Catching Up

I am very behind with my New Year wishes, but I will join my fellow Bloggers now in offering everyone my very sincere wish that 2013 will be a wonderful year.  We slept the New Year in this year, as hubby had a long day Monday, driving to pick up goods.  Our #1 son came over after lunch yesterday, hoping to do a spot of fishing.  I thought I'd share our dessert from last night.  The mixture of frozen/fresh/canned fruits on this pavlova and whipped cream was lovely - something I had to put together at short notice.   And now that the 'holidays' are behind us, I think we will settle down to more ordinary meals - enough of this naughty stuff!!

The fishermen had some success, landing these two Golden Perch, which made the perfect breakfast this morning.  What a nice way to start the day, naturally gathered food, home cooked!!!

Moving on from food, I have to share yet another knitting project, still can't get enough of my knitting at the moment.  I am not too sure this photograph shows the colour properly.  It is 100% merino 2 ply, Touch Yarns, and it came from http://www.pickupstitches.com.au/ in Victoria.  I found it beautiful to knit, and block.

I think this photograph shows it's colour a little more accurately.  It has so many different shades of red/pink, but the first thing you think of when you see it is ruby red lipstick, Hollywood style - well I do!!

The pattern I've used [Fragile Heart] is available via Ravelry.  These patterns are proving to be my downfall, ie I can't stop at just one.  You can see the information here.  Wearing these in a cowl effect is quite becoming in my opinion.  I've used 4mm, 4.5mm, and 5mm needles to achieve the open patterning.

Hopefully this photograph will give you an indication of the actual size of the shawl.  It was necessary to block it lengthways on a spare double bed, so you can see that it is quite elongated.  I've used #8 triangle beads, cherry lined clear.  In some photos you can't seem them, but they really catch the light as you move around the shawl.  I think I prefer my beaded knits to be like this, ie beading there, but not overpowering the piece.  I am also totally in love with the picot bind off.  If you have the urge to try some lace knitting, but are not confident of your ability, I can assure you all the patterns in this range are easy to follow - lots of glamour with a minimum of fuss.

Thank you to all for your support of my blog.  I am trying to post a little more regularly, so please bear with me in 2013.  We have had a small but useful fall of rain, but I think the weather this week will be quite hot. 

Niebling Knitting

I have been knitting.  I know, I've told you, but now I'm going to share this lace table mat with you.  I finally found out that this design has a name, although it wasn't stated in the ANNA magazine that features the pattern.  My very learned sources on Ravelry gave me the good oil, and this design is called Quadratische Decke, by none other than the famous Herbert Niebling.  I've even found that he had a wife whose name was Linda.  And, after a bit more Ravelry chit chat, it seems Linda was also a designer of knitting and crochet.  

For those of you who are interested, this table mat was done using #60 Coats Mercer cotton in Ecru, and was knitted using 1.5mm needles.  It began life with only eight stitches, but by the time I got to the leaf/petal part on the outer border, each row had in excess of 1100 stitches, with the patterning rows taking almost four hours to complete.  Even knitting the intermediate or plain knit rows took ages!!

This close up shot will show you the leaf/petal design in the corners.  It feels so lovely to pick up, so light and airy.  I only used about 50 grams of thread.



I'll finish with another photograph of the whole mat, showing the tape measure so you can see it's size.  For some reason this shot has a slightly more yellow tinge to it, perhaps a reflection from the tape, who knows.  I am up for some more Niebling knitting, but will do a few ladies' shawls to give my eyes a rest from the fine thread.  

Enjoy!!

Early morning visitors

I want to share some photographs with readers.  We have been having quite a deal of 'noise' each morning, mainly from the cockatoos that have found the crop of chick peas close to our house.  The photograph above shows a small flock that had just swooped in ready for breakfast!!

I did manage a zoom in shot, but not sure how clear it will come up.  We will soon have galahs as well, and I suppose the corellas will find the crop too.  They all seem to love something different to chomp on.  I suppose it will be a free for all when the peas begin to set and mature.......

Our dogs have also been barking quite a bit lately, which often means an echidna has found it's way around their little 'town'.  We actually found two this morning, burrowing into the soil, trying to find a spot for their daily rest.  This one is now hardly visible, having burrowed deeper into the soft soil.

Both were within reach of one of the dogs, but all he could do was bark and look bewildered.  This one was very close to that dog's chain anchor, and in slightly harder soil.  After I took this photograph, we managed to get a shovel under it, and take it away a small distance where the soil is softer.  It can sleep there for today, and perhaps the two of them will waddle off later tonight.

*********

I will just let readers know I shall be absent from blogging for a little while.  One of our sons had a house fire on the weekend, and will be in need of some assistance in the coming weeks.  Everyone is fine, and not all of their stuff is gone.  They were very lucky.  Unfortunately, accommodation is virtually non-existant where they live, so that is creating some drama.  I am sure they will step up and manage the best way they can.  Our children have never really 'needed' us for much, and are confident, competent adults.  Having said that, I feel there will be times in the next few weeks when we will need to be around to prop them up.  

I had just made a start on a new knitted lace tablemat, a Herbert Niebling design, taken from yet another of my ANNA magazines.  This one is being worked in #60 ecru thread, using 1.5mm needles.    I did have a hiccup caused by 'not following the map'...........  Note to self - read and take in what all the symbols mean, and save yourself some 'unknitting'.  Yes, I know I should use some thread lifelines, but perhaps I am just too damned stubborn.  There was no design name given, as has been the case in other issues.   As I've been working away, and if I can't find a pattern name for this, I think I shall call it 'Phoenix', as I've decided it will be a gift for my DIL when she gets her life back in order.  Some of the patterning resembles [to me] flames rising, giving me a distinctly 'phoenix' feeling.  I would be grateful if anyone knows this design's name, as I do not have any HN books, just a collection of some of his patterns in ANNA.   The photograph below will show my progress prior to the 'unknitting'.  I'll probably be at a standstill in a day or so.

Trying to Relax

It seems so long since I've posted.  I managed to get the BAS bookwork done, and as I'm still feeling in a rather creative abyss, I decided to take advice from friends and go back to something I know [well something I partly know].  As you can see, I've been knitting!!  This lovely little table mat has made me feel very happy.  I have been trying to get back to lace knitting for some time, and also extending myself by using graphed instructions.  I've not done this to any great degree, so this is another effort.  The table mat measures twelve inches in diameter, and used just one 20g ball of #20 cotton.  The little 'prop' is a fancy pill holder.  It has a china painted tile in the lid.  It was a gift from myself...........LOL........[read - I saw it, I liked it, and I bought it].

This close up shows a little more of the design.   I found the pattern in one of the many ANNA magazines that I have. There are so many gorgeous lace projects in these magazines, I simply don't know which one to do next.  I will just add here that I started this on Thursday afternoon, and finished it early this morning, despite being away Friday AM, and busy with other things for much of the weekend. 

I did a little swap/barter with one of my patchwork group friends.  She had lots of ecru crochet cottons in varying thicknesses, and couldn't see herself using them.  As I prefer to work with this colour, I offered to relieve her of them.  She in turn decided she would make use of some of the knitting yarns I had in my 'hamper', as she knits a lot for charity stalls.  Perfect solution all round.  I took a quick photograph of the cotton, and hope the flash didn't make it too hard to see.  I have found a lovely Herbert Niebling table centre [quite large] in one of the ANNA magazines, and now that I have the cotton, and feel I've conquered my fear of knitting graphs.............well...............here's hoping.

One Size Fits All............

 

Following my little preview a few days ago, I can now share what has been keeping me busy for the last three weeks!!  I am still not certain I will fly through the next graphed knitting project, but am confident enough to give it a red hot go again some time soon.  I am not even sure I'll wear this shawl, despite how beautifully soft and drapey it feels.

The back is very appealing, and I'm sure this shawl would prove quite a head turner.  In all honesty, I don't think I'd be comfortable wearing this.  I plan to wrap it up carefully, with mothproofing, and hope it will adorn some precious baby in the near future. 

The completed shawl, shown here, measures 48 inches square, now that it has been pinned out and pressed.  It started life as three stitches!!  The inner garter stitch square was knitted diagonally, increasing and then decreasing.  The 'first' border was then picked up on a circular needle and worked [and worked] until it was time to finish with the outer border.

A few years ago I purchased three x 100g balls of handspun wool from The Fibre Hut, near Gatton, Queensland.  I know nothing more than what is on the label, ie 100g, 2/22 pure wool.  I can't seem to contact the lady again, so perhaps her business has folded.  The needles I used were 4.00mm, which gave a light, open effect to the knitting, yet there is still a lot of solid ground to offer warmth. 

This shawl pattern was taken from an ANNA magazine dated 1983.  I was stabbing in the dark at times with the instructions, but after a few failed attempts, things finally fell into place.  For the technically minded, I have to tell you the last four rows of the first border contained just over 860 stitches.  It took me seven days of constant knitting to knit off those stitches with the outer border!!

In this grouping I've included the shawl as it appears in ANNA, as well as two different versions of the same design, taken from a small Patons & Baldwins book from yesteryear [price 2/6d].  The view on the right has been knitted with the garter stitch on the 'straight', and the b&w view shows a shawl which in fact is circular, knitted on two needles, with a slightly different border than the ANNA version.  This is indeed a tried and true design, standing the test of time.  I have always enjoyed the thrill of lace knitting, making numerous matinee jackets when we were all having babies.  It has been a number of years since I have actually knitted a garment that is supposed to fit someone, so I thought I might satisfy my urges with this, and worry about the size later.  I must say too that I did not have the corrrect wool as stated in ANNA, nor did I wish to spend time waiting on something to arrive, so I forged ahead with what I had, using a needle size which felt comfortable for the wool being used.  I had to add more rows to the original inside square, and adapt the lace pattern instructions from there on, as my wool was obviously much finer.  I think the finished article would have only been useful for a premmie baby had I followed the pattern.  

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding lace knitting these days, with some spectacular projects being made.  I still have more than enough of this wool to do something else.  The whole project took a little over 100grams, and is honestly as light as a feather.

Thank you all again for your continued interest in the things I make, and the life I have here.  Your support is wonderful.

A Knitting Lesson

Each time I post and share a project, I like to display the finished article, hopefully devoid of mistakes.  This time I'd like to share a project with you, and make a confession.  This is not working!!!  I have lots of knitted lace table mat projects in ANNA magazines, but the instructions are given as symbols on graphs, something I've yet to come to terms with.   The above project was taken from a website offering free patterns [it is not from ANNA, and the instructions are given in written form].  I have to tell you this pattern had mistakes - incorrect row counts - and was incomplete.  I thought I could continue and end up with something like the original in the photograph.  

I can knit, but sometimes I lack the expertise needed to understand how patterns are formed, and perhaps this is why my project has now been pulled off the needles and, as a table mat, well it makes a good knitting lesson!!

I now understand where and when I should have worked certain patterning stitches, but to actually 'unknit' this on the four needles right back to where I needed to was going to take me longer than it's taken to get this far.  Therefore, in the interests of good commonsense, I'm starting again, but possibly with a different design.  

I do like this design, but there others I have that I like more.  After I suck it in and get over this setback, I'll be at it again making amends and getting on with another project.

I actually purchased two books from Fishpond, both dedicated to fine lace knitting, with both written and graphed instructions.  I'll be damned if I'll be beaten on this.  When the books arrive, I'll make a choice, ie use their patterns, or try one from ANNA.

Wish me luck.

I thought it might interest some of my readers to know all does not go according to the blue print.  This type of work is something I've longed to do for a number of years, so I will start another project ASAP, and hopefully have something very nice to share in due course.

A 'Nice' Reminder

Two years ago today I made an unfortunate error with my footing, fell, and broke my right [good] arm, very close to the shoulder.  It was the first time in my life I had ever broken a bone.  My friends know all about it, so I hope I won't bore them to death AGAIN.  It was impossible to set it in a cast, so I was sent home from the hospital with the arm in a sling, plus a packet of painkillers.  I often wonder what might have happened had I needed a pin inserted.  I had visions of me with a bottle of whisky and bone to bite on prior to surgery, a la John Wayne!!!  Ah well, it was a time to sit and plan I suppose.  The reason I'm offering this information is simply to share something I did during that time.  I was unable to stitch for a long time, as I had obviously done much more damage to my shoulder and shoulder blades than anyone had thought.

This was my first piece of very fine lace knitting [#40 crochet thread].  I could knit and crochet, as both use forearm movements, which I could manage, about at the three week mark.  I knitted, and knitted and knitted some more.   By the time I had enough knitted to make a good sized edge, I could also embroider, etc.  I had the linen, thankfully the exact colour as the crochet cotton.........it pays to be boring sometimes.  I also had some candlewicking thread.  

I did the hemstitched holes myself using my Bernina machine and a wing needle, then worked a row of double crochet into the holes so that I had a good foundation on which to stitch the lace.  This is one of my favourite pieces, and knitted lace one technique I just never do enough of.

Although this was a trying time, I'll always have this lovely mat to remind that there is always something positive to take out of every situation.