Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

I finished a quick knit over the last couple of days, the Arc Mittens by Peggy O'Grady, from the recently released Interweave Knits Accessories 2011 . The name comes from the shaping on the palm, which the designer calls a "lifeline." The pattern called for Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky yarn. I had been wanting to use a Brown Sheep yarn in the colorway "Strawberry Patch," because I liked the colors in their recent advertisement, the one with the red, pink, and green bulky wrap around a baby. It's been in a lot of magazines, lately; it is on the third page of the "Accessories" issue mentioned above. I confirmed the color with some folks on Ravelry. The yarn in the ad is "Burly Spun," which is super bulky... a recommended gauge of 2.5 stitches per inch. The Arc Mittens call for 4 stitches per inch. I found the same colorway on a different Brown Sheep yarn called "Handpaint Originals," which is a worsted yarn with som...

I made some more simple socks using some commercial yarn this time... one that looks a bit like handspun. This is Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Stärke 6 in the colorway "India Pink." The colors caught my eye, and like a raccoon with a shiny thing, I grabbed it. I think that it does a good imitation of handspun hand-painted wool, the way it looks in the knitted socks. So if you're wanting to try some handspun socks, but don't spin, here's something to try. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay P.S. I used David's Toe Up Sock Cookbook again.

I finally splurged and bought a DSLR camera (Canon EOS Rebel T3i), which I have been longing to do for some time. I played with some of the modes, today, and took some portraits of Mitchell. ...and my favorite...(click on it to see it bigger) Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I tried out the new camera during some Lego-building, also... and so Chris had his portrait taken, too. Chris said I could only use this photo above if I included the caption: "This is what seven years of marriage does." Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Mitchell enjoyed Christmas morning, with many Lego items, several of the Star Wars variety, and a couple Harry Potter items, too. All the grandparents came for lunch. After lunch, there was Lego assembly... Here is the Republic Frigate under construction. Mitchell kept taking breaks! Here he is after finishing it... ... and getting out the next kit: We're in for a lot more Lego building over this week out of school and work: Merry Christmas, Lisa Kay

Those socks I was knitting on Christmas Eve are " Achilles Heal " socks from the Winter 2011 Knitty. I used the latest Rockin' Sock Club installment, "Comfort and Joy" in the Socks That Rock Lightweight. Sign ups for 2012 Rockin' Sock Club start on January 4th, here . Aren't they great Christmas socks? Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

My side of the family had a Christmas gathering, today. My brother and his wife brought their two sons, and our folks came over for lunch. I finally met my new nephew, Reese. Gma held Reese, and Dave helped Dane look over his new CAT. Mitchell really enjoyed his new Hummer! I asked Dane for a snuggle while Chris used a knife to take the wrapping off the CAT. Dane kept an eye on him... Chris and Mitchell showed Dane our United States puzzle. Dane showed that he knows where we live! The boys enjoyed each other, and the six-year-old did not always have the upper hand over the 2-and-a-half-year-old! After lunch, we just hung out. Stephanie fed the baby, and you know that I don't sit still for long without knitting in my hands. Cute little Dane discovered the hearth... ...and that it was great for jumping! Merry Christmas Eve! Lisa P.S. No pictures of Gpa, because he *took* all the pictures!

I used up the rest of the Autumn Leaf fiber making Vera Brosgol's Easy Handspun Mitts . I got them done yesterday afternoon and today, facilitated by taking an early holiday break from work. I normally don't get that much knitting done in two weekdays... The image is a composite, because I took the pictures myself, one at a time. I'm toying with the idea of buying a nicer camera with a remote shutter release, for just such occasions, but I haven't settled on a model. I have just a small amount of yarn left, perhaps enough for a mini-stocking! Hmmm... Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Southern Cross Fibre 's October fiber clubs, both on Polwarth, included a colorway called, "Autumn Leaf." I decided to try to make matching socks, with mixed results, as you'll see. I broke the fiber into two pieces in the middle of the length, and then I split each long piece into six more-or-less equal weight strips. Here is a picture of three of the strips (1/12 of the 4 oz fiber, each). Then, I spun each 1/12 of the fiber into a single, as shown here: I plied three singles together, using three from the same half, lining up the colors as much as possible. Here are the first two pairs of three-ply yarns (half the fiber): And wound into balls, ready to knit "matching" socks... So, I started knitting socks, using David's Toe Up Sock Cookbook , and used up the first half of the yarn. I had a couple of setbacks, mainly because the two yarns weren't exactly the same thickness. I got the first sock through the gusset, careful to allow ...

Perhaps you noticed the hand-knit vest I was wearing at Mitchell's birthday party ? Well, I had just finished knitting it using my "We Took To The Woods" handspun. (Previous posts on the yarn here and here .) I used instructions for a top-down "sleeveless sweater" in Barbara Walker's " Knitting From The Top ." The shoulders start with a provisional cast on, followed by short-row shoulder shaping. I like the way the short row shoulders look a little bit like a saddle-shoulder, emphasized by the variegated yarn. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

We held Mitchell's sixth birthday last night at The Little Gym. The kids played on the equipment and did some running and jumping. I think everyone may have slept well last night! Hard to believe the little guy is six. I said to Chris that one third of his childhood was over. Chris just said, "Shut up." Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay