Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

Hi, I've gotten a pretty good start on the cardigan based on the December Lights Tam . You can see the XOX pattern that comes from the tam pattern. It still has the rest of the second peerie repeat (just started at the top of this picture) and then one more XOX pattern repeat to go before the shoulders... and sleeves and bands, of course. Below is the sleeve steek. Isn't it pretty? It seems a shame to cut it. It makes me realize why folks do "seed" stitch on the hands of mittens and gloves. It isn't just simple; it also looks nice! Below is my rough working chart of the peerie pattern. It is colored with my son's crayons. There is a fuschia row at the top that doesn't show up very well. It starts with the right column and continues with the left column. (I ran out of paper...) The red dots are where I'm doing neck decreases. These peerie patterns are pretty standard stuff, seen in several of the fair isle books. I basically started with a pict...

Hi, It has been an exciting day in knitting adventures, since Kathleen Cubley at Knitting Daily mentioned my variation of the Central Park Hoodie (CPH) with Viking Cables on their daily email ( also available via the web ). The article's link goes to the design page on Ravelry , and you have to be a member to get to the link. If you're a knitter and haven't joined, I can't recommend it enough. I had previously been sending an MS Word pattern by email to anyone that requested it, but I hurriedly assembled a pdf this morning and posted it to Ravelry. As of this writing, it has already been downloaded 105 times! My blog hits were at a completely unprecedented high, I received many emails, and I've been answering Ravelry comments off and on all day. stats from http://www.statcounter.com/ Thanks to everyone who emailed or commented. I'm very flattered and amazed. What a cool thing the web is (and what power publishers have). Wow. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, I had fun telling Mitchell all about Sojourner , the robot (rover) that Momma helped send to Mars. I also mentioned that there are two newer robots, Spirit and Opportunity , that went to Mars and are still functioning there. I talked quite a bit about there being three robots, and repeated their names a few times to try to make an impression. I asked Chris to read the robot blog post from yesterday, because I thought it was interesting and fun. He didn't say much about to me, but when we were putting Mitchell to bed, he asked Mitchell: Daddy: "Mitchell, what's a robot?" Mitchell: "Momma, you answer." (Haggling ensues, and eventually Momma answers.) Momma: "It's a machine people build to do something for them." Daddy: "Like a toaster?" At that point, we digressed into robots walking, etc. Then, Daddy followed up with: Daddy: "Mitchell, are there robots in space?" Mitchell: "Yes, there are three." ...

Hi, Mitchell and I took a quick trip to Target and the Chef's Shop, ostensibly to exchange some skillets I got Chris for Christmas. The Target is in the same shopping center, and it was convenient to get a few things I needed. Also, it interested Mitchell in the outing, as he got to look at the toy section. Even though we just finished Christmas, he said he needed a toy. Well, there's need, and then there's NEED, of course, but I'm a softie. Imaginext came to the rescue again, this time with their "Space" series. The little symbol in the corner of the box is a silhouette of Saturn... or a ringed planet, in any case. They have a launch platform and vehicles, some monsters, and several different robots. Mitchell picked out a robot, one that came with a man (of course, in the typical Imaginext dimensions) and a couple disks that the robot can shoot. As we continued walking through Target, picking out laundry detergent and other normal things, Mitchell aske...

Hi, You may have noticed the snow in the background in the last couple of posts from today... The guys got in some sledding while I took knitting pictures. And, I took a few pictures of sledding, too! It seems like a great day for curling up inside with some wool... Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, Back in November, I finished my first Sock Homespun . In early December, I finished a basic sock made from the yarn. I have about half of it left. I've just now gotten a picture, because we haven't had any sun. I used the Basic Sock with Gusset Heel from "Socks From The Toe Up." I added a few increases in the calves, since they were a bit snug and the yarn isn't very stretchy. Happy Knitting! Lisa Kay

Hi, I finished my "December Lights Tam," a tam o'shanter from Interweave Knits (2007 Holiday issue, and reprinted in the 2009 Accessories issue), by Mary Jane Mucklestone. I used Knit Picks Palette yarn. I was eager and was familiar with it... Otherwise, I'd have been searching for yarn... I may try Jamieson's Spindrift for my next project. Hmmm. I like it so much that I cast on to make a cardigan. It seems like I have a lot of yarn, but I may need another ball of a few colors. I used the "body" chart from the tam (the two sets of XOX patterns, but not the hearts), and then I put together some "peerie" patterns based on a picture in Michael Pearson's "Traditional Knitting: Aran, Fair Isle, and Fisher Ganseys." (I don't own the book. I borrowed it from the library. I wish I did have this book!) I used the bottom band design from the "Water-Lily Jacket" in Alice Starmore's " Book of Fair Isle Knitting...

Hi, We had turkey for all four grandparents on Christmas Eve. Then, the big event was obviously Santa's visit that night. Santa delivered the requested Imaginext Bat Cave and Playmobile Whale... among other things. The Bat Cave is really neat, with lots of gizmos like a three-story elevator. Mitchell already had several of the figures, along with the Bat Copter. I think he has about everything in the set, now. Here he is, putting together his Handy Manny Speed Boat. After a Christmas Eve of rain all day, it turned to snow this morning, and we got just enough to ice up the walks, and, I suppose, to call it a White Christmas. I enjoyed it from indoors! Happy Christmas! Lisa Kay

Hi, We met at Uncle Dave's for the "E" family Christmas, today. Dane is five months old, and a little trooper. He stayed awake until a few minutes before we left, even though he has a cough. (He was just getting back from the doctor when we got there.) I held Dane as much as I could. Chris looked over at me and just said, "No." (Gee, I can't imagine what that means...). Dane had the cutest Christmas outfit with little Santas on the feet. They were apparently tasty, too! Dane has just recently started rolling over, and he demonstrated for us and got some "belly time." Mitchell was already handing out lots of cousinly advice. He's very helpful. He tried to tell Aunt Stephanie how to get Dane to sleep, too. Three generations of E's. See any resemblance? Proud Grandpa! Edited to add: More pictures from Grandpa's camera... Mitchell's gift from Grandpa and Grandma was an Imaginext Dragon Castle. Mitchell was ver...

Hi, Grandma spent the day with us and baked Christmas cookies. Mitchell had fun with the cut-outs. We have two kinds of cut-outs we always make, classic sugar cookies and spice cookies that we call, "Gingerbread Boys," although I don't think they are technically gingerbread. Then, we ice them all with almond-flavored icing. (Recipes below!) Here is one of our first pans of the day, filled with Gingerbread Boys. This was the larger size. We also have a smaller, bite-sized boy. Grandma did most of the cutting out. We've been doing this a long time... It is neat to add Mitchell to the tradition. Mitchell helped straighten them on the pan. Mostly, I think he was snitching pinches of dough. Above is the pile of both kinds of cut-outs, ready for frosting. (The Kitchen-aid mixer in the background is dandy. It was a wedding present. Two thumbs up.) Above, you can see that we made some reindeer out of the spice cookie dough, too. They have red noses, of course. Note tha...

Hi, We had Mitchell's birthday party at Gma and Gpa W's. We had a lot of fun with a small group of friends and family. The cake had Winnie the Pooh figures on it. We always let Mitchell look in the case for a while at Dierberg's, so I made a point of getting the cake there. We all went to pick it up, together, and it made it a special treat. Mommy and Daddy helped him blow out the candles. Happy Birthday, Mitchell! Lisa Kay