Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

I made these "his and hers" quilts for my mom and dad. I used jelly rolls in batik prints, a mix of different brands and colors, choosing a half of the jelly rolls in neutrals to get the contrast. The pattern is based on a "Summer in the Park" tutorial I found on Pinterest from Missouri Star Quilt Company. The jelly roll strips get sewn together lengthwise and then cut into squares on a 45 degree angle, turned, and sewn back together. The toughest part is not stretching the bias edges. Tamara Lynn at Itch'n To Be Stitch'n in Staunton, IL, quilted them using a pantograph design with large feathers. I really like how the swirly quilting design contrasts with the geometric lines of the blocks. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I gifted six quilts this Christmas. The first one was based on a pattern called, "Cattle Crossing," by Myrna Giesbrecht. It was in a booklet called, " Strip Quilts in a Hurry ," that I purchased back in the last century. (Really. Doesn't that sound funny? It was published in 1994.) "Cattle Crossing" is the cover quilt on the booklet. It used a lot of white for contrast, which I replaced with green, but I used the same cow fabric as the original. (It is likely not available any more. I've had it as long as I've had the booklet!) It was originally a wall hanging, (49" x 57"), but I sized it up for a queen sized bed. After seeing it made up, I understand the wisdom of using white fabric for alternating squares, providing more contrast. I got a little carried away with appliqueing the cows coming out of the blocks... They are fused down and then edged with mono-filament thread. It was quilted by Aubry Dunn in Edwardsville. The co...

Mitchell woke up around normal time and rushed out to see if Santa had come. He was worried he had gotten on the "Naughty List" at the very last moment... Right before bed time, he pulled a towel bar off of the wall, leaving a large hole in the dry wall. Chris and I were not pleased. As he went to bed, he said, "Am I going to get any presents, tonight?" Well, Santa came, anyway... Mitchell was surprised by the T-ball batting set. It wasn't on his list! We had gift exchanges with both sets of grandparents, and all four grandparents joined us for lunch and dinner. Gma W was more interested in watching Mitchell than in her presents! Grandmas... go figure! I made both grandpas fingerless mitts. I think Chris liked the magic wand from his parents as much as Mitchell did. Mitchell is a huge Lego fan, and Santa (and grandparents) brought him some Hobbit Lego sets. We spent all afternoon putting together, Attack of the Wargs. I showed Gma E the proc...

The Fiddlehead Mittens were part of the Southern Cross Fibre “semi-solid” spin along on Ravelry . I just finished them last Friday. I included them in the gift summary in the previous post, but I have a bit more to say… I’ve been working on these mittens for a couple of months, in between the other Christmas gift knitting and such. You can find more info on the handspun yarn and pattern in this post from November . The fact that I spun seven colors of yarn, combined with the fairisle design and then the lining, made these mittens a bit more involved than some of the other Christmas gift knitting. I didn’t bother to hide the process from my mom, because that would make it harder to get done… and she had no idea they were for her, anyway. At one point in the spin-along forum on Ravelry, I mentioned something about having to get them done before Christmas. Another member of the forum, said, “Whoa whoa whoa. Are you saying those mitts will be Christmas gifts?!?” I said, “Yes. The...

My mom baked cookies with me and Mitchell, yesterday. Baking cookies together is something my mom and I have done for as long as I can remember. This year, we made sugar cookies, Gingerbread Boys, and Santa Surprises. The Santa Surprises are basically a piece of Snickers bar wrapped in peanut butter cookie dough. After baking, they get drizzled with Dove chocolate. They're awesomely decadent. Here are some pictures of cutting the Gingerbread Boys. The sugar cookie recipe we use is one that my mom got on a label of a new cookie sheet in 1964, when she and my dad had their first Christmas together. I think it makes the best sugar cookies in the whole world. Of course, for me, these evoke memories of childhood Christmases. Even allowing for that, and attempting to be impartial, they seem terrific. Given the source and age of the recipe, I imagine I'm unbound by copyright limitations in sharing this recipe: Mom's Sugar Cookies Ingredients: 2 cups sifted flour 1...

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

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!

Parker invited Mitchell to go to Monkey Joe's after school on Friday, along with Libby and two of her friends, and the five kids had great fun sliding, jumping, and playing air hockey. Such a great time! Gma and Gpa E dropped by, and Gpa took all the pictures! :) Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay