Lissa Knits

Two Girls...

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:38:00 -0400

Tumblr has been a fun vacation and has kicked my posting habit back up. Thanks for the treat; it’s time to head back home.

May 10, 2012 Dear Sir, Enclosed you will find a check in the...

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:36:37 -0400

May 10, 2012

Dear Sir,

Enclosed you will find a check in the amount of $29.97, in response to your invoice of April 30, 2012.

Please be advised that although this invoice indicates “5th - and final - notice”, it is the first piece of such correspondence that I have received from you.

I do not read your magazine; it is transferred from my mailbox to the recycling bin each Wednesday evening without exception. I therefore trust that you will consider this payment an acceptable settlement of all debts that you may henceforth claim, and that you will settle the case by severing this connection.

Graciously,
Ms. M L ——

Maybe i’m old-fashioned, but my favorite photos of us...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:28:58 -0400

Maybe i’m old-fashioned, but my favorite photos of us (apart from those taken by Chris Chin) are sepia-toned.

O, little Phil. This philodendron has survived a great deal of...

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:20:21 -0400

O, little Phil.

This philodendron has survived a great deal of tumult. He was once a large, viney plant with numerous shoots and leaves.

When I moved us all to Brooklyn three years ago, Stumpy Freedom decided that Phil was the tastiest snack, and chewed off many of its vines. In an effort to protect him from her teeth, claws, and appetite, I moved Phil to a high shelf with lovely indirect sunlight - where he fell victim to my neglect. Phil withered, shrank, and nearly died from thirst, until Corrin rescued him, trimming away dead stems and leaves, soaking the pot, and generally making the poor thing as comfortable as could be.

Then the move to Manhattan last June nearly decapitated him; the pot tipped over and severed all but one brave little leaf from a tiny sliver of root. Not willing to give up on him, we created a watery home for Phil; he spent ten months with his little root swimming in a glass and growing long and strong, and doubling his number of tiny, glossy leaves.

In early April, we repotted him into this tiny pot and set a friendly Otter stone to keep him company. He’s gained another two leaves and chirked up nicely; you can see from the itsy bitsy shoot in the center that he’s still in a bit of a growth spurt.

Here’s to perseverance!

Since leaving school, I’ve used my Birthday as an annual...

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:45:00 -0400

Since leaving school, I’ve used my Birthday as an annual point at which I can take stock and determine what elements of my life aren’t in sync with my dreams. One thing that I’m less than pleased with right now is my level of physical activity.

Corrin jokingly asked if I’d like a gold star for choosing to exercise, then we rather quickly and over-excitedly conceived of a “star chart” for the fridge. I scrapbooked this together on Saturday night - the font was clearly inspired by my Hobbity Birthday Party - and Corrin bought gold foil star stickers yesterday.

So far it’s working; I scootered to the office this morning!

Thanks for taking the picture, lovey.

Poor Mac. I’ve felt terrible all day, so have alternately...

Sun, 06 May 2012 22:11:00 -0400

Poor Mac. I’ve felt terrible all day, so have alternately napped, whined, and distracted myself with a beloved childhood story — Louisa May Alcott’s Eight Cousins. The scene depicted above, where gentle Rose attempts to soothe and comfort afflicted Mac was a sweet bit of balm. I’m one of the demented few who truly enjoy earnest, heart-felt books, with their little flaws and foibles fully intact — so sinking into the story was good for me today.

Morningside Park is so lush and green right now - thanks to mild...

Sat, 05 May 2012 09:18:32 -0400

Morningside Park is so lush and green right now - thanks to mild temperatures and rain. I love the way the stone walls seem to be creeping up from the greenery.

I celebrated my birthday yesterday with a shopping adventure...

Thu, 03 May 2012 19:37:54 -0400

I celebrated my birthday yesterday with a shopping adventure throughout midtown. It was gray and wet, with hints of fog.

I took this photo at the corner of Twenty-Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue. I can’t decide on my favorite part: the fog in front of the Empire State Building, the bright red walk signal, or the looming buildings in the foreground.

They Fit! Dad in his Father’s Day Socks.

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:09:02 -0400

They Fit!

Dad in his Father’s Day Socks.

3KCBWDAY3: My Knitting Heroes

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:10:00 -0400

“Blog about someone in the fibre crafts who truly inspires you.” There are a lot of people in the yarn and knitting world who inspire me.

My amazing friend Phoebe, who can spin her own fibre and knit a sweater without a pattern, is at the top of the list.

Every person with the guts to start an Etsy shop, selling his or her own wares to the public, and Dona of Yarntopia, who started a bricks and mortar shop in New York City.

Lovely bloggers who share glimpses of their lives along with stories about their craft — ladies like Anne of Knitspot, Karie of The Fourth Edition, Saffron formerly of Mooncalf Makes, Mimi of Eskimimi Makes (the founder of international Knit and Crochet Blog Week), and Tami of Tami’s Amis.

But the people who most surprise me, the ones who inspire me quietly and gently, often without either of us noticing it, are the Subway Knitters of New York City. The women and men who go about their days with a project bag secreted about their person, knitting needles ready to be taken up at a moment’s notice. They’ll tuck themselves into corner seats, perch against center poles, brace themselves against doors, or effortlessly surf, stealing moments from their “wasted” commutes to create something beautiful, comforting, silly, or sweet.

I’ve always been a little bit in love with the lives of ordinary people, and nothing makes me feel quite as close to that as pulling out my own project bag and my own set of tiny DPNs, and smiling at the knitter across the car.

This is another post for the third annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week series. If you’re so inclined, you can read about other participants’ knitting heroes, too.

It’s 3KCBWDAY2 — Day Two of the third annual...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:11:00 -0400

It’s 3KCBWDAY2 — Day Two of the third annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, which means that it’s time for the photography contest.

This photograph is my take on Works in Progress: four of my most portable WIPs against the backdrop of a very much NOT portable skyscraper in progress. From left to right, the projects are:

Connie Chang Chinchio’s Mountainview Cardigan knitted in Bristol Yarn Gallery’s Buckingham (colorway 0498)
Hermione’s Everyday Socks to End All Socks — a mashup of Erica Lueder’s and Anne Hanson’s patterns in Plymouth Yarn’s Happy Feet (colorway 10)
The first square of the Learn to Knit Afghan, gartered in ancient remnants of worsted wool in shades of blue
Susannah IC’s Georgiana Shawl (from Jane Austen Knits), knitted in Okay Knit’s Sawa Sawa (colorway Antique)

I take no credit for Gotham West, other than for having the privilege to sit at a desk which gives me full view of the construction site. Nor do I take credit for the glorious spring sunrise that tinged my photo with hazy rays.

The snap itself was taken with the Camera+ app on an iPhone4, then cropped and filtered with a 25% sepia layer. If you’re so moved, I would love to win your nomination for the 3KCBWDAY2 photography challenge!

Subway + Scooter = today’s 25 minute commute

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:18:47 -0400

Subway + Scooter = today’s 25 minute commute

Color as Expression. Color as Exploration. Color as Love. Color...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:58:46 -0400

Color as Expression. Color as Exploration. Color as Love. Color as Therapy.

When I shop for yarn, I generally pluck from the shelves and cuddle the yarns that make me feel good when I look at them. Whether for myself or for someone else, the skeins that I purchase must carry a sense of comfort and love, or exuberant excitement home with them.

If the representative photo above — of my stash, my Works-in-Progress, and the few Finished Objects that reside in my own home — is any indication, I am most often in search of luxury (purple), comfort (blue), renewal (green), and restfulness (gray and brown neutrals), with a few pops of glorious energy (orange) and verve (roses and reds). That feels roughly on par with my life in the city — I rarely go running off in search of excitement, and am most often desperately looking for a quiet corner in which to unwind.

Knitting is both a social and solitary activity for me, and I’m amused that my choices of projects mirror the colors that I associate with companionship and solitude. In a group, I’m likely to work on the Doctor Who Scarf (front and center) with it’s assortment of deep, rich stripes or the Georgiana Shawl (back left) with the curls of Antique red-browns wrapped on their circular needle around the wound ball). In solitude, I reach for the (recently completed) Jacquard Socks (bottom left) or the Sampler Afghan (blue stripes, to the top left of the Who Scarf), or the newly cast on Mountainview Cardigan (barely present in green, nestled atop the Francis sweater in the top right corner).

Before examining my stash — and my habits — to write this post, I didn’t realize how deeply entrenched color is in my psychology. I’m half-tempted to make a chart of projects to match moods, and assign myself knitting based on how I want to feel. But that’s a little obsessive even for me; I’d rather be knitting or reading than making attractive little charts.

This post is my contribution to Day One of the Third Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. To see the work of other bloggers as they examine the role of color in their craft, search for 3KCBWDAY1 on Google.

Lars and Corrin on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air, and...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:54:20 -0400

Lars and Corrin on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum

Corrin’s German host-brother, Lars, is visiting New York City for the first time. He wanted us to show him something special in the city that was “very American”, and which would be of benefit for him to see with a guide. Given the beautiful weather on Saturday, the Intrepid was the clear winner.

The Space-Race exhibit was a clear favorite with Lars, as he was familiar with the Russian side of history.

I was completely enamored with the special exhibition on Women in Aviation: World War II. (Seriously, my favorite military topic AND my favorite era? Be still my I-wish-I’d-been-born-15-years-later-and-accepted-my-naval-commission heart.)

Corrin enjoyed herself most on the flight deck itself, looking at the fighter planes and helicopters. She and Lars are posed in front of a Vietnam-era Army Huey above one of the last two of these choppers left in existence. Just behind the Huey (and mostly obscured by it) are an Army Cobra and a Marine Sea Cobra, both attack helicopters, and the two pieces of equipment that had the greatest emotional impact on us. Both helicopters are designed such that when the rotors are engaged (e.g. in flight), it’s impossible for the loading doors to be opened. As such, neither the pilot nor the gunner are equipped with parachutes or ejection seats.

I want to talk it over with Dad when he comes to visit this weekend, but I think that the Intrepid will be joining my collection of charities to support this year. I love the museum, and the focus of curating the Humanity of the military. Sharing it with someone for whom this story was completely fresh and unique helped me understand just how amazing it really is.

tricyclesinskirts: These are lovely! They’re really your first...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:07:31 -0400

tricyclesinskirts:

These are lovely! They’re really your first pair? Wow. Welcome to the wonderfully addicting world of sock knitting. ;)

Really dig that yarn/colorway, too.

Thank you so much! I adore sock knitting, and swatched/cast on for another pair this afternoon while these were soaking — I couldn’t help myself, even with all of the other projects languishing in my cabinet.

The yarn is Paton’s Kroy, and the colorway is Turquoise Jacquard; it’s available in every “general crafts” store I’ve ever been in. My mom bought it for me before I learned how beautiful more luxurious yarns can be to work with, so I was a little worried about how it would knit up in comparison, but I’m so pleased with the finished product.

Thank you for the kind words!

It took two days longer than anticipated, but my first pair of...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:45:16 -0400

It took two days longer than anticipated, but my first pair of knitted socks are finished - shown here on blockers.

I learned a lot about sock construction while making this first pair, specifically the heel flaps, short rows, and gussets. In combination with the “Get En-gauged” class that I took in late January at the Lion Brand studio, I’ve learned far more about the combination of needle sizes, yarn weight, and fiber type than I knew before I started; if I were casting on for this pattern with this yarn today, I’d definitely go down a needle size.

I’m using those details right now as I swatch for my next pair (Erica Lueder’s Hermione’s Everyday Socks adapted with sizing notes from Anne Hanson’s Sock Pattern to End All Sock Patterns) with Plymouth’s Happy Feet. Size Ones no longer intimidate me!

Stuffed Peppers made by Corrin, Lars, and Lissa Preheat oven to...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:04:09 -0400

Stuffed Peppers made by Corrin, Lars, and Lissa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a stone baking pan and set it to warm.
Prepare 1 cup of long grain white rice to package directions.
Finely dice one Spanish onion; sauté it over medium heat with 2 pounds ground sirloin, salt, pepper, paprika, and a generous portion of cumin until the onion is translucent and the beef is browned.
Stir one can of diced tomatoes and the prepared rice into the beef mixture; cover and warm through over low heat.
Meanwhile, wash, top, and remove seeds/pith from eight bell peppers. Stuff the peppers with the filling, arrange them in the baking tray, and bake for thirty minutes.
Serve with fresh vegetables and sour cream.
Yum!

It doesn’t matter how terrible I feel; seeing that sky at...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:20:53 -0400

It doesn’t matter how terrible I feel; seeing that sky at lunch time convinces me that the world is a beautiful place.

I’m in love with this knitting bag after reading...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:03:10 -0400

I’m in love with this knitting bag after reading Anne’s review of it at KnitSpot.I don’t need another bag — AT ALL — but I’m always enamored of totes that can double as weekend bags, that travel well, and that serve multiple purposes. That this one could double as a purse is a major plus…

(via Jordana Paige)

Farhad Manjoo is jealous because Ravelry is so awesome, but he's not a knitter. (His wife is. Her social network is cooler than his.)

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:41:21 -0400

Farhad Manjoo is jealous because Ravelry is so awesome, but he's not a knitter. (His wife is. Her social network is cooler than his.):

The best social network you’ve (probably) never heard of is one-five-hundredth the size of Facebook. It has no video chat feature, it doesn’t let you check in to your favorite restaurant, and there are no games. The company that runs it has just four employees, one of whom is responsible for programming the entire operation. It has never taken any venture capital money and has no plans to go public. Despite these apparent shortcomings, the site’s members absolutely adore it. They consider it a key part of their social lives, and they use it to forge deeper connections with strangers—and share more about themselves—than you’re likely to see elsewhere online. There’s a good chance this site isn’t for you, but after you see how much fun people have there, you’ll wish you had a similar online haunt. The social network is called Ravelry. It’s for knitters (and crocheters).

I adored this article the first time I read it, and it still makes me smile just to think about it. Thus, I share.