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.

Midsummer Night Shawl

It's the Fourth of July, and I'm in a little coastside town near San Francisco called Pacifica. Pacifica is known for its foggy days. In fact, we even have a Fog Fest every September, a street festival dedicated to wet mist, with sand castles, children's games, food, fun and a local drink called a Fog Cutter that would burn the chill off of anyone.

But I was born in San Francisco, which has its own share of foggy summer days.

As anyone who grew up in City knows, the number of times the fireworks have been clearly seen over San Francisco Bay on the Fourth of July can be counted on one or maybe two hands.

(As I get older, I have to add a few more fingers.)

Where I grew up, on Russian Hill, every Independence Day we would walk to the top of the crooked street, at the apex of Hyde and Lombard Streets, and look down the hill toward Alcatraz, sticking up like an umbrella in the cool summer Bay tea.

Typically, we would see the fog and a few glowing spots of color. We would shake our heads, zip up our parkas, and walk back down Hyde Street to Swenson's for an ice cream cone.

Our weather ranges from cool to cooler on most summer nights. The misty fog spreads inland from the Pacific Coast in the late afternoon, cuddling the City with its damp white blanket. This may seem romantic when dining at the Carnelian Room, 52 stories above the Financial District, where you can see only fluffy mist beneath and blue sky above you.

Or, it may seem ominous and exhilerating as you perch at the edge of a cliff at Land's End and watch the creeping white tufts crawl through the Golden Gate, the bridge permeating the fog into white tendrils that merge together over the Bay, and finally climb the hills and drift into the valleys where they dissipate into nothingness.

We natives can feel it out there.

We can smell the saltiness in the afternoon wind. No one where we live has air conditioning.

Cool summer weather calls for a lovely midweight shawl -- something to wrap around the shoulders at the first sign of foreboding afternoon breezes.

A few months ago, I began corresponding with Margaret at Inspirations Yarn about the possibility of test knitting her latest shawl pattern.

I had sampled some of her beautiful hand-dyed yarn and loved the quality and her color sense. She sent me the pattern and yarn, and I got to work. I was very pleased with the clarity of her writing.

The Midsummer Night Shawl is knitted in an Elfin Lace pattern that is straightforward and somewhat easy to memorize.

I would call this an intermediate lace pattern, although beginners would be able to tackle this shawl while learning a few new tricks, such as knitting on a border or chart reading. The pattern is written out as well as charted.

The yarn color is Heirloom Rose, a gorgeous blend of rose, peach, and pink that blend together in bright harmony. The colors would compliment any skin tone, and I love the way the lace pattern shows off the yarn and the design equally well.

Lacis Safari

The life of every lace knitter must include a visit to Lacis in Berkeley at least once, or many times if possible. One must make all necessary accommodations and do so without fail.
~ a Lace Knitter’s Tenet

I made the journey on Tuesday, June 26, with Laritza of the Knitted Lace forum. She was in the Bay Area for a conference, and I offered to play safari guide. I had been to Lacis in the past with my knitting group, the BAWDies (Bay Area Wool Divas) and on precious few other occasions.

The trip was not difficult, since we were in good company, knitting and chatting the whole way on BART. We disembarked at Ashby Station and walked one block to the lace Mecca that is Lacis.

Lacis is many things. First, the definition of Lacis is Filet lace (also known as Embroidery on Knotted Net, Lacis, Filet Brodé and Poinct Conté), a needle lace created by darning on a ground of knotted net or netting.

But in Berkeley, Lacis is:

A shop
A lace museum
A library
A costume research center
A showplace
A 501 (c)(3) nonprofit
A tribute to Kathe Kliot, its founder

The displays alone are worth a lengthy pilgrimage – for Laritza, a plane, a car and two trains were required. Lacis Museum, adjacent to the shop, would soon be displaying a special exhibit of handknitted lace. In fact, the exhibit opened to the public on June 30, but we were there a few days early, in time to see the beginnings of what promised to be a fantastic exhibition.

When we walked in, we first noticed a two-tiered display dedicated to lace knitting. The items included lovely handknitted laces, books on lace knitting, and tools of the art. One example was knitted by museum staff member Yasmin Syed from the Lacis publication Knitted Lace Designs of The Modern Mode, Book 1, by Kazuko Ichida. The pattern is based on the Glockenblume design by Herbert Niebling (Elsa Kunststrickheft, 3044, Modell 122). This new Lacis publication includes 31 designs of the “Niebling school,” and I was thrilled to thumb through an advance copy on display. Another lace tablecloth was knitted by Kathe Kliot herself, the late founder of Lacis.

But this lovely table only whet our appetites, for more discoveries lay further inside this magnificent shrine to the love of lace. Lacis is in a huge space comprising several storefronts at the corner of Ashby and Adeline in Berkeley. The main room houses examples of lace of every kind imaginable. Along the righthand wall, we found an amazing display of laces: pre-Columbian, Teneriffe of the Canary Islands, Chantilly Lace, Irish Crochet Lace … it went on and on.

In the back of the main room, an incredible assortment of books mesmerized us for quite some time. The lace knitting books were abundant, more so than the last time I had visited. I chose to bring home Muestros y Motivos, Tricot Hogar #1, a book I had wanted for a long time. I had only seen a few photos of the designs in this book online, but picking it up and leafing through its entirety convinced me to purchase it. In addition, we found books on costume, bobbin lace, nalbinding, and a protected shelf of vintage and rare books. All of these were for sale. Lacis’ collection is so enthralling, it nearly stopped us in our tracks.

But there was so much more to see. The back of the store held walls of needles and tools of every shape and size for every type of lacemaking, as well as other needleworking arts. I was delighted by the assortment of needle cases, the many thimbles, the bone knitting needles, the Inox I-cord maker (which I had never seen up close), the grommet punches, and unique thread cutters. At one table nearby, a young lady sat attaching lace to a bride’s veil – a special service Lacis provides. She said they were especially busy during the June wedding season.

In the middle of the room were boxes of threads in numerous colors from DMC, Flora, and others. They not only carry a wide variety of colors, but also numerous thread sizes of each color. I also spotted a recent shipment of Kaalund classic 2-ply wool – beautiful Australian laceweight merino in gently undulating colors that lend themselves well to lacework.

Then we took a turn into another room and found ourselves admidst a slew of glass-topped display cases, filled with beaded bags that would make a bag-lover cry. The work was lovely and meticulous. You could imagine the delicate gloved fingers of Victorian ladies clutching these bags as they strode to the opera or a cousin’s wedding. The finest handwork made these bags either by sewing them or by weaving them on a bead loom.

A few steps into another room were steps into another world, another time. We had found ourselves in the Bridal Laces exhibit. The lights were off to protect the delicate relics. A young lady turned them on for us and we marveled at the beauty of bridal gowns of centuries past. If we only had more time! Alas, it was nearly time for us to leave.

I asked the clerk if any other pieces of lace knitting to be included in the exhibit were hanging in the shop, and to my delight she pointed upward – toward the light fixtures and a black drape that hung over a wall, close to the ceiling. I gasped when I looked there. Shetland lace, doilies, and Orenburg laces were draped above our heads! These would be prominently displayed during the Knitted Lace exhibit to begin on June 30, but for now, they were hanging nonchalantly on a wall above us. I asked if I might snap some photos, and came away with a sneak peek of their newest exhibit.

I must admit I nearly always avoid the checkstand and the cashier when walking into a shop. Why is that? So it is not surprising to me that I nearly missed the jaw-dropping display of vintage tatting shuttles, chatelaines and other surprising gadgets and gewgaws in the display case under the register. Thank goodness I purchased something.

On the long ride back, we talked about the wondrous things we saw and said more than once, “It was worth it.” I will return.

Victorian Lace Today: Myrtle Leaf Errata

My cousin is getting married in Canada this August, so I began to knit the Myrtle Leaf shawl pattern from Victorian Lace Today as a gift for his fiancee. After the first repeat, I noticed something was wrong.

The Myrtle Leaf is a 12-row, 11-stitch repeating pattern. The center of each leaf is somewhat open, and then it should tighten up and come together with a K2tog on the last row of the repeat.

My leaves were not properly formed.

I thought that I must have missed a decrease somewhere, so I tinked back one row, and made a second attempt. The second attempt was as funky as the first.

I pressed on and knit another 12 rows, just to see if the error was mine or the pattern's.

On the second repeat, it was obvious that something was definitely wrong with the chart. Indeed, I had made a careless mistake by not checking for errata.

Most first printings of knitting books have errors. I didn't think to look for the errata on the publisher's website before beginning, which would have saved me time and a headache.

Victorian Lace Today now has three pages of errata. Knitting Universe has the errata in PDF here.

The Myrtle Leaf pattern and chart have been corrected. The instructions now include a special note for the last row of the repeat.

The first K2tog symbol on that row is to be read as K1 at the start of the row and is indicated in red on the chart, and then K2tog for every 11-stitch repeat thereafter. This unusual instruction allows the subsequent K2tog's to line up properly and close the bottom of each leaf.

In addition, another K2tog symbol has been added at the end of this row. This final K2tog compensates for that red K1 at the beginning of the row.

Now that I've completed two repeats with an accurate chart, the difference is quite noticeable. I'm sure I'll flow along smoothly and have a lovely shawl to give as a gift.

Socks!

Here are two fun samples I've made for my friend Tina at Knitwhits.

First is CRUNCH - a pattern in the Socks for Tots line. The primary colors are great for little feet. I enjoyed making these.

The Crunch socks come in other color combinations, too, if you prefer more a pastel palette. If you're a "letters" rather than a "numbers" person, you can make your alphabet SOUP socks.

By popular demand WALLIS is now available in adult as well as kid sizes. I love the medly of bright colors in these socks - salsa!

And yes, this is a shameless promotion of some lovely sock designs. Tina has a great variety of patterns - hats, socks, purses, scarves, bikinis, and even pet toys. I've knit several Knitwhits patterns and they are well-written and easy to follow. The kit comes with the right amount of yarn in each color, so you don't have to buy a full ball of each shade.

Both of these socks require some skill in knitting with two colors, but it's not difficult. In fact, it's a fun exercise in changing colors. Like fair isle, there's never more than two colors per row. I don't usually like to show the inside, but here is what my stranding looks like.