Here is a better picture of the doily I am knitting.  It still bleaches out the color but at least the stitches are clear.  I am going to put it on a circular 16 or 24" as it will be easier to manage.  I found several two-needle doilies in the Ravelry website, I think I will try one of them soon.

Knitted Doilies

 

I started knitting a doily last week.  The pattern is in an old Mon Tricot magazine (July, 1970).  The finished doily will be a large oblong.  Shortly after I started this doily, I found the doily in the upper picture at one of the crafter stores here.  Knitting a doily is much harder and much easier than I thought it would be.  The hard part is starting it.  I used a crochet cotton thread that was way too small and had a terrible time with the center.  This doily is worked in Knit-Cro-Sheen so is much easier to knit.  At this time, there are five size one double-pointed needles, eventually I will either have to buy a circular 16" size one needle or go to several more double-pointed needles. 

I have knit doilies before, the first when I was still a teenager.  I made three, one for my grandmother, one for my mother and one for me.  I will put a picture of the finished doily on next time if I can photograph the picture in the magazine. 

Knitting for charity

I have been following Kyla Quinlan's knitting nuggets, knitting for charity. Recently she posted the seven most requested items for charity knitters. There were a few surprises; not only of what was listed but also of what wasn't! Here is the list:

No.7: Pet items.
No.6: Socks.
No.5: Mittens.
No.4: Afghan squares.
No.3: Afghans and blankets.
No.2: Preemie and baby items.
No.1: Hats.

I was surprised that pet items were listed until someone reminded me that the Humane Society and animal shelters need them. I thought scarves would be listed in the top seven, my students love to make them and they are a wonderful first project. Now, however I will encourage them to make small blankets to donate to animal shelters and the Humane Society instead.

More on the Orenburg Shawl

The most difficult part of knitting an Orenburg shawl is understanding the pattern. Altho graphed and very carefully detailed, there are differences in the pattern that make it difficult. One of the problems is counting the squares of the graph; there may be six squares or stitches on one side of a decrease and only five on the other side. While this is understandable as a K2 tog may make up the difference, it is still difficult to read. The second problem I'm having is in the purl decreases which are not consistent. In most of the lace patterns I've knitted, either there are no decreases in the purl rows or there are decreases in all the purl rows. However in this pattern the purl decreases are not in every row. Fortunately, the graph is very clear and plainly shows the decreases so I know it's just that I am not used to it.

Mitering the corner was not a problem. The instructions were very clear. I find the pattern is really hard on my eyes. I did eight rows today and my eyes are very tired. Over all, however, the pattern fascinates me.

Orenburg Lace Shawl

I started an Orenburg lace shawl that has been a challenge. Orenburg lace is famous in Russia and is world reknown. Originally there were 10 basic elements to the shawl and each knitter would develop her pattern using these basic elements. The patterns were always followed precisely. The shawls are also known as gossamer web or "wedding ring shawls" as the original ones were often so fine they could pass through a wedding ring. The thread I am using is not that fine, in fact the original thread is not available in the United States as far as I know. So far, I have the bottom border almost completed and will post it here soon.

Free Gift!

I forgot to mention that we will be giving a 30-piece pack of variety-sized needles with each order! Later, we hope to have random drawings for some really neat free gifts.

Last year I read "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett and loved every page of it. I just started the sequel "World Without End" and am loving it too! Everyone told me that the sequel wasn't as good as the first book, but I am loving it.

Just a little knitting, just a little chatting and a few books.: Accessory Kits

Just a little knitting, just a little chatting and a few books.: Accessory Kits

Accessory Kits

 

 

 

 

Here are the knitting-crochet accessory kit and the tatting kit! They are finally on facebook, e-bay and here. Judy and I are really pleased with the way they have turned out. We hope everyone will visit us on facebook and also our store in e-bay. We are looking for feedback (good and not-so-good) from all of you.

Brittney's Farewell Dinner

Brittney got married on January 8. We had a combination Christmas/farewell dinner for her at the Olive Garden.

Knitting for Charity

There is a new prayer shawl goup that I have joined. It is in Central Point where my tatting and knitting classes are held. In fact, most of the members are former students! We have been knitting for several of the local charities; Maslow Project, several church members and also sending hats and scarfs to Doernbecker's Hospital in Portland. I read on-line about the Appalachia Children's project and now we are also going to donate to them also. Everyone is so open to helping others, it makes my heart happy!

Whitethorn Woods

I have been reading "Whitethorn Woods" by Maeve Binchy. I love her books--they are about everyday life and people from all walks of life. This book is set in a small town on the coast of Ireland. All the people are either from there or have family who imigrated from the area. Her characters are very believable and sometimes I feel I might meet them on the street or sit next to them in church.