A black hat would be nice". Of course he chose black - the one color that I didn't have wool in my stash. Luckily the LYS is five blocks down the street and they had exactly what I needed. I have since lost the label, but it was a nice super wash, aran weight wool. I paired it with some leftover handspun alpaca for the brim (originally used for this hat) and then I found some simply soft here in my KS stash that I used to pair it with for the top. Considering that I improvised the design, he really likes it and I know it will get good use. 

Warm and Wooly

As for me, it's not winter in Kansas without a nice warm scarf. I finally finished my Scotland scarf a few weeks back, and have been wearing it everywhere since. The yarn is a nice angora blend and so warm and scushy. I am really pleased with this scarf because it was also my "movie theater scarf". I took it with me to four different movies (Plus a couple of knit club days) and only had eight mistakes through it all. I learned that I can knit basic in the dark, which is a huge plus for me. I definitely plan on taking more projects to movies from now on. 

Weekly Inspirations:

Art: On my trip back home last week I stopped in Fort Worth. I was lucky enough to see some amazing art by really famous artists at The Fort Worth Modern, The Kimbell Museum , and the Amon Carter Museum. Seeing works by Georgia O'Keefe, Keith Herring, Paul Gauguin, Picasso and the likes was really inspiring. 

Food: Although I didn't get good photos, I made some really good Italian Chicken Panini's last week for my family and even my dad liked them!
Knitting: I am dying to cast on more socks after reading so many posts about socks the past few weeks. Specifically after reading Kiwiyarns Knits post about her year in socks (thanks Andi for sharing) I have so many lovely yarns to try out also. 

Life: I start driving back to Texas from Kansas tomorrow, to finish up the last 2 months of my residency. I am ready to get back into painting, what with a couple of shows coming up. When I get back, I will of course share my new works with you all.

I hope the New Year finds you making happy, healthy resolutions and finding new adventures in knitting and life. I know that 2014 has been so life changing, I can only imagine what 2015 will be like.

~Lisa 

...and a happy new year!

I hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season! I'm lucky enough to spend it back in Kansas. Where ever you are this season remember to have a good time and stay safe and warm.

From my blog to your's, Merry Christmas!

~Lisa 

Share All the Things Friday - Etsy Edition

So I'm not going to lie, I have kinda been waiting all week to post just so I can do a "Share all the things Friday" post. If you haven't heard of this, it's an amazing topic that has been started by the lovely Truly Myrtle. If you haven't checked her's out, you should.

Mostly out of bordem, I found myself spending several evenings on Etsy exploring the knitting related shops and lusting over all the things that I only wish I could afford. I figured, why not share them all with my fellow bloggers as well, so that you can do some drooling.

Photo (C) SevenYaks on Etsy

All I want for Christmas is one of these gorgeous spindles courtesy SevenYaks. All of her spindles are simply stunning and so light weight. The worl is made of cut acrylic, and the shafts are made of wood. I can only imagine how much of a dream it is to watch these snowflakes spin round and round. 

Photo (C) TurtleMade on Etsy

On the not of spindles, check out what TurtleMade is doing! It may seem cheesy, but she is using a 3D printer to make drop spindles. The colors are kinda wild, but isn't it such a fun idea? I almost want to try a Turkish spindle just so I can buy one of these.  And if these don't float your boat, she has lots of yarn too!

Photo (C) Fashion Touch Supplies on Etsy

In the realm of yarns, I have yet to buy any off of Etsy (Yes, it's a sin, I know!). But I have found lots of dyers that I wish to purchase from. The first is Fashion Touch Supplies.  The color above is the one that I discovered first. Maybe it's the autumn colors that drew me in? This yarn is 200 yards of 100% pure virgin wool and the photo has me wanting to reach out and squish it.  And if the yarn isn't enough, she has lots of pretty rovings, beads and more!

Photo (C) WoolSilkLace

Of all the shops I found, I think this is the one I am going to cave and order from soonest. How can you not fall in love with this absolutely stunning 2 color striping sock yarn from WoolSilkLace? The yarn base is 75% merino, 20% Nylon and 5% Stellina ( a blend of polyacryl and polyester). And if this colorway doesn't have you drooling, then you should check out some of her others. They range from mystical to practical and everywhere in between. 

Photo (C) Heidishoppe

My final love for the day is these crazy, silly cat bowls from Heidishoppe.  Who wouldn't want to store and use their yarn in on of these? They're so silly and fun and would really brighten up any knitter or cat lover's day! And for the non-knitter, she also has mugs, cups, banks and more!

Weekly Inspirations:

Knitting: It's official. I have too many projects on my needles. Two scarves (lost in transit and the Scotland Angora), a gift hat, my sweater AND a sculpture project. I haven't had this many in a LONG time. Right now, the gift hat is taking priority....
Art: I've met some really great local artists here in Texas. If you're interested, you should check out: Jennifer Christy , Miriam at Wyle Soul Photography , Scott McDermott, Nancy Hampton Elliott

Food:  This week I made my absolute favorite soup recipe: Italian Chicken and Veggie Soup. My mom discovered it a few years back and I have been obsessed ever since. 

Life:  In exactly a week I will begin my 2 day drive back to Kansas for the holidays. I am dreading it (I can't knit and drive!) but also looking forward to the time to think and figure out what my next step is.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and that the weekend finds you full of fun and relaxation. I think I will be painting a lot, but what else is new.

~Lisa

Knitting Artist - Holiday Sale!

Happy December friends! I should have posted this last week, but life has been getting away from me.

I am having a Holiday Sale at my Etsy Shop: The Knitting Artist.

From now until next Sunday, Dec 14th, you can get 20% off any item in my shop. Just use the code SBSAT at checkout. 

What can you get ? 

Copies of my first 'zine: Words and Sttiches, November 2014. Each issue comes with beautiful images of my art paired with a poem. Also included is knitting lessons, a free dishcloth pattern and a simple veggie recipe.

Fine Art Prints of my Gouache (similar to watercolor) paintings. And believe me, you will never know it's not the original. Printed on beautiful somerset velvet watercolor paper, the color and vibrancy will magically transport you to my imaginary worlds. 

One (or many) of my handpainted cards. Right now I am offering just simple knit stitch designs, but I am hoping to add some more abstract (and maybe holiday themed if I have time this week) designs. Why not send a special message on a special card? 

So, why not pop on over and take advantage of the chance to own a part of me and my art while you can save some money. And don't forget - all the proceeds go straight back to me as an artist, which means you are essentially helping me to keep on creating and doing what I love.

~Lisa 

WIP Wednesday Round-up

I haven't done many WIP Wednesday posts as of late, but it seemed fitting for today because I have so many WIPs happening around here and being home for the holiday this week is giving me lots of time to work on them!

I'm still knitting balls, and although this photo looks exactly like the last one, I promise it's a different ball. I'm discovering different ways of making them using short-rows. I even made a square by accident last week!

This scarf has been on the needles for a couple months now. It's my "movie theater" scarf - I take it with my anywhere that I can knit without looking. It's been to three movies, a couple of knit groups and of course my couch! I'm really excited to finish it and I'm hoping that will happen between the movie tonight and the plane ride Saturday. 

My "Texas Tell it!" is going well also. It's so easy (Although those short rows aren't the most fun when you have to purl). I finally hit the second color - the blue - and it's turning out really beautiful. I didn't bring the light brown with me back to Kansas though so if I get to that point before the weekend I'll have to put it on hold.

Finally, I was going through my yarn stash here and found this scarf that I started over four years ago. When I started it I was only about a year into my knitting career and I was struggling through it. I decided to pull it out and take a crack at it, and now it's flying off the needles. I guess that goes to show how much better I've gotten over the past years!

Weekly Inspirations:
Knitting: I have a few Christmas presents on the horizon, including another one of my cat hats (for my sister) and a market bag (for my secret santa).
Art: Some of my former classmates are having their BFA shows coming up. I'm really sad that I am going to miss them (being in TX) but I can't wait to see the photos from the show. This one in particular I am really sad about missing!
Food: I had planned on making this pumpkin/pecan pie for the holiday tomorrow, but extenuating circumstances may change that. Either way, this recipe is on my radar.
Life: Speaking of extenuating circumstances - my dad fell at work this morning and broke his knee. So the holiday is pretty much shot for us and he's pretty much bound to his chair for the next month. I am really feeling for him and everything he's about to go through...

If you are in the US, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. And if not, I hope you are enjoying your week.

~Lisa

Keeping Warm

Brrrrr. It's been in the 30's and 40's the past few days here in Texas, and it's also been drizzling like crazy. It's days like today when I really just need some tea and a good knit project to keep me happy. Luckily, I have several.

I'm working on making my sculptures larger. Thus larger balls are needed. As much as I love working in the round, sometimes you need to change things up. So I'm doing short row wedges. It's actually really fun!

Playfully titled "Texas Tell it", my sweater is going really fast. I cast-on last Sunday and am already past the arm holes and working the short row body. I didn't think I'd knit this fast, but I was also waiting on more white yarn to arrive via snail mail before starting more sculptures. The initial cast on and sleeves sounded really confusing, but after doing them, they weren't that bad. I'm excited to add the blue soon!

Another fun adventure I'm having is with poetry and publishing. If you haven't seen my site lately, I have been writing poems to go with my art (Go to oil paintings, and click on on to see). Also, this is just a black and white proto-type, but I am working on a 'zine that includes my art and poetry, as well as a free knit pattern and recipe. I am hoping to sell them around here for a bit of extra cash. 

 I went up to Austin yesterday and had probably the best day I've had in Texas so far. The weather was nasty drizzle, but not too cold.  I went down for the E.A.S.T. Austin open studio tour, which is a weekend when over 200 artists open their studios up for people to come tour. I am so happy that I went because I met some amazing artist and got a chance to finally see Austin. Safe to say I want to move there.  Above is my collection of cards and such from the day.

 Weekly Inspirations:
Art: I can't decide which art I saw that was my favorite yesterday, but I did meet some great people. The ones that stood out were: Micheal Garcia . Rebecca Klier, Kanya Lyons, Miabella Mojica ,Brandon C. Ellis, Save the Humans, Jennifer Balkin
Knitting: All the ladies in my knit group seem to be working on scarves and shawls. And man there are some pretty ones. One of my favorites is Ashburn
Food: I made roasted vegetables for the first time last week, with this recipe. It turned out amazing!
Life: I've been revamping my Etsy store. I added even more cards and also changed the logos. Check it out !
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I hope that whether it's cold or warm on your part of the world, you are having a good week :)

~Lisa