Lace Knitting Success------NOT!

After knitting about 12 inches or so on my handspun Samoyed lace scarf, I was hoping to be able to report that I was finally getting the hang of it. Unfortunately, I can't.

I suppose that I can honestly say that I'm beginning to understand the pattern and see how the rows fit together. I have it somewhat memorized and mostly know what to do next. I only have to look at the instructions to see how the row starts off. After that I can knit with no problem.

Well, I take that back. I do have problems. I'm still making occasional mistakes. I'd call them concentration mistakes because they occur when my mind has journeyed elsewhere. Somehow, I end up at the end of a row and realize that the pattern is no longer working. But! At least I'm catching them before I have a disaster on my hands.


It's a very old Shetland pattern called “Miniature Leaf.” It requires a multiple of 6 stitches plus one extra stitch, and goes like this:

Row 1 - *k1, yo, k2tog, k1, k2tog, yo* Repeat to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 – purl
Row 3 - *k2, yo, k3tog, yo, k1* Repeat to last stitch, k1
Row 4 – purl
Row 5 - *k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2tog* Repeat to last stitch, k1
Row 6 – purl
Row 7 – k2tog, yo *k3, yo, k3tog, yo* Repeat to last 5 stitches, k3, yo, k2tog
Row 8 – purl

Of course this is the Americanized version. The UK version refers to yarn overs as yarn forwards.

The place I usually mess up is the knit-3-togethers. I tend to somehow drop one of the 3 stitches. I am knitting on US5 needles and I do tend to knit tightly which doesn't help, I know.

At one time I thought I would never be interested in knitting lace. In fact I vowed I'd never do it. I didn't think I had the patience. I lean towards yarns that spin and knit quickly. Hence I am always in awe of spinners of fine yarns and knitters of lace.

I've been enjoying this project however, in spite of all the frogging I've had to do. I'd like to think that I'm becoming a more patient person, but I doubt it. More likely I'm just finally becoming interested in the challenges of knitting lace. And this yarn just begged to be knit this way.

Progress, I think, will be very slow. I will continue to put the project down when it frustrates me, and pick it up again at a later date, when time has worked it's soothing magic on me. It's just nice to report that at least some progress is being made.

© 2006 Leigh's Fiber Journa

Lost Lace Found

While trying to find places to put my newest stash acquisitions from the Silent Auction, I found my first and only (so far) lace knitting!

It’s whereabouts had been unknown for about a year (due to two long distance moves.) To be honest, I’d pretty much forgotten all about it.

The pattern is "miniature leaf pattern," from Patterns for North Ronaldsay Yarn by Elizabeth Lovick of Northern Lace. The yarn is my handspun, from Samoyed fiber sent to me by my friend Ann in the UK. This is the first dog fiber I’ve ever worked with and it as soft as bunny angora. It was a dream to spin, but a challenge to knit!

Unfortunately, I don’t have a clue as to where I left off in the pattern. I tried to keep track of which row I was on, but you know how that goes. The best laid plans mice and cats and all that. Well, it’s too hot to think about it anyway.

Sadly, all of this points to some rather glaring discrepancies between my self image and the real me. I like to think of myself as being organized, neat, and efficient. In fact, I continually tell myself that this is the “real” me, and that once I simplify my life I really will be like that.

This self imagined me has all my books and magazines shelved and arranged according to subject; neatly labeled boxes for my fleeces, rovings, and yarns (all catalogued with samples of course); my weaving caddy neatly arranged with my tools organized in their own drawers; my knitting needles and crochet hooks displayed in beautiful handcrafted pottery and baskets; and all of my fiber and textile magazine articles organized in a data base on my computer, ready for me to find with the type of a keyword and the click of the mouse.

The real me uses the pile system of organization. I have a pile for knitting, a pile for spinning, two piles for weaving, a pile for sewing, a pile for web design, and a pile of things I need to file. When DH begins to comment on the mess, I simply straighten up the piles and rearrange them so that they look like I’ve actually done something with them.

The self imagined me has complete records of all my finished weaving, knitting, dyeing, and spinning projects with samples attached. In my self imagined world these are all neatly organized on their own bookshelf. The self imagined me also has a filing cabinet, where paper instructions and projects are systematically filed so that I can find them whenever I want.

The real me has four notebooks of various designs and project plans. When inspiration strikes, I grab the nearest one and start putting ideas down in it. Unfortunately, these don’t usually find their way back to their appointed pile, so I often don’t have a clue to their whereabouts. And the reason I have 4 notebooks is not because each one is dedicated to it’s own subject matter, but because I keep having to start new ones because I can’t find the old.

Somehow the 2nd law of thermodynamics always comes into play here. No matter how well I organize my messes, and no matter how well intentioned I am to keep things orderly, sooner or later (usually sooner) things deteriorate into chaos. Oh, I can make excuses (I moved two times in the past year. I’m in a hurry right now, I’ll put it back later. This is how I organize things, if I straighten it up I’ll never be able to find anything again. If only I had more boxes I could keep it neat. If only I had more shelves I could keep things orderly. If only I had a bigger room, then I would………)

For now, I’m just happy to have found this UFO. So after admiring it I’ll carefully put it back in it’s knitting bag. But this time I’ll put it where I can find it again.

© 2006 Leigh's Fiber Journal