Fingerless and Lace

Well, I am now finished my kick of fingerless Mittens. I enjoyed making them and even more so enjoy seeing them being worn, but hopefully winter is over and so goes making gloves.

I have made the lace ones, Twined ones, Brocade stitch ones, Cable ones, and self designed lace ones.

But now I am finished them. And of course I have now moved back into my lace knitting which is probably my favorite of all. I have been working on a cobweb lace Unst Stole in black from Sharon Millers "Heirloom Knitting". I put it aside for some winter projects but pulled it back out. It has been extremely challenging given that the lace is on both sides of work and the yarn is like thread. I think I have finally gotten the hang of it.

But just as I started going, I got invited into a "Orenburg Lace" group on Ravelry. Yes, I will once again state the Ravelry can be the death of all things not knitting. You know how you find something, then off on a tangent you go. Well, I put aside the Unst Stole and joined an Orenburg Lace KAL. The women running it is running one in english and one in Russian. I am learning so much from her. I don't know her name but on Ravelry it is "Russian Lily".

One of the things I am learning is how to read a "Holes" based lace chart. This is where the decreases are not on the chart and you just learn where they go instinctively based on a few rules. I am loving this. The other thing I am learning is to really learn the pattern so I don't have to go line by line on the chart. In the olden days, knitters would learn the different patterns so they could knit them from heart. Doing this seems to make the knitting that more enjoyable and their is a rhythm to it that is fantastic.

Of course, it didn't stop there. I had to order some new lace needles, which should be here today or tomorrow. They are Chiagoo Red Lace. And then I spent hours on Ravelry, yes that scoundrel place again, and looked through hundereds of "Herbert Neibling" lace work. And of course you know what comes next.

Yes, that's correct, ordering books of Neibling Patterns which should arrive at the end of March.

That being said I now know what I am doing this summer.