kitty: fireplace retreats

We have broken the record here in Columbus for continuous snowy days, 17 days and counting. I also think that the grumpiness meter is also growing with just about everyone I am talking with on a daily basis. Prime example of people not dealing with cold, gray, snowy days. So I have been trying to take small retreats in front of the fireplace. Lots of cream tea and even some home made cookies to cheer me up. I haven't really been able to knit much since I injured my hand in London. Last night I tried to knit a little on Mia's very late Christmas gift. She already knows about it, but here is a little sneak peak. It will be a well traveled shawl.

kitty: start of a new lace project

Vintage Estonian Border knit out of Strawberry colour Linnet Light Linen.

kitty: I have to share two amazing knitting reference

Title: The Needles Excellency: A New Booke wherin are diuers Armirable Workes wrought with the Needle. (Link to the page where you can download a .pdf scan of the book) Author: Taylor, John Published: London; James Baler, 1631 Description: 42 pp., 5.8 MB Subject: Needlework, The Praise of the Needle, Needlework patterns

You really never know what you are going to find when google for historical lace knitting on the internet. Tonight I found a rare treasure posted on Godfrey's Book-fhelf - Facsimiles of books from the 15th through 19th centuries. It looks like a couple of other people are stumbling across this book as well. While Googling I found a link to Iris G Knits who had actually translated one of the poems on her site. Though the scan is a little hard to read there are certainly some amazing charts and graphs that could be used for your modern day patterns. The thing that I think moved me the most when I just read the book and Iris G's post was Taylor's comment about how miserable life would be without needles. Another Treasure Link: On-Line Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Topics at University of Arizona - Digital Archive of Documents Related to Lace This month alone they have added: Italian Drawn Work and Antique Filet Lace, Carmela Testa Co. Boston, Mass, 1922 Dillmont, Thérèse de. Filet-Guipure, DMC Library Youngburg, Nellie Hall. Forty Original Designs in Tatting, 1921 I am so excited to have found these online site I can not tell you!

kitty: Knitted Market Bag - sneak peak

A little sneak peak of what I have been working on. There have been so many great Market Bags popping up online recently I decided that wanted to make my own. Lets face it is a pretty simple concept; flat bottom, slanted sides to create sides, straight construction of 4 panels, and a handle. Not a lot of math involved and something that can replace all of the plastic waste bags that I collect with daily life. This is what I have so far. I like the general shape and design, but after blocking my bag measure oh.......... 12*23*4. It is a little long since I know there will be stretching due to contents. I also want to sew linen handles and top band and bottom band for stability. The concept behind the lace patterns was to knit patterns that I knew by heart as practice. Since patterns were passed down and then practiced over and over until they were committed to memory. So this is what my memory lead to after all the reading I have been doing. Nothing was written down or charted. Just knit, knit, knit It is made out of three balls of Maggie Ireland's old linen.

(Yes.. the increase in the lace there could have been done better.)

On a side note: Today is one of those days that comes around every year full of happiness, memories, laughter, tears, joy and of course sadness for me. A day where I crave Southern Fried Chicken, Sausage Gravy and home made butter biscuits, Vienna Sausages, pound cake, and a piece of butter scotch handed to the little girl on the stool facing the wall. This year though it has hit me pretty hard, guess I have been thinking of my Grandmother a lot as of late. Don't really know why, but today would have been her Birthday. So Happy Birthday Grandma!!!! I really miss you And on a much happier note, Happy Belated Bday to My sweetie M!!!!! Yesterday was his Bday!

kitty: mesh lace trend on the runway

Earlier in my life I had the great fortune to see a peek at an amazing private lace collection. The collector had spent a life time traveling the world picking up tid bits, scraps, monastery works, fans, you name it if he found it he would pick it up to add to his collection. The original collector passed away when I was in college and he passed it on to someone I regrettable have really lost touch with, one of the great sad nesses of my life. At the time, though I appreciated the collections beauty, I really regret not taking closer notes and making sketches of the different designs that mesmerized me. My feelings of appreciation for his collection has really magnified in the last couple of months as I have begun my course in studying knitted lace. Something that I wish I knew was in his collection. :( Little did the Korean woman stopping at the Tea Zone know would really change my life. The result is that I am trying to acquire as many of the lace resources that I can find. What saddens me is really the lack of publications on the top. One thing that really has been exciting me of late is to see how more couture designers are working lace into their garments. Not that they have progressed to the 16th century Italian ecclesiastical uses or the 17th century court costumes for males and females where elaborate ruffs, collars, cuffs appear in just about every European portrait of the day. But amazing and innovative lace is walking down the runway. Olga from Knit Creations of A Curious Mind, posted this image a few months ago from the Spring collection of Oscar de la Renta.

(Photos are from Sytle.com Resort 2007 Oscar De La Renta- Runway of other crochet items) Though the through of crocheting that adorable coverup really terrifies me, I have been seeing a lot of the similiar techniquest in Japanese craft books and one of my favorite Japanese sites. So I thought I would put together atleast a few references and examples I have seen.

Sites:

Thread & Yarn Handing Days * Post about her favorite crochet books *Standing up Flowers * Macrame Tecnique 2007 International Freeform Crochet Exhibits

Books

Mesh Work Prince of Knitting 98 pages (2002/07) ISBN-10: 4529037207 ISBN-13: 978-4529037204 Earlier Post This is probably one of the most comprehensive technique books on the subject you will find. Multiple pages of step by step instructions with photos of each step in the process. It is broken down into different lessons for the beginner through the experienced. It takes you step by step setting up the working surface, laying out the motif's, crocheting the connecting cords, and then showing you the needle lace support structures.

Winter 2006 vol 132 185 pages - 2006/10 ISBN-10:4529043169 Printed by Nihon Vogue-2006 Earlier Post

kitty: Orenburg Lace

You know it is really kind of funny how a simple thing as going out for a cup of tea with your knitting can bring two knitters together. M and I went to our favorite teahouse here in Columbus and I was swatching for my St. Patrick's Day knitting project Twisted Flower Sock. I had great plans to sit Saturday afternoon and just knit. It wasn't like going out in Columbus this weekend would be a particularly fun with all the basketball traffic. Unfortunately, all I did was sit and work. It is pretty funny though we went out to grab groceries Saturday afternoon, and during the last 3 min of the OSU basketball game half of the cars on the interstate were swerving and going 45 - 50mph. This is an OSU sport town no doubt, but I digress. So I was setting there drinking a cup of tea and this Korean woman walked up to me and asked what I was knitting. I showed her Cookie's amazing pattern. The conversation then lead to the fact I have been obsessed with lace knitting as of late, and ended up talking about Orenburg Lace. As a child her Russian nanny had basically made her memorize and commit to memory the 12 basic patterns of Orenburg Lace. She stood there while she waited for tea and drew out the ones she remembered in my little notebook. I have never been so thankful for a piece of pen and paper. She then started to talk about the fact that when her nanny was a child; all children sat and learned how to knit and committed these simple patterns to memory. She remembered as a child knitting a sampler to perfect these simple stitches over and over again. Essentially all of the patterns were based on different order of yo and K2tog. Nothing was written down, no fancy charts, just simple zeros on a page that was written out before you started. It was something that you just assumed everyone knew how to do, so no need to record it. I then asked her if she minded if I posted the charts on my blog and she said feel free. "There are two few people in the world that knit any more and probably less than that know anything about Orenburg Lace." She just kept thanking me for being a young person who knits. It saddened her that her children show no interest in any form of crafts. Then she admitted the only thing she does today is Sudoku. So here is her very brief tutorial on the basic patterns: (There are two others, that unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to chart from her sketches. One was a chain of interlocking hearts that reminded me much of the one in the Arctic Lace and the other one looks like an interlocking chain of cats paws.)

"Honeycomb" - all over patterns

"Mouse Paws" - used for borders

"Fish Eyes"

"Strawberry"- her favorite

"Peas" - fill in corners

"Cat Paws"

"Accordion"

Charts were created using a really cool online "Chart Creator"

I now really want to find out as much as I can about Orenburg Lace. I was shocked when I did a quick google and there was very little information. It looks like there are only two books that I could find in English. I found one reference to an amazing Russian Reference book, but that was about it. And yes I quickly ordered two used copies of the two English titles when I found them. It just always amazes me when knitting brings two strangers together to start a conversation. I have had this happen many a time, but really it never ceases to amaze me.

Books: Gossamer Webs: The History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls by Carol R. Noble (Author), Galina Khmeleva (Author) Interweave Press (November 1, 1998) ISBN-10: 1883010411 Ingram Annotation: Shawls are back, they're better than ever, and in Gossamer Webs, the only book available on intricate Russian shawl knitting, you'll find all the information you need to knit them! Gossamer Webs includes technical information, from the combing of goats for fiber to the spinning process to the basics of shawl design. Instructions for a miniature shawl prepare readers to knit the complete pattern for the Orenburg Eastern Shawl, pattern included.

The Gossamer Webs Design Collection (Paperback) by Galina Khmeleva (Author) Interweave Press Inc (October 2003) ISBN-10: 188301087X Ingram Annotation: Gossamer Webs Design Collection, by Galina Khmeleva, is design interpretation of three Orenburg shawls. The sample shawl and stitch and border dictionary are excerpted from Gossamer Webs and combined with instructions for the Diamond Triangular Shawl, the Pine Tree Palatine Scarf, and the Medallion Square shawl. Both charts and written instructions are provided and lace or fingering weight yarns are recommended.

Skaska Designs - List of link to magazine publications

Links on Orenburg Lace: History of Orenburg goat down knitted shawls Heriloom Knitting offers the Mohair and mini kits AC- The Peoples Media - The Lace Shawls of Orenburg in Russia Lavender Farm - Orenburg Lace Shawls from Russia (Check out the photo of the spindles and the link to the folktale's about spinners) Wabisabi: From Russia with Love - look at the wonderful find The Orenburg Down Shawl book

Fun Lace Links: Zeneedle - Lace-uary News Knitter's BookShelf - I know nothing about them but had an awesome collection of lace books.

kitty: some lessons will never be learned

Side A

No, I probably will never learn. . . Right before the holidays I decided that I would knit a lace tablecloth that had a lovely snowflake in the center. I was going to block it and then photograph it on top of some bright colour for my personal holiday cards. I quickly went through my stash and found the finest white yarn I could find (Habu merino) and sat down to start quickly knitting a vintage pattern. I figured if nothing else I could get the snowflake done. Well, best laid plans the project became my Chinese New Years Card idea instead. So over the weekend when I was failing at concentration I screwed up three rows back in my tablecloth. Yesterday, I carefully took it off the needles put it on string so I could easily run my guide thread to begin ripping and noticed something really off. It is my gauge and there is no way this will ever block flat. Side A and Side B are both the "knit side" of the tablecloth. Side A alone could be blocked flat without even touching Side B stitches for the desired shape. So, instead of what I thought was going to be 3 rows of ripping I guess my harsh lesson will be 118 rows of lace ripping. Yes, I am off to cry now......... It would have been a pretty tablecloth.

Side B

kitty: spin spin spin

It's the most wonderful time of the year, Ghost and Goblins running around, candy corn by the ear, carved pumpkins at every door, and Socktober Fest has begun, now I just need to decided which socks to knit. Maybe I need some nice witch Socks. hmmmmmmmmm MG and I are off to another personal challenge to get socks knit this month. I can not wait.

This is 2-ply worsted-spun heavy fingering weight, from Amy Boogie's Almost Solid. It feels really wonderful. This is the first time that I have been able to spin this fine, so I am really excited. The down side is that my singles are pretty uneven. It is a real learning experience for me since this is by no way my comfort zone for spinning. Weight: 195 grams Yardage: 721 yards

MG and I got talking on IM the other morning about how we ply from a single bobbin. It was kind of hard to actually describe what I do, so I decided to include a couple of photos. After spinning up my single bobbin, I then wind it off on a ball winder so that I have a center thread and a outer thread. I then push the ball off on a roll of toilet paper until it is time to ply. When I take it off the roll, I replace it with my right thumb and wrap my other fingers around the ball so that I can hold the other thread with my fingers to create tension and hold it taunt as I pull out the center thread.

I then hold the ball of yarn parallel to the wheel and hold the yarn perpendicular to the wheel. The right hand keeps tension on the singles while the right hand stops the twist from going up to the ball. Then 13-15 pumps on the pedal and I have nicely balanced yarn.

kitty: well, there is always a scarf

Thursday night... M: " So, you couldn't find a project to knit I see.... You are knitting a new scarf right?" kitty: "Yes, you are right I am just to distraught to decide on a new pattern. Nothing seems to be striking the right cord or right gauge. So how did you know I was knitting a scarf?" M: " Well, you always said if worse comes to worse you can knit a scarf, so I just figured." kitty: "Yep, I am designing my own lace scarf from one of the lace books that I just got that teaches the principles of Shetland design. (M, starts to ignore me at this point and just begins to make those husband "O" sounds like he is listening.) I think I have hit that after a great project depression. I needed a new project, but cannot find anything to knit. So lace scarf it is. I recently picked up: Heirloom Knitting Sharon Miller "A Shetland lace knitter's pattern and workbook. An instructive guide including an overview of Shetland lace, explanations of technique, design and helpful tips about developing your own patterns. Above all though this book is a wide-ranging collection of charted patterns. 296 pages. A4 format, paperback." The book is jammed packed with design instructions, references, and the history of shetland lace. Definitely a good resource for the library of lace knitters. Not the best printing by any means. I have a couple of pages that have ink transfer, but an amazing reference book. So I have about 17.5 inches on US size 2 knit pick needles, after 2 days. It is currently making me happy so that is a good start.

kitty: as promised FO photos

The Specs: Martina Eyelet Cable Raglan Pullover Pattern: Adrienne Vittadini Fall 2004 Yarn:Knitpicks Main Line Needles: Size US 7 Circular Addi Turbo Cost: $39.45 Completed : Aug/Sep 2006

Modifications: I did a 2 inch ribbing on the bottom vs leaving just the stocking knit edge. I was really afraid that if I had knitted it as the pattern was written I would be un-happy with the end product. I absolutely love the end product. :) Though really taking pictures in 90 degree heat was not a smart idea.

kitty: sorry to be so quiet lately

Just a little sneak peak, I actually have a FO after several weeks of silence. WOHO!!!! Life has taken on a new level of hectic reality. So very little crafting or knitting is taking place except while I have been waiting for databases to upload so I could test one more time. During that time it has mainly been cursing as I ripped out these sleeves one more time because I didn't like how the edges looked or in reality I didn't really decrease the row. I must say that I really love my new sweater with all my heart. Yes, Meow Girl... I did swear I would never knit lace. I admit it, lace is the only thing I am currently even thinking of knitting. You were so right and I was so so wrong about lace. Well back to work and some house cleaning for me maybe I will get to bed before sunrise tonight. I just had to post since I was so excited about how it turned out. I will try to get a real photo soon. :) YEAH!!!