Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

Hi, We had a Memorial Day shopping excursion, today. Here's a photo of the guys waiting for me to check out at Kohl's. We had lunch at Steak n Shake. Mitchell ate some fries and a cookie shake... Our thoughts are on all those who have served and are serving our country. Freedom is not free. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, We took Mitchell over to one of the local parks this morning, before it got really hot, and he was like Genie in Disney's Aladdin, getting out of the bottle... just glad to get out. He ran one way and then the other, not even sure where he wanted to go. He made his rounds on the various equipment. It was really starting to get warm, which seemed like a good excuse to sit in the shade and knit. :) Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, We picked up a new game on a book store trip. It is called, "River Crossing, A Perilous Plank Puzzle." The general idea is that you have to use three sizes of plank pieces to cross from one side of the river to the other, with a lot of rules about when you can use or move planks. There are alligators, snakes, and piranhas in the water, so you have to keep your player on the planks and out of the water. Mitchell seemed to be getting it, even though it says it is for ages 8 and up. Mitchell and Chris were playing the game in the kitchen, and I was knitting. They seemed to be having some grief, and I could hear a few comments here an there. Then I heard Mitchell say clearly, "Do you have a boat?" Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, I finished the May KAL socks, Catnips. (Yarn and pattern info here .) I totally ran out of yarn on the bindoff. I used the little bit I had left from the first sock, and I ran out again. I used a short piece of Dream In Color "Don't Be Blue" to finish the bindoff. It is a really close match. The socks are actually the same height... I guess I have one pulled up higher in the photo... Happy Knitting! Lisa Kay

Hi, I finished my first Catnip sock (pattern and yarn described in previous post). I always divide my sock yarn into two even balls, using a scale. It works especially well for toe-up socks, because you can always end whenever you run out of yarn. After finishing the first Catnip sock, I just had the little butterfly of yarn shown in the picture. It is seven pattern repeats before the gusset, eight pattern repeats after the heel, and ten rounds of ribbing. That will be the closest I've come to exactly using up a skein of yarn. This is the first time I've used Colinette Jitterbug, and I've heard it can be "close." In fact, I think it was a discussion of this yarn where I first heard the suggestion of dividing the yarn in half before knitting. Cool! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, For my birtday, my mom and Mitchell and I went to The Loopy Ewe . This is the third year in a row (not that I need any more yarn)! Ha! I wore my new Sock Club Lite socks, and the elves were surprised they were done so fast... I did pick up two new yarns... Dream In Color, Smooshy, in colorway "Valentine" Hand Maiden, Swiss Mountain Sea Sock, in colorway "Blackberry" We also ate at The Cheesecake Factory at the Galeria. Mitchell liked the honey wheat bread and the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake. (The three of us shared one slice!) What's not to like? Mitchell (and Daddy) gave me a birdhouse kit for my birthday present, and we put it together before bedtime. All the grandparents came over for dinner, and I cast on another sock, the Catnip sock for the "Socks From The Toe Up" knit along on Ravelry . This is the second sock pattern (not from the book), and is available on Wendy Knits for free. I used a size smaller needle tha...

Hi, Uncle Dave met us for lunch with Dane, and the boys got a chance to see each other for the first time since Christmas. Mitchell held Dane's bottle up... even though he didn't really seem to need that much help. Dane may be small, but he holds his own. Dane seems very interested in everybody and everything going on. Grandma got to hold both boys together! Dane is a little snuggle-bug. We went to the mall to spend a little more time together after lunch, and Mitchell got to ride one of the quarter rides. (It takes three quarters, now. Go figure.) Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, I started Dancing Diamonds right away, after getting the "Sock Club Lite" from The Loopy Ewe . I had just finished Labyrinth, and so I cast on the beautiful blue Caper yarn. Since I have been off work this week, I already have one sock done, and the second through the heel. I had to go down a size (58 stitches instead of 66), because of the yarn being somewhat on the thicker side. I used my normal fingering-weight needles, though (size 1.5). We finally got a bit of sunshine, yesterday, and I was able to take these pictures. Happy Knitting! Lisa Kay

Hi, I finished a sock club sock for the "Socks From the Toe Up" knit-along on Ravelry. This month's sock is "Labyrinth." I used Lorna's Laces in the sport-weight, Shepherd Sport, in the color " Huron ." The pictures don't do justice to the colors, due to no sunshine. The colors are bright green and turquoise... I used a size two needle and the "Large" size, with 56 stitches around. They fit nicely, and I like the gusset heel for the thicker yarn. A heel flap gets bulky with heavier yarn. Another great pattern from Ms. Johnson! I cast on her sock club pattern, Dancing Diamonds, using the Bye Bye Blues yarn (Caper), this afternoon... Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, When I was getting Mitchell out of his pajamas, today, he took off with the pajama top partly pulled off, around his head like a turban. He ran around a lot and squiggled under a chair in the kitchen, not wanting to get dressed. I tickled him to no avail, and so I went and got the camera out... I suppose he won't be able to pull this trick much longer... Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, I have splurged and ordered a handfull of String Theory Caper Sock. I got mine at The Loopy Ewe , but you can also find more fibery goodness at String Theory's Site . The colors, starting with the silver and working clock-wise, are called Mount Hood, Delphinium, Ruby Slipper, Cobalt, and Larkspur. I have gone to The Loopy Ewe in person during my birthday week the last two years in a row. That's next week. Maybe I don't actually need to visit in person, after this haul, which can only be considered a birthday present! (The same order had two other sock yarns, too, both red...) Of course, that doesn't mean I won't! In a bizarre twist of events, The Loopy Ewe's Sock Club Lite came out around the same time, and I got my package one day after my birthday yarn arrived. It happens to be Caper Sock yarn, too, in a special colorway for the non-club called "Bye Bye Blues." There are patterns, one by Sheri Berger (owner of The Loopy Ewe) and one b...

Hi, We had a great Mother's Day. We had Sunday dinner, as usual. It was gorgeous but cool weather all weekend, and I have been getting some gardening done. Here are some foxgloves I planted last week. I may have to cut back the flower stalks, as they are starting to lay over, and I think it will help the plant get established if it isn't using all it's energy to make seeds... I seem to have read that somewhere. I can't remember. Anyway, I haven't cut them yet, because they are just so pretty! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, I finished the Rosebud Socks (pattern info in previous post ), and I worked up Mitchell a pair of red socks with the remaining yarn. The 6" socks for Mitchell were a quick knit, just Friday night and Saturday. He wore them all morning on Sunday. Yea! I used the toe and heel instructions from, "Toe Up Socks For Every Body," from the one child's pattern, "Dainty Anklets," (also a cover pattern) using the 48 stitch size. I used a "broken rib" pattern for his sock, as a more masculine alternative. It is just k2, p2 rib for three rounds, then purl a round. Happy Knitting! Lisa Kay

Hi, We went to Willoughby Farms for their Heritage Day. There was spinning and knitting and lots of little animals. Mitchell enjoyed petting the barn cat and seeing the baby chicks. There were two bunnies, and alpacas, too. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Hi, I've finished the first sock in "Rosebud," a pattern from Wendy Johnson's new book, "Toe-Up Socks For Every Body." I'm using Djinni, a yarn from Dragonfly Fibers , in the colorway "Flaming Lips." The yarn is a light fingering weight with a 10% cashmere content. It is a fairly firm yarn with good stitch definition. It looks a lot like the yarn used in the book. (It is the cover sock, on the left of the cover picture.) The pattern looks really complicated, but it is actually quite repetitive and easy to memorize. Great pattern! It took about a week for the first sock. The second may go a bit faster, since I have a plane trip Monday and Tuesday. This sock has Mitchell asking for red socks... luckily, I think I have enough left-over from this skein to make him a small pair. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay