Sunday, August 24, 2008

Don't hate me because I knit lace in my sleep.

Remember, all I did for the first ten years of my knitting 'career' was knit lace just like this; I call it my Early Doily Phase. In the year after I got my hand fixed, I knit like fourteen of these suckers, and used to randomly mail them out to people who I thought would like one. (Trish in the comments has had one for quite a few years, as I recall.) Now with my discovery of Herbert Niebling, I fear I am descending into an Intermediate Doily Phase, though this time around I'm going to knit many of them with something snuggly and call them shawls. (Is it a shrub, or a small tree?) Very small-gauge knitting like this (yesterday's doily was knit on size twos with #10 crochet cotton) is also very light, which means it doesn't tire my hands out like larger-gauge knitting does. (I may never knit with regular-weight lopi again, I don't care how warm it is. Bulky weight anything? Forget it.) So I can knit on these things for hours a day and not wind up on painkillers. So I do.

Before you go thinking I actually know what I'm doing, I will share the sad fact that the silk I got from Habu Textiles isn't going to work for my mother-in-law's shawl. If I were to knit it up on the needles it needs, it would not be a shawl. It would be a very elaborate and beautiful coaster. However, it is going to be PERFECT for an experiment I've been wanting to try - buying very thin weaving thread and chain-plying it on my wheel into something thicker. If it works, my mother-in-law may get two gifts this year. Or I may keep it. Bwahahaha.

It also occurred to me that I had no friggin' idea how big this shawl would be, or how much yarn it would use, or even how the beads would work out, seeing as I've never worked with beads and knitting at the same time, before. So last night I cast on ANOTHER shawl that I've owed a friend of mine for about three years. It's a round doily pattern from Niebling, "Aster". I'm using size three needles and this yarn, an alpaca-silk blend in color cognac, with some judiciously applied turquoise beads. (Said freind loves the brown/turquoise combo; I knit to please.) I'm going to see how big this thing turns out, then adjust as needed for my mother-in-law's shawl. I will probably wind up using the same yarn, too (it's yummy), but in black. Assuming I can get black. They're out of stock at the moment. ARGH.

So that's the current level of adventure in knitting.


Last weekend, when I went to the craft stores? There was a sale on stickers.

We're gonna be picking stickers out of the lint trap in the dryer for WEEKS.

10 comments:

Donna Lee said...

Stickers are one of the best things at the craft store. I'm sure that they contributed to the tattoos that two of my girls have. I always let them have stickers of any kind and they wore them everywhere. I don't mind tattoos (have two of my own) so it's all good. And whether you've made those doilies before, that is still an impressive pattern. The man is a genius.

Anonymous said...

That yarn looks so yummy. Please post pic of the shawl (like I really need to ask)

Pam

Bells said...

I don't hate you! I have vast amounts of admiration and aspire to be you when I grow up as a lace knitter. :-)

Goober + stickers = fabulously cute!

Anonymous said...

I love my doily!! I use it when I do craft fairs, and display my wares on the gorgeous doily. I have one from my friend Karen I also use. It's fun because I feel like Julie and Karen are there to cheer me on. When the kids are a little bigger and won't use markers to color on the doily, it will have a place of honor on a piece of furniture. But until then, I use it quite a bit!!

Thanks again for it.

Trish J.

Anonymous said...

I love my doily!! I use it when I do craft fairs, and display my wares on the gorgeous doily. I have one from my friend Karen I also use. It's fun because I feel like Julie and Karen are there to cheer me on. When the kids are a little bigger and won't use markers to color on the doily, it will have a place of honor on a piece of furniture. But until then, I use it quite a bit!!

Thanks again for it.

Trish J.

Anonymous said...

wah, sorry about the double post. It said I typed the word verification wrong!

Trish

Amy Lane said...

Have I mentioned that her hair is amazing? As in wonderful amazing? I should!

Knitting lace in your sleep actually sounds productive... the stuff I do in my sleep isn't nearly as interesting!

roxie said...

One of the jails where I administer GED tests has charts where the guys get to put up stickers for every test they pass. (They REALLY enjoy this!) I'm always on the lookout for stickers about 1" square, that are suitable for adult males. Lemme know if you spot any.

Alwen said...

I don't hate you. I think you're wonderful. I'm only sorry we don't live closer.

I haz a job. And I'm saving up for both of those Niebling publications, including the one that's already out of stock.

So much for the days when books like this "didn't sell".

Robin said...

The doilies are amazing! And, Ms. Sticker Face is hysterical!