Goldregen Fini (UFO no more)

Goldregen by Herbert Niebling. I used Habu indigo dyed silk thread purchased during Stitches West many years ago. US 0000 for the first half, US 000 up until the edge blooms and then US 00 with crochet cast-off. Approx. 36 inches across, it makes for a nice little scarf sized Niebling. This is a two year old UFO that is now done at last.

I was knitting along on this project without a care in the world when I had "needle failure" where the needle and cable parted ways. The repair of all the dropped stitches was so traumatic that I didn't want to even look at this after I fixed it. That's all history now. It's so pretty that I am looking for another good Niebling to knit using this thread. I know it sounds like crazy talk but I have two nieces who are finally interested in having something I knit. I can't make one and then not have one for the other niece so I will search my patterns for something that will be comparable yet different.

In the mean time, I still have other UFO's that I will be looking to finish while I'm knitting more Nieblings. Life is good!

Goldregen Row 66

A few pictures of Goldregen now I'm on circular needles. I've had a few problems while knitting with this silk. I lost some stitches when a needle protector popped off. Much swearing ensued while I fixed it and I accidentally snapped a thread while trying to knit 5 stitches together. I did a fix and hid the ends but if you know where to look you can see that I did something a little different to get the stitches to come together as I didn't want to put more strain where the break had been. Still, I enjoy knitting with this silk and I always love knitting a Niebling :-)

Pleasure Principle (Habu, Mini Combs, Cormo and Goldregen)

I'm no Spring Chicken. I'm at the point in my life where I want my leisure activity's to be as pleasurable as possible as my "pull date" looms closer. I've found that knitting lace and spinning are wonderful, relaxing and rewarding activity's and I have great fun experimenting with supplies and tools. See above the center for "Goldregen", another Herbert Niebling pattern from Burda E 903. I'm knitting it using Habu orgazine degummed indigo dyed silk (NS-18J, 21d/10x2). A skein contains 1,400 yds for 2 ounces. I'm using US 0000 needles and I'll try to get a better shot once I can get enough stitches to go onto circular needles. The silk is slick, a little crispy in texture and it's best not to drop a stitch as it wants to slither away. Beautiful stuff. However, if you want to get any I suggest you pay the extra money to have it wound onto a cone since it is very difficult to wind into a ball and wants to unwind itself into a tangled mess. Having washed about 2/3 of the Cormo fleece I bought at Dixon, I have a new appreciation for anyone willing to clean it for me, not to mention color it. I purchased the pretty Blue Cormo Lamb fleece from, The Fiber Denn. While the fibers are not as long as the fleece I purchased from Cormo Sheep & Wool Farm they are very soft and should spin up nicely. But first, I have to prep the fiber and that brings me to my new tools. Up until now, I have been using a flick comb to tease a lock at a time to spin from. While it works, it's a little tough on my hands and the amount of fiber I can prepare this way at one sitting is pretty limited. See above the mini combs that my sister bought for me as my birthday is in a few months. Made from Cherry wood(though you can pick whatever wood you like best) , they were made to order from The Wheel Thing and are constructed by a gentleman named Alvin Ramer who lives in Canada. These combs come with a stand that holds the combs safe and secure when not in use. The stand can be clamped to a table and there is a slot where the stationary comb can be inserted, held in place at different angles with a pin so that you can easily comb locks. This set comes with a tool to straighten the tines if one ends up out of alignment and two sea shells with holes drilled into the center to act as a diz. As for how to use these combs, I have looked at a few videos on U Tube which illustrate how to use them. One in particular from Manda Crafts was very instructive though it's on the use of English Wool Combs rather than mini combs. I haven't had time to try out the new toys yet but I'll get a few pictures and let you know how it works out :-)

TKGA In Oakland (So I shopped more than I knit)

OK. I confess. I didn't knit as much as I shopped this weekend but it was a kind of social thing for me as my sister, my sister-in-law and my friend Louise all went to this event. The Knitting and Crochet show is much smaller that Stitches but who am I to turn up my nose at yarn? Besides, there is usually something at a show that I would not easily find in a local yarn store. I did not get a lot of things but those that I did get are very nice. See above crochet hooks in rosewood handles from Asciano FiberArts Tools from Sausalito CA. (phone 415-331-9227) or(http://www.ascianofiberartstools.com/). Yes, my sister got them for me only so I can do the crochet cast off for dollies but the handles are large, comfortable and much easier for me to handle without my hands cramping up or risking carpel tunnel syndrome. They are also much prettier than the ones with plastic handles that I have been using. I got sizes 0.75 mm and 1.25 mm. Since it's tough to buy birthday presents for someone like me, my sister usually just gets me what I want at a show like this and does not make me wait until my actual birthday to use them :-) In addition to the hooks, my sister also got me 2 skeins of Habu Silk (NS-18J, 21 d/102 orgazine degummed (indigo dyed) color 5. They have this dyed by a gentleman in Japan (Mr. Mori) who does this in the traditional way and is teaching his son to do it as well. Each skein has 1,400 yds on it but trying to wind it into a ball sucks big-time as it's slick like rayon and wants to knot up or tangle. Still, beautiful stuff and I have no idea what the heck I will do with it. Last, but not least I got myself 2 skeins of 60/2 silk from RedFish DyeWorks. It is 1,400 yds/skein and the silk does not take the dye evenly so it's more like a "mostly solid" type of a silk. Think the way denim might dye unevenly. I actually like that aspect. solids are OK but a little visual interest that is not a extreme tone/color shift is nice when making lace. It wasn't very crowded at the show but there was enough to look at that no one left empty handed. I enjoyed speaking to some of the members of the Lacy Knitters Guild and picking up information about The Lace Museum in Sunnyvale. All great resources if you are interested in lace. That's it for now. I have to go knit now so I won't feel I got all these new things for no reason :-) Have a great weekend!