Eastern Lace Sweater

I've finished the Eastern Lace sweater. This one was so much fun to make! The pattern is from Y2Knit. Two sisters run the business, and they have some lovely, creative patterns, in a wide range of sizes. While at the TKGA conference a few months ago, I ran into Jill at the Y2Knit booth who showed me some of their gorgeous designs. This one is absolutely one of my favorites.

The faux wrap is ingenious. It's knit as a V-neck sweater, with set in sleeves. The "wrap" is a strip of seed stitch picked up and knit from the bottom hem, then at an angle up the front and around the neckline. With a couple of sewn tacks at strategic spots, the wrap looks just like a wrap should, but without the possibility of gapping open. (Busty gals take note.)

The great thing about this Y2Knit pattern is that it is written out line by line. In addition, they provide a schematic with measurements for each size, and a lace chart. What could be sweeter? The designers are very accessible and helpful if you have any questions.

The yarn is 100% linen and has a nice, elegant drape after it's washed. Linen is always a little tough on the hands while knitting, but the finished product is gorgeous. I really like this soft blue, which goes with so many things.

The sleeve has an elegant detail -- a seed stitch vent that lets the sleeves drape open at the wrist. Here's one photo of the sleeve as it was being blocked. (I was playing with the settings on my camera, so the color looks different in each photo. I think the second photo looks the closest to the actual color.)

Next up, my moss stitch cardigan has been waiting for sleeves, and sleeves it shall have! I'm almost done with sleeve #1. Two sweaters completed in a month? Do you think I can do it?

Remember me?

Wow, it's December! Where did November go? Much knitting has been in progress including two baby sweaters and the swatch pictured here. No baby sweater photos as yet, but hope to have some soon.

This lacy swatch was completed on November 1, and since then I've been working on the _____ ______ ______ which will be completed by the end of this week. I'm very happy with the pattern. It's fun and a bit challenging. I'm fascinated by the way this lacy pattern twists and turns and still knits a straight path.

Can you guess what I'm making? Bonus points if you know the name of this lace pattern or the designer. More photos to come, as I am almost finished with this project.

This past Saturday, I was planning to go to the Lacis Lace Knitting Group meeting in Berkeley, but something happened and BART went awry, so ... we went to Nine Rubies in San Mateo instead.

What a great place! Nina and I must have touched every type of yarn in the shop. The woman who helped us (not the owner) was very knowledgable and gave good advice. It was rather busy, with a class in the back room and several knitters occupying the seating in the "living room" area.

I wasn't really in the market to buy any new yarn, but just try to stop me when I incessantly fondle something new. Cascade Venezia is 70% wool and 30% silk. It's absolutely luscious, soft, and has a gorgeous sheen. The silk gives the color depth, and I was swimming in it before I decided to purchase a few skeins with which to experiment. I like the indestructible shopping bags the store provides with purchase -- great for use as auxiliary project totes.

I promise not to be so silent this month!

Candy Corn Hat and Moss Stitch Cardigan

Has anyone else noticed a recent baby boom? This time around it seems to have proliferated amongst my friends' younger sisters and my younger cousins. One of my many cousins is due shortly, and she asked if I might make her a candy corn hat for the infant-to-be. It was easy as pumpkin pie to crochet using Lion Microspun - very soft yarn, readily available now in Halloween colors.

But oops ... that baby isn't quite ready to say hello to the world. I do know of a recently sprung baby who might just like to wear this on Halloween. It's definitely infant sized. Now, what to do with the remainder yellow, orange and white microfiber yarn? Hmmm ...

I've stalled on a couple of projects, namely the Lavori doily and the Boho Blocks cardigan. Both will be completed (when I get around to it).

The slightly chilly nights encouraged me to dive into some dark green wool/alpaca/silk blend called Dolce, from Cascade Yarns that had been hibernating in my stash. This freebie Melissa Leapman pattern, Springtime Cardigan, came in the mail (also available in Knit 'N Style, April 2007). Remember to check the Errata page at Knit 'N Style for corrections to this pattern (sent to the publisher by me!).

It's an easy moss stitch pattern, with set-in bell sleeves and gentle waist shaping. The Dolce yarn is just like it sounds - sweet! It's lovely and soft on your hands.

I'm debating whether to add a cable border strip to give it a little something extra, but for right now, it's just moss stitch.

I'm glad I've had experience knitting moss stitch before, because the bias stretch is somewhat unnerving. It looks completely misshapen until you block it. A border strip would help define the shape and square it off, while reducing the effect of the bias stretch.

I'm also thinking about my next lace project. I have some wonderful new yarn to fondle, and it's got me dreaming about lace.

The first is Louet's Euroflax 14/2 linen. This is laceweight flax that has a soft glowy sheen in navy blue. A half-pound cone has about 1,300 yards. I'm thinking about making the Paisley Long Shawl from Fiddlesticks. I know, I originally picked the red cashmere from Colourmart, but I think I'd rather see this shawl in a darker color.

The yardage should be enough if I don't add fringe (and I'm not a fringe-y person, although some may disagree).

Another wonderful yarn with which I am unexpectedly enamored is also from Louet. It's called Kidlin, a mohair-wrapped linen, which is absolutely ethereal. The color is Bryce Canyon, and it couldn't be more aptly named. The linen base yarn is a soft rose color, and the mohair fuzzy fiber wrapped around it is a warm tan color - an inspired interpretation of a canyon sunset.

I'm interested to see how this will knit up. Linen and mohair just don't seem suited to blend together, but this yarn begs to be knit up into something angelic. I'll report back when I have some experience with it.

TKGA Knit and Crochet Show

On Saturday, September 29, I went to The Knitting Guild Association's (TKGA) Knit and Crochet Show in Oakland, CA. I met Jeannette, Marty, Tara and Matthew (aka DoilyDude) of IBKC Yahoo group at Daly City BART, and we happily knitted on the way over. The 12th Street BART station is right across the street from the Oakland Marriott.

The attendee line was fairly long at 10am, but I scooted up to the exhibitor desk which had no line and got my badge. My friend Tina of Knitwhits had asked me to work in her booth, so I spent the majority of the day there amongst the adorable hat, scarf, sock, purse, and other Knitwhits kits. The scarf above is one of her lovely crochet patterns called Ella. Some of the most popular items were the Flore (the petal hat at right) and Ripley hat kits that come in a variety of color combos. Purse kits were also flying out the door, like Lexi the houndstooth bag suitable for work or play. What a busy day! I didn't think that TKGA would be as busy as Stitches, but for the first few hours I was having flashbacks. The shoppers were out in force, credit cards in hand, and they were definitely buying.

When I had time for a break, I walked around and visited the usual suspects, plus some others that were new to me. The Y2Knit booth was right across from ours. Jill Wolcott is one of two sisters who own the business. The designs were lovely, inventive, and many of the sweaters were sized from small to 3x or 4x. Jill lives in San Francisco and her sister has a shop in Maryland. Jill was wearing this short Latice Lace Wrap, which was simply charming. The lacy insert has a twisted open stitch that looks much like broomstick lace.

Another exciting booth was Gita Maria, whose wares include enameled shawl pins and shawl kits in beautiful packaging. The shawl designs are wild, open and lacy and the shawl pins are gorgeous like this autumn inspired pumpkin pin.

I also enjoyed revisiting Geddes Studio, where I had bought gorgeous handmade glass buttons at Stitches West. Nancy Geddes' shift from engineer to artist is fascinating and compelling. She had discovered the beauty of dichroic glass while working as an aerospace engineer, and extrapolated her nascent art project into an idea for a growing family business. Her buttons, as she mentioned to me, end up on coffee tables as conversation pieces as often as they become attached to finished garments. I must admit, my favorite Geddes button is waiting patiently to be affixed to some future sweater. I fondle it from time to time and bring it out to watch my visitors ooh and ahh. The photo is an example of Nancy's artwork.

Due to my recent yarn spending spree, I decided to forego any new yarn purchases, but I did pick up a pattern for the Spring Blossoms shawl, by Eugen Beugler, from Terilyn Needleart. Lynn Curry, the proprietor from Redwood City, offers a lovely selection of her own lace shawl patterns, plus Fiber Trends and others. At present, the business is Internet only, but she does attend shows like TKGA. Lynn is a member of The Lacy Knitters Guild in Mountain View and the editor of their newsletter. What stopped me in my tracks was her display of the lace doilies knitted by Marguerite Shimmons. The Shimmons doilies are legendary and a number of them have been donated to the Lacis Museum for posterity.

I also ran into a few friends from the knitting world, like Ann of afghans for Afghans. (The first "a" of "afghans for Afghans" is intentionally lowercase to differentiate between the blankies and the people.) I don't know how she finds the time to do all that she does, but there she was, shopping in the market after attending a class. Ann is coordinating a big shipment of handknitted items to be sent overseas to Afghanistan in October to help clothe the Afghan orphans during their very cold winter. The deadline for contributions is October 12. They can always use extra hands for packing, so if you have a free afternoon, drop her an line. She graciously invited me to join her and some other knitters at a pub after the show, but I was too pooped to party.

On the BART train, a few knitters and I sat together discussing the show, and of course, the knitterly camaraderie made us instant pals.

Tribbles

I may be dating myself here, as I compare my latest project to an episode of Star Trek. In the episode entitled "The Trouble with Tribbles," an enterprising trader sells a few harmless looking pets to members of the Starship Enterprise's crew. First, Lieutenant Uhura becomes enamored with the round, fuzzy, earmuff-shaped creatures. The Tribbles emit a soothing purr which the crew finds particularly charming.

The Trouble with Tribbles is that, as Dr. McCoy states, "they are born pregnant," and the growing population soon threatens to consume all of the starship's supplies and patience. To add misery to their mischief, they physically enter the ship's systems and basically wreak havoc, while poor engineer Scotty mutters Scottish Gaelic curses.

To spare you all the pseudo-scientific details, let's just skip to the end of the story. Scotty finds a way to beam all of the Tribbles onto a Klingon ship, where, as he quips, "they'll be no tribble at all." Actually, Klingons hate Tribbles, and vice versa. In fact, Tribbles emit high-pitched shrieks when coming into contact with Klingons (a nice finishing touch to the story).

Now we come to my own Tribbles, i.e., Boho Blocks. It started out innocently enough. I had acquired some lovely 3-ply hand-dyed silk from Interlacements. It was a "Dyer's Choice" blue/violet/dark grey batch that was never replicated. But I saw it and fell in love. The amazing thing about it was that each of the three plies was itself a lovely 2-ply silk thread, heavy enough to be considered fingering or light DK weight.

Thus began my troubles. I began by UNPLYING, the considerable yardage. I figured that with the yarn unplied, I might have enough to do the main body of the Boho Blocks Cardigan from Interweave Crochet, Fall 2006. I calculated how many yards of a single ply would be required to make one square. Then I hung the whole skein around my swift, unwound the required length, enough for three squares, cut it, unplied it, and rewound it into three little skeins. I felt so smug having figured out how to increase the yield of my lovely Interlacements silk.

Yet, my troubles were not over. The pattern requires 144 squares, but I only had enough yarn to make around 100 or so. No problem. I promptly ordered a few mini-cones of 2/12 Gemstone Silk from Halcyon Yarn in Maine. I loved the way the woman answered the phone, "Halcyon YAHN," in her comforting I've-heard-it-all manner. The colors I ordered were blue, violet and magenta, plus a big hank of black to sew everything together. I checked the site today, and it seems not all of my colors are still available. A lesson here: always buy more than enough to finish your project!

I thought I had saved enough of my main color (the Interlacements silk) to crochet around all of the final squares. Nope. Ten of them needed a little finagling. I scrounged scraps of silk from the bottom of my knitting bag and cut off long ends from the early squares where I had left generously long unused ends. And still, to make ends meet (pardon the pun), I dared to border a few of the last squares with a little of the blue Cascade silk I had remaining from the Myrtle Leaf Shawl.

Never you mind! It will all be okay, I promise. Photos of the finished cardigan are forthcoming. Sewing has commenced. And I love each and every little square, no matter how troublesome. Replication has ceased. End transmission.

A little bit more

The Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, 100% washable, fingering weight, merino yarn arrived. I ordered it during the Handpaint Heaven Labor Day Sale at quite a discount, so it was especially satisfying to see this luscious yarn in my hot little hands. The color is "Old Rose" -- and the photos of the dye sample on the HH website do not depict the color acurately.

It is ... absolutely ... gorgeous. With two skeins, 420 yards per skein, this is going to make something lovely.

Okay, enough with the new yarn already! Somebody stop me!

I see yarn ... all the time ...

You have to understand my consternation. That gorgeous Alchemy Alpaca Pure yarn at the Greenwich Yarn Sale on Sunday was not my first bit of conspicuous consumption in recent weeks. Nope.

On Saturday, I received this wonderful 100% merino laceweight from Margaret at Inspirations Yarn. The colors are violets and plums, beautifully blended. Margaret dyes the yarn herself in small batches, so every skein is unique and lovely. This one is her Espresso weight, that comes 1,760 yards to the skein! That's enough for a nice big 100% merino shawl.

The yarn arrived in the mail while I was out at the third meeting of the Lacis Lace Knitters group in Berkeley. I can't be blamed for additional fiber purchases if I didn't know I had a yarn package waiting for me at home! Lacis has a wonderful selection of threads for the lace knitter. I picked up some threads for future doily knitting, including some Flora thread from Germany. The rose color might make a pretty center for a floral doily and the green may make some interesting leaves. I'm going to look through my doily patterns to see which one might be appropriate.

In addition I purchased some navy blue thread. I've never made a doily in a dark color before, so I thought it would be an interesting experiment. White or light colored doilies and tablecloths are the most common, mainly because that was the prevailing color of thread available in years past, and also because the light color is enhanced by the dark wood of a table underneath.

Besides the threads, I picked up a couple of fun things: an embroidered velvet eyeglass case on a cord. It's made in Guatemala, evidenced by the bright colors of the embroidery (and the tag inside). It can hang from your shoulder or neck, and it has a zipper compartment that can hold other items, too.

And finally, I couldn't resist the little fuzzy wool sheep I found sitting on a shelf all by his lonesome, near the Zephyr yarn display at Lacis. He now has a home on my fireplace mantel.

As long as I'm confessing, I'll let you know that I'm expecting additional packages to arrive for me sometime in the next few days. One is the Cherry Tree Hill yarn I purchased at the Handpaint Heaven Labor Day sale. Another is yarn I earned for test knitting a sample. And I'm sure I'll pick up something at the TKGA Knit and Crochet Show in Oakland when I go there on September 30.

Woe is me. Or should I say, WHOA is me?

Five Stages of Yarnaholism (or how I couldn't resist Alchemy at 25% off)

Denial

Suggest problem has corrected itself and it will soon be over
“I need this new yarn to make the shawl I saw in that book, that’s all. I will certainly not buy any more yarn, after today.”

Exhibit apathy and numbness
“No problem. I have the cash. It’s no big deal. So what if it doesn’t fit in my yarn closet or in the basket in the living room or in the Rubbermaid storage bin in the garage.”

Rationalize
“I’ll make it fit. Heck, I deserve this. It’s only yarn.”

Anger

Sabotage the change effort
“If I go to the yarn sale, I might buy yarn. But if I don’t go I’ll miss seeing my knitting pals and having a good time. I’ll go to the sale.”

Play "shoot the messenger"
“Damn that salesperson. If she hadn’t told me the Alchemy was on sale, I never would have bought it. Well, I might have. I would have. Damn her.”

Withdraw from society
“Okay, fine. So, you want to make something out of it? Get outta my way; I’m going shopping.”

Bargaining

Cut a deal to spare others harm
“Honey, I know I said I wouldn’t buy any more yarn. But see, this yarn I’ve looked at so many times is on sale. And I’ll never-ever-ever find it on sale again at this price. And, you know, they discontinue yarns all the time. So, if I buy this yarn, uhm, you can buy that baseball card you’ve been wanting. And we’ll both be on purchase restriction after that.”

Suggest other concerns to redirect problem solving
“Well, I’m just glad I paid that insurance bill. Don’t have to think about that any more. Isn’t that great? Oh, and I have to remember to pick up the dry cleaning. Did I water the tomato plants today?”

Depression

Express a loss of control
“I admit it’s getting a little out of hand. The yarn in little pyramid piles on the floor was cute for a while. I just don’t see it as a design element anymore. I’m never going to be able to knit all this yarn.”

Withdraw from society.
“I’ve now officially got SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy). I’m just going to have to forego any more yarn sales. If I go, I’ll buy. I’ll just become a hermit. That’s all there is to it.”

Acceptance

Express ownership for solutions
“I do not need any more yarn. I must take a stand.”

Focus on achieving benefits
“When I finish using at least … 30% of my stash, then I can buy more yarn. But not until then! Okay, 20%.”

AND I GOT IT AT GREENWICH ...

Greenwich Yarn End of Summer Sale is from September 7 - 23. Topnotch yarns from 25%-70% off, including Alchemy, Debbie Bliss, Noro, and many, many more. I'm not kidding -- it's an extraordinary sale. If you're in the Bay Area, it's worth a trip.

Greenwich Yarn
2073 Greenwich
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-567-2535

San Mateo County Fair Ribbons

I'm back from Ottawa in Canada, where I attended my cousin's wedding. We stayed at a chateau by White Lake, about 45 miles west of Ottawa, the capitol of Canada. During our trip, we missed the opening of the San Mateo County Fair on August 10. I had entered three items:

- Lyra, the large table center designed by Herbert Niebling

- A smaller doily, also designed by Niebling

- Swallowtail shawl, designed by Evelyn Clark

The Fair requires that the items entered have been completed within the last year. This was the first time I had ever entered anything at the County Fair. The fine knitters at IBKC (Itty Bitty Knitty Committee) who meet in San Bruno had entered items at the 2006 Fair, and it sounded like so much fun! I decided to do it this year, even though I wouldn't be around for the majority of the Fair days, August 10-19.

When I got back from Canada, I found a note from Jeannette at IBKC who told me I had "cleaned up" at the Fair. She told me to read Erica's report about the IBKC group's Fair winnings. WOW! I couldn't believe my eyes! So many of us had won ribbons!

We decided to go to the Fair on Thursday, the day after we got back. When I had dropped off my knitting for judging before we left, I was given an envelope with two tickets to the Fair and a free parking pass. One great thing about exhibiting your work is that you can attend the Fair for free. The cost of entering is only $2 per item, so my three items only cost $6 to enter. The Fair tickets cost $9 per adult.

We took 280 South to 92 East and exited on Delaware St. After parking, we walked in the front gate and were greeted by two dandy cowboys on stuffed horses, handing out the daily schedules. The first thing we noticed in the schedule was: "Pig races?"

Okay, we would have to see those.

Then we wandered around looking at the livestock exhibits. The camels and goats were penned outside one of the buildings. Inside another were cows, chickens, ducks, sheep, and turkeys. We almost entered the "guess the weight" of the steer contest, but then wondered where we would put it if we won. Seriously, I don't know what the prize was for that contest. The hogs were pink and black and lying on their sides in the shredded cardboard that covered the pen floors. We read in the San Mateo County Fair brochure that recycled shredded cardboard would be used in the exhibits instead of straw, in an effort to keep the Fair "green" -- but I did see some straw.

Next we walked over to one of the outdoor music areas. The forlorn band that was playing only had a few people sitting in the audience. Of course it was midafternoon on a Thursday, not a peak time for rock audiences. We stood and watched for a little while, even though, out of the corner of my eye, I could see the name of the adjacent building, "Oak Hall." My knitting was inside, and I could hardly wait.

Inside the door was a table hosted by the Peninsula Quilters. These quilters were sponsoring a number of special prizes at the Fair, so quilts were entered in abundance. They literally covered every wall, and a special standing display in the center of Oak Hall. We saw some of the knitting, some baby things and afghans, and then I spotted - Jeannette's Valkyrie hat! I also found Erica's baby afghan which had won a blue ribbon and some other entries by the IBKC group.

We walked up to the Lace Museum table, where two women were working busily on some amazingly intricate Torchon (bobbin) lace. I love intricate lacy things, and these ladies must have infinite patience to work the beautiful edgings with such tiny threads. This is the lace made on a special pillow, using many pins and bobbins to shape the lace.

Then my husband tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "I found it." He walked me over to the display cases which held the tablecloths, doilies and other laces. There they were!

My small Niebling doily had won a 1st place blue ribbon.

My Swallowtail Shawl had won a 1st place blue ribbon and a Judge's Choice, Special Award rosette.











And my pride and joy, my Lyra table center, had won a 1st place blue ribbon and the "Best In Show" rosette!











Each award has a monetary value, only about $10 to $25 each. But that wasn't my reason to enter. The fun of seeing my work displayed in an exhibit dedicated to earnest amateurs in various arts, is more than enough compensation.

After visiting Oak Hall, we sat down for a traditional carnival lunch of Polish and Italian sausages, fries and lemonades. The Fair is only once a year, okay?

Suddenly, we heard screams and squeals of enjoyment -- the pig races had begun! We quickly ran over to the pig racing area and saw the little pink squealers running for the finish line! I didn't have time to pick a favorite, but it certainly was a highlight of the Fair.

The bucking Mechanical Bull riders were having their share of fun. I have to say that the fellow operating the bucking controller must be a sadistic fellow -- either that, or he just wanted to move the line along a little faster. Young riders began on a slowly rocking steer, and gradually were shook, bucked, and thunked, harder and harder, until they fell off. Hm, not so good for the sciatica.

So, now I'm thinking about what to enter next year.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, our little pooch Duke was so happy to see us when we got home from Canada. He really is a wonder. He's 12 years old, and still acts like a puppy, jumping up and dancing on his hind legs whenever we come in the door. Here's a photo of our best pal during a quiet moment.

Myrtle Leaf Shawl ... Finished!

Just in the nick of time! I'm on my way to Ottawa for my cousin's wedding ... with the completed Myrtle Leaf Shawl from Victorian Lace Today!

I don't have time for long descriptions, and no, I didn't even measure it. But it's longer than my blocking board and not quite as wide (about 22" x 70" I'd estimate).

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Cascade Lace (100% silk). The color is Moody Blues, which lends itself well to lace - soft, watery blues with just an occasional hint of teal. Contrary to other silks I've used, this color did not run at all when I wet it before blocking.

When I get back from vacation, I'm off to the San Mateo County Fair to visit my entries: the Lyra doily, another Niebling doily, and the Swallowtail Shawl. Wish me luck!

Lacis: 1st Meeting of the Lace Knitters Group

I made another visit to Lacis on Saturday, July 7, to attend the first meeting of the newly formed Lace Knitters Group. My knitting pal Nina and I met at BART and took the train under the Bay, and got off at Ashby Station in Berkeley.

We got there a little early (the group meets at 1:00 pm on the first Saturday of the month), so we detoured to the funky Berkeley Flea Market at the corner of Ashby and Adeline. I picked up a large African basket. Little did I know that I would need it to take home my loot!

We went across the street to Lacis and found that we were surrounded by lace knitting as soon as we walked in the door. I noticed some magnificent examples that had not been displayed when I visited in June. Lace doilies, Shetland shawls, Orenburg shawls, a beautiful baby gown, and so many other lovely things were hung on every available wall.

A large table center called Krokus caught my attention in the front display area. It was mounted vertically on a black backdrop which showed the fine stitch detail. This had to have been knitted with size 100 or finer thread. In the next room, the glass display case had changed its theme. Instead of the beaded bags that I saw in June, lace gloves and hankies and doilies and baby things filled the case.

I was pleased to meet Jules Kliot once again, the wonderful owner of Lacis. I could tell he was excited to see the number of lace knitters walking through the door, chattering and ooo-ing all about the store. His smile is infectious. All of the knitters were greeted by the enthusiastic Mary Frances Wogec, lace aficionado and glorious leader of the Lace Knitters Group. After we sat down and introduced ourselves, the knitters produced examples of their latest work.

I finally met the notorious Lacefreak (Jane) and her sister, and saw some of Jane's extraordinary work. I have enough trouble keeping my mind on one or two lace projects, but Jane seems to have no problem knitting several big, complicated and fabulous lace patterns simultaneously. I mean to say, she can multitask like nobody's business.

Now, I'm not the most experienced lace knitter, but I have a good number of projects under my belt. I have to say that I was most impressed with the quality of work that these ladies and one gentleman brought to the table. Throughout all of our jabbering, Mary Frances was gracious and encouraging, and she even suggested a doily for our first group project.



The book Lavori Artistici a Calza #11 is an Italian magazine with some lovely doilies and other lace projects like baby bonnets, lace curtains and handkerchief edgings. We all agreed to take Mary Frances' suggestion and will be knitting doily #66, from inside the back cover.




She will help us by preparing a translation of the Italian instructions. I purchased the book as well as a ball of DMC Cebelia #30 in a rusty-gold color for my doily. After making my Lyra, I have every type of size 0 needle, so I am all set.

In the photo below is a cone of Aegean Blue Zephyr wool-silk that I already owned, as well as some baby blue beads from Beadissimo in San Francisco. I hope to make the Mystery Stole #3 with those, but I've got a few other projects to finish first. Next to these is my new ball of Cebelia for the doily. Lacis has a fantastic selection of Cebelia and other threads in a multitude of colors. Nina also picked up a cone of Zephyr at Lacis in an ethereal misty green.



The other book I purchased is the one I mentioned in my previous post, Knitted Lace Designs of the Modern Mode, Book 1 by Kazuko Ichida. The book is entirely in Japanese, but Lacis provides a thoughtful explanation and translation pamphlet in English by Mary Frances. All of the designs are charted. After leafing through the advance copy in June, I knew I would eventually come back to purchase the book.


Several Herbert Niebling and Christine Duchrow designs are included, although the individual patterns are not identified in English. I can provide an example here, but I am by no means an expert. The following three doilies appeared in three different publications in three different time periods.

The first photo is from the new Knitted Lace Designs of the Modern Mode, Book 1 and is identified as #25.

Compare it to the doily in the second photo from Burda's first lace special edition magazine of August 1965, which appears to be knitted in a finer thread with an additional tier of flowers.

And finally, the third photo is from the book Strick-Lehrbuch #603/114, published 1983 by Verlag Aenne Burda.


If you are familiar with Niebling's and Duchrow's work, I'm sure you will find many designs that look familiar in the new Lacis book. I found so many of the designs appealing. In particular, these made the list of doilies I would like to someday make. I may have to quit my job to have time to make all of these!



The last thing I purchased was a cleaning agent called "Restoration" that Lacis recommends for cleaning antique linens and lace.

I have a collection of hand embroidered linens that my grandmother embellished for her wedding trousseau in 1917. I also have some lovely doilies, chair sets, tablecloths and bedspreads that could all do with a little freshening. I am hoping that this product will help remove some of the yellowish spots that have appeared on some of them.

Last but not least, as Nina and I left the shop with our loot, I looked at the front window display and saw ... my blog post of June 30 was printed out and posted in Lacis' window.

!!!

I was so excited I snapped a photo.