Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

I finished and blocked a sweater last weekend. It is a bit free-form, just a large box with garter sleeve caps and cowl neck. I used some Corgi Hill Farm " Insomnia " which I finished some time ago, paired with Stricken Smitten hand-dyed Shimmer Glimmer yarn in the colorway "Plumage." I started the bottom in garter, switching to a couple of pattern stitches and stockinette, as mood suited me. I saved a couple of pieces of handspun, in similar colors, to do the arm bands. Otherwise, I used up the handspun and switched to the Plumage. I used two different knitting needles to keep the gauge as consistent as possible with the different yarns and stitch patterns. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Mitchell has gone back to school. He's in the third grade. On the first day of school, he didn't really want his picture taken... ... but Chris did manage to catch a bit of a crooked smile. A couple weeks earlier, we were at my folks' house, and he caught a stink bug in the back yard. And last week, we caught a wooly worm. Last night, then, we finally gave in and let him get a pet. It is a Russian hamster. Her name is pancake, because she was sleeping in a weird, flat position when we first saw her... Critters! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I finally sewed the buttons on my Garter Yoke Cardigan. I knitted it out of yarn I spun back in May, Southern Cross Fibre's " Cavern. " Ravelry Project Page Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I've been spinning when I'm home... though I've been away a lot, lately. I traveled five of the last six weeks. Still, I plugged away at eight ounces of Hello Yarn's "Village Smithy" on BFL/Silk. It is about 440 yards. I like the way the silk gives it a sheen that works with the brown/silver colors to make it look metallic. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

It's the last day, and I've just finished five bumps of Hello Yarn, "Mochi" on superwash BFL. It's not as much as I normally do during TdF, but I have been traveling for the last three weeks in a row... so I think it is a pretty good haul! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I finished Sock #67, the "Monkey" socks, in Zen Yarn Garden "Pistachio." I also started Sock #68, another pair using the " Burning Stripes " pattern. I copied a pair from Ravelry , striping Drops Delight colorway 11, and Drops Fabel colorway 101. The first sock is top-down, and the second sock is toe-up. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I've been traveling a lot (twice this week, already), so I'm not keeping up with posting, daily. I'm still spinning every day I'm home, and trying to get some extra time (mainly weekend time) when I can, since it's TdF. I've finished plying the first two yarns, four ounces each of Southern Cross Fibre "Tempest:" ...and "Seraglio:" I have also finished the singles of the lighter half of five bumps of Hello Yarn "Mochi." The darker half of "Mochi" is next (pink and brown). I'll ply the light-with-light and dark-with-dark, to get two different yarns. The general plan is to make something striped with the two yarns. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay