Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

I finished my combos just in time, given that the deadline for this Spin Along is April 30. SE “Burning Bush” on South African Fine SCF “Dark Wings” on Polwarth and HY “Burrows” on Rambouillet "Burning Dark Burrows" 740 yards, 10 wpi (worsted) 3-ply SE “Fjord” on Portuguese Merino SCF “Terrestrial” on Bond HY “Silt” on Portuguese Merino "Silty Terrestrial Fjord:" 728 yards, 10 wpi (worsted) 3-ply Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Every once in a while I do something a little different... This one started as knitting related, really! A couple of weeks ago, I got the idea to make some beaded stitch markers. I had gotten one stitch marker as a gift in a yarn order, and I liked the way it was made. (Maybe I should say, "sample" instead of "gift," but it didn't say who had made it...) I decided I could make some like it, and I purchased some colored wire to go along with some beads I already had. It worked out great, and I had a coordinating "beginning of round" marker to go with the set. I wrapped the wire around a size nine needle to set the loop size. They will be a bit large for sock knitting, though usable, but I think of them more as sweater markers for raglan increases, or perhaps lace markers (the only reason to make more than four, I think). I was so pleased with how well the stitch marker project went that it inspired me to make a necklace, too. I have not gotten o...

It seems to have become a quick tradition (twice annually, so far) that I chaperone Mitchell's Spring field trip. This year, we went to The Magic House. Only five adults could attend, and I luckily won one of the lottery selections. Otherwise, no tradition! Each adult watched four or five kids. One of Mitchell's good friends was in our group, and they rode together on the bus. The Magic House is full of different interactive stations for kids. Mitchell particularly liked the "ball levitation" table... It's hard to see in the photo, but there is a bubble all the way around Mitchell. The person stands on a pedestal surrounded by a "moat" full of bubble liquid, and the rope raises a ring out of the moat. Pretty cool! After chasing seven-year olds around for part of a day, one thing I know for sure is that I did not miss a calling to be an elementary school teacher! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I started another sweater in mid-March, using some yarn I spun last year during Tour de Fleece, six bumps of Southern Cross Fibre's "Longest Night" on Cheviot . It is a three-ply, about DK weight. I had been thinking for a while about copying a very beloved store-bought sweater, a simple cardigan. I'm greatly intrigued by this cardigan. It is a simple little thing, a classic, straight-forward shape, but it has a few simple details that make it special. One of the things that I find clever about it is that the shoulder seams aren't on the shoulder. Silly, right? Well, the front yoke is extended just enough to go across the "straight" part of the top of the sleeve. The front yoke/shoulder is straight at the top, though the armhole side of the shoulder is shaped with increases. Weird, right? (Just a few...) The back then joins the front by shaping the back with increases every row. (I counted the increases across the back and the rows of increases... on...

For my two sweaters in the Southern Cross Fibre Semi-Solid Spin Along ( Boreal and Blue Mountain Bohus ), I received a prize... David generously offered me a custom dye on fiber of my choice. I asked for Falkland dyed "in the neighborhood of Horizon and Hay Sunrise ." I received my prize on Friday. It is amazing! What a treat!!! It is over two pounds of the gorgeous stuff! I am thinking of making a sweater that looks like a sunrise... dark sky at the top, brown horizon at the bottom, and yellows/pinks shading to lavendar breaking over the horizon. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I prepped my fiber for my combo spins. The baskets are arranged in the same order as listed in the " Planning Some Combos " post... These are the next fibers on the wheel! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay