Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

I am excited to announce that I have a pattern in a print magazine for the first time, the new Knit.Wear special issue of Interweave Knits. A preview of all the content is available here . The Knit.Wear special issue is modern and elegant (speaking objectively, of course), and I'm flattered to be among such an amazing company of designers. My contribution is the Chatoyant Vest, made in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in the colorway "Wild Violet." The term "Chatoyant" refers to a stone of "changeable luster" such as Tiger's Eye. The vest design utilizes alternating Seed Stitch and Stockinette Stitch blocks to provide a changeable texture, and the yarn has a slightly heathered appearance, contributing further to the "luster" of the sweater. The sweater is basically just a rectangle, with slightly canted armholes. Two buttons on the top corner provide a double-breasted closure, with a third flat button to hold the inside fla...

A few weeks ago, a colleague asked if I could help with some Civil War re-enactment socks, as his were holey in the toes and heels. I looked at his previous pair and tried to find some similar yarn, ending up with Classic Elite Portland Tweed, a rustic-looking wool with some alpaca (and some man-made fiber, too... sshhh). I used David's Toe-Up Sock Cookbook for the pattern, and worked with just the length and circumference measurements, ending up with a reasonable fit. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Mitchell asked for a sweater, and I finally worked one up for him. I cheated a bit, using the adult Devon sweater at a different gauge. I asked him if he wanted the cables, and he said no, so I just left those out. It is a bit over-sized, and the cuffs rolled back, so I'm hoping he can wear it for a year or so... The yarn is Dream in Color Classy, in the colorway, "Nightwatch." Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I ordered two more bumps of Puppy Dog Tails ( first spin post here ), so I now have just over 400 yards of this yarn. Woopee! One of the nice things about the Southern Cross Fibre club is that club members have a chance to order extra quantities of the club fiber. A small number are only up in the shop until sold, but it is usually not quite as hectic as a regular update. By the way, the next "regular" update (available to anybody, not just clubbers) goes live Tuesday, September 27, at 5 pm, St. Louis time (CDT). You have to be online and clicking "reload" at that time in order to have a chance to get any. The preview pictures of the update are already on the site.... Happy Spinning, Lisa Kay

I finished up a "combo" spin, yesterday. I used two each of three colorways with orange in common (think Halloween). 1. FatCatKnits - BFL - Out of Bounds (09/2011 Featured Fiber) 2. Frabjous Fibers - BFL - Hespera 3. Spunky Eclectic - Shetland - Selfish (06/2009 Club) I separated the fiber more or less by color, trying to get some color sets that would work together. Chris saw the fiber piles and said it looked like I had shorn a herd of trolls. (Well, I think the verb he used was "massacred," rather than "shorn," but I assume I could harvest their hair in a non-blood-letting fashion...) I have over twice as much orange/red as I have of the other two, so I think I can do something like alternating stripes (orange, blue, orange, green… repeat) and then have orange left over for bands/trim, also. Orange: 394 yards Blue: 155 yards Green: 170 yards The yarns are Navajo-plied to keep from mixing the colors too mu...

We visited my folks, today, meeting them at the park. It was a chance for Mitchell (and Chris) to run around, and Gma got some air, too. Gpa took photos. Thanks, Dad! This cool contraption was not in the park when I was growing up... This one was, though. It seems a little worse for the wear. Maybe that's because people over 10 aren't supposed to get on it... but they do. I always imagined this apparatus looked like a space ship. We used to hang out in this thing and talk about all sorts of important matters. Is this a caterpillar? Mitchell was making friends with everybody. The climbing wall was a hit. The rope jungle gym was a little flippy-floppy, making it a bit strange to climb. I think Chris likes the park as much as Mitchell. And the girls mainly watched! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Two If By Hand is the featured fiber this month in the Ennea Collective Spin-Along/Knit-Along. The colorway is "We Took To The Woods," on superwash BFL or mixed BFL. I've ordered four braids of the mixed BFL, and they are lovely! The Ennea Collective site has articles on different ways they have spun this fiber ( two-ply and three-ply ) and will have patterns available soon for KALs. With four braids, I am thinking a vest... We shall see! Ravelry Ennea Collective Group Ravelry Two If By Hand Group Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

We took Mitchell to the park after lunch for a bit of running about. He's starting to like the swings, especially if someone pushes. I can really see how much bigger he is getting. It was tough to keep Mitchell from charging into the water. There seemed to be something tasty in there. With evidence like this, it is hard to continue to deny being tired. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I posted about Norah Gaughan's Devon back in August. I ordered the Peruvia Quick yarn in the exact colorway ("Dragon") from the pattern and made it for Chris for our anniversary. I got it done last weekend (two weeks early) and convinced him to model it this morning. It is a really thick sweater, and I think Chris will enjoy it in the winter. I made it exactly over the pattern to the neck, then picked up eight fewer stitches for the collar than directed. This was advised in projects on Ravelry, and I'm glad I did that, because the neck is plenty big. I also bound off on the same size needles instead of going up two sizes for the bindoff as I normally do. I'm pleased with the results. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Mitchell has made fast friends with our neighbor, Parker, who is in his kindergarten class, and his sister, Libby. Parker and Mitchell have been planning playdates and generally cavorting. It is fun to watch. Parker and Libby have an electric jeep. It only takes two at once, so they all took turns. It was nice of them to share with Mitchell. I'm really glad they are friends. I wonder if they wonder why they never really noticed each other before... Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I spun two each of two Woolgatherings colors (pink/orange/yellow and red/orange/yellow) along with one Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Happy Go Lucky," all on Polwarth. I got about 995 yards of 3-ply (dk, I think, but I haven't measured wpi, yet...). Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay