I found this book, Lace from the Attic ~A Victorian Notebook Of Knitted Lace Patterns by Nancie Wiseman at my library and fell in love. A 100-year-old leather notebook was found in the attic of a house where a Miss Blanche Beau had once lived.
Blanche had sewn knitted lace samples onto each notebook page, along with the directions. The only problem was, no one knew what her abbreviations meant! With lots of patience, knitting and a magnifying glass to see the intricate pattern details, the author of the book solved all of Blanche's patterns and translated them into the common abbreviations we use today.
Here are some small snippets I have knitted this past month...
I used size 2 and 3 knitting needles.
For thread I used crochet cotton and embroidery floss. I liked the embroidery floss because there are more colors to choose from...soft pinks and yellows are my favorite.
There is one pattern for "Fairy Lace" that I got stuck on.
The beginning of Row 1 begins with YO (Yarn Over). How do you YO without any stitches on your right hand needle. Can anyone help?
Anyways, thank you for looking at my knitted lace! I'll be back for show and tell Friday in a few hours. There will be a very special guest host this week. :0)
28 comments:
YOU are so talented!!! Was your mother? I'll bet your children will be!!!
Thanks for the nice comment on my blogoversary. Please come back and ask me a question so you'll be in the drawing for the book and angel :o)
Also, I sent you an e-mail.
Susan
Wow! I am MIGHTY impressed with you! :-)
How wonderful that you can do this!! I can crochet a little, but this takes real talent! Thank you for sharing...
Hi Kelli,
I hope that I will make sense here. This is how I do it.
Take the yarn and just lay it on top of the right needle, with the yarn going to the right.
Take the right needle and knit 2 together, before you finish the knit, look at your needles they should be crossed with the right needle under the left needle, the yarn should be in the front and below the two needles.
Take the yarn and wrap it over to the right to finish the knit 2 together stitch.
I don't know if this makes any sense or not.
Beautiful lace. You have done a wonderful job. I am trying to teach myself to knit because someday I really want to knit lace.
I"m completely lost on knitting patterns! I have a few that I understand, but that's it. Plus I use a different caston than most, which makes some paterns confusing.
That is very beautiful! Makes my hats look pretty humble, but that's why I find fancy yarns to make them look prettier.
Kelli, the YO works at the beginning of a row. It just gives you a big loop there. It will probably make more sense after the following row begins. When in doubt, just do exactly what it says to do and it will come out right :)This stuff is beautiful!
Nancy
That is so beautiful! I have never learned to knit but wish I knew how. I don't think I could see it well enough now.
Wow those are lovely! Great job!
wow! soooo nice..... this is what I want too, wish I knew how.... LOL! thanks for dropping by and for your kind words...
You have done an awesome job on the knitted lace. It is just lovely. I knit a lot and have never attempted lace. You are tempting me to try it.
Yarn over when there are no other stitches, I just can't figure that one out. Wish my mom was still with me I could ask her for you.
Beautiful Kelli! I look forward to the slower paced days when I can take on a couple hobbies in the mean time I will enjoy the fast paced life with Little's! :-)
Oh how beautiful and delicate. I wish I could knit. What a treasured keepsake.
What you have done so far is so lovely! I am afriad my head hurts just thinking of all the work you do did produce those lovely knitted works of art. Great Job!!
((hugs)) Rosie
Can't wait to see who your guest host is!
Kelli,
I haven't knitted lace yet, but I looked up your question in one of my knitting books and here's what she explains about doing a YO at the beginning of a row:
Put your yarn in the "wrong" position before you begin the row. If you plan to knit the first stitch, then put the yarn in front of the right needle. If you plan to purl the first stitch, put the yarn in back. Either way, when you work the first stitch, the yarn will make an extra loop over the needle; that's your YO. If you are about to purl, the YO will be on the needle in the nonstandard position. When you come to it at the end of the next row, just work into the back of it to untwist it.
I hope this helps. :-)
Kelli ~ What an amazing book! I'm going to have to see if I can find a copy ... I love the story behind it.
You lace looks beautiful! What are your plans for it?
The lace is so beautiful! You are so fortunate to be able to do this! I can't! I just love all kinds of lace!
Katherine
Wow Kelli, that's very very nice! I would love to knitt some lace for my craftings, too! But unfortunately, I am very very bad at knitting.... ;-((
LOVE the hand knitted lace! I could see putting some of that across my fireplace mantle for a nice homey touch. Once I finish up knitting more dishcloths, I may have to try some of that lace!
Yvonne :o)
OOh Kelli - what have you started? Now I want to try my hand at this (am in a knitting mood at the moment too!) You have done some beautiful pieces. I will have to look through my craft books and see if there is anything like this in them. I'm glad the pattern has been explained now (I'd have been stumped as well). Thanks for the mention for my blog! Jennie
That lace is beautiful! My favorite I think, is the fourth one down. It looks like the 5th one is an enlarged view of the 4th... how pretty. Wouldn't you just love to be able to sit down and go through a book like the one Miss Blanche Beau, wrote? I certainly would.
So, what is the difference between knitting, and tatting? If those photos were on a test, I would have put tatting.
What a lovely story behind those beautiful works, makes us all remember that we should note things down more often so in the future folks will remember the little details that make things important.
OH good! Pictures of the lace! I love them, they are so delicate and beautiful. I didn't know you could use embroidery floss, how neat is that? I'm so glad there are answers the the YO question here in the comments! I was stumped too!
Oh my goodness Kelli - you must be one patient woman! I have some bits and pieces of old knitted lace that I have picked up at antique stores for $1 or $2 and I always think of all of the effort that has gone into producing such lovely lace - to be sold for next to nothing! I can never resist! What are you doing with you lace? I have used it to embellish pillows and table runners, but I have more pieces that I just don't know what to do with. I wonder if they would look nice framed and hung on the wall!
To do a yarn over at the beginining of a purl row, simply start with your yarn - or thread in this case - at the back of the needle as if you were going to knit. This way, the yarn will naturally drape over the needle creating a yarn over.
That said, I find that this method tends to slip too much, so I simply cast on a stitch at the beginning of the requried row. It's much more stable.
Kelli!
The lace is beautiful. I have never tried knitting any lace before. I have seen shawls knitted like lace. I had downloaded a free pattern but have not tried it yet. I have picked up my tatting to try for a while. I have not done any in years and am between projects.
Love,
Marie
Kelli: I have been trying to figure out what the "o" and the "n" mean in her pattern called Rule 58 Lace Edging! What did you come up with? I'm about 99% certain that "o" means yarnover, but the "n" has me stymied. Please advise! Lucinda Thompson
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