Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

Hi, We're still struggling to get Mitchell to add some more things to his diet. He seems willing to add all sorts of chips to his repertoire. Lately, we're just glad if he eats peanut butter. It has protein in it! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, A conversation at dinner last night, watching "The Incredibles" on TV: Daddy: If you were a super hero, what would your name be? Mitchell: Frog Business. Daddy: Frog Business? Where did you come up with that one? Mitchell: I came up with it in the East. Editor's note: I guess the sun isn't the only thing that comes up in the East. Happy Knitting! Lisa Kay

Hi, We were playing with the vinegar/baking soda volcanoe, and Mitchell kept tasting the vinegar. He made some pretty interesting faces, which was fun. The mysterious thing is that he doesn't eat very much of anything... not pizza, not PB&J, not mac & cheese, ... but he'll taste all kinds of weird, non-food things. Last week, his word was, "Mysterious." We were looking at a Berenstain Bears book that had little doors in it. I said, "What's behind this door?" He said, "I don't know. It's mysterious." He used it several other times last week, too (correctly, I might add). Today, he said something was, "Magnificent." He's also using adverbs correctly, which is strange (ahem,... mysterious), because most adults don't use adverbs, correctly. He said to Daddy, last night, "You can do it easily." (Is there supposed to be a comma in that sentence? I'll have to ask my son.) Happy Knitting! Lisa Kay

Hi, I now have my contrasting yarn for the Tomten Jacket borders. It is Elsebeth Lavold's "Silky Flamme'." (50% Wool, 30% Alpaca, 20% Silk). I think it is a very good match for my homespun Dragon Fruit. Here's a picture of the two together. I did a swatch with the black, and the size 9 (what I used for the pink) is a quite a bit larger (4.5" instead of 4"), and the 8 is just a tiny bit tight. I made a test swatch, adding a border with mitered corners. It wasn't as wide as the actual borders, but it gave me an idea of what to do. I made the first attempt at the border using size 8 needles and a "lifted increase" (knitted into the stitch below the working row). However, it was too tight, and the corners too rounded. The "lifted increase" is supposed to be tighter and therefore more invisible, than other increases. On my second attempt, I knitted on 9's and purled on 8's. I also used EZ's "original" M1, per ...

Hi, I started making Elizabeth Zimmermann's Tomten Jacket, using the homespun Dragon Fruit. I estimated yardage by measuring the length of yarn in a gauge swatch, and I don't have enough to do the whole pattern, as written. I've shortened it, and I also planned for half the fronts to be a "band" of contrasting yarn. I've ordered some black... more on that in a later post. Basically, I didn't want to go back to spinning, so it was either work with some contrast or pick a different pattern. I looked carefully at Jared Flood's (Brooklyn Tweed) instructions for the adult version, and I do plan to incorporate some, but not all, changes. I didn't decrease for the front neck, because I'm only going to have a little over two inches of pink up the front in the first place, because of the wide band. I'm planning to do four-stitch shoulder seams, and I'll put some short rows in the sleeve cap. Based on the short rows in the back, it makes the ya...

Hi, I finished spinning and washing the Spunsilver Creations Dragon Fruit. It turned out about 1300 yards of two-ply heavy worsted/light bulky. (9 wpi) Below is just one of the six skeins. Here are the bobbins loaded up with singles before plying. I actually had six bobbins, but I plied the middle two after they were spun, so that I wouldn't have to take them off the bobbins and put them back on, later. Then, I spun the last two and plied 1 to 6 and 2 to 5. I had six skeins, of varying sizes. I tended to get about 120 niddy-noddy wraps (5.3 ft) per bobbin, when filled as full as I could get it. The color looks very consistent, but I still plan to alternate skeins when I knit. I'm not sure, yet, what I'll make. I've got a couple of candidates in mind... And, for completeness, here's a reminder of what it looked like as roving (though I posted it, before). Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, After making the Cozy Critter Cowl, I wanted to make a cap, just by adding decreases at the end. I ended up with two caps, in two different sizes. Here is the larger one. Instructions are below. Sizes: Small (Large): My head measurement is rather large (for a girl), at 22.5”, and the larger one fits me generously, the smaller one somewhat snugly. Using a circular needle (I used 24”), CO 112 stitches. Using Alpaca With a Twist, “Baby Twist,” and a size 5 needle, I knitted to a gauge of 22 sts over four inches in stockinette, for the mauve size small. I made the large version in black Classic Elite “Inca Alpaca,” with the same gauge and needle. Place marker and join in the round. Knit 5 rounds. Round 6: * K2tog, YO*, repeat to end of round. Knit 5 rounds. Round 12: *K2tog, one from the left needle, one from the CO row*, repeat to end of round. [My latest trick is to pick up sixteen of the stitches from the CO row on one dpn, work the Round 12 instructions above for sixteen ...