Lisa Kay Knits... and Quilts!

Today was our first outdoor soccer practice, given all the rain we have been having. The grass really slows down the ball, compared to the gym floor... ...and all the kids were instantly better at dribbling. Mitchell really seemed to be getting the hang of it. They did "Red Light - Green Light" drills, where everyone had to stop and put their foot on the ball for the, "Red Light..." ...and then dribble, again, when he said, "Green Light." They had to wait in line for the passing drill. The kids had to stop at each cone and receive a pass from one of the two coaches... ...and then pass it back and run to the next cone. At the last cone, they made a kick on the goal. As the coaches have taught him to do, Mitchell threw his arms in the air and yelled, "Goal!" when his ball went in... ...and then got a pat on the back from a coach. Nothing matched the yell Mitchell gave when the next class began to arrive and Mitch

I've finished one and a half socks in the second pair of Mona's. Here's one sock for a progress photo: I also received my April installment of Romi's Pins and Lace club. It is gorgeous! The pattern is called Lisianthus . The yarn is String Theory Seri in the colorway "Larkspur." You may recall my first Pins and Lace kit and  project (which isn't finished yet.) If you are interested in Pins and Lace, the club will have a few "half year" openings available May 20th, at the "Pins and Lace" link, above. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I finished my first pair of the April-May sock, Mona . The yarn is by a lovely sponsor of the KAL, Saffron Dyeworks , the Amara yarn base in the colorway "Sassy." I immediately cast on another pair in Barking Dog Yarns' (another lovely sponsor of the KAL), Rune base in the colorway Oklahoma Rose. This yarn really smells nice. I wonder what yarn wash she uses... Mitchell hopped out onto the deck when I started taking pictures. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Gma E and I took Mitchell to Eckert's today, for an egg hunt. It was a bit rainy, and they moved the festivities off of the grass and into the nursery. There were other activities, including decorating (and eating) your own cookie and a petting zoo with bunnies and chicks. "If Buddha had a bucket, would we be twins?" The eggs were pretty easy to find. "If I leave some icing on my fingers, will the bunnies like me better?" Gma and I thought the bunnies had some "better living through chemistry" going on, but at least they were very well-behaved. Mitchell wasn't quite sure what to do with the chick. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Spring weather called us outside, today, and we visited the zoo. The rhinocerous was the star of the day, trotting about in its enclosure from one end to the other. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I finished my March/April socks, Thelonious , on the 12th. Now, I'm on to Mona . Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I promised to post more information about the new Zen Yarn Garden club, and here it is! The new club is a gorgeous red semi-solid colorway inspired by Japanese red maples, available in three bases, the Serenity Worsted, Serenity 20 fingering, or Serenity Silk fingering... all luxurious bases. It is available to order in any quantities of any of the three bases, through May 8, shipping mid-month. For more information, see Roxanne's club page . It's a "Quasi Club" because you can select any amount and make anything you want. :) I ordered enough worsted to make Cassis , plus a matching pair of socks in Serenity 20. Yea! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

The Knit Sock Love KAL allows two months to complete the pair, as long as you cast on sometime in the first month. I got my March cast on just a few days before that deadline, and I'm trying to hurry and finish the pair so that I can start the April-May sock, Mona . It is tough if you get behind. You have to average one pair a month, if you want to do them all... Here is my first sock in the pair of Thelonious socks. The yarn is Zen Yarn Garden's Serenity 20 in "Regal Red." The 20% cashmere makes it squishy and a treat to knit. I really like Roxanne's semi-solids. She is planning to start a semi-solid club, soon, with sweater quantities available. Hmmm... I'll post details when I know more! :) The diagonal panel made me pay a bit more attention to what I was doing, since the diagonal shaping happens every four rows. I had to keep marking progress on a chart, instead of memorizing the pattern and just taking off on my own. Other than that, it wasn&#

We had a busy weekend, running about from one thing to the next. We started with our first soccer practice. It had been delayed a few weeks, and we still had a wet field, so the group met in the gym. It is an introductory skills class for seven weeks, followed by one "game" on the eighth and last week. Saturday evening, we headed over to Gma and Gpa W's, staying the night for family reunion the next day. Family reunion is held across the street from a school, and I got these shots of Mitchell on the school playground. And since Stephanie has announced it , I assume it is safe for me to mention that I'm going to be an aunt, again. :) Yea! Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I am having a cardigan hoodie test knit on Ravelry in the Free Pattern Testers group. If you are interested in test knitting, see the posting on Ravelry. It is a heavy-worsted (4sts/inch) stockinette cardigan, with ribbed edges, alternating yarns every two rows for stripes. The gauge makes it a fast knit. The alternate yarns keep it interesting. The pattern should be available in the June timeframe (one way or another), but for now, it is a secret, just in the test group. ;) Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

Sunday was a record high here, 90 degrees, breaking a record that stood for 129 years. We went out early, before it was really hot, and visited the petting zoo at the local park. Mitchell chased a hen. He never did catch her, but he kept her on her toes. Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay

I'm prone to joining clubs, it seems. I've received some really interesting club yarns in the last month... The Plucky Knitter , Plucky Classics Club, "The Hills Are Alive" Zen Yarn Garden , Art Walk Sock Club, "Judith" Hedgehog Fibres , Sock Club, "Quicker" and "Glazed" The Loopy Ewe , Lorna's Laces Honor in "Loopy Ewe Shuffle" Blue Moon Fiber Arts , Rockin' Sock Club, "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" Meanwhile, I'm off working on my March/April sock for Knit Sock Love... it is red Zen Yarn Garden. Lovely! Sock pictures later... Happy Knitting, Lisa Kay