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Archived MOONRISE NewslettersCan you believe this is our FIFTH year of publishing our e-mail newsletter? Hundreds of lace knitters enjoy our monthly specials and tips - you should sign up! Just send an e-mail to MOONRISELaceKnitting@verizon.net to subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter. We NEVER sell or give away the list, all e-mails are sent BCC and you can unsubscribe at any time. November/December 2009 ~ August/September 2009 ~ June/July 2009 ~ April/May 2009 ~ February/March 2009 ~ January 2009 ~ December 2008 ~ November 2008 ~ October 2008 ~ September 2008 ~ July / August 2008 ~ June 2008 ~ May 2008 ~ April 2008 ~ March 2008 ~ February 2008 ~ January 2008 ~ December 2007 ~ November 2007 ~ October 2007 ~ September 2007 ~ August 2007 ~ July 2007 ~ June 2007 ~ May 2007 ~ April 2007 ~ March 2007 ~ February 2007 ~ January 2007 ~ December 2006 ~ November 2006 ~ October 2006 ~ September 2006 ~ August 2006 ~ July 2006 ~ June 2006 ~ May 2006 ~ April 2006 ~ March 2006 ~ February 2006 ~ January 2006 ~ December 2005 ~ November 2005 ~ October 2005 ~ September 2005 ~ August 2005 ~ July 2005 ~ June 2005 ~ May 2005 ~ April 2005 ~ March 2005 ~ February 2005 ~ January 2005 ~ December 2004 ~ November 2004 ~ October 2004 ~ September 2004 ~ August 2004 DISCLAIMER: Specials, sales and limited availability items listed in archived newsletters are likely to be no longer offered! |
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Welcome To the November - December NewsletterIf you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list.
Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. CorrectionIn the last newsletter I told you about a wonderful site for fine yarn that is hand dyed. Here is the correct website: www.thegossamerweb.etsy.com ScheduleThe Feb 27 & 28th workshop on Estonian Lace has filled. The weekend of March 13th & 14th I will have a workshop on designing the In-Out Circle-Square shawl. Very little knitting, this is a design class. I gave it a couple of years ago and I think everyone went home with a design that they made. If you want to reserve your place now, you send a deposit of $25. Details as to fabulous lunches, times, etc will be the same as all the weekend workshops here at Moonrise. April’s workshop on the 24th & 25th will be called “How Fine Can You Go” and will focus on three very fine yarns. We will make a bookmark with each to try them out, then on Sunday afternoon you will start one of three projects given. There will be enough yarn of each of the types so you can make the other two at home.
MOONTIDE New Pattern“Autumn
Exuberance” by Sandy Terp
Thanks to Judith Rankin, our model & Jon Terp the photographer. Here is the center of “Autumn Exuberance” that will be
a doll shawl in the new yarn “camel”. This yarn is half camel
and half silk. It is wonderful to work with. I am using a size O
needle. A 100 gram skein has 1700 yards. $20. Reprint of a classicThe Susanna E. Lewis book, “Knitting Lace” was long out of print. Schoolhouse press was able to reprint it and, at about the same price. Thank goodness! This book is a classic. It is based on a sampler of lace knitting stitches in the Brooklyn Museum. It offers, in addition, a comprehensive course in lace knitting. If you want to go beyond the simple patterns and understand how lace is formed with a knitting needle, you need this book. $28 Traditional Snowflake PatternIt is a tradition to give a snowflake pattern in November. Here
is this year’s:
Have fun knitting!Sandy |
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Welcome to the June-July 09 newsletter.
If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply
with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or
give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with
an invoice in the package if you are a return customer.
Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for
credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item,
ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may
contact me by E-mail: moonriselaceknitting@verizon.net
or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The
website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com
This month I have two more portfolio books of
Herbert Neibling designs. These are in German. They each
contain 12-14 designs, many of them attached to linen or
other fabric. Challenging and intricate. I especially like
the shades. "Spitzenstrickerei 1 & 2" (I
call them blue and orange) are $45 each. Who will want to
have these?
1. Niebling fans.
2. Knitters who bought the English book translated
by Mary Frances of Lacis.
3. Anyone who bought and loved the Red & Black
portfolio books.
4. Any lace knitter who is ready for an awesome project.
Want to work your way up? Start with "Knitted Lace
Designs of Herbert Niebling" by Ava Maria Leszner and
translated by Mary Frances Wogec. $28.
Then try the Black portfolio, "Kunst Stricken Grose
und kleine decken" which has many designs by Niebling
and others influenced by the Art Knitting movement. Or, my
favorite, the Red one, "Kunststricken-Schone
historische Muster". These are $27 each.
HINT
At Moontide this year I made the students a
notebook/easel. Very simple. Take an inexpensive notebook,
attach ribbons or lace to the inside of the two sides,
turn it inside out, tie the ribbons and stand it up. We
used them horizontally, but this would work with the
notebook standing vertically also. I encourage my students
to use the removable tape (called correction tape) to mark
above the row they are working on. Sure makes
following charts a lot easier. When you are done for the
day, untie the ribbons, fold the notebook properly and tie
it shut.
WORKSHOPS
My workshops for Sept and Oct are full. These will be on
the Estonian Lace as taught by Nancy Bush in her wonderful
book, "The Knitted Lace of Estonia" $22. I
will teach this again in late Feb. or early March. Is
there a a lace knitting subject you would like to have me
teach? I hope to have many of these weekend workshops next
year. They are limited to 8 or 9 students, held here at
Moonrise, Bucks County PA. Ebby provides a gourmet lunch
for the two days. The website always has all the details, www.moonriselaceknitting.com
One of the things I have learned from the Estonian
knitting is Horizontal Edgings. I always knew it was
possible, just never gave it much thought. The
possibilities are endless! I am working a piece now for a
lucky doll that starts with the outside edge and works in
with a scallop and then a border, The corners are shaped
with double decreases. Then I worked back and forth on the
bottom stitches, joining as I worked up. I made it a bit
of a sampler of stitches in rows. At the top the live sts
and the last side of my edging/border were grafted
together. I picked plant-theme stitch patterns, typical of
the Estonian lace work and call the mini-shawl
"Nancy's Garden" This pattern will be part of
the hand-out for the workshops. Send me an E-mail for
confirmation of the date for the new workshop and
information on registrating for it.
The "nupps" are the signature stitch of the
Estonian knitters. Many knitters, yours truly included,
find them difficult and/or unpleasant to do. I would like
to suggest that you not give up on Estonian knitting
because of this. Unless you are knitting for a museum you
may make changes--no knitting police allowed in. Some
things to think about: Just leave them out; make an Irish
knot by KPKPK in the one st and lift each one over the
last one made; make 5 or 7 from one by KPKPKetc and purl
them together on the following row; make a cluster st by
wrapping the yarn around the chosen st. Knitting
is an art, make it your art.
In Oct I will be sending the first of the Moontide 2010
bulletins Would you like to be on the list to
receive this first notice? Send me an E-mail and I will
add your name to the list, already started. The theme is
selected and design work begun, but more next time.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or
give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an
invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me
a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for
credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered
alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by
phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield
PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com
IT'S HERE!!!
The long awaited "Knitted Lace Designs of Herbert
Niebling" has been test knitted, corrected and
translated by Mary Frances Wogec. And what a job
she did. The charts are clear and easy to understand and she
gives many diagrams and pictures. I have not seen any of
these designs before. And never have I seen the German
charts so clearly translated. This was worth waiting for.
$28
For those who want more of a challenge I offer a very
special deal on these little books of German patterns. Each
wrapped package contains 2 books of dollies done in the Art
Knitting style--maybe some are Neibling--they certainly have
that look. BUT the charts are small, everything is in German
and I found them hard to follow. I call them A (on left) and
B (on right) because they are twins except for the patterns
in them. To add to the confusion they are packed so that the
cover of the
second one faces out from the underside of the package. Oh
my! If you are a fan of these German patterns you will want
these, especially when I tell you the price--$8 each
("each" is 2 booklets). Tell me if you want A or
B. These were supposed to retail for $16 each. Limited to
stock on hand.
SALE
Moonrise patterns on sale until June 30th. Buy two and get
three. The free one will be the least expensive. There are
six to choose from.
Lace Sampler scarf $10
Frost Diamond Scarf $15Flora's Wrap $15
Three Times a Lady $20
Handfast $20
The Great Cosmos $20
Each pattern comes in the form of a spiral bound booklet and
each is meant to be a "teaching" pattern.
Estonian Lace!September 26th & 27th at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PA (currently full)and AGAIN due to popularity on October 3rd & 4th at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PAA weekend of fun & learning - - good knitting, good food and good friends! Our main reference source will be a marvelous book, "Knitted Lace of Estonia", by Nancy Bush. It is full of unusual stitch patterns and "must make" shawls and scarfs. The book alone is available from us ($22). Estonian Lace will be held over the weekend at my home and business in Hatfield, PA - conveniently located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia (cats in residence). There are lots of area hotels in which to stay, ask for some recommendations when you register. The class room is comfortable and beautifully furnished, the setting is peaceful, rural Pennsylvania. There are plenty of area activities for a significant other to enjoy while you are in class. The cost is $90. Yarn for class work is included. The book is not included in this price, and is recommended, but not required for class work. You will have the opportunity to start a project and may want to have the book and yarn for that. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. To register send an E-mail with any questions you may have, followed by a $25 non-refundable deposit. MOONRISELaceKnitting@verizon.net Right now the first weekend is sold out and spaces are only available the second weekend. In addition to Nancy Bush's book, $22,
Moonrise also offers Eugen Beugler's Fiber Trend pattern, Es LESSON Working with the Estonian patterns has me thinking about edgings that are worked straight with the direction of the body of the work, what I call Horizontal Edgings. The Estonian patterns seem to use this technique a lot. Except, they work them separately and sew them on! It doesn't have to be this way. Here is a little exercise that will demonstrate how to start a piece with a Horizontal edging and end a piece using live sts and working out. The cast-on and bind-off must be loose and stretchy. So to start Cast on 30 sts with a needle 3 or 4 sizes too large (or use two needles held together). You could also double the yarn just for this cast-on row. Use the long tail cast-on. Go to the chart and repeat it two times across for 2 "teeth" or scallops. The return rows are plain knit, unless marked otherwise. You will end after 6 rows with 18 sts. Work an inch or so to represent the body of the work. The upper chart will be repeated 3 times, starting with a multiple of 6 and ending with 11 per scallop. Bind off with a larger (by several sizes) needle, using the soft bind-off. Knit 2 tog, return the st to the left needle, K2 tog, return, all across the row.
Here is the key. 1 = K1 O = yarnover
/ = K2tog \ = SSK ^ = double
decrease (slip 2 tog. as to K, K1, pass the 2 tog, over and
off) 7 from 1 = K1, O, K1, O, K1, O, K1 all in the O
of the previous row. 1' = K in back loop
( # ) = sts in the repeat at end of row
8. Soft Bind off
(11) 1 /
7 \ 1
7.
6.
knit
(13) 2 / O 1' O
1' O 1' O \ 2
5.
4.
knit
(11) 2
/ 5 \
2
3.
2.
3 7
from 1
3
(13)
(7) 3
O
3
1.
Work 1-2 inches of garter st.
6. knit 9
(9) 2
O /
^ \ O
2
5.
4. knit 11
(11) 1 O / O
/ ^ \ O \
O 1
3.
2. knit 13
(13) 2 O / O /
^ \ O \ O
2 1.
To make the points you must have extra fabric. This can be
done with extra sts as here, or with extra rows. Also, not
addressed in this little exercise, is the challenge of the
corners or the joining if your project is not done center
out. Next year I will offer a 6 hour class for guilds or
knitting groups in the Horizontal Edging Options.
Next month I will try to get this newsletter back on a
monthly schedule. In the meantime--
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| Welcome
to the Feb/Mar newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list,
simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my
list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com Schedule I will be on a trip to NH and ME the end of March and into April. If you are in this part of the country and would like to take one of these classes, you could E-mail as indicated: March 28 & 29 Halcyon Yarn in Bath ME denice@halcyonyarn.com On Saturday "The Formation of Lace Stitches" and on Sun. "Russian Inspired Lace Shawl Techniques" Check out the MOONRISE website for DVD's on both these subjects. April 4 & 5 Yarn & Fiber in NH Yarnandfiber@gmail.com "Following the Japanese Lace Knitting Charts" This tremendously popular class is for advanced knitters. April 6 & 7 Mountain View Guild on the border of NH & ME knitski@myfairpoint.net Mon morning is a lecture class. Monday afternoon and all day Tues is an expanded "Formation of Lace Stitches" Then the beginning of May I will be in Rochester NY at the Rochester Knitting Guild jhoffman@rpa.net Saturday starts with a lecture class followed by "Making Sense Out of Lace Charts, Sun will be German/Japanese Lace Patterns in the Round, and Monday, "How an Edging Turns a Corner" Moontide on Cape Cod is the 6th to the 13th E-mail me to see if there are any openings--as of now I have two places. NEW WORKSHOP FOR SEPT Estonian Lace! at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PA Sept 12 & 13 maybe again Sept 26 & 27 A weekend of fun & learning - - good knitting, good food and good friends! Estonian Lace will be held over the weekend at my home and business in Hatfield, PA - conveniently located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia (cats in residence). There are lots of area hotels in which to stay, ask for some recommendations when you register. The class room is comfortable and beautifully furnished, the setting is peaceful, rural Pennsylvania. There are plenty of area activities for a significant other to enjoy while you are in class. The cost is $90. Yarn for class work is included. The book is recommended, but not required for class work. You will have the opportunity to start a project. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. To register send an E-mail with any questions you may have, followed by a $25 non-refundable deposit. This is probably a good time to talk about a marvelous book, "Knitted Lace of Estonia", by Nancy Bush. It is full of unusual stitch patterns and "must make" shawls and scarfs. Moonrise price is $22. And, we are offering $2 off per skein of GENTLE by The Yarn Place. The following patterns in this book use this weight of yarn: 1 ball Page 79 (dusty pink shown), 73, 83, 41. On page 97 1/2 ball, On page 115 and on the cover, 2 balls. This sale price on the book and yarn is in effect through Sept. Currently in stock I have dark red, white, dusty pink, teal, and lavendar. NEW KIT Well, sort of. Springtime Flowers is a remake of Blizzard of Snowflakes. For this kit you get the same three patterns done in interchangable sections--3 starts, 3 middles, and three points. This makes a possible 27 flowers before even talking about colors. BUT THE BEST PART IS THAT THE FIRST THREE ARE STARTED FOR YOU. 1 in white, 1 in pink and 1 in yellow. Put the stitches on the needles, chose your middle color and your middle pattern. Then you may, if you choose, do the points in green. There you go! You are a designer! There is enough #10 cotton thread in assorted colors to make 6-8 flowers--each one unique. $18 FEATURED BOOKS Knitted Lace (Kunst-stricken) by Marie Niedner & Gussi von Reden. . .$20 Knitted Lace II (Kunst-Stricken II) by M. Niedner & G. vonReden. . . . .$26 These books are in German with charts and some editing by Lacis. Old patterns for some pretty advanced lace. This month only--take both for $40 Margaret Stove's book, Creating Original Hand-Knitted Lace is a classic. Anyone going beyond "beginner" must have this one in their library. I don't know of a more inspiration book. Special this month $25. I love the patterns and the charts in this little book by Hazel Carter. Get a real taste of Shetland knitting in an inexpensive book. Only $14 NEW STITCH Or, I should say, new to me. It is in The Art of Knitting 1892, reprinted from The Butterick Publishing Co. The book contains an error. Once corrected I tried muliple variations. What I like about it is that it is a lace ground done on only one stitch. So you can add it anywhere without worry about fitting the whole thing in. It does take two rows tho. Any number of sts. First row OO, K1 Second row K1, in the OO work P1, K1, Now pass the first 2 of these worked sts over and off the last one worked. Bottom section as given. Middle I changed the decrease to slip 1, K2tog, PSSO. Then I changed the increase to KPK in each st on the first row. It is great fun to just sit down and play with patterns. I learn so much about how the stitches shape themselves. HINTS FOR FINE LACE KNITTING 1. Keep a hat pin or very fine crochet hook handy. You can't be jumping up for a catch tool when an emergency happens. 2. Starting round knitting can be frustrating. Here are two hints--Put the sts in the middle of any non-working-at-the-moment needles and hold on to that middle with your thumb and index figure of the left hand. 3. Use thin yarn, even sewing thread, for your markers. And don't go overboard with them--learn to look up and down at your knitting to keep your place. 4. There is no need to have the start of the round at the beginning of a needle. To avoid a ladder move that start around. Very fine threads will tend to form ladders in the begining 20 or so rounds. I like to change the start and end of the needles every other round. This way "It will all block out" as my friend Jocelyn says. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| Welcome
to the January 2009 newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail
list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send
these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give
away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com NEW Short needles in the following materials & sizes: Aluminum, 4", 5 to a set, Size 0, 1, 2, 3. Bamboo, 6", 5 to a set, size 0, 1, 2. If these are what you are looking for, now is your chance. $12 a set. SHETLAND LACE by Gladys Amedro. Revised with many color pictures. This was a classic that I thought was gone. Even though Gladys has passed on, her work continues, hopefully for many years. The instructions are different but very easy to follow once you get into it. This one's a keeper! $40, $5 shipping if ordered alone. KNITTED LACE IN WHITE by Sonja Esbensen. Another wonderful lace knitter and designer who has passed on. I love Sonja's first two books and so I am delighted to offer you this third one. It is in English with row by row directions, although she does use symbols. I cannot think of a better book for the beginner who is ready to try something a little bit more advanced. The pictures of the stitches couldn't be clearer and the designs are not your usual, see- them-everywhere, patterns. $40 with $5 shipping. The Many Hearts workshop to be held at Moonrise has 2 openings left! See the website for all the details www.moonriselaceknitting.com But don't hesitate if you are interested. It will be held on the 7 & 8th of Feb. Another deadline, fast approaching, is the registration for Moontide. I still have 2 openings for that. Again, see the website for all the information. E-mail me immediately if you are interested in a week-long knitting retreat on Cape Cod in June. #2 "Short Row Heart" Double eyelets form the lace for this heart. E = OO flanked by decreases slanting towards the OO. This uses 4 sts and leaves 4. So 3E would use and leave 12 sts. In the next row, work the OO by knitting the first loop and purling the second loop. The top of this heart is formed with short rows, worked on the first 20 rows, one shoulder at a time. Then the diamond shape is decreased at the sides to a point. I tried it the other way, but did not like the shape as much. The double eyelets are worked off K and P in the two loops. The number of sts left on the needle when you turn is in ( )'s. If there is no @ symbol you work to the end of the row and the number in ( )'s is the number of sts on the needle. In this pattern, all rows are read from left to right. @ = turn / = K2tog \ = SSK E = / OO \ bar inc = K into the front and back of a st. /I\ = centered double decrease (slip 2 tog as to K, K1, pass the 2 slipped sts, tog, over and off)
Cast on 21 1. K 34. K 2. 7 @ (14) first shoulder starts on the 7. 35. / 6 \ (8) 3. 4 @ (3) 36. 2 E 2 4. 5 @ (13) 37. / 4 \ (6) 5. 6 @ (2) 38. K 6. 1 E 2 @ (12) 39. / 2 \ (4) 7. 8 @ (1) 40. 1 / 1 (3) 8. 9 @ (11) 41. /|\ 9. 10 10. 18 @ (3) Now you will work the other shoulder, (4 from the 18 & the 3 make 7 sts) 11. 4 @ (14) 12. 5 @ (2) 13. 6 @ (13) 14. 1 E 2 @ (1) 15. 8 @ (12) 16. 9 17. 10 @ (11)
18. 10 end of turning rows 19. 10 bar inc. 10 (22) 20. K Here you start to work straight down. 21. K 22. K 23. / 18 \ (20) 24. 4 3E 4 25. / 16 \ (18) 26. K 27. / 14 \ (16) 28. K 29. / 12 \ (14) 30. 3 2E 3 31. / 10 \ (12) 32. K 33. / 8 \ (10) 34. K 35. / 6 \ (8) 36. 2 E 2 37. / 4 \ (6) 38. K 39. / 2 \ (4) 40. 1 / 1 (3) 41. /I\ (1) Happy Valentine's day! Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| Welcome
to the December 2008 newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail
list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send
these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give
away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com FREE SNOWFLAKE PATTERN I used a size 10 crochet cotton and a set of 4 double pointed needles in size 2. The beginning can be any starting cast-on you like. I prefer the one I call "perfect". Lesley Ewing took a video of this at a recent class. You can see it at this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fJwxEt0aog Notes & Symbols There are 6 sections, 2 on each needle. Each section starts with 1 st. In the following pattern I show only one section. Read the chart from the bottom. At the end of the start you will have 8 sts in each section. After the middle there will be 17 sts in each section. The last section forms the points. All even rounds are plain K. The st count for each section is given (#) at the end of each round. The snowflake is finished with a crocheted loop edge. Put your hook thru the first st. Chain 5, put the indicated number of sts on your hook and pull thru all. Continue in this way with a chain 5 between, all the way around. See that the top of the points are symmetrical and centered. Fudge if necessary. No one is going to count sts. When you come all the way around slip and join to the beginning st of the first chain. Stiffen with sugar water or other fabric stiffener and block on plastic covered cardboard, pullin out each loop. SYMBOLS O = yarnover # = knit the number indicated / = K2tog \ = SSK V = K & P into one st ^ = double centered decrease ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 ) H (31) 1 / 7 O 3 O 3 O 3 O 7 \ 1 33. (29) 1 / 3 O 3 O 3 O 1 O 3 O 3 O 3 \ 1 31. (25) 1 ^ 1 O 1 O 3 O 1 O 1 O 1 O 3 O 1 O 1 ^ 1 29. (21) 1 O ^ O 1 O 3 O 1 O 3 O 1 O ^ O 1 27. The middle has vertical stripes. The eye sees O's alternating with solid sts. (17) 8 O 8 25. (16) 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 23. (16) 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 21. (16) 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 1 O ^ O 19. (16) 5 O ^ O 5 O ^ O 17. (16) 1 O 1 O O ^ O 1 O 1 O 1 O ^ O 15. (12) 3 O ^ O 3 O ^ O 13. (12) 3 O ^ O 3 O ^ O 11. (12) 3 O 1 O 3 O 1 O 9. (8) 2 V V 2 7. (6) V 2 V 5. (4) V V 3. (2) V 1. BLIZZARD OF SNOWFLAKES KIT Interchangeable patterns for 3 snowflakes with 3 sections each. This gives you 27 different snowflakes. The kit provides the "starts" for three snowflakes. The starts are on threads so the hard part of starting medallions is done for you. Just slide the stitches onto your needles and finish the first three snowflakes. The kit includes lots of cotton thread so you can go on to make more, choosing the sections so each is unique. Kit is $18. IDEA In the picture you can see a mini wreath. This is just an edging pattern with an eyelet edge, threaded onto a binder ring. Do the threading before stiffening--this is the voice of experience speaking! REPRINT OF AN OLD FAVORITE The Omas book is in. If you would like it for Christmas, be sure to E-mail me right away and I will send it priority mail. I will be ordering more after Christmas, but for now, quanities are limited. The is an older book and the symbols are counter-intuitive. (For example O is a knit st!) For my old brain recharting is needed. But, that said, it is one of the very few books that give st patterns in round or back and forth knitting. There are stitch patterns in this book I have never seen elsewhere. I'm so happy it is back. In German $30 FREE COLLAR SHAWL PATTERN WITH PURCHASE OF 4 OUNCES OR MORE OF ZEPHYR WOOL/SILK This pattern is only available with this offer and, the offer is only good until Jan. 1st. I have several copies of the Winter issue of Anna left. It contains a Neibling design as well as other-than-knitting crafts. Special for this issue.....$6. The shipping is free with any other order. WORKSHOP Many Hearts! February 7th & 8th at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PA A weekend of fun & learning - - good knitting, good food and good friends! Many Hearts will be held over the weekend at my home and business in Hatfield, PA - conveniently located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia (cats in residence). There are lots of area hotels in which to stay, ask for some recommendations when you register. The class room is comfortable and beautifully furnished, the setting is peaceful, rural Pennsylvania. There are plenty of area activities for a significant other to enjoy while you are in class. We will make at least six hearts, shaped in six different ways. There are also two envelopes to hold them. The knitting is easy, but some of the shaping techniques will be new to you. The cost of $90 includes instruction on both days, booklet, and enough cotton thread to make plenty of hearts. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. Only a few places open--send an E-mail of your intention, followed by a $25 deposit by snail mail. Have a wonderful holiday season. Be sure to include a celebration of the Solstice. And, as always, have fun knitting! Sandy |
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Welcome to the November 2008 newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com The Nancy Bush book is in and getting rave reviews! "Knitted Lace
of Estonia" is full of patterns I can't wait to make. It has really
different stitch patterns and a different way to do the edgings. The
special price of $18 is still good. Get yours today. OTHER BOOK NEWS I do have two new portfolio books of the German patterns. Set 3 & 4
are small in size but not in content. Moonrise will be carrying the Anna magazines. These are quarterly and
contain more than knitting. But, they have promised a Neibling in every
issue! The winter issue is here. $6 and no shipping charge if included in
any order. APOLOGY "The Finer Points of Lace Knitting" is the subject for next
year's MOONTIDE retreat. WORKSHOPS December 6 & 7 (with the following weekend as snow date) will be
holiday decorations. We will do a snowflake pattern that allows a choice
of three starts, three middles, and three points. Then a beaded cover for
a ball and finally tiny lace stockings for the tree February 7 & 8 (with no snow date) we will make hearts in lace.
This is a lesson in shaping lace as each heart is constructed differently. Details on the website: www.moonriselaceknitting.com HINT I am often asked about double decreases, especially about mirror
imaging them. Both the left and right slanting double decreases can be
done two different ways. But that doesn't mean that you can mix them up. Sometimes you want a straight up double decrease--top of a diamond for
example. Meg Swansen teaches an improvement on the above. Slip 2 together as
above, slip the next one as to P, K the 3 together in the back just as you
would to do a SSK, by putting the left needle in the front of the three
sts. This is difficult to do in cotton or linen, but great for wool. |
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Welcome to the Oct. 2009 newsletter and a special welcome to all the new readers. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com The next weekend workshop is Nov. 15 & 16. It is on interpreting
and recharting the German patterns. We will study several patterns from
the newly available German books, (below). Then work a lovely small piece
from a very old magazine. Then we will discuss some of the patterns from
the old book, newly reprinted by Lacis, "Omas Strickgeheimnisse",
(see below). With any time remaining we will look over my extensive pile
of German pattern magazines. Perhaps now is a good time to mention that
Mary Frances of Lacis tells me that there will soon be two more of the
German pattern books similar to the red and black. On the subject of the German patterns, there are two new books clock
full of Neibling patterns. A translation of the symbols in English is
given. Each is $27. I started the one on the cover of the red book today.
It's so much fun. Please let me know if you want the red or the black. In Dec. the workshop will be on Holiday decorations. The date is Dec. 6
& 7 with a snow date the following weekend. This year we will do a new
snowflake which you will design, a beaded cover for a ball ornament, a
tiny wreath that can hold a mirror or picture or stand (hang) on its own.
And then we will knit a tiny stocking in a lace pattern. Ebby will provide
lunch as usual. The cost is $90. There are motels and a wonderful B&B
in the area for out-of-town students. Details on the website,
www.moonriselaceknitting.com. NEW BOOK ON ORDER SPECIAL OFFER Jaggerspun's Zephyr wool/silk is half wool, half silk, and half the
weight of fingering yarn. It comes in almost 60 colors. I will wind off
however much you want. See the website for a color card. $5 an ounce. May all your knitting be fun! |
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| Welcome
to the Sept 2009 newsletter and a special welcome to all the new readers.
If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com "The Finer Points of Lace Knitting" is the subject for next year's MOONTIDE retreat. The dates are the 6th to the 13th. Registration forms went out this morning to those who asked for them. If you would like to get a form, just E-mail with the request. If you decide to join us, a $300 deposit is needed. I fully expect to sell out. You can get all the details on the website: www.moonriselaceknitting.com The last of the Japanese workshops has sold out. I may teach this again at Moonrise next spring. I have a workshop planned for Nov 15th and 16th on interpreting and recharting the Gerrman lace patterns. It, too, is sold tonout. If you would like to be on the waiting list for this one, just E-mail me. I will probably teach this one again, as well. It seems that many lace knitters are ready for more challenging work. On the subject of the German patterns, there are two new books clock full of Neibling patterns. A translation of the symbols in English is given. Each is $27. I started the one on the cover of the red book today. It's so much fun. Please let me know if you want the red or the black. NEW BOOK ON ORDER Nancy Bush has written a book on the traditional lace knitting of Estonia. I have ordered 25 and expect them the last week of Oct. If you would like to be on the list to get one of the first copies, E-mail me. It will probably be priced in the high 20's. REPRINT OF A CLASSIC Omas Strickgeheimnisse by Eichenseer, Grill and Kron is a German stitch pattern book of great interest. The symbols are different than you may be used to, but the good news is that there are only a few of them. The authors have charted the patterns in both round and back and forth. And there are 200 stitch patterns! I was so sorry to see this one go out and now Lacis is getting it back. Date unknown. Let me know if you want to be on the list for this one. I believe it will sell for $30. ADDI LACE NEEDLES are finally available in O ($12) and OOO ($15). I will carry the 24" and 32" lengths. $3 shipping for any amount.
Here is a new shawl shaping. I tried it out in a doll shawl size first. The inspiration was Meg Swansen's "Super Spiral" in Gathering of Lace. I opened it up, added a section, and (of course) added more lace. I'm excited about this one and want to make a full size in the wool/silk zephyr I used here. I show Reberta May wearing the shawl in two ways. The head/shawl looks it should have been a bit larger. I have almost completed a mohair version that will be large enough to wrap either way. Here is how it is done: Cast on 1/2 a comfortable neck measurement. (You have made a swatch, right?). You need to have a multiple of 3 plus 4 edge sts (2 each side). On the first row knit the 2 edge sts, then O, K1 all the way until 2 left for your edge sts. You will have almost doubled the sts. P the next row putting in your markers so that you have 9 sections of stitches, each with a number divisible by 3. From now on you will start every rightside row with 2 edge sts, O, K1, O, K1, O, K1; K until 2 left in the section, K2tog. Move Marker and repeat all the way across. You have gained 3 sts on the right hand side of the section and lost 1 from the left. Don't forget your edge sts. On the return row, work your edge sts, P2tog. P to marker. Move marker, P2tog etc across. The end result of these two rows is that your shawl has moved to the right 3 sts and 2 sts have been removed from the left of every section. This is what gives you the spiral. It also gives you 9 extra sts across the row every 2 rows. Adding the additional lace is tricky. Your pattern must use 3 sts (or perhaps 6, see below) and must be done in 2 rows. This is because you want the lace to spiral with the other lace and the stitch patterns cannot be stacked. Here are a few of the patterns that come to mind: 1. O, centered double decrease, O The return row is purl 2. K3 tog, hold on to discard loops, OO, Kthe same 3 tog. Now let the loops off. Return is purl letting the extra O off. 3. Put yarn to front, slip 1, yarn back, K2tog, PSSO, OO. The return is purl with the OO worked P & K. 4. P1, O, P1, O, P1 On the return, K1, K3tog, K1 5. Yes you can use a 6 st pattern. It will overlap by 3 sts on the next pattern row. I strongly suggest you swatch to try it out. 6. I chose to have 7 sts plain between lace so worked until there was 13 sts after the previous lace st. (7 for the plain section, 3 for the new lace pattern, K1 and 2 for the K2tog. When the shawl is to hip length near the middle, or your desired length, think about how you want to end it. I crocheted the doll shawl and worked a simple border pattern on the mohair one. The sides with their edge sts are fine left alone. Start your wrap at the right back shoulder, go around the back, across the front, and around again. Pin at the right shoulder. If you have more shawl than you need, start the wrap over the shoulder or even on the left. Wrap further back and wind it tighter to give you enough to go over the head. Play around with it. You will need a pin though. Moonrise has a nice selection. See the website. Here is the row by row for the doll shawl: Cast on 31 sts (9x3 plus 4) 1. K2, (O, 1) til 2 left, K2 2. K2, P until 2 left, K2 3. K2, {(O, 1) x3, K1, K2tog} each section, K2 4. K2, {P until 2 left, P2tog} each section, K2 5.K2, {(O, 1) x3, K2, K2tog} each section, K2 even rows repeat row 4 7 and after: K2, {(O, 1) x3, K until 2 left, K2tog} each section, K2 When I had 13 sts left after the O,1's, I put in pattern 1. That row looked like this: K2, {(O, 1) x3, K7, O, centered double decrease, O, K1, K2tog. On the return row the st remaining and the st from the K2tog were purled tog., putting the new lace looking like it emerged from the decrease line. When I again had 13 sts to knit after pattern 1, I put in pattern 2. That row looked like this K2, {(O,1) x3, K7, O, double dec., O, K7, K3tog-OO-Ksame 3tog, K1, K2tog. Notice that each pattern st in the previous pattern row is preceeded by the new one. The lace will spiral. I ended the doll shawl when I had 40 sts in each section. It could have been just a bit larger. So, to design your own you will need to have a gauge swatch in the yarn and needles you like the look of. Multiply your inch st count by about 8", adjust so that you have 9 sections divisible by 3. Add your edge sts and cast on loosely. This is all you really need to know. If you have never designed a shawl before, this is a great one to get you started! Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| Welcome
to this combination issue for July and August 2009 and a special welcome
to all the new readers. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Join us for a fabulous week spent with fellow knitters in beautiful, serene Wellfleet, Cape Cod. Focus on the "The Finer Points of Lace Knitting" and enjoy a lovely beach vacation at the same time. Classroom time is mixed with free time for vacation activities and show/share/knit in the evenings. Non-knitting companions and men are welcome. We stay right by the ocean, in a group of cottages which back up to the National Seashore, the same ones we've been enjoying for years. The whole week of instruction is only $375. Lodging and events for the week is $350 for a single room or $275 each for a shared room. Or, choose to stay elsewhere and pay only $50 for events. More details on the website: www.moonriselaceknitting.com We added another Japanese workshop WOW! Don't be left out. Aug. is full--Sept 6 & 7th has 3 openings--Oct 4 & 5th has 3, and now the new one is Nov. 8 & 9. A weekend of fun & learning - - good knitting, good food and good friends! JAPANESE LACE KNITTING PATTERNS INTERPRETED will be held over the weekend at my home and business in Hatfield, PA - conveniently located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. There are lots of area hotels in which to stay, ask for some recommendations when you register. The class room is comfortable and beautifully furnished, the setting is peaceful, rural Pennsylvania. There are plenty of area activities for a significant other to enjoy while you are in class. We will work with the Japanese designs and patterns of Naoko & Kazuko Ichida. I will provide a full interpretation of their charts and together we will transfer the patterns to a Lace Short Hand Chart. This workshop is appropriate for intermediate to advanced lace knitters who are looking for something challenging and new to learn. The cost of $90 includes instruction on both days, cotton thread, & blank lace short hand charts. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. Only a few places open--send an E-mail of your intention, followed by a $25 deposit by snail mail. If you don't have Naoko & Kazuko's books yet, visit my Books page to order them. It is not necessary for you to have the books to take the class. Here is a picture of my booth at TKGA in NH. What is missing are the little doll granny square blanket and log cabin pillow top made with the Strings of Color. These are many balls of the wool/silk strung together to make 4 ounces of this wonderful yarn to play with. The strings were there--I FORGOT the models!!! If you like this yarn as much as I do, you probably have leftovers
around. Here are the patterns for these two projects. CROCHETED GRANNY SQUARE PATTERN FOR STRINGS OF COLOR This is the classic pattern for a Granny Square afghan. To make it in the very fine yarn of the STRINGS OF COLOR, you will need a fairly small hook. I think I used a 4, but try different ones to get the gauge you want. I used four rounds of different colors followed by black for all squares. But, remember you are the designer. Maybe you will like a different color for the last round. I sewed my squares together with the black. I know that some patterns have you crochet them together. My doll blanket weighs 2.3 ounces and is 15" by 20", using 80 squares. Ch5, join with sl st R1. Ch5 (counts as 1dc and ch2) * 3dc into ring, chain2 * 3 times. 2dc into ring, sl st to 3rd of chain 5. Change color. R2. Sl st into space under next chain of R1. Ch5 (counts as 1 dc and ch2), 3dc into same sp. *ch2, skip 3dc, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) all into next sp. Repeat from * two more times, ch2, skip 3 sts, 2dc into same sp as ch5 at beginning of round, join to the 3rd chain of your ch5. You will have the four corners that consist of (3dc, ch2, 3dc) and a chain between them on the sides. Change color. R3. Sl st into space under next chain of R2. 5ch (counts as 1 dc and
ch2), 3dc into same sp. *ch2, skip 3dc, 3dc into next sp, ch2, skip 3dc,
**(3dc, ch2, 3dc) all into next sp. Repeat from * twice, and from * to **
again, 2dc into same sp as ch5 at beginning of round. Now you have your
corners as before, but a group of 3dc on each side. Change color. Continue in this way adding a group of 3dc on each side for one more
round of color and then for a round of your border color. If you want your
squares to be more open, increase the number of chains between groups of
dc. Or, for a more closed look, decrease the chains on the side. You will
still need a chain 2 on the corners, though. KNITTED LOG CABIN PILLOW TOP STRINGS OF COLOR I chose to do a calico-like pattern on the light color logs and a solid darker color for the other side. I did just one square–you will want four for a large pillow top your pillow top. Or work a larger single one for a 12" pillow top. I found that the patterned logs do pull in, so I suggest that you pick up 10 sts from the ends for these logs (instead of 8) and that you work 13 rows (instead of 11). I used a size 0 needle. You will also need 4 string holders, or better yet 4 DP needles with point protectors to hold sts on the sides you are not currently working on. The work is done back and forth. I found my tiny patterns in the "Mitten book" by Gottfridsson, now sadly out of print. Search thru your library for small patterns or devise your own. Cast on 40 sts and work 50-60 rows of garter st–This center should be square. First light log. Work 13 rows of your first light color. I did a little pattern in the darker shade of this log. Put the 40 sts on a holder. Second light log. With right sides facing and using the same light shade and pattern color, (yarns are right there ready) pick up and knit (in pattern) 10 sts from the edge of the log just finished, 40 sts from the side of the center. Work 13 rows of this log. Cut yarns, put sts on a holder. Third log, dark. Using the darker shade of your fist color, Pick up and knit 8 sts from the edge of the log just finished and the 40 sts from your provisional cast on. Work 11 rows and put sts on a holder. Fourth log, dark. With same yarn, pick up and knit 8 sts from the edge just finished, 40 sts from the side of the center, and 8 sts from the edge of the first log. Work 11 rows. Put sts on holder. Second round, first log. With new lighter shade and pattern colors if called for, pick up and knit 10 sts from the edge of log just finished, sts on first holder, 10 sts from edge of second log. Work 13 rows in pattern. I like to pick up the darker shade I will be using in the patterned logs. Continue in this way until you decide it is the right size. The last border color can be worked in the round with 2 increases made in the corners every other round. If you need more yarn the strings are available for $10 each, $3 shipping if ordered alone. New Book The title means "Art Knitting, large and small tablecloths" I cannot say for certain but these look like Neibling to me. At least "in the style of". The charts are the standard German symbols and seem easy enough to follow. I count 35 patterns in the booklet. The charts are on separate pages. $27 This one is a keeper. $4 shipping if ordered alone. The DVD's sold well at the show. Word is starting to get around. Each
DVD comes with a companion CD that gives you the option of printing out
the pattern and charts. As many times as you wish. Shop owners note: you
may teach from these DVD's giving each student their own pattern to take
home. The Formation of Lace Stitches & Lace Shorthand demonstrates how to form the basic stitches used in lace knitting. The student makes a lace bookmark as a sampler. Lace Shorthand is a simplified method of charting knitted lace. Russian Inspired Lace Shawl Techniques teaches the techniques used in Russian shawls as the student makes a cotton doily. Russian Inspired Lace Shawl Design goes over the techniques but concentrates on the placement of the motifs using a "map". The project is a large shawl called "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". Each DVD/CD set is specially priced until Sept 1st at $35 with $4 shipping for up to three sets. I am in love with the Dolce yarn. It is half wool and half bamboo and
very thin. I made a mini sampler scarf to show it off. If you have the Lace Sampler Scarf pattern ($10) you can make this mini scarf using the guidelines below. MINI SCARF MADE WITH DOLCE USING THE LACE SAMPLER PATTERN Note: you will need the Lace Sampler Pattern from Moonrise to make this. Dolce is a new yarn that Moonrise sells. It is half Merino Wool and half Bamboo. It is very thin—62.5 grams is 1093 yards. Only $16 a ball. Use a provisional cast on and put 45 sts on a OO size needle. Slip the first st of every row in the Russian way—that is slip as to P then put yarn to back between needles. The first 2 or 3 and the last 2 or 3 sts are in garter st. Look to the pattern numbers to see which it is for that pattern. Work the beginning pattern as given. Between each pattern, adjust for the number needed for the next pattern as you work the division pattern. There is also a division pattern at the end. It is knitters choice how many rows you want to work of each pattern. I worked 20-24. Pattern #1 is a multiple of 9 +5 Work it on 41 sts with 2 each side in garter st. (45) Pattern #2 is a multiple of 12 + 1. Work it on 37 with 3 sts each side in garter st. (43) Pattern #3 is a multiple of 17 + 4. You need to work B,A,B,A,B.Work it on 38 with 2 on each side in Garter st. (42) Pattern #4 is a multiple of 9 + 2. It is also worked starting and ending with B. Work the Pattern on 38 sts with 2 each side. (42) Pattern #5 is a multiply of 9 for the set up row, leaves multiple of 8 + 1 so start with 42 And use 3 garter sts on each side. The body uses 39 sts. Pattern #6 is a multiple of 4. Use 3 each side. (42) Pattern #7 is a multiple of 12 +1. Use 2 each side. (41) Pattern #8 is a multiple of 7 + 2 and uses the B, A, B, etc format. 2 on each side. (41) Pattern #9 is a multiple of 14 + 1. Work 2 repeats with 6 on each side. (41) Pattern #10 is a multiple of 11 + 2. Use 3 on each side (41) Pattern #11 is a multiple of 10 + 1. Use 2 each side (45) Pattern # 12 is a multiple of 4 + 2. Use 2 each side (42) I crocheted off the live sts with a chain 4 and took 2 sts together for a single crochet. I then picked up the cast on sts and did the same. The mini scarf needs strong stretching during dressing. Use many pins. My blocking board is marked in cm’s and I put the side pins every cm. The unintended result was a slight scallop on the sides. Nice. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| Welcome
to the June 2008 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to
be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject
line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never
sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com MOONTIDE 2008 was a rousing success - again! We always have such a wonderful time; you should consider joining us in 2009! Dates will be June 6th through the 13th. "The Finer Points of Lace Knitting" June 6 - 13 at Surfside in Wellfleet, Cape Cod Join us for a fabulous week spent with fellow knitters in beautiful, serene Wellfleet, Cape Cod. Focus on the "The Finer Points of Lace Knitting" and enjoy a lovely beach vacation at the same time. Classroom time is mixed with free time for vacation activities and show/share/knit in the evenings. Non-knitting companions and men are welcome. We stay right by the ocean, in a group of cottages which back up to the National Seashore, the same ones we've been enjoying for years. The whole week of instruction is only $375. Lodging and events for the week is $350 for a single room or $275 each for a shared room. Or, choose to stay elsewhere and pay only $50. More details on the website: www.moonriselaceknitting.com Ask to be on the list to get an application--mail or E-mail in Aug. We added another Japanese workshop WOW! Don't be left out. Aug. is full--Sept 6 & 7th has 2 openings--Oct 4 & 5th has 3, and now the new one is Nov. 8 & 9. A weekend of fun & learning - - good knitting, good food and good friends! JAPANESE LACE KNITTING PATTERNS INTERPRETED will be held over the weekend at my home and business in Hatfield, PA - conveniently located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. There are lots of area hotels in which to stay, ask for some recommendations when you register. The class room is comfortable and beautifully furnished, the setting is peaceful, rural Pennsylvania. There are plenty of area activities for a significant other to enjoy while you are in class. We will work with the Japanese designs and patterns of Naoko & Kazuko Ichida. I will provide a full interpretation of their charts and together we will transfer the patterns to a Lace Short Hand Chart. This workshop is appropriate for intermediate to advanced lace knitters who are looking for something challenging and new to learn. The cost of $90 includes instruction on both days, cotton thread, & blank lace short hand charts. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. Only a few places open--send an E-mail of your intention, followed by a $25 deposit by snail mail. If you don't have Naoko & Kazuko's books yet, visit my Books page to order them. Are you going to the TKGA show in New Hampshire July 25-27? Do stop and say hello-Booth #328 I have been teaching more advanced classes and here are the two favorite patterns for those who want to go beyond the basics. "Three Times a Lady" is done in the 3 triangle construction. The model was done in wool/silk laceweight. Pattern only $20 Flora's Wrap is done in the same shaping. It is a lesson in the use of texture in lace knitting. This pattern is $15. Shipping is $3 for any number of patterns when ordered alone. LESSON The moon at the top of Flora's Wrap is a lace motif on a solid ground. Here is a mini lesson on how to accomplish this. You will need graph paper and a pencil with a good eraser. You also need a cut-out of the shape you want in card stock.. 1. Pick your lace pattern and lightly pencil in the symbols to make an all-over pattern--every row, every stitch. 2. Lay your cut-out in the center and lightly trace around it. 3. Now the tricky part. You will need to clean up the edges. Leave as many yarnovers as you can. BUT you will have to compensate with a decrease for any incomplete sets. Remember, the eye sees holes, decreases tend to become part of the solid work. You may want to increase the outline just a bit in places or change a double decrease into a single one. 4. When you are happy with the motif erase the pencil marks outside the outline and use a ball point pen to firm up the chart. 5. You may reverse this process to put a solid motif in a lace background. New New New New This may be the perfect lace weight yarn for shawls DOLCE from Yarn Place 50% Bamboo 50% Merino Wool 62.5 gram hank has 1093 yards This makes it considerably thinner than wool/silk, that is a nickle under it. These are the colors I have on the way--Periwinkle, (light blue); Carnation Pink, (very light); Raspberry; Medium Salmon, (my favorite, kind of a brownish pink, like Cassis in the wool/silk) There will be more colors and if this is as popular as I think it is going to be, I will carry them all. The best part--This fantastic yarn retails for only $16 a hank! Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| May
2008
Welcome to the May 2008 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com I am preparing for the Moontide knitting retreat in Wellfleet Cape Cod, so this will be shorter than usual. Also, if you E-mail me between June 6th and the 15th, you will not get an answer until I get back. I have had a last minute cancellation. If you would be interested, go to the website and read about it. If still interested, E-mail me immediately. JAPANESE WORKSHOPS Understanding the Lace Knitting Patterns of Naoko & Kazuko Ichida August 9th & 10th 2008 at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PA September 6th & 7th at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PA October 4th & 5th at MOONRISE in Hatfield, PA These will be weekend workshops here at Moonrise, (Bucks county PA). Read all about them on the website. The Aug. one is full with a waiting list. Sept has one opening. Oct has six places left at this time. SALE SALE SALE SALE I am closing out the Nantucket Baggs. I have 2 lightweight black ones left and 3 of the heavy weight canvass ones. The lightweight ones are $25 and the heavy ones are $35. Quite a buy! And just in time for Father's day, or Grad's day. As you can see they are very versatile. The pockets can be inside or outside. Tools or knitting, for traveling or to sit on the floor, everyone needs one of these. Regular price was $40 and $60. NEEDLES an update on the circulars I have restocked on the Addi Lace Needles and have sizes 1-6 in 24", 32" or 47". The price is $12 with $3 shipping for any amount. This is the best price you will find anywhere. For the small sizes, I continue to add to my HiyaHiya selection. Here is the current list of in-stock sizes: Size 2 in 24", Size O in 11", Size O in 32", Size 3(0) in 24", Size 3(0) in 32", Size 5(0) in 24" . These are only $9 each with shipping at $3 for any amount. I continue to get rave reviews for these needles. SHAWL PEGS Summer evenings are the perfect time to wear shawls. And, you need shawl pegs to hold the lightweight shawls. I am offering three of the shawl pegs made my Silver Pony Designs this month at a special price--$16, $3 shipping. The first is a peace dove. Then the nymph, symbol of creativity. And on the right, Lady Godiva, who stands for achievement. They are silver with genuine gem stones chosen for their meanings. The sticks have rounded points so they won't split your yarn. They can be used on sweaters as well. LESSON Sometimes you don't want to make a knit-on edging and a crocheted loop edge is so b-o-r-i-n-g. Here another way. It uses a multiple of 7 sts. 1. O, K in back, O, K1, K2tog., K2tog., K1. Repeat this all the way around. 2. K working your center "K in back" K in back. This gives you a nice vertical line. 3. repeat round 1 except that you work OO instead of O. 4. K, dropping the extra loop of the OO and working your center "K in back" K in back. 5. Bind off with a really large needle. I'm not kidding. Work an inch or two and see if it stretches. This can be done the other way as well. Cast on a multiple of 7, allowing about 1/3 more to make up for the scallop. Use a really big needle, at least 4 sizes above what you will be using. Go to the regular needle and work round 3, than 4, then 1. I adapted this from one in my book, "Five and Dime Edgings" where it shows a ten row repeat, (the return row is purled). It is done there from the outside in, but could be done the other way. Just remember to cast on or bind off with a big needle. Rows 1 and 2 are repeated and 3 and 4 are also repeated. It finishes with two rounds/rows of stockingnet st. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| April
2008
Welcome to the April 2008 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT NEW NEW From Rita, I really liked these needles. The join is so good. And the price is much better. From me, Hooray!!! Good points, good join, nice and fast, huge size
selection, and the price is beautiful. This is the list of what is now in stock--more to come: Size 2 in 24" Size 0 in 11" Size 0 in 24" Size 0 in 32" Size 000 in 32" Size 5(0) in 24" The next workshop to be held at Moonrise will be "Understanding
the Lace Knitting Patterns of Naoko & Kazuko Ichida We will work with the Japanese designs and patterns of Naoko & Kazuko Ichida. I will provide a full interpretation of their charts and together we will transfer the patterns to a Lace Short Hand Chart. This workshop is appropriate for intermediate to advanced lace knitters who are looking for something challenging and new to learn. The cost of $90 includes instruction on both days, cotton thread, & blank lace short hand charts. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. Only 2 places open for August. I have 6 open for Sept.--send an E-mail of your intention, followed by a $25 deposit by snail mail. If you don't have Naoko & Kazuko's books yet, visit my Books page to order them. Moonrise will be at the TKGA show in Manchester NH, July 24-27. We have booth # 328. Hope to see you there! MOTHER'S DAY GIFT This is an edging pattern. If you look at the chart, you will see that I have divided it into sections to help you understand. Most edgings can be so divided--it makes it so much easier to read and follow, as well as change parts of it. Section A is the edge that falls to the back of the hanger. It forms loops that are used to close in the hanger. Section B is a solid group of sts that cover the back of the hanger. Section C is the top. It is a line of double eyelets. The hook goes thru one of these and the others line up on top of the hanger. Section D contains a cable done every 4th row. Section E is an eyelet. This row of holes will be used to close the cover. Then there is Section F that is the actual edging that hangs down. So cast on 32 sts with size 10 cotton and size 2 needles. Knit back. Now start at the bottom right of the chart and read to the left on odd rows and to the right on even rows. The cable is a 3-3 front cable over the center 6 sts of section D on row 3. Row 4 starts (on the left) with a "knot". Make this by knitting and purling alternately into the first st. to make a total of 6 sts. Let the tired discard loop off. Now take the second st on your right needle and lift it over and off. Now take the new second st over and off. Continue until 5 sts have been bound off. 4. knot 2 O / 1 : 2 ; P10 : 4 : P2 6 : 2 1 / O 3 : / O : 2 3-3 2 : \ OO / : 8 : / O 3. 2. 3 O / : 2 : P10 : 4 : P2 6 : 2 1 / O 3 : / O : 10 : \ OO / : 8 : / O 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________ F 6 sts E 2 sts D 10 sts C 4 sts B 8 sts A 2 sts Numbers without P are K. / = K2tog \ = SSK O = yarnover OO = Double O, worked as KP in next row. When your edging reaches the length of the hanger when stretched, bind off leaving 18" of thread you will use later. Working on the hook of the hanger using a #4 crochet hook, wrap the thread around the hanger hook and pulling a loop of the thread thru to make a chain st. Push the wraps together, (I twisted them so the chain spiraled). Cut the thread and using a finishing needle, close the end over the metal. A drop of glue may help--I'll never tell. Now find the center double eyelet and slip it over the hook of the hanger. Using a length of thread in your finishing needle, close both ends of your edging over the ends of the hanger. They should need to be stretched to do this. Line up the double eyelets on top of the hanger and with the back side of the hanger facing up on your lap, use the crochet hook and the tail you left to make a chain st on the backside of the bottom of the hanger in this way. Hold the thread below the hanger and the hook above with a loop on it. Go down thru the first edge loop of section A and thru the first of the eyelet holes of section E, yarn over and pull the loop all the way thru the loop on the crochet hook. Continue in this way all across. Don't let this chain get too tight or you will run out of cover before you run out of hanger! Neaten ends and you are done. Every time I use the Mary Frances Lace Knitting Finishing Needles I send a little mental "thank you" to her. 5 needles in a plastic tube-#20 blunt, 1 straight and 1 bent tip, #18 blunt, 1 straight and 1 bent tip, and a #20 sharp. $8 and $2 shipping if ordered alone. Happy Spring! and Have Fun Knitting! Sandy |
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| March
2008
Welcome to the March 2008 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT Our THREE Knitted Lace Instructional Videos have been reformated and
all are available on DVD's with a companion CD so you can print out the
hardcopy. Russian Inspired Lace Shawl Techniques is appropriate for an
intermediate through advanced lace knitter. Sandy analyzes what makes a
shawl “Russian” and shows modifications to the Russian techniques that
improve upon the original construction methods but retain the Russian
style. Explicit stitch instruction is provided, relieved by overview
segments that explain Russian knitted lace shawls, books, needles and
yarn/thread choices appropriate to the Russian style. Russian Inspired Lace Shawl Design is appropriate for an intermediate through advanced lace knitter. It is a follow up to the second video, but stands on its own. Students are taken through the design process of a Russian knitted lace shawl from inspiration through a completed project. Improved methods of Russian shawl construction are used rather than traditional methods. While this is a video with instruction in design, students will find it is full of practical information including explicit stitch instruction, how to chart your own lace patterns using Lace Shorthand and specific construction techniques necessary to create a Russian inspired lace shawl. Sandy demonstrates the process using her own original shawl “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and the instruction for this beautiful shawl are included. Each video is packaged with a companion resource CD in a high quality hardshell. ISBN barcoding is provided on the packaging Visit my Video Page to see full cover art and descriptions of content. Each video is $39.95 with $3 shipping for any amount. In addition,
until April 15th only, you may buy all three for $110 and free shipping. The Heart workshop was such a success that I have decided to offer the hand-out as a booklet. This is the kit handout, updated and enlarged in a spiral book form. Only $8. $2 shipping if ordered alone. These little hearts are such a joy to make--and to give. I also want to highlight two of my scarf patterns because Summer is the
perfect time to work on something small and portable. The first is my oldest and most popular pattern--The Lace Sampler Scarf--. Now in booklet form, this pattern is the best introduction to Lace Shorthand and to lace knitting. It is taken from an old sampler and includes 12 patterns. The booklet includes instruction on the Russian method of working the edging at the same time. As a bonus, the carried eyelet stitch is taught to put your initials in it. $10 and $2 shipping if ordered alone. Then there is Frost Diamonds Scarf. This one is a Russian shawl construction and also a sampler, containing many of the traditional stitches. I have made three of these and find them great fun to work. $15 and $2 shipping if ordered alone. LESSON I find that in most of my classes the question of double decreases comes up. They can slant to the left or right with a subtle or strong slant, or be straight up with a chain or stacked look. All six of the techniques I will show you take 3 sts and leave one. The problem I see most often, even in patterns, is that the slanted ones are not mirror-imaged. So here are the proper matching methods: Subtle to the left: SSSK Just like the SSK but with an extra slip. So, slip 1 as to K, slip the next two, one at a time, as you like (I slip as to P), put your left point into the front of all three and K them together thru the back. Subtle to the right: K3tog. Both the above stack the stitches. The strong slanted double decreases below put the top stitch over the other two. Strong to the left: Slip 1, K2 tog, pass the slip st over (Psso). Strong to the right: SSK, return the st to the left, pass the second st (now) on the left over the returned one, slip this st back to the right needle as to P. To combine the subtle right with the strong left, as many patterns tell you to do, just doesn't match up. Straight up double decreases: Slip 2 together as to K. (this means to put the point of the needle into two sts as if you were going to K them together--but don't--just slip them). K the next st. Now pass the 2 slipped sts over the K one, together. You get an enlarged, straight up st with two little sts tucked under it. When this is continued vertically, a lovely chain appears. Meg Swansen has improved on this: Slip 2 tog as to K as given above. Slip the next as to P, put your left point into the three in front and K them together in the back. This one is not easy with some yarns, but gives a better look in my opinion. The sts in this case are stacked. So, you are the designer! Find the three sts and chose what look you want. Top of diamonds usually look best with a straight up double decrease. Shaping garments need to match left and right. I like top of petals in the strong left. For symetrical st patterns use either subtle or strong, but match them up. Happy Spring and have fun knitting. Sandy |
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| February
2008
Welcome to the February 2008 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you
do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove"
in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy"
and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters
is copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Schedule ALL YOUR EGGS . . . (IN ONE BASKET) will be held on the weekend of Mar 8 & 9 at my home and business in Hatfield, PA - conveniently located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. There are lots of area hotels in which to stay, ask for some recommendations when you register. The class room is comfortable and beautifully furnished, the setting is peaceful, rural Pennsylvania. There are plenty of area activities for a significant other to enjoy while you are in class. We will make the "Eggs to Make Any Bunny Proud" kit which includes three different designs for lace covers over plastic eggs and a lace bowl to put them in. This workshop is appropriate for intermediate to advanced knitters who are just starting with lace knitting or for lace knitters from beginner to advanced. (The knitting is fairly easy but I am sure you will learn something about how to shape lace even if you have been a lace knitter for years.) The cost of $90 includes instruction on both days, cotton thread, plastic eggs and booklet. Also included: morning and afternoon snacks and wonderful gourmet lunches done by Ebby. Only a few places open--send an E-mail of your intention, followed by a $25 deposit by snail mail. MOONTIDE I have just one room left for this week-long workshop on Cape Cod. It is a twin bed room available for one or two. See the website for all the details, but don't delay! 2 FOR A SPECIAL PRICE SALE More "Knitted Lace", these, by Marie Niedner and Gussi von Reden, are in German. Jules and Kaethe Kliot did the editing for these. You will find several pages of English translation and explanation of the symbols. The patterns go back to 1921. Not for the novice. Regular price $20 & $26. This month only, get both for $42. New Colors for Gentle and Heaven and Graceful Gentle is 95% Merino and 5% Cashmere. Currently in stock in Teal and
Old English Rose and purple. 100 gram ball has 1806 yards! Only $20 a
ball. Graceful is 100% wool and also has 1806 in its 100 gram ball. It is
variegated in a subtle way. Currently in stock in deep purple, penny candy
(green/brown/tad of pink), or a varigated purple. $20 a ball. Heaven is
45% Tencel and 55% Merino. It comes in 120 gram skeins. Currently in stock
in Magical Magenta, Baby Blue and Iced Lavender. Also, not pictured, a
beautiful dark blue.There are 3000 yards in the skein! $28 a skein. I have Gentle in white and Heaven in Rose. In addition I have two loden greens--my "Magickal Earth" shawl that is in "Gathering of Lace" was done in loden green and a very thin yarn. (The editors did some magic of their own and made it appear silver, but I think loden green is more appropriate). Now that I carry the yarns from The Yarn Place, I can offer a thin yarns in the right color. That is Graceful on the right--it is slightly varigated, yellow green. You may need two balls of this. Heaven is on the left. It has touches of gold in a dark loden--gorgeous! If you decide to make this shawl, the directions are in the book. $30 Do E-mail and ask for free instructions for the carried eyelet stitch. NEEDLES Exciting news markers Addi Lace Needles now in size OO in all lengths. This is the perfect size for the new thin yarns detailed above. $12 each in 24", 32" or 47". I don't have to tell you how wonderful these are. But, you need double points in the same size. And Moonrise has them, too. Five to a set, stainless steel, 8" long. $10 a set. Finishing Needles by Mary Frances of Lacis. Packaged in a tube that goes right into your knitting bag, you get #20 blunt straight, a #20 blunt bent tip, a #18 blunt straight, a #18 blunt bent tip and a #20 straight sharp. How great is that! All for $8, $1 shipping if ordered alone. Markers by "Bitsy Knits" I love these--tiny loops made of silverplated wire with tiny glass beads on six of them. There are two fresh-water pearl markers for starting markers. I have them in blue and white, gold and clear, dark red and light pink. They will fit size 4 needles. $10 a set. $1 shipping if ordered alone. The packaging is beautiful--these would make a nice gift. INSTRUCTIONS FOR A DISH COVER Here is a gift I received years ago. I have made many since then and given them away. So easy. Search the dollar stores for fairly flat glass or clear plastic dishes. Find a medallion pattern that will be about the right size. It is better that it be a little small--you can always fill in with several rounds of yarnover, K2 tog. If your dish is deep you may need to modify the pattern to reduce the amount of increases after the flat bottom, but for pie dish shapes, that is not necessary. Crochet the stitches off by ( working 2 or 3 sts together in a single crochet, then chaining 5), all the way around. Make a long chained tie. String it through the loops. Wet the piece and stretch over the dish. Put the tie tight and tie in a small bow. Makes a great candy dish, dresser catchall, housewarming gift, holder for decorations such as Christmas ornaments or eggs. And so satisfying to make--couple of hours, couple of dollars and you have something very special. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| January
2008 Welcome to the January 2008 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter.
If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com SCHEDULE Still have some places left for the Hearts workshop on the weekend of Jan 26 & 27th. See the website for details. Four places left for Moontide, June 7 - 14 on Cape Cod. Again, details on the website. NEW BOOK "Knitting Lace Triangles" by Evelyn A. Clark. Most of you have seen or maybe worked Evelyn's designs published by Fiber Trends. Always doable with easy to understand directions. Here she gives you everything you could want to know about triangle shawls that start at the back of the neck. The information is presented in a way that lets you design your own within the construction. She even shows you how to add beads. I have worked some of Evelyn's designs with Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool/silk and recommend that yarn. My experience is that 4 ounces is plenty for a triangle shawl. Book $18 Jaggerspun Wool/silk is $5 an ounce and comes in almost 60 colors. Check the website for a color chart. Here is a picture Jeanne Bartlett sent me of the mini sweaters she makes with the Jaggerspun Wool/silk. That round item in the middle is a quarter! SALE This month's theme is fine yarns and in keeping with that, I am offering an outstanding value in the set of Japanese books. They contain many Niebling designs. Not for the faint-of-heart but the wonderful translation of symbols by Mary Frances Wogec are a tremendous help. The charts take some working thru. They have a little trick of marking some stitches that then move on the chart. I find that it I redo on my semi-circle chart, it is easier for my old brain to follow. I will include the beginning of one of the more difficult charts on this type of chart as an example. And, a few pages of the empty chart so you can rechart yourself. As far as these empty charts are concerned, they are free to copy and use as you like. Book One by Kazuko Ichida, previously unpublished, $67. Book Two by Naoko Ichida, available again, $42 making a total of $109. The sale price for both is $90. But only for orders received this month. On my trip to CA I visited a wonderful yarn shop that carries lots of thin yarns in fabulous colors. I have ordered a couple of times and the yarns sell before I can put them in this newsletter. I kept these secret until now. Gentle is 95% Merino and 5% Cashmere. I have it in Teal and Old English Rose. 100 gram ball has 1806 yards! Only $20 a ball. Graceful is 100% wool and also has 1806 in its 100 gram ball. It is variegated in a subtle way. I have deep purple, penny candy (green/brown/tad of pink), or Dusty Autumn (rust, deep plum). $20 a ball. Heaven is 45% Tencel and 55% Merino. It comes in 120 gram skeins. I have three colors. Magical Magenta, Baby Blue and Iced Lavender. There are 3000 yards in the skein! $28 a skein. All the above are very thin. I would recommend a size O needle with them. But do swatch--it really is worth the time. Gives you a chance to practice the stitches you want to use as well. PATTERN Valentines day is coming up so I did up a take on the old-fashioned heart basket. Maybe you remember making these of construction paper. I will give this to you in the written way: Make two of the following, one red cotton thread (I used size 10) and one in white. I used a size 2 needle. Cast on 4 Knit back Work bar inc (K in front and back) in first st, K1, Bar inc, K1 Knit back Bar inc, K3, Bar inc, K1 Knit back Continue to increase in this way until you have 12 sts. Work back and forth on the first 4 sts, every row the same--K1, O, K2tog, K1--for 2 times the width of the top (about 2") Put the sts on a safety pin and repeat with the next four and then the last four. I tried doing the three strips at once with 3 balls of thread and it was not worth the trouble. Join the strips being careful not to let them twist. Knit the 12 SSK, K8, K2tog Knit back SSK, K6, K2tog Knit back Continue to decrease in this way until you have 4 sts left. Bind off. Spray the pieces heavily with starch or stiffen in your preferred way. Have lots of pins handy and use plastic covered cardboard or other blocking material. Pin each piece out and then each of the three strips should be pinned to hold them as wide as possible to see the lace. This is nitzy, but worth it. When dry fold the pieces and weave them together. This is the fun part. Attach thread at the base of one shoulder and crochet a long chain. Attach the end to the other shoulder. You will note that one side is somewhat open--here is your chance to close it. Fill with conversation hearts and give to someone you love. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| December
2007 Welcome to the December 2007 issue of the MOONRISE
newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are not guaranteed. This will be a short letter and one of my New Year's resolutions is to get these letters out the second week of the month. I still have a few places left for the "Many Hearts" workshop at Moonrise* (Bucks County PA). This will be held on Jan 26 & 27 with a snow date of Feb. 2 & 3. We will make at least six hearts, shaped in six different ways. There are also two envelopes to hold them. The cost is $90 and includes the cotton thread and lunches by Ebby Terp The knitting is easy, but some of the shaping techniques will be new to you. E-mail me right away--only a couple of places left. *cats in residence The registration letters have gone out for Moontide 2008. The early response has been fantastic. Wouldn't you like to spend a week on Cape Cod, right on the ocean, to knit, swim, walk the beaches, explore the art gallerys and craft shops? We stay in cabins, little houses really, that have bathrooms, heat, fireplaces, kitchens, roof decks, porches, etc. Half the time will be classes and half vacation activities. This year we will be learning three shawl constructions and designing shawls using these constructions. On the left is the "in-out circle-square" shawl I call "The Great Cosmos" It starts with a larger-than circular center, squares out, has a border with rounded corners. Next to that is a three triangle shape. This example is called "Three Times a Lady". It starts at the top with a small point-down triangle and ends with a point-up triangle at the bottom. Not pictured is the three-is-the-magic-number shawl/stole/scarf. This one is formed with triangles to make any of the above. All three of these shapings will be taught with a small doll size piece and then the student will design a full size shawl. The instruction is $300 for the week and the lodging is $250 or $300 (single or shared room). Food can be inexpensive as it can be prepared in the cabins. The dates are June 10the to June 17th. Go to the website for registration forms and further information. Registration closes Jan 30th or sooner if we fill up. COVERS FOR GLASSES Here is one of my favorite uses for edgings. The resulting glasses can be : candle holders, vases, pencil holders (or knitting needles), or iced drink covers. Try to find glasses with fairly straight sides. When you buy them in sets they are not very expensive. Believe me, you will use them all. This is such a good gift idea! Use an open loop cast on. Work your chosen edge until, when it is stretched--really stretched-- it goes around. Graph the two ends together, wet the cover, pull it up the glass from the bottom (it should be hard to do), and let it dry on the glass. Other ideas: You could do a medallion for the bottom. Work the center until it reaches the circumference of the glass, cast on the sts for the edging to the end of one of the double pointed needles and work the edgings. Join as you knit by K2tog every time you come to the head end of the edging--one st from the edging, one from the medallion. Potpourri dish. You make a separate medallion for the top. Make it a little larger than the glass and end with a crocheted loop edge. Thread a ribbon through the crocheted loops and tie on the top of the glass which you have filled with potpourri. Jam pot. Similar to the above, but make the top large enough to fold down the sides an inch or so. When you crochet the sts off, crochet on beads to give it some weight. This was an old-fashioned way to keep the flies out of the jam. It turns an ordinary jar of jam into a fancy gift. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| November
2007
Welcome to the November 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you
do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove"
in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy"
and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters
is copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed SCHEDULING Next week I will be mailing the registration forms for the week-long
knitting camp to be held in Wellfleet Cape Cod. If you would like to be on
the list to receive this, let me know. See previous newsletters for
details, or E-mail questions. TIS THE SEASON I am closing out these shawl pins. They are very light in silver or
gold coated brass. What you see is what I have left. Describe the design
or location in the picture. First asked for, first sent out. $29 NEW BOOK (32) / 6 O / O ^ O \ O 6 \ O 9 O 19. (#) = sts in each of six sections O = yarnover OO = double yarnover \ =
SSK / = K2tog ^ = double decrease Crochet the loops off after round 20. The 9 st section needs to be
tight--Take 3 sts together and (SC, chain 1), across these 9. The rest
should be loopy--take 2 at a time and chain 5 between. Starch (I used
sugar) and pull out to pin. The points will need some determined pulling
to get it to look "snowflake-like". |
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| October
2007
E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed. I have returned from my trip to CA (northern part, not near the fires)
greatly inspired. I taught for the Lacy Knitters at the Lace Museum. The
picture below doesn't show a great deal of the wonderful artifacts they
display on all aspects of lace. It does show the class. It was so much
fun! To teach surrounded by lace of all kinds is a dream come true. Gracie Lawson and Lisa Neidinger arranged for a visit to Lacis in
Berkeley where Jules Kliot has transformed part of his large store into a
truly breathtaking museum. We got a private tour of the current exhibit on
needlelace. I cannot beginning to describe this wonder. If you get any
chance to get to this part of the country, it is a must stop. Lacis hs been very instrumental in getting some of the classic lace
books reprinted. We all owe them bigtime for this. Here is what I brought
back: Reprints of the two at the left. Creating Original Hand-Knitted Lace by
Margaret Stove was taken out of print some time ago and The Art of
Shetland Lace, twice, in its long history. Both should always be available
to lace knitters. I'm so happy to see The Art brought back. We do have other Shetland
Lace books now, but this is the classic. $26. One more book. In CA I met Alison Jeppson Hyde and saw some of the
shawls in her new book, Wrapped in Comfort: Knitted Lace Shawls, She has
done a new-to-me shaping where the shawl is basically round with an
opening. She has used Babara Walker designs and adapted them to this
shaping. Some are more than round, (my favorites), and can have one end
thrown over a shoulder. Needless to say, I have ordered a supply. $24 DECEMBER WORKSHOP MOONTIDE You may have heard about "Gypsy Enchantment" a design I did
for JUST OUR YARN. It is selling very well for them in kit and/or pattern
form. Their yarn is fabulous---don't know when I have had as much fun
designing and working a pattern. Contact them at www.justouryarn.com about
this pattern/kit. Hint |
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| September
2007
Welcome to the Sept. 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed. SCHEDULING NOTES I have a date for Moontide 2008--June 7 to 14. This is a weeklong
workshop held on Cape Cod. Lodging is at a seaside resort. Cost is very
reasonable. We will study three shawl shapes and make 3 doll shawls to
learn the construction. Then the students will design a full size shawl in
each of the shapes. This will appeal to knitters on any level. If you
would like to be on the list to have a flyer in Dec., let me know. I have
had a good deal of interest. If you even think you might come, get on the
early notice and registration list which will go out in early December.
Here is the website of the resort in case you want to look it over:
www.surfsidevacation.com PRICE CHANGE ON THE ZEPHYR WOOL/SILK Starting with orders received on November 1st, the price of this yarn
will be $5 an ounce, $70 for a pound, and $35 for 1/2 a pound. What this means is that you have a month to add to your stash at the
old price of $4, $50 and $25. Three ounces makes a scarf, five makes a
triangular shawl, and six will make a large square shawl. Looking at it
another way, half a pound of your favorite color will make two garments. The old price will be used for any order received in Oct., even if it
is not on the shelf and must be ordered for a later delivery. Look at the
color chart on my website or go to www.jaggeryarn.com. PROJECTS HINT Have fun knitting! |
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| August
2007
Welcome to the August 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you
are a return customer. Send me a check when you get the package. I accept
Paypal for credit cards if you prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed. SCHEDULING NOTES WEEKEND WORKSHOP ON DESIGNING EDGINGS Oct. 6 & 7 Late Oct. I will be in North CA at the Lacy Knitters for a two day
workshop. Oct. 20 there will be a 3 hour workshop on "Kinds of
Lace". Very easy for beginners. A great introduction to Lace
Knitting. In the afternoon I will teach a fun class on making large holes
called, "Eyelets on Steroids". Then on Sunday, the 21st
"How an Edging Turns a Corner" will take the whole day. E-mail
Lynn Curry at LCurry5@mindspring.com for more information. I have a date for Moontide 2008--June 7 to 14. This is a weeklong
workshop held on Cape Cod. Lodging is at a seaside resort. Cost is very
reasonable. We will study three shawl shapes and make 3 doll shawls to
learn the construction. Then the students will design a full size shawl in
each of the shapes. This will appeal to knitters on any level. If you
would like to be on the list to have a flyer in Dec., let me know. I have
had a good deal of interest. If you even think you might come, get on the
early notice and registration list which will go out in early December.
Here is the website of the resort in case you want to look it over:
www.surfsidevacation.com I had a wonderful time at Stitches Mid-West. It was the first time I
have been to this Chicago show. The crowds were overwhelming at times.
But, I need your help--someone ordered a kit and paid for it but, didnot
leave their name or address. If anyone you know went to this show and has
not received their order, please have them get in touch with me. In mid-August I went to Anne Stoddard's knit out. We had the most
perfect weather and sat and knit in her lovely back yard and ate too much,
(speaking for myself). Great to see old friends. THE NANTUCKET DIDDY BAGG has been a popular item. SALE Inventory reduction on a non-lace knitting book. Just 3 copies of
"A History of Hand Knitting" by Richard Rutt. This is a $40
dollar book. The first three people to E-mail me will get it for $20. One
to a customer, please. HINT PATTERN Have fun knitting! |
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| June
2007
Welcome to the June 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter.
If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an
invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check
when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you
prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com
Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies
are not guaranteed.
My friend, Martha, sent me this link. I went on and printed out a
couple of patterns. The site is easy to use.
Some time ago I offered some of my patterns in book form
to retail customers and also to yarn shops that might want to kit them
up. Retail or wholesale, the price is the same. Here is the list again,
with some changes made in pricing. If you look on the website, www.moonriselaceknitting.com
you can see pictures of the garments. All are spiral bound--20 to 30
pages.
Sampler Scarf $10
Frost Diamonds Scarf $15
Flora's Wrap shawl $20
The Great Cosmos shawl $20
Handfast Wedding shawl $20
Three Times a Lady shawl $20
SALE
This month I have two lots of left-over yarn. First to E-mail gets
each one. The first lot is three cones of Jaggerspun Super Lamb in
4/2/24 weight, which seems to be about DK weight or light worsted. Two
are a maroon and one is blue/green. 3 lbs total weight. The price is $25
and $6 shipping.
The second lot is 3 half pound skeins and
a small extra of Island Cotton III by Henry's Attic. It is 87% cotton,
10 % Polyester and 3% rayon at 750 Ypp. Very textured with a thin strand
forming the wavy look. This price is also $25
with $6 shipping.
NEEDLE UPDATE
I am finally fully stocked on the Addi Lace Needles. If I
have missed any backorders, please let me know right away. The whole
thing was very confusing, but thru it all Skacel was helpful and
efficient. I'm sure they were pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming
response. But, a note of caution--I am going to the TKGA show in NH the
middle of the month. Since I have the best price around on these
needles, they will probably sell out. If you are still thinking about
it, now is the time to order.
Sizes 1 & 2 in 24", 32" or 47" are $11
each. Sizes 3, 4, 5, & 6 in 24", 32", or 47" are $12
each. Shipping is $3 for any amount ordered. I have also
restocked on the Inox O's and OOO in 24" and 48". These are
only $10 each.
SCHEDULE
NH show in July, booth 304. Stitches
Mid-West in Aug. booth 420.
Oct 6 & 7 workshop here at Moonrise,
(see below).
Late Oct. I will be in North CA at the
Lacy Knitters for a two day workshop. If you know of any shop or guild there
or in the South (San Diago area) that would like me to teach the
following week, please have them E-mail me for a class list. By sharing
transportation costs, everyone wins.
Moontide 2008 is tenatively planned for
June of next year on Cape Cod. We will study three shawl shapes and make
3 doll shawls to learn the construction. Then the students will design
a full size shawl in each of the shapes. This will appeal to knitters on
any level. If you would like to be on the list to have a flyer in Dec.,
let me know.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP ON DESIGNING EDGINGS Oct. 6 & 7
Students will learn how to form edgings in four parts--heading, band,
middle and edge. Cotton thread in a choice of sizes will be provided
and a flip-book (20 retail value) is also included. But, best of all!
My daughter, Mary, will be doing the cooking for lunches and breaks.
Plenty of motels in the area. The cost for the two days is $90. I can
only take 8 students. If you are interested send me an E-mail telling
me. Follow that with a $25 non-refundable deposit.
Moontide 2007 was such fun. We studied the working, charting, and a
little designing, of medallions. May McCay surprised us all by
excusing herself one of the mornings and returning with a board on
which she had placed all but two of the medallions in "Knitted
Lace in Miniature" by Gloria Penning. She had kept very careful
notes. These patterns are written out and can be very confusing. There
were a few actual errors, but most of the trouble could be
straightened out by charting. Fit right in with what I had been saying
and teaching! This book is only $10, ($3shipping). Working some of
these will give you a better understanding of knitting lace circles.
HINT--HOW TO FIND SUSPECTED ERRORS IN PATTERNS
1. Count how many stitches are needed to work the first row in
question. Do you have
the right amount to work that row?
2. Count how many stitches you will have when you have finished the
row. Do you have the right amount for the next row?
3. Do the increases and decreases balance to give a constant count if
called for? Or do you have the right amount of plus or minus stitches?
4. Do your natural centers line up vertically? (This assumes that your
lace is symetrical as most is).
5. Do motif units that should stack right on top of each other do just
that?
Adjustments in the pattern
If you have a picture you can see what should come over what.
Learn to see "units" --common combinations of stitches. One
example is that a centered double decrease is almost always flanked on
both sides with yarnovers.
If your pattern doesn't give stitch counts at the end of the rows, put
them in.
Adjustments in the knitting should be made in the solid part. The eye
sees holes. There is a lot to be said for a threaded tapastry needle
when it is all done.
Adjust and go on is my motto. Make sure your
count is right beyond the error(s) and continue. Design
changes are good.
Have a wonderful summer of knitting!
Sandy
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| May
2007
Welcome to the May 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If
you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with
"remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an
invoice in the package if you are a return customer. Send me a check
when you get the package. I accept Paypal for credit cards if you
prefer. Shipping is a flat $6 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is: www.moonriselaceknitting.com
Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies
are not guaranteed.
Announcement for my Canadian customers
Because of the outrages rates I will no
longer be able to accept any payment from Canada other than a check
written on a US bank or a paypal payment. I am sorry for this.
I know it's June--sorry to be late.
ADDI LACE NEEDLE UPDATE
The latest is that I am told that almost all
of my back orders are on the way. One or two sizes are still among the
missing. It has been very confusing with multiple back orders from
Skacel and multiple back orders in my file. Please just let me know if
you do not receive what you expect. I am hoping this big
box arrives before I leave for Cape Cod. If it doesn't I will send
everything when I get back June 17th.
SCHEDULE
As I said above, I will shortly leave for MOONTIDE, the
week-long retreat on Cape Cod. This year I will be teaching
"Three in the Round". This is a flip book of three doilies,
each with three sections. You "flip" the pages to design one
of 27 possible doilies. Do you remember the children's books of
monsters where you could put heads, bodies, and legs together as
desired? Same idea. I have tried to come up with original or little
known elements--lots of fun, and I have learned a lot. If you are
intrigued with the idea of a week on Cape Cod learning about lace
knitting while living in a cabin by the ocean, just ask to be put on
the list to be notified next year.
In July I will be teaching and showing at the TKGA show
in NH. Check it out at
http://www.knitandcrochetshow.com
Then, in August, I will be at Stitches Mid-West near Chicago. Hope
to see and meet many of you!
SALE
WHOLESALE From this newsletter only LACE NEEDLE GAUGES
Already a bargain at the regular price of $15, now you can have a way
to measure those tiny needles, all the way down to 8(0) for ONLY $10
each. These are solid brass and come with a bit of lace. They
are exclusive to Moonrise. They start at O and go down from there.
Shipping on these is $2 for any amount up to 6.
LESSON
Have you ever wished for another option for ending a
doily--you know, something different than the usual crocheted loop
thing? Some you might consider are: a crocheted pattern edge; a short
row scallop; a knit-on edge; or a really stretchy bind-off.
Here is a variation of the "soft Bind-Off" I
have taught for years.
On the edge of the blocked doily you see the basic
bind-off that will stetch forever and gives a nobby effect. Here's
how:
K1, *then return it to the left needle by nosing the
left needle into the front of the st. (sort of the way you would do so
for a SSK). K this st thru the back (you are already in position to do
so). Let the discard loop off the left needle. Now return the st again
in the same way but, this time pull the right needle out just a little
bit so you can put it into the back of the next st on the left as
well. You are in position to K2 tog thru the back loops.* Repeat * to
*. This is surprisingly fast.
If you cast on just a few sts (maybe 10), with a
provisional cast on that draws up then work 4 to 6 rows of garter st,
you
can make a little scalloped edge and have a cute
flower. This time you will K1, *Return, K, Return, K, Return and
K2tog.
Draw up the center and attach the ends. Embellish!
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| April
2007
Welcome to the April 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $6 (see
below) for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered
alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292
or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed. Announcement for my Canadian customers Because of the new postal rates, I must now charge a flat $6 for
shipping within the US. If a small item goes for much less, I will adjust
the shipping charge and send a refund. MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA THE PEGS SALE YARN CLOSEOUT LESSON >>12. 5 2 J Have fun knitting! |
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| March
2007
Welcome to the March 2007 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The website is:
www.moonriselaceknitting.com Announcement for my Canadian customers Sale "Tartan Christmas stocking" has five pages that includes a
lesson in plaid knitting. This is obviously not lace. It calls for bulky
yarn in red and green and 10.5 needles. If made in worsted weight it will
be smaller, of course. (Or you could use two strands of yarn held
together. The pattern is stapled together. $3 and $1 shipping if ordered
alone. Classes The lace needles are here! |
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| February
2007
Welcome to the Feb. 2007 issue of the
MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list,
simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away
my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an
invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal
or checks as well, and credit cards are processed through Paypal.
Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a
small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may
contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road,
Hatfield PA 19440
Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies
are not guaranteed.
I have some sad news to report--The Margaret Stove book,
"Creating Original Hand-Knitted Lace" is now out-of-print.
Hope you have a copy. If not, and you see it somewhere, do pick it up.
It is one of those classics that should always be around.
I'm told that there are still openings for the March 24th & 25th
class I am teaching in Alexandria VA. It will be held at the
Springwater Fiber Workshop. Students will be making a small
"Collar-Shawl". E-mail Carolyn Atwater at cwovenexp@yahoo.com
In April I will be teaching in Provincetown MA at a knitting
retreat given by Adventures in Knitting. For information E-mail chammatt@comcast.net
I recently bought "coils" to hold knitting needles together
from Knit Picks www.KnitPicks.com
mainly to hold together the two points of my circular needle when
putting the work away. They work very well for that. It is
suggested that they can be used for storage to keep pairs or sets
together. I am a little afraid of long-term storage with the plastic.
(I still have nightmares about the time I taped needles together). And
with my supply of personal needles beyond all reason, it would not
have been affordable. Several years ago I changed the way I store my
needles, putting all needles of a size
together--circular, DP's and pairs. Each size has a small drawer that
once held embrodery thread. This good idea came from my friend Anne
Stoddard, who has more needles than I do. But, they were jumbled up.
If you have a the same problem, here are two solutions. The first
picture shows the paper coated wires that come with trash bags and the
second (better) one shows the use of tiny hair ties. These cost $1 for
300. They appear to be all nylon (no rubber bands)
I now offer all my patterns, separate or as part of a kit, in book
form. Five are ready to ship as patterns only:
Lace Sampler Scarf $10
Flora's Wrap
$15
The Great Cosmos $20
Frost Diamonds
$15
Handfast
$25
Check the website for pictures and descriptions of these. Look in the
"Kits" page. Of course, they will still be available
as kits. Three Times a Lady is only available as a pattern book for
$15.
LESSON
Years ago I took a class with Mary Walker Phillips and she taught her
"Melon" pattern that has a cross within the fabric,
unlike a cable, which has the twisted stitches on the front of the
fabric. Mary had the students enlarge the stitches on the previous row
and this is a good plan. To enlarge the stitches involved in the
crossing, wind the yarn around them as you make them. Put the needle
point in and wrap the yarn 2 or 3 times around. The more you enlarge
the stitches, the less texture you will get. Your decision will be
partly based on how open the lace is that these are to go on.
I give directions for a 3/3 cross, but you could do a 2/2 or any other
combination that pleases you.
When you are ready to make the crossing to the left, work until
you get to the stitches to be crossed. Carefully slip the stitches,
one at a time, to the right needle letting the extra loop(s) off. Now
put them back without twisting. Reach into three stitches with your
right hand needle--right thru the middle of the three. Grap st #4 and
pull it out to the front of the left hand needle. Knit it. Go in again
and pull out st #5 and knit it. Now go for #6. When that is safely
knitted, knit 1, 2, & 3 in the order they are on the needle.
To the right, using the right hand needle point, go over 3 sts and
grap #4. Pull it forward over the three. I like to hold my left
index finger on it so it doesn't fly back. Knit this st. Repeat with
#5 and then #6. Now knit the three left on the needle in the order
presented.
Once you understand what you are doing, you may find it easier to pull
or lift the three together into position and then do the knitting.
In Flora's Wrap I did isolated groups. For the edging of "Gypsy
Enchantment", a shawl I am doing for Just Our Yarns I wanted to
symbolize the strong family ties of the Gypsies
and so worked a continuous line as you would with a cable. Here it is
in Flora's Wrap.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| January
2007
Welcome to the Jan. 2007 issue of the
MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list,
simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away
my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an
invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal
or checks as well, and credit cards are processed through Paypal.
Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a
small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may
contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road,
Hatfield PA 19440
Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies
are not guaranteed.
STOP THE PRESSES
As I was starting to type this newsletter
I got a call from Donna, my Addi rep. She tells me that Addi is coming
out with LACE CIRCULAR NEEDLES. They will be brass with a coating that
prevents tarnish and slows the slickness a bit. The points will be sharp.
The cables, red with the smooth joins we have come to expect from Addi.
Three lengths--24", 32" & 47". Sizes 1 thru 6.
Maybe smaller sizes later. I expect my first order for shipment to you
in June. As we get closer to that happy date, I will ask for your
orders. For now, rejoice--someone finally listened!
Onesie Book Sale
I have one copy each of the following and,
for a variety of reasons will not be getting more. First E-mail gets
the book. Shipping will be added to the invoice I will send you, and
will depend on where you live and the size of the book(s). I have 5
for $10 each.
Omas Hakeleien is
a crochet book in German, uncharted. It has some good ideas, to judge
from the pictures. It wholesaled for more than I am asking. Do you
crochet and do you read German?
Sweaters from the Seaton
Collection is a wonderful book in the style of the English
designers. I have made several sweaters for my family from my copy.
Traditional Victorian White Work
is one of those books that never caught the attention of the
public and so has gone unnoticed into never, never land. Too bad, I
think it is a good one. The complete book of Knitting by
Barbara Abbey is really for beginners. It has been redone by
Dover and didn't sell for me, but surely you know someone who could
use it. The Best of Rowan has the work of many of the
British designers in its 50 designs. It is out of print and I am
probably crazy to let it go for this price.
Here are the $15 each pile: Cool
Socks Warm Feet, by Lucy Neatby. Wonderful designer and
teacher. If you make socks and don't have this one, E-mail me
immediately! Mastering Lacework by Annie Maloney.
Interesting new book. For sale here at less than wholesale. Mosaic
Knitting. This one has a story--It was a reissue of the
original and Schoolhouse Press decided to let it go OOP. I picked up a
couple of copies and sold two on E-bay for lots of money. Then
Schoolhouse Press reprinted it in softcover for one dollar more. Here
is your chance to have a hardcover copy for a very good price.
Just a few more, for $35 each: Hand
Knitting New Directions is a very nice book. Its problem is
that it covers territory that has been so well travelled, it just has
not sold well enough for me to restock. Here it is for $10 off, nice
savings. For the Love of Knitting
is an enjoyable read. It is a scrapbook of
stories, essays and memories. I offer it at a substantial savings. And
lastly, Barbara Abbey's Knitting Lace. This is another one that
Schoolhouse press has let go OOP. This is my favorite book. I
started with it and Barbara Walkers Craft of Lace Knitting and still
use both these. I bought some copies when I knew it would go out
and have this one for some lucky fast E-mailer.
Schedule
Moontide, my week-long knitting retreat on
Cape Cod in June, is just about sold out. If you have been thinking
about it, best check with me before sending in your deposit. You may
call or E-mail for information. 215-822-7292.
I will be teaching at a weekend knitting
retreat in April on Cape Cod hosted by Adventures in Knitting. chammatt@comcast.net
for information.
March 24 & 25 I will be teaching
in Alexandria VA. at the Springwater Fiber Workshop.They asked for a
more advanced class in lace knitting. I will be teaching a
"collar-shawl" a small neck piece. E-mail Carolyn Atwater cwovenexp@yahoo.com
for information.
ORIGINAL STITCH PATTERN
For the class above I designed a project I
call "Creative Spirit", inspired by the name of a pattern in
Barbara Abbey's book called "Point d'Esprit". I used this
pattern and a reworking of one in Omas (and also in Barbara Walker,
slightly different) and finished with a classic "Daisy" on
the bottom. For the edging I tried Barbara Abbey's pattern suggested
to go with the Point d'Esprit", but didn't like it. So I designed
this one.
It is a knit on edging. Have your live sts
on a needle held in your left hand with the yarn coming from them and
your frontside facing. Cast on 12. The kind of cast on will depend on
what you plan to do later--maybe you will want to do a provisional
cast on. Using the other point if you are using a long circular to
hold the sts, or another needle if necessary, knit back 11 sts and
knit the last one and one stitch from your live sts together. This is
called a join and will take 2 sts off your live st needle every repeat
of this edging. Turn your work and start the edging with row 1 below.
Note that you are working away from the body of your project on rows 1
& 3 and towards the piece on rows 2 & 4. Rows 1 & 3 start
with a slip st. This is the st you have just made with the join.
4. >>> Bind off 4 O 3
O ^ O 1
O / J
(12)
(15) Bar
inc. 3 O 1 O
/ 1 \
O / O slip
<<3.
2.>>>
3 O ^ O
3 1
O / J
(13) Bar
inc. O / 1
\ O 1 O
/ / O
slip <<1.
(#) = number of sts Bar
inc. = K in front and back of one st \ = SSK
>> & << direction
^ = Centered double decrease J
= join slip = as to P O = yarnover / = K2tog
When you bind off 4 there will be one st
on your right needle.
Note that on row 4 you are binding
off 4 and adding one with the O to give you 12 to start the next
repeat.
Hint: looking up and down notice that
there is a progression from / 1 \ to O ^ O to O 1 O to 3. I have tried
to divide the columns to show that, but E-mails tend to mix spacing
up. You may want to chart the pattern to fully understand it.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
Hi All,
I forgot to put a picture of the edging
I gave you in the newsletter. Here it is:
Moontide is probably sold out. I have
one room technically left, but two people who have expressed
interest in it.
The response to the book sale was swift,
but not complete. I still have: "Barbara Abbey's Compete book
of Knitting" and the 'German Crochet book for $10. And also,
"Hand Knitting, New Directions" and "For the Love of
Hand Knitting" for $35 each.
Have Fun Knitting!
Sandy
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| November
2006
Welcome to the Nov. 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 Check out the website www.moonriselaceknitting.com Back from Stitches East and unpacked. Wow! What a crowd of eager My best selling item this year was the Flora's wrap kit. We sold out
the second day and even the pattern-only's sold out. I am restocked now.
The kit is $30 with 5 ounces of wool/silk Jaggerspun in your choice of
color. Or buy the pattern-only for $10. This is a lesson in texture in
lace knitting and is for the adventurous knitter. As I told you last month, I now give away a nailfile with each order.
It is a wonderful promotion. I thought that you might like the address for
these. There are many businesses that could use a custom designed
give-away. Here is the website: www.fotofiles.com or you could E-mail Dan
Wahila at dan@cbipromotions.com Susan Ripley, who does those wonderful pattern-a-day calendars tells me
that Accord Publishing is having a contest to collect patterns. Top prize
is $1000. Here is the link:www.knittingpatternaday.com/knitting
crochetcontestrules.htm NEW I saw another book at the show and decided to carry it. This is a
history of the native Alaskan knitters and the Qiviut (musk ox down) that
they use to make lace scarfs and other garments. Of course, you can use
your own favorite lace yarn. The lace is all eyelets and carefully
charted. Instructions will take even the beginner into making beautiful
lace. This is a soft cover with 192 pages and pictures in black and white.
$26 The holidays are almost here. For the knitters or wearer-of-shawls and
sweaters on your list, I have shawl pins. The top row is shell; left to
right: pinkish, bit of green: mostly blue & green: almost white.
Middle row is sterling silver coating: Oblong, circle, oval w/center
circle. Bottom row is gold coating: Oblong, raised design, and circle.
These are $29 each with shipping at $2 I am excited about the SHAWL PEGS made by Nancy Wombacher of Silver
Pony Designs. Most are silver over brass and have gemstone
emblishments.Top row: PATTERN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (24) 3 O ^ O 3 O ^ O 3 O ^ O 3 O ^ O 23. move 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (24) 1' O 3 O 1' O 3 O 1' O 3 O 1' O 3 O 21. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (16) ^ O 5 O ^ O 5 O 19. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (16) / 1 \ O 3 O / 1 \ O 3 O 17. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (16) / 3 \ O 1' O / 1 \ O 1' O 15. move 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (16) 5 O 1' O 5 O 1' O 13. move 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (12) 3 O ^ O 3 O 1' O 11. move 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (12) 1' O / 1 \ O 1' O / 1 \ O 9. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (12) 1' O 3 O 1' O 3 O 7. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (8) 4 4 5. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (8) 1 O 1 O 1 O 1 O 3. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (4) 1 O 1 O 1. Key: 1 (or any number) K O = yarnover 1' = K in back loop / = K2tog \ =
SSK Crochet the sts off, 3 at a time with a single crochet and a chain 7
between. Arrange this so the O ^ O forms a group and the 3 forms the next
group. Find a piece of cardboard and draw the shape and size of your ring.
Wet your snowflake and pin it out stretching to fit into the drawn circle.
It's OK if it doesn't quite fit. If it is too large for the circle, you
need a larger ring. Darken the ring and use black sewing thread to string
the snowflake into the ring. Use the end to form a loop to hang it. Have a Thanksgiving full of good food, good company and good knitting! |
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| October
2006
Welcome to the Oct. 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 Check out the website www.moonriselaceknitting.com I am very busy getting ready for the Stitches East Show next weekend.
Moonrise will be at booth 322--stop and say hello. I have restocked the long circular needles that everyone likes. These
are the Addi Turbos in lengths up to 40" and sizes down to OOO. Also new: Every lace knitter needs a nail file in their knitting bag.
Until we run out, (which won't be for quite a while), we will include one
of these in your order at no charge. It pictures a piece of lace on one
side and the web address on the other.
I have done a kit for the show that I call "Charmed Candle".
It includes a soy candle in a heavy glass jar with a tight lid, a Lady
Charm (see last month's newsletter), pattern and cotton thread for the
collar. This kit cannot be shipped because of the glass jar and weight.
But, you could find your own candle and make your own "Charmed
Candle". Of course, I would like you to buy one of the Lady Charms.
There are six designs that that symbolize the six aspects of a woman's
personality--Independence, Love, Creativity, Achievement, Nurturer, and
Wisdom. Nancy, of Silver Pony Designs has paired these with gemstones that
further enhance the symbolism. What a wonderful gift for the woman who is
special to you for one of these virtures! The charms are sold individually
for $18 or as a set of six for $94. Here is the pattern for the collar. I took this pattern from my "The Pruden Knitting Diary". It is probably my favorite pattern in the book. A simple, but effective heading followed by a lovely pattern that increases and decreases pulling a lovely edge along with it. Notice that the increases and decreases form the scallop. The early Victorian patterns seemed to favor this type of scallop while later ones tend to the bind off technique to decrease the scallop. Cast on 13 sts A provisional (open loop) cast on is best, but not necessary for this project. It will make it easier to join with the live sts at the end. I suggest a pair of needles (short is OK) in size 1. Read the Lace Shorthand from right to left on the odd rows and right to left on the even rows, from the bottom up. Notice that the row numbers are on the side that you will start from. I have placed vertical lines to divide the sections–there are 4 sts in the heading, 7-12 sts in the middle, and 2 sts on the edge. Sometimes, as in row 2, you will see K8, vertical line, K1, P1. The reason I do not say K9 is that I want you to be aware of the different sections. Where there is no K or P before a number it means to K that number. Actually the only P in this pattern is the end st on the return rows. You will be purling the yarnover that started the previous row. Here is the key: O = yarnover / = K2tog ( # ) = number of sts on the needle after that row. Cast on 13 and knit back. Start with row 1 which will be the bottom of your collar. To work a yarnover at the start of a row, just use your needle to pick up the yarn and put the point into the next two sts to knit them together.
20. (13) 18. (14) 16. (15) 14. (16) 12. (17) 10. (18) 8. (17) 6. (16) 4. (15) 2. (14) After 7 repeats my collar fit perfectly when stretched a little bit. It is OK if you have a little slack–when you string on the charm you can pull it in a bit. If you are seriously unable to complete a repeat, do not work every increase (or decrease) for a couple of the last rows so you will have 13 sts on the needle to join. Cut the yarn leaving a couple of feet of thread and leave the needle in. Wet the collar and stretch it out on a piece of cardboard or other blocking surface and pin out the points and along the top. Join with a three needle bind off or graft st. If you have opted to do a regular cast on, you will need to cast off and sew a seam. Take top off the candle and pull the collar over the top. What is left of your thread should be coming from the top of the seam. Thread a tapestry needle with it. Go in and out of the eyelets at the top until you are opposite the seam, more or less. What is more important is that you are at either a narrow part of the pattern or at the widest part (your choice). Thread your charm and take one or two sts in place to hold it. Then continue around the jar to the seam. Secure the thread and cut it. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| September
2006
Welcome to the Sept. 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 I pretty much sold out of the Goddess patterns featured last month, so
I have restocked and added a new one. This one is called Desert Sun and is
shown in Louet KidLin Pixie and needle size 5 and is knit from the center
out. This is the fourth and last of the Mystery Shawls. Renee Leverington
is the talented designer. Our price is $7 with $1 shipping if ordered
alone. And I have a new pattern also! Mine is called "Three Times a
Lady" after the Lionel Richie song of the 70's. The construction is the three-triangle method I have developed. The shawl starts at the base of the top triangle with one st and grows to become the back of the neck. Then stitches are picked up along the sides and the first three bands are knitted with increases at the center and at the beginning of the rows. After that, the center increases divide to form the bottom triangle as the sides continue with the woven-look bands. The basic shape is a triangle that has an unfinished bottom point. From a practical point of view, this eliminates the awkward long point. Symbolically it shows unfinished or unrealized parts of a woman’s life. This is offered as a pattern only. Instructions are given for DK weight
yarn and there are directions for working the design with thinner yarn.
$15 with $2 shipping. You will be the designer in choice of yarn and finish. For my shawl I picked a purple silk, thicker than I usually use and finished with "Lady Charms". It is said that all woman have six virtues and Nancy has helped me depict these with her wonderful, symbolic jewelry designs. Here is a description in her words. right to left, the first three. INDEPENDENCE Artemis/Diana Moon Goddess w/ Ocean Jasper. Diana was the Goddess of the wild, of the hunt. I choose Jasper as it was a favorite of the Ancient Greeks, the name comes from the Greek Iaspis, meaning spotted stone. They believed it gave you the courage to speak out, and trust your abilities. Jasper is abundant and found in many varieties. I choose Ocean Jasper from Madagascar for the wavy patterns of grey/green/white and cream with flashes of iridescence, it looks mysterious and wild and I love they way each bead is different. LOVE/SEXUALITY Venus is the Goddess of love. This was an easy choice for me, I think she goes very well with Red Carnelian, a form of Agate. This stone was considered sacred by the Egyptians, their tombs are full of Carnelian jewelry as they felt it had tremendous power in the afterlife. During life it was used to combat infertility and impotency and is said to bring passion to the wearer. It is also considered a balancing stone for woman. CREATIVITY/PLAYFULNESS The Nymph reminds us of our creative and playful side so Blue Adventurine seemed right. This is color variation of Chalcedony and is named for the Italian word adventura or "by chance". It is a lovely soft translucent blue and was used to stimulate creativity and is said to enhance the wearers awareness of personal strengths. Again, right to left, here are the other three. ACHIEVEMENT Lady Godiva is our achiever. I struggled with this one, as she is not a Goddess, but rather a fairly recent (1400) historical figure. We all know the story, but what made it interesting for me when I did a little research, was that historians agree that she did exist and sort of grudging agree that she really did ride through the market at Coventry England at noon on her favorite horse and wearing only her long beautiful hair. Historians generally like to debunk all our folktales! She was a headstrong, outspoken and ambitious woman, at a time when most woman were not. She made her famous ride as a sort of penance, to convince her husband to reduce the tax or toll on his tenants. I could not find an ancient stone that was both feminine and signified achievement, so finally settled on a more modern stone, Smoky Quartz, believed to help the wearer achieve their personal goals. NURTURER Isis is an ancient Goddess whose influence came to be seen throughout the world, even in Christian religions. She is the nurturer, the protector of mothers and children. I choose Lace Blue Agate, used throughout the ancient world to increase the wearer’s compassion. WISDOM For the wise Goddess I used Moonstone. This is a form of Felspar, found mostly in India, where it is considered sacred. They believe if you hold a piece of Moonstone under your tongue, while standing under a full moon ~ you can tell the future. Wearing it keeps your memories true and helps you make wise choices. Geologically Moonstone forms slowly in layers, so it displays areas of opaque and translucent reflection, and flashes of moving iridescence. It picks up whatever color it is worn with. These "Lady Charms are available individually for $18 or as a set of six of $94. Any number, shipped alone or with the pattern "Three times a lady", is $3. They can be knit in or sewn in or used in any way you would use a charm. They stand up perfectly to hand washing, but cannot be dry cleaned. Early in Sept. I taught for "Adventures in Knitting" in
Harwichport on Cape Cod. If you are anywhere nearby, this shop is worth a
visit. The class was very good and finished the basic bookmark class
early. So, never willing to let a captive audience go, I came up with a
mini pattern that illustrates several points. It is the bottom half of the
lower diamond in the picture. Then I tried making the top do the same but
mirror imaged both ways. Close, but no cigar. My second try was better and
gives me a chance to make another point or two. This is the top diamond. Cast on 15 sts and work 2 rows garter st. The pattern itself takes 18
rows and you will finish with 2 rows of garter st to frame it. Start at
bottom of pattern. + = increase with backwards loop
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| August
2006
Welcome to the Aug 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not
wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the
subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will
never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 The response to the shawl pegs has been phenomenonal! Nancy has done
two new designs. Here are her words: This is Artemis/Diana. She was the
Goddess of the wild, of the hunt. I choose Jasper as it was a favorite of
the Ancient Greeks, the name comes from the Greek Iaspis, meaning spotted
stone. They believed it gave you the courage to speak out, and trust your
abilities. Jasper is abundant and found in many varieties. I choose Ocean
Jasper from Madagascar for the wavy patterns of grey/green/white and cream
with flashes of iridescence, it looks mysterious and wild and I love the
way each bead is different. Lady Godiva is an achiever. She is not a Goddess, but rather a fairly
recent (1400) historical figure. We all know the story, but what made it
interesting for me , when I did a little research, was that historians
agree tht she did exist and sort of grudging agree that she really did
ride through the market at Coventry England at noon on her favorite horse
and wearing only her long beautiful hair. Historians generally like to
debunk all our folktales! She was a headstrong, outspoken and ambitious
woman, at a time when most woman were not. She made her famous ride as a
sort of penance, to convince her husband to reduce the tax or toll on his
tenants. I could not find an ancient stone that was both feminine and
signified achievement, so finally settled on a more modern stone, Smoky
Quartz, believed to help the wearer achieve their personal goals. I don't know about you, but I can immediately think of several woman I
would like to give one of these shawl pegs to. They can close a sweater as
well as a shawl. Check out last month's newsletter for the other designs.
Shawl Pegs are $20 each with $3 shipping for any number. Nancy Wombacher does other jewelry. Check out her store at http://stores.ebay.com/Silver-Pony-Design
. Here is a book, not really new, but new to me. I read every word.
"For the Love of Knitting, A Celebration of the Knitter's Art"
edited by Kari Cornell. It is what we used to call a "BBB"--big
beautiful book. Hardcover, with dust jacket, 160 pages full of color. It
bills itself as a scrapbook of stories, essays, and memories that
celebrate knitting. There are no patterns here, altho you will find some
pretty amazing knitted projects. There are ads and pattern book covers
from the old days--back to the 20's, 30's, 40's, & 50's. The essays
came from Jamaica Kincaid, Elizabeth Zimmermann, Pam Allen and many more.
Moonrise price is $28 Also this month I am featuring two of the Goddess Patterns by Renee
Leverington. You may know her from the "Mystery Shawls". I have
Summer into Fall, a square shawl she did in Jaggerspun Zephyr and Mystery
Diamond Shawl which is a triangle, shown in Maine Line wool which is twice
as thick as the Zephyr.
LESSON To make this a knit-on edge, you would end the even rows with a K2tog.
The two stitches would be the stitch you slipped on the last row and one
from the shawl. This resulting stitch becomes the U of the next row. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| July
2006
Welcome to the July 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 I have a special treat for you. My daughter, Nancy, is making I show the peg on "Flora's Wrap", my new kit. It is a
construction I call "Three Triangles" and the theme is flowers.
The stitches are mostly original or adaptions of stitches using texture on
lace. The kit comes with 5 ounces of wool/silk in any of the many colors
Jaggerspun offers. There is a lot of instruction, in fact a whole book.
You are sure to learn something new. For the adventurous knitter. $30. For those of you who live near Washington DC, I will be teaching at the
Springwater Fiber Workshop in Alexandria VA in August. On Friday the 11th
I will teach a 2 hour class, "Kinds of Lace". Then on Sat. the
12th there will be a six hour class, "Russian (Inspired) Shawl
Construction" and on Sun. the 13th "Endless Edgings" will
be taught. If you are interested you may contact Carolyn Atwater at
cwovenexp@yahoo.com I have some new, reprinted, or new-to-me books to tell you about. "Mastering Lacework" is a new book. By Annie Maloney, spiral
bound, it claims "to inform and inspire knitters with basic to
advanced skills, and to promote the craft of lacework knitting." Lots
of instruction for the beginning lace knitter. $30 Melanie Falick has a new book, "Handknit Holidays" Knitting
Year-Round for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Winter Solstice. This is a
beautiful hardcover book. The photos are by Susan Pittard. Lots of great
projects. $27 "Handknitting with Meg Swansen" is in its fourth printing.
About time I found this great book! Wonderful, wonderful book. Your
knitting bookshelf must have this one. $12 paperbound. Now for a bit of fluff. Knitticisms. . and other purls of Wisdom by
Voyageur Press is a collection of short essays, old ads, and bits of
oh-so-true advice. You will like this. $12 hardcover. "The Knitting Goddess" by Deborah Bergman is an absorbing
read. The stories of the Goddesses are wrapped around very simple
projects. Symbolism is emphasized, empowering your knitting with
creativity and meaning. I loved this one. $12 NEW STITCH It is worked on the back side on live stitches. K into the front, back, and front of the next stitch. Let the discard
stitch off. Turn your work and P these three stitches. Turn again and work
a centered double decrease on these same three stitches. (Meg Swansen
teaches this by: slip 2 sts together as if to K, slip the third as if to
P, put the lefthand point into the front of the three and K them together
through the back) (Kind of the way you do for a SSK.) R this stitch. K it
in the back loop. Enlarge this stitch by pulling it up and remove the
needle from it. Put the right needle point through the fabric at the base
of the bobble, front to back. Put the loose stitch on the needle point and
pull through. You now have 2 stitches on the right needle. Yarn forward, R the 2 stitches, P2tog. Now go back to the *____* until
it is time for the next bobble. This will take you less time to do then it takes to read. Try it, it's
fun. And, have fun with all your knitting! |
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| June
2006
Welcome to the June 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 July will find me at the TKGA show in Valley Forge at the convention
center. Thursday the 13th is preview night. Then Friday, Sat. & Sun
are open to the public. Check out the website at
www.KnitAndCrochetShow.com I will be at booth 418. There is a yahoo group trying to get Burda to publish a collection of
Niebling Patterns. If you want to help, you need to sign up. Here is the
link. SALE The shawl pins by Steve Hanson have been very popular. He has added a
couple of new styles. Two are shell designs, Abalone and Black Shell. Both
can be turned over. Your choice of ebony sticks or bronze sticks. There is
also a gold heart. This is real gold, 24 K, on metal form. Your choice of
brown wood (ebony) stick or the bronze (which is slightly lighter than the
gold). I will not have these pins at the show in July by agreement with
the artist as he will have a booth there. I still have several of the
older styles on hand. Shawl pins are $29 with $3 shipping if ordered
alone. On the left is the Abalone, both sides. The picture does not do it
justice. On the right is the black shell and the heart. I have finished the model of Frost Diamonds scarf done in the Harmony
yarn. 70% alpaca, 20% silk and 10% Cashmere, very thin, absolutely
beautiful. Even tho I used a smaller needle than I had used in the
original kit the size of the scarf is about the same--50" by
14". I give you plenty of the yarn so you could make it much larger
if you wanted. This kit uses the Russian shawl techniques which lets you
work the edge at the same time as the body of the scarf. It is a little
bit of a sampler in that there are five diamonds with five different
designs in them. Frost Diamonds Kit $45. As most of you know I hosted a week-long workshop on Cape Cod early
this month. We did a triangular shawl called Flora's Wrap. It is a
construction I call "Three Triangles" and the theme was flowers.
The stitches are mostly original or adaptions of stitches using texture on
lace. The kit is now available. It comes with 5 ounces of wool/silk in any
of the many colors Jaggerspun offers. There is a lot of instruction. You
are sure to learn something new. For the adventurous knitter. $30. |
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| May
2006
Welcome to the May 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not
wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the
subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will
never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 This will be a short letter as I am preparing for the Moontide
workshop. July will find me at the TKGA show in Valley Forge at the
convention center. Thursday the 13th is preview night. Then Friday, Sat.
& Sun are open to the public. Check out the website at
www.KnitAndCrochetShow.com I will be at booth 418. SALE I carry selected patterns from Fiber Trends and find them to be
excellent--doable for most beginners and yet looking like heirloom
projects. Here are some I would like to recommend. The patterns are $6
each and shipping is $2 for any amount. First is "Spirit of the
Southwest Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark. It is triangular, starting at the
center back top. It calls for a lace weight yarn and is shown in Zephyr
wool/silk. Next there is "Bella" by Bev Galeskas. The shaping is
intriguing and it is on my list to try. Eugen Beugler has done
"Spring Blossoms Shawl" It is a square, knit from the center
out. Also by Eugen is the "Flower Eyelet Afghan" Size 10 needles
and worsted weight yarn makes this a fast project. LESSON The enlarged Thruway Crossing starts on the row below when you will
make six double throws as you knit the six sts that will be crossed. Put
the needle in as to knit, wrap the yarn around twice, or sometimes more,
and knit so that all the wraps are on the righthand needle. On the next
row, slip the sts one, by one, letting the extra loop(s) off. You will
have six long loops on the needle. Slip them back without twisting. Go
thru the first three stitches--right thru the middle--and grap the second
three, as if you were going to knit them together. But don't. Just pull
them thru the first three. I usually put my forefinger between these two
groups to keep them in place as I knit them off one by one. In working on Flora's Wrap, the project for Moontide, I played around
with these sts and came up with this motif. It looks like a seedling. Here
it is in Lace Shorthand. > 1 P15 1 I will have more from Flora's wrap in the next newsletter. Maybe even a
kit. Til then, have fun knitting! |
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| April
2006
Welcome to the April 2006 issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do
not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in
the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and
will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is
copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed. Hard to believe that April is over. I have had a very busy month with
two trips. The first was to Montreal and Ottawa. I taught for the Ottawa
guild and stayed with Christine Walter. She is a new designer and a cat
lover so we had a lot to talk about. You can see one of her felted designs
in the current issue of Creative Knitting--a felted tea cozy. She showed
me a poncho that will be submitted soon that can be worn with the points
down the arms or with the points in front and back. It is stunning. I
predict we will be seeing lots of her work in the years to come. Christine
Walter cwalter@rogers.com I also taught a workshop at Wool-Tyme, probably
the largest and most successful yarn shop I have ever seen. Check them out
at www.wool-tyme.com My second trip was to Westchester NY where I taught a workshop for the
guild and then gave a lecture class to the meeting. What an enthusiastic
group! If the maintenance people hadn't insisted that we leave, we would
have gone on til the wee hours. Coming up in June is the Moontide workshop on Cape Cod. I have one
opening left. June 3 to 10, with lodging at a cabin community right on the
ocean in Wellfleet. There will be six lessons on "Texture in
Lace". The project is a triangular shawl called "Flora's
Wrap" done in wool/silk. If you are interested, please E-mail me
ASAP. BOOK NEWS Now for some good news: Mosaic Knitting by Barbara Walker is coming
back! This was out of print for some time and going for a small fortune on
E-bay. Schoolhouse press decided to bring it back--next spring and only $1
more than its old price. If you don't want to wait, I have two copies left
at a price between list and E-bay--$30. Years ago I had a retired machinist make short needles that I sold.
When he no longer wanted to make them, I had enough for my own work in my
private stash. I have since carried the plastic ones made by Addi, but had
not tried them. But now I know first hand how good they are. Just the
right length, great points, smooth, etc. They are made in Germany and come
5 to a package. Size 0, 1, 2, & 3. $8 a package-$2 shipping (any
amount) if ordered alone. Mother's day gift idea.. Lesson |
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| March
2006
Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well,
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440 Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies are
not guaranteed. Sale Here we have top row: black, light blue, peacock I am working on a model of my "Frost Diamonds" scarf kit in
the Harmony yarn and finding a number of errors in the charts. So, there
will be a general update of this kit. If you have bought this kit in the
past, please E-mail me for the new instructions. But, let me rave on about the Harmony yarn. It is such a joy to work
with! It never splits, behaves beautifully and feels wonderful in the
hands. Here is a small swatch I worked up with a size O needle. The updated Frost Diamonds kit comes with 3 ounces of the Harmony in
Natural. It will be about 10" wide and 50" long with a size O
needle. There is plenty of yarn to make it longer. It will have a much
more open look than this picture of one done in a 2/20 yarn.
LESSON If you wish to make a straight vertical line of holes, you need to do
so every 4th row. In garter st that will be the same distance between
holes as you will get if you work O, decrease across a row for a horizonal
row of holes. There is much more about eyelets, yarnovers, faggotting etc in the
video $39. Most ethic patterns use eyelets, putting the increase and decrease next
to each other and giving a relief row between. The Fiber Trend patterns by
Evelyn Clark are the best example of what can be done with this technique.
She is able to create pictures using only the simple eyelets. The Seascape
and the Spirit of the Southwest are two I am particularly fond of. Fiber
Trends patterns $6 each with $2 shipping for any amount if ordered alone. It's SPRING and time for springtime eggs. I have updated this kit as
well, adding a couple of patterns. You get plastic eggs, yarn and
instructions for 6 patterns, a knit basket and the following hint on
covering a glass dish. All this for $12. Have fun knitting! |
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| February
2006
Welcome to the February 2006 issue of the
MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list,
simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away
my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order
and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return
customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are
processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440
Please note that prices may change without notice and that supplies
are not guaranteed.
Sale
This is a Jaggerspun yarn I will no longer be carrying. It is their
Superfine Merino, 100 Aust. Wool in a 2/18 thickness. This is just a
tad skinnier than the wool/silk. I have seven cones that vary from
14.5 ounces to 17 ounces. Starting at the upper left there is Chanel,
Sage, Peacock. The second line holds Elderberry, White, French Blue.
And in the forefront there is Raspberry. The wholesale price is $19 a
pound. First come first served at $15 a cone.
Please order by color name. $5 shipping regardless of the size of the
order. This is an opportunity you don't find very often.
The North Country Spinners are planning their Fibre Fallout 2006 to be
held at the Johnsonburg Conference Center in Johnsonburg NJ. The dates
are Sept 29-Oct 1, 2006. Fabulous teachers! Outstanding selection of
classes! Definitely not to be missed. Go to www.northcountryspinners.org
for all the details.
Moontide
We are completely sold
out for the Cape Cod workshop in June. If there is sufficient
interest, I could repeat it in Sept. Let me know.
Loom
I have decided to concentrate on knitting and so have my loom for
sale. It is a Leclerc Nilus with a 45" width and four harnesses.
It is very heavy (154lbs) and easy working; large enough that dressing
it is not a problem. The top and front beam are removable for
access to the heddles and to facilitate threading. I found that the
shed was always perfect, even when the pattern called for one against
three. The six treadles equalize the weight of each harness. Another
advantage--it folds slightly to 25" deep. The open dimensions are
length 55", width 38", and total height is 44". The
condition is good. The only flaw I am aware of is that the brake cable
needs to be reattached. Needless to say, it needs to be picked up here
in Bucks County. You will need two strong helpers. Any offer above
$800 will be considered and a decision made the end of the month.
E-mail questions, request pictures, or better yet, arrange to come out
and look at it.
"Three is a Magic Number" is the name I have given my new
kit. It will be available March 15th. Judith Rankin and I are doing a
final test knit. There will be nine triangular patterns that can be
arranged to make a shawl, a scarf, or a stole. The yarn is a blend of
Alpaca and Silk. It will include a 7 ounce skein of yarn--enough to
make a couple of garments. $55 will be the price.
Several of the patterns are original. Here are two for you to try. Not
copyrighted--please share.
The first I call "Crossing Drill". It is adapted from a
stitch in Mary Walker Phillips' book on counterpanes. I arranged the
two row stitch in groups of 4 with 3 garter stitches between. For each
of the four stitches on the front side of the fabric work a double
throw--that is wrap the yarn around twice and pull thru as you would a
regular st. On the return row slip each of these stitches to the
righthand needle without twisting them, letting the extra loops drop. Put
them back on the left needle, again without twisting. Now, the tricky
part. Put the righthand needle point into the front of the first two
stitches and twist the needle enough to go into the last two stitches
as if you were going to somehow knit them together, but don't do that.
Just pull them thru the first two stitches. Leave them, still on the
needle and hold your left forefinger on all four so they don't slip
back. Knit the stitches one by one, in this new order, 3,4,1,2. What
you have done is to pull two stitches right thru the other two so that
the "crossing" is part of the fabric, not on the surface as
a cable would be.
This one is called "Trade-off" and this is the back side. It
is a lovely mesh pattern. The front is a sort of texture, kind of
pebble-like. The first row is O, ^, O, 1. The second row is plain K.
The third row you will trade-off, that is place the O, ^, O over the 1
and the 1 over the ^. The fourth row is plain K. The key is O =
yarnover and ^ = double decrease that is centered. (Slip two together
as if to K, K1 and pass the two, still together, over and off).
Addi Turbos back
by popular demand. Here are the sizes I have:
OOO in 24", 32" or 40" $14 each.
O & 1 & 2 in 24", 32", or 40"
$10 each.
3 in 24", 32", or 40" $12 each.
Shipping is $3 if needles are all you are ordering.
Lesson in Faggotting
I love to teach this part of the basic lesson. It is easy and fun and
a source of wonderment that so many different looks can be achieved
with a tiny change in the decrease used. All faggotting is done on the
stitches in every row, (unlike eyelets that are done with a plain
return row). The basic stitch is a O followed by a decrease--a two
stitch unit. First I teach my favorite the purl two together decrease.
The students are working on 20 stitches. There is an edge stitch on
each end of every row which is knit. So there are 9 units over the 18
sts. Ready? Knit your edge st. *O, purl 2 tog.* repeat until you have
used 18 sts. K your edge st. Turn and repeat on the return row. Notice
that your O of the previous row is the second st of your decrease.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| January
2006
Welcome to the January 2006 issue of the
MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply
reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away
my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order
and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return
customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are
processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440.
SALE
First come, first served. One copy only of most of these. Prices
way below retail. Pay $3 shipping for one book. $5 for any order larger
than one book.
Magnificent Mittens
by Anna Zilboorg $20
Mostly Mittens
by Charlene Schurch $15
Sweaters from the Seaton Collection $10
50 Heirloom Buttons $10
by Nancy Nehring
Barbara Abbey's Knitting Lace
class copy with damaged
hard cover $15
FAIR WARNING
For orders placed after March 1 the
following pricing changes will be in effect: The Lace Scarf Kit, up to
$20: The Strawberry Fields Forever, up to $20: Frost Diamonds scarf kit
in the wool/cashmere blend, down to $35 with only a limited amount left.
Also, my price for teaching will go up to a basic charge of $150 for 3
hours and $300 for a six hour day. This is for any class booked after
March 1.
LESSON
This month's newsletter will cover the
"yarnovers" portion of my basic lesson on lace stitches. This
is taken from my video called "The Formation of Lace Stitches &
Lace Shorthand" and was produced by North Design. The video is
$39.95. If you reference this newsletter, I will send you the full
hand-out that I give when I teach this class. It is a full-format of the
small booklet that comes with the video.
O's at the edge of an expanding
triangle
The lesson starts at the bottom point of a
triangle with a one stitch cast-on that will not distort to either side.
(Use it with the heart given below) Hold a needle in your left hand and
lay the end of the thread over the needle with the end to the back.
Cross the end to the front of the ball end and hold it with the fingers
of the left hand. To work the first row, which is "yarnover, knit
to the end," put the right needle into position coming behind the
working thread so it lays over the needle as you put the point into the
stitch. (Continue to hold the short end). Notice that this is the same
path that the thread would take in a yarnover in the middle of the work.
Knit the stitch. Turn and repeat this row as many times as you want,
knitting one more stitch time as the triangle expands.
Make one
Sometimes the old patterns use Make 1 or M1
to mean yarnover (O), but sometimes they mean a Raised Open increase.
Often modern writers have misunderstood and given the wrong
instructions. I use M1 to mean the Raised Open Increase. It makes a
smaller hole than the O and it makes it in the row below! Pick up the
running thread between two stitches and knit it without twisting it.
That's all there is to it.
The enlarged yarnover
There are four standard yarnovers that
differ in size. Here they are, smallest to largest: P, O, K -- K,
O, K --
P, O, P -- K, O, P. If you are
knitting and want to do a yarnover before purling the next stitch, you
would put the yarn in front between the needles and then around the
righthand needle to the front again, in position to purl. You will use a
lot of yarn. When you have purled the stitches and then want to yarnover
to go back to knitting, if you just put the yarn over the needle you
will use a minimum of yarn. So here is a mirror image of the K,O,P. When
you finish purling the stitches, your yarn will be in front. Put the
yarn to the back between the needles, over and around the righthand
needle and to the back again. I use the symbol O+ to indicate this.
Another time I like to use the O+ is when I have a yarnover that does
not have a decrease next to it and want this yarnover to match one the
has the decrease. For some reason most knitters find that a yarnover
standing by itself is smaller. I suggest you keep the O+ in mind any
time you want a slightly larger yarnover.
The double yarnover
A double yarnover, OO, needs a special
maneuver to make into two stitches. The one most often seen is the
"Victorian" eyelet. Where you knit the first loop and purl the
second. Or, if you are purling that row, it is easier to purl the first
loop and knit the second. The yarn, moving between the needles make a
little bump in the top of the hole. I usually prefer to make an "embrodiery
eyelet" by knitting in the first loop and then knitting into the
back of the second loop. It makes a rounder hole and it is faster to do.
You could also make a smaller, round hole by working with a single O and
making two stitches from it by knitting in the front and back of that
single O on the next row.
Next month I will give you an overview
of faggot stitches, again from the video.
I couldn't let Valentine's day go by without
a pattern for a little heart. This is from my kit called,
"Many Hearts" $10 only $3
shipping if ordered alone.
This kit gives 6 designs for hearts using 6
different techniques for shaping.
I also give you 2 designs for knitted
envelopes.
There is enough red, pink and white cotton
thread to make hearts for all your sweethearts.
This is #6 "Wedge Heart" . It
starts at the bottom with one stitch that enlarges with yarnovers at the
edge. I give a little lace pattern to dress this plain section up. The
the shoulders of the heart are knit with a short row pattern.
Start at the point with a "no
distortion" cast on. Increases are O's at the start of every row to
the shoulders. Key K---> = K to the end /3
= K3tog (#) = number left when you turn
@ = turn without wrapping
/ = K2tog O = yarnover U = 3 st unit O,
double decrease, O
Cast on 1--Do this by putting thread over needle, twist the two ends and hold them. O, and K1. Turn and O, K to end. Repeat this row until you have 5 sts on the needle. Next row: O, 1, U, 1. The return rows are O, K-->. Next pattern row is O, 2, U, 2. Then O, 3, U, 3. Followed by O, 1, /, O, 1, U, 1, O, /, 1 (12 sts on needle). On the next pattern row you will work 3 U's thusly: O, 1, U, 1, U, 1, U, 1. Next pattern row, O, 2, U, 1, U, 1, U, 2. You can see the sequence. The U's line up vertically with the increased stitches added to the pattern as you can. After you have 25 sts on the needle you are ready to work the shoulders. 1. O / 9 /|\ 11
27. O / 9 @ (1) 2. O / 9 @ (12) 28. 11 3. 11 29. O / 7 @ (3) 4. O / 7 @ (14) 30. 9 5. 9 31. O / 5 @ (5) 6. O / 5 @ (16) 32. 7 7. 7 33. O / 3 @ (7) 8. O / 3 @ (18) 34. 5 9. 5 35. O / 1 @ (9) 10. O / 1 @ (20) 36. 3 11. 3 37. O / 9 @ (1) 12. O / 9 @ (12) 38. 11 13. 11 39. O / 7 @ (3) 14. O / 7 @ (14) 40. 9 15. 9 41. O /3 4 @ (5) 16. O /3 4 @ (16) 42. 6 17. 6 43. O /3 1 @ (7) 18. O /3 1 @ (18) 44. 3 19. 3 45. O /3 6 @ (1) 20. O /3 6 @ (12) 46. 8 21. 8 47. O /3 3 @ (3) 22. O /3 3 @ (14) 48. 5 23. 5 49. O /3 @ (5) 24. O /3 @ (16) 50. 2 25. 2 51. O /3 Bind off the O, then K and bind off 4 more. end thread 26. O /3 Bind off the O, K and bind off 4 more. Happy Valentine's day. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| December
2005
Welcome to the December 2005 issue of the
MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list,
simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away
my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order
and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return
customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are
processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440.
I hope your holiday was great. Now it is
time to settle down for some winter knitting. How about some really
thin yarn to make an heirloom shawl or scarf?
This is "Harmony". It comes to
us from Peru, via Canada. It is 70% Alpaca, 20% silk, and 10%
Cashmere. And, 100% wonderful! The thinness, 2/32,
10,000 yd a lb makes it a bit of a challenge, but so satisfying when
the challenge is met. The natural is $40 for a 9 oz skein and the dyed
is $50 for the skein. The yarn is dyed by Jamie Harmon with natural
dyes.
I have just finished a trianglar shawl and
found a good trick for dressing. I put down a flannel sheet on the
carpet and marked my desired corners with a pin. Then I ran pieces of
cloth tape such as "mystic" to mark my triangle. Then I put
the wet shawl down and stretched and pinned to the tape. The tape
seemed to help the pins stay in place and was easily removed from the
sheet.
My hints for the beginning of the new year
will be a review of the basic lace stitches. You all know how to do
most of them, but do you understand the difference between
yarn-round-needle and yarn over? And how are they different from make
1? I will cover all the parts of the basic course I teach over a
couple of months. If you don't want to wait and want if all now, there
is a video available. It is produced by North Design. $39.95 will make
it yours. Incidentally, you have legal permission to use the tape
should you want to teach from it.
The beautiful shawl pins sold out very
quickly. But I have another supply in if you missed out. They are $29
and come in gold plate or sterling silver plate. Please let me know
which style by the placement in the picture. The lower righthand one
is rounder in this most recent order. Both the gold and silver pins
come with a matching plain stick. The fancy silver sticks have sold
out. I do have some ebony sticks that look good with either the gold
or silver. They are $4 extra.
It is a New England custom to burn a
bayberry candle on New Year's eve. I decided to make a new
candle-glass sleeve and chose a design from the "Pruden Knitting
Diary" It is Mrs. Fisher's Spider Lace, #13. For those of you who
may not know, I wrote this book, based on an old knitting journal. I
reworked and charted the patterns and then wrote them in Lace
Shorthand. I am embarassed to tell you that I found four--FOUR errors
in the four-pattern-row Lace Shorthand!
Here is the corrected Lace Shorthand:
8. BO3
knit to end
(25)
8 0 / 1 /
0 1 0 / 1 / 0 1
0 / 1 / 0
2 U
7.
6.
knit to end
7 / 0 3 0 <<
0 3 0 << 0 3
0 / 1 U
5.
4.
knit to end
8 / 0 1 0
/ 1 / 0 1 0
/ 1 / 0 1 0 /
2 U 3.
2.
knit to end--see note on 000
(28) 3
000 3 0 << 0
3 0 << 0 3
0 << 0 3 U
1.
Cast on 25 sts using a provisional cast
on. Knit back.
Key O = yarn over / =
K2tog << = double decrease to left
U = slip
BO =* K2tog, return to left* repeat 2 more
times (no need to return the last one.
notes a.To knit off the 000 you may
K1,P1,P1 or, for a rounder hole K1, K the next two in the back. This
is easily done by putting the right point into the front of the loop
and moving the needle over the left point until you are in the back.
b. I like the K3 in the back for the left
double decrease. If you put the right point into the front of the
stitches and then move it under the other needle to the back, this
move is easy to do.
c.I used #10 crochet cotton and size 0
needles. 12 repeats was just right for this old fashion glass. To fit
right the knitting needs to be stretched to go around the glass.
d. Graph after row 7. Or, because a seam
is not the end of the world, you could use a regular cast on and bind
off and sew the seam. Wet the cover and pull it over the glass to dry.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
The Pruden Knitting Diary (with the
corrections made) is available for $16 It contains 28 vintage edging
patterns, most from the 1890's. With an introduction and history by
Janet Johnson Stephens. If you already have the book, please correct
pattern #13.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| November
2005
Welcome to the November issue of the MOONRISE
newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply
with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order
and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return
customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are
processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440.
I have a wonderful new item,
just right for holiday giving--sterling silver stitch
markers. There are three styles, in sets of six in a darling
little silk pouch. The ones on the right in the blue pouch are bails and
will fit up to a size 3 needle. They are $20 for six in the pouch.
On the left, on a size O needle are Bali charms. Six of these in the red
pocket are $18. And in the green bag are skinny rings that will fit
a 3 needle. They are only $10 for a set of six. Jewelry for your
knitting! $2 shipping if ordered alone.
Here's another gift idea
Shawl pins that are light as a feather and won't pull down even the
laciest of shawls. They are gold or silver plated and come in the four
designs pictured below. The gold shawl pins are now in stock. Same
patterns as shown in silver. They come with a plain stick like that in
the upper left. I still have a couple of the fancy sterling silver
sticks left. Shawl Pin $29. Fancy stick $8. Shipping on these if ordered
alone is $2. Please state silver or gold and position in the picture.
Moontide
Moontide is a week-long workshop held in Wellfleet, Cape Cod. This
year it will be June 3-10. Both Saturdays are travel days. There are
six lesson days with study in the mornings and afternoons free to
enjoy the Cape. The topic this year will be Texture in Lace
Knitting. I have designed a triangular shawl (three triangle
construction). The shawl is called "Flora's Wrap" and uses
texture to display the cycle of plant life. Flora is the Roman Goddess
of flowers and gardens. This will be done in your color choice of
wool/silk. Any adventurous knitter can do this.
Lodging will be at Surfside cottage community. The teaching fee
for the week is $300 with $50 of it due at registration and $100 more
due in Jan., with half your lodging fee. The remainder is due in
March. Lodging is priced at $275 for a twin bed in a shared room and
$300 for your own room. Classroom space forces a limit on students.
There is room for two more students. If you are interested, don't
delay. When I receive the $50 deposit, I will call or E-mail you to
discuss your lodging needs and answer any questions you may have. If
you are concerned with speed, you may use Paypal. Full refund if the
workshop is cancelled for any reason.
LESSON IN SHORTROW CONSTRUCTION WITH A SNOWFLAKE PATTERN
This month I have a pattern for you that uses the shortrow technique. It
is a snowflake that you can stiffen and hang on your holiday tree or put
in your window. The shortrow or wedge construction uses just two needles
to make a round piece. Usually the knitter makes every other row
a little shorter until there is only a few edging stitches being worked.
Then the next row goes all the way to the center and the next wedge is
worked. Barbara Abbey's Knitting Lace has patterns for a number of
doilies done this way. I have several vintage pieces as well. All have
pretty terrible joins or seams. Today we can use a provisional cast-on
and a graft to join, so the finished piece is neater. The other change I
made in the construction is to work 12 sections, flipping the wedges so
the long sides are together and form six points. I designed an edge for
the 32 row double sections. The number of stitches unworked or reworked
was the next problem I worked with. After a couple of trial and error
attempts I found that alternating one and two stitches in the length of
the rows worked best. The notation is done in Lace Shorthand. If you
would like a chart done in the more det
Notes:
Pattern rows only are shown. / = k2tog
\ = ssk OO = double yarn over #'s indicate number of K sts.
Return rows--turn work, yarn back, slip 1 as to P,
knit to end.
Cast on 21 using provisional cast-on. Do not knit
back.
Repeat pattern 6 times. Row 32 of the lst repeat is
the grafting row.
Put provisional stitches on needle. Careful of the OO.
This loop will become the double eyelet hole when you are grafting.
(Fudge as needed to keep it open.)
Cut yarn at 18" and thread a tapastry needle.
Run the thread through the six center ridges and tighten to close center
of your snowflake.
Now, hold "ridges" together and use the
garter graft (as to K and off, as to P and pull through), working one
needle at a time. You will be working from the center out.
Neaten end. Block snowflake and stiffen if desired.
Instructions for other decorations can be
found in the "Christmas Lace" leaflet. There is a conventional
snowflake, a shortrow ball cover and a wonderful angel made with two
medallions. This is only $8 with an additional $1 for postage if ordered
alone.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| October
2005
Welcome to the Oct. issue of the MOONRISE
newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply
with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by
"blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also,
nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order
and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return
customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are
processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440.
The Harmony yarn continues to sell well. In fact, I only have one more
skein of the Persimmons and three of the Bluebell. Jamie Harmon, who
does the dyeing, will not be able to dye more until May. I have plenty
of the natural on hand. Harmony 9 oz skein, natural. .$40
or dyed. . $50.
The number one best seller at Stitches was the Lace Sampler Scarf kit.
This has been my all over best seller for 15 years and continues at the
original price of $15. I give lots of instruction making this a good
beginners kit. Included in the instruction is a supplement to make the
corners and edge in the Russian technique and also to make the initials
as shown below. It comes in any of the colors of the Jaggerspun
wool/silk. Lace Sampler Scarf kit. . .$15 please
give a first and second color choice.
Click here to see the
color chart.
SHAWL PINS
I have decided to make these a permanant part of my inventory. The four
styles pictured below will be offered in both sterling silver plate or
gold plate. They will come with a plain stick. If you would like the
fancy sterling silver stick, add $8 to the cost. The
shipping on these is $2. Think Christmas! Shawl Pin. . .
$29 Make selection based on position in picture and state
whether you want gold or silver.
COSMOS KIT Accomplished lace knitter, Jan Trapkin, has found an
error in my instructions. On page 6, round 3, side section. It should be:
1
12 X (3
O ƒ
O ) 3
Thank you, Jan. If you have this kit, please make the correction.
THREE ANNOUNCEMENTS
NJAC The New Jersey Alpaca Community will have an event
in Hillsborough NJ on Saturday Nov. 5th. For information and directions
see www.discoveralpacas.org
or call 908-806-6255.
Mary Walker Phillips There will be an exhibit of the
Creative Knitting and Textile Art of Mary Walker Phillips in Fresno CA
at the Fresno Art Museum. Dates are Nov. 15 to Jan 6th. Patricia
Abrahamian is guest curator and can be reach through the museum:
559-441-4221 or www.fresnoartmuseum.org
for general information.
Canadian Guild of Knitters is expanding their magazine,
Knit Together. They are a small organization, but forward
looking and dedicated to promotion the craft of knitting. Website is www.CGKnitters.ca
--check it out. The magazine is only available with a membership.
Exciting News
Moontide is back!
Moontide is a week-long workshop held in Wellfleet, Cape Cod. This year
it will be June 3-10. Both Saturdays are travel days. There are six
lesson days with study in the mornings and afternoons free to enjoy the
Cape. The topic this year will be Texture in Lace Knitting. I have
designed a triangular shawl (three triangle construction). The shawl is
called "Flora's Wrap" and uses texture to display the cycle of
plant life. Flora, pictured above, is the Roman Goddess of flowers and
gardens. This will be done in your color choice of wool/silk. Any
adventurous knitter can do this.
Lodging will be at Surfside cottage community. I have booked two cabins
and will get another if interest warrants. Surfside is across the street
from the ocean and down the road from a number of ponds. We will
actually be in Seashore National Park with endless trails to walk. The
village of Wellfleet has several truly unique shops and many art
galleries. The cabins have full kitchens and one bath. It is not
required that you stay with us, but it does add to the experience.
The teaching fee for the week is $300 with $50 of it due at registration
and $100 more due in Jan., with half your lodging fee. The remainder is
due in March. Lodging is priced at $275 for a twin bed in a shared room
and $300 for your own room. Classroom space forces a limit on students,
9 at the most.
If you are interested, don't delay--I expect this to sell out quickly.
When I receive the $50 deposit, I will call or E-mail you to discuss
your lodging needs and answer any questions you may have. If you are
concerned with speed, you may use Paypal. Full refund if the workshop is
cancelled for any reason.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| September
2005
Welcome to the Sept issue of the
MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply
reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these
newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away
my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your order
and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return
customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are
processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I
have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped
for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304
Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440.
I'm home from Stitches with many good
memories of seeing old friends and meeting many new ones. My new
yarn "Harmony", sold very well. I am looking forward to
working with it myself. I named the colors before I had seen them.
They now have better names. The blue is "Bluebell", the
cranberry is more of a "persimmon" and the tan is
"spice".
We did the math--the 9 oz skein has 5670
yards. Enough for two large shawls and a scarf or one shawl for the
statue of Liberty! The undyed is $40 for the 9 ounces. The dyed is $50
a skein.
The special this month is a beginner's
kit--a gauge, Barbara Abbey's book, "Knitting Lace", and the
video, "The formation of Lace Stitches". What a perfect gift
for someone just starting in this wonderful art/craft. Regular price
for these three items is $77. The kit is offered for the month of Oct.
at $65.
At Stitches I found these fantastic shawl
pins. They are incredible light and the designs are classic. Here is
the selection on hand. I have only two of each right now. So, please
give me a second choice if you can--personally, I can't make a
choice--I want them all! I will order more when these go. For now, it
is first come, first served.
It's a little hard to see the
numbers.
They read left to right, each row--1-9.
I am waiting for the sticks. Expect
your order in about 10 days. Made of
antique finished brass in a silver color, they measure 2-4
inches. They are so light they will not pull even the lightest shawl.
$29 each with $1 shipping if ordered alone.
HINT
To continue with our discussion of lace
grounds, I want to give you three rules to help you place motifs on
the grounds. The first is my most important rule for any lace
knitting:
LOOK UP AND DOWN--ON THE CHART AND
ON YOUR KNITTING
Know the pattern for the lace ground so
completely that you do not have to look at the pattern. First study
the chart so you know at all times just where you are and what stitch
is going to come over what previous stitch. If the pattern is
symetrical, and most are, keep your eye on the center. In placing
the motif fudging is often necessary. This should only be done at the
edges. The center part of the ground must be regular and (dare I say)
perfect. Errors are really seen in the middle of the ground, but at
the edges of the piece, or the edges of the motifs,
"adjustments" become part of the pattern.
PAIR THE INCREASES AND DECREASES
On the edges, do not do an increase if you
will not have enough stitches to do the corresponding decrease or the
other way around. Often the increase and decrease are separated, but
they must still balance. Here is where you might make your
"design changes" by working a single stitch instead of a
decrease if there is not room for the increase or the hole would not
look right at the edge. I will never tell if you work a double
decrease to make up for an extra increase that needs to be there, just
as long as you put it at the edges. If you are shaping the fabric,
markers at the beginning and end of the lace ground pattern repeat
might help.
PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THE EYE SEES
The basic rule about this in lace knitting
is that the eye sees the holes. Decreases become part of the solid
work. In working with lace grounds, the eye also sees consistency in
the mesh. Or, more correctly, one sees errors in the mesh.
When you put a lace ground within a solid motif, try to get a smooth
edge on the inside. Many times a motif will be outlined on the outside
with a line of O's. To place motifs on a lace ground on a chart I
suggest that you lightly pencil in the whole chart with the lace
ground stitches and then place the motifs. Make the necessary
adjustments on the edges to keep the lace ground correct. Sometimes a
minor change in the motifs can make fitting it much easier.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| August
2005 Welcome to the August issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. MOONRISE will be at Stitches East Sept 22nd thru the 25th. The booth is #734, right across from the demo area and near the snack vendors. I have a new kit, "What's your sign", made with a thin blend of Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere. It is an advanced project. I'm guessing that many lace knitters are ready for more advanced work. MOONRISE is going to be carrying a new yarn--"HARMONY". The blend is 70% alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere. It is a 2/32, thinner than the yarn in the above kit, and comes in 8 ounce skeins in natural for $40 and dyed (by Jamie Harmon) in ocean, beach, or cranberry. The dyed skeins will sell for $50. You can probably make two shawls with the 8 ounces, or one large one and a couple of scarfs. Incredibly soft, this yarn is a joy to work with. I recommend a size O needle. If you send me a stamped self-addressed envelope with the word "harmony" written on it, I will send you a generous sample to play with. I will take orders now, but will not be able to mail them before the last week in Sept. Of course, if you come to stitches, you will get a preview! I have had many requests for long circulars and now stock the Addi Turbos in 40", as well as the expected 24". I have OOO's, OO's, O's, 1, 2, 3 & 4. The join is perfect--wish the points were a bit sharper. The price is $8 and shipping is $2 for any number of needles. Hint This month I would like to talk about lace grounds. The dollar store placemat below shows 5 or 6 different lace grounds. It is the basis of the design. Marianne Kinzel's designs get a good deal of their charm from her use of several different grounds setting off the motifs. There are at least four in the doily pictured to the left. When we are working a needlecraft where there is only one color, as most of our work is, this design technique allows us to set off parts of the design and define shapes with fills or backgrounds. Barbara Abbey has a whole chapter on grounds in her book "Knitting Lace". Barbara Walker's patterns in the beginning of her lace stitch chapters are small stitch patterns that can be used as grounds. And, of course, a study of Marianne Kinzel's books will yield ideas. So, how does the lace knitter build up her personal repertory of lace grounds? Pick up your needles and a smooth yarn, find something good to drink and some nice music and take some time to just play. Start with faggotting--a yarnover followed by a decrease, every row. Now try the same decrease, but make the return row plain K or P. Now you have an eyelet pattern. What happens when you off-set the decrease? How about a double decrease with yarnovers each side--done lined up vertically makes a stripe or off set gives an all over pattern. The "open star" from B. Walker uses a pass stitch over two and off for the decrease--it goes, O, K3, pass 1knit st over the other two. It is amazing how just changing the decrease changes the look. The smaller the number of stitches or rows needed, the easier it is to shape the ground. Again, I suggest a study of the M. Kinzel books for this. I will add my two cents' worth next month. "Barbara Abbey's Knitting Lace" $22, First Book of Modern Lace Knitting, Marianne Kinzel $7, Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting $8, The Barbara Walker Treasuries There are four. $28 each. More than one, $25 each. Fall is a busy season for all of us. Don't forget to take some time for yourself. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| July
2005 Welcome to the July issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. I have the perfect summer knitting for you! Evelyn A. Clark's "Bathtime Blossoms" are the sweetest facecloths I have seen. They are done with the short-row technique popular years ago. Three different designs with soap sacks to match. I have charted three co-ordinated edging patterns to go on a hand towel. The Fiber Trends pattern with my charts is $6 (Any number of Fiber Trends patterns will be shipped for $2). I also offer a kit--a 50 gram ball of 100% cotton in white, yellow, or williamsburg blue; a hand towel in white, yellow, or dark blue; and of course, the pattern with the edging charts. All this for $12 Sad news The following books are out of print: Aromatic gifts and Traditional Lace Knitting by Furze Hewitt, Tradition Victorian Whitework, and perhaps Creative Knitting by Mary Walker Phillips. I say "perhaps" because none of my suppliers has it in stock or knows when they will get it. I sure hope it is just temporarily out of stock! This month's sale is for the "expanded edition of Knitting in the Old Way" by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson. This is virtually a new book, not a revision of the older one by the same name. Much more information and patterns. If you are the kind of knitter who wants to understand the construction of sweaters, (not just follow a published pattern), you need this book. Regular price $38 and well worth it. I have five copies to sell at $26--first five knitters who E-mail or call their request will get them. HINT Knitted edgings have been popular for over a hundred and fifty years. We still use the classic patterns, but, what has changed is the notation method for the directions. First there was the paragraph form of instruction. Most of the reprints and reworking of these old patterns still use this hard-to-work-from method. Mary Thomas did some charting with her lace patterns and used symbols that made sense, but I think the first popular patterns that were charted were by Rachel Schnelling and reprinted by Gloria Penning. However, she used letters of the alphabet which could be confusing. Newer designs, especially those from Europe have gone to charting. What an improvement! The biggest advantage of charting is that when you look up and down, you can see what stitches come over what. Best of all, the chart is read right to left on the major pattern rows and bottom to top--just like the knitting. I have taken charting a step or two further to make the working of the edgings even easier to do with my "Lace Shorthand". Almost all the old edging patterns can be divided into sections. Typically you have a heading at the top, sometimes a band, then a middle, and finishing up with an edge. Sometimes there is no middle and the edge and heading make up the whole pattern. Sometimes there is a band that is repeated between the middle and edge. Usually the edge has a scallop. This can be formed in a number of ways. Or you may have an "insertion". Here there is a heading on each side with a middle, or maybe, two bands and a middle. You can see that a mix and match situation exists when you divide the sections. To divide an edging you must chart it. Look up and down on the chart to pick out: first the heading, then the band and/or the middle, and lastly the edge itself which will probably include gradual increases and a bind-off, or gradual increases and gradual decreases. When your sections do not change stitch count (except the scallop) and the stitches in each row use the stitches in the pattern row below, you are ready to draw vertical lines dividing the sections. Do this with a couple of patterns and you can put sections together to make new edgings. It is probably a good idea to have each section with the same number of rows in its repeat, at least in the beginning. I teach a class called "Endless Edgings" that uses this technique with a flip book that allows you to turn part(s) of pages to make new edgings. Once you have worked the class, there is no end to the number of edgings you can design. If this design idea appeals to you, I will send you the class hand-out with the flip booklet for $5 ($2 shipping if ordered alone). Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| June
2005 Welcome to the June issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. I have just two copies of "Meg Swensen's Knitting" left and I have combined them with "The Opinionated Knitter" to make a set. Retail is $68. The first two people to ask for it get it for $50. If you want just the Opinionated Knitter, the price is $30. I am really excited that Fiber Trends has started to carry Eugen Beugler's patterns. There are three available now. One is scarfs, one is an eyelet afgan and third is a beautiful shawl. There will be three more in the fall. The scarfs and afgan patterns are $5 each. The shawl is done with the wool/silk from Jaggerspun that they call Zephyr and that I sell. It is my very favorite yarn--half wool, half silk, and half the thickness of fingering weight yarn. New prices are $4 an ounce, $30 1/2 pound, and $60 for a full pound cone. Comes in almost 60 colors. Check out my website for a color card. www.moonriselaceknitting.com For the month of July, the shawl pattern by Eugen will be included free with any order of wool/silk. You do need to ask for it, though. Hint: To continue our discussion of moving beyond simple eyelet lace, this month I will write about multiple increases and decreases. The most common multiple increase is done from one stitch on one row. I like the idea of twisting that stitch when you work the row below. Here are three ways: 1. Work in front, then in back, then in front, etc. or work alternate K & P into the one stitch. 2. K1, O, K1, O, K1, etc. 3. work many O's. To work off on the following row, you may K & P alternately or K the first loop in front and the others in the back. Number 1 gives a smoother look than number 2. Number 3 is smoother yet. You could make the increases in more than one stitch. Three is a good number. Make the most increases in the middle one. If you do a K1 between, it is a good idea to twist that K1 stitch. Or, you could make the increases in more than one row. I have done that in the exercise below. Then the question is how to work these extra stitches off. If you are working a circle, maybe you don't need to worry about it--just let them be part of the circle increases and don't increase for a while. (The basic circle math is 6-8 increases for every 2 rounds. If you have increased 30 sts, do 10 rounds without increasing). You could make a bobble. (I like the knot, where you lift the extra stitches off one at a time). The most common reason for multiple increases is to make a pedal shape. St. St. is best for these pedal stitches. I like to work 3 or more rows before starting the decreases. They can be on the sides, every other row, or in the middle with a double (centered) decrease, or any combination of this. To make a stronger angle, work them off faster--maybe a double decrease each side, as below. You want them all gone? If you had 9: SSK, SSK, bind off the one remaining, K1, K2tog, K2tog, Return them both and bind off one from the left. slip that stitch back to the right. You now have three stitches and can work a double decrease on the next row. Not gone fast enough? Try this: K to and including the center st, put yarn down. Bind off one, return this center st to the left, bind off one from the left, slip the tired stitch to the right and bind off one, continue until only this over worked st remains. Exercise Cast on 9 stitches. Work several rows garter st. 1. In center st work K1, O, K1, O, K1 2. Purl these 5 stitches on the return row. The 4 sts on each side will remain in Garter st. 3. K6, work KPKPK in center st, K6 4. K4, purl the 9 sts of the pedal, K4 5. K 6. K4, purl the 9 sts of the pedal, K4 7. K7, double decrease over center 3, K7 8. K4, Purl 7, K4 9. K 10. K4, Purl 7, K4 11. SSSK, K1, K3tog. Now, return one to left, bind off one from the right needle (this will be the SSSK over the center st), Return one to the left (the center st). Bind off one from the left. Slip remaining st to the right and continue the row. Work several rows of garter st. Now try something different. How about increasing in three sts--increase 3, 5, 3. This gives you an 11 st pedal to play with. The possiblilities are endless. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| May
2005 Welcome to the May issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well, and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. First, a couple of price changes: Lower "A Gathering of Lace", now only in paperback for $30; Higher The wool/silk zephyr will be $4 an ounce, $30 a half pound, and $60 a pound cone, starting on July 1st. Any order received before that date will be billed at the old price. I have another new yarn for you! This one is a bit thinner than the wool/silk, perhaps a 2/20. It is 70% Alpaca and 30% silk. It comes in 7 ounce skeins for $40. The color is an undyed natural that is very soft and quite white. I have only 10 skeins on hand. If you like it, I will order more. It comes from Peru via Canada. HINT The hint this month concerns the principle of getting lace knitting to curve. This was important to those designers who wanted to imitate needle lace. Many English patterns made use of this 1890 to 1930 or so. Today, one sees it used in the German work, usually with texture. In it pure form, the designer simply separates the yarnover and the decrease. This makes the stitches between lean away from the yarnover. Think of it as a bowling ball pushing the pins over. The placement of the two units and their movement can make a curve. Further design options come with moving the whole element diagonally and having more than one "lean". Add some texture and the sky is the limit! Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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| April
2005 Welcome to the April issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check it out! the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com continues to improve. My daughter, Eb, now has paypal buttons on most of the kits. Lots more to do, but lookin' good. The middle of next month I go to Montreal to teach. They have chosen the Russian Shawl Techniques and the "How an Edging Turns a Corner". I am looking forward to it. This month I taught at two local groups and both were fantastic classes with enthusiastic students. Do you have a knitting group that would like to have me teach? My fees are very affordable and your group does not have to be a guild. I will E-mail a class list, just ask for it. A Gathering of Lace, edited by Meg Swansen is back in stock. I will sign "my" page, (Magickal Earth) if you would like. Also, I will include what I consider better directions for the Carried Eyelet stitch. $35 Clearance I have decided to discontinue the zipper pulls and scissor fobs made by Seahorse Designs. I feel it is more important to carry the books and yarns used for lace knitting. So. . . here is your chance: Both come in Victorian Pink or Blue & Silver. The scissor fobs are now only $7 and the zipper pulls are $5. If ordered alone, shipping is free.This offer is limited to stock on hand. I have a new lace yarn! It is called Alpaca Lace and comes from Henry's Attic. 100% Superfine Alpaca at 4960 yards per pound, made in Peru. It is a lovely cream colored natural and so o o o soft. It comes in 8 oz skeins. My price is $22 for the half pound. I can't wait to design with it. Hint It is great fun to add texture to your lace knitting. The problem comes when the texture is too heavy and pulls the lace down. Here are a couple of stitches that won't weigh the lace down. To make a tight, light bobble, knit into the front, back, front, back, and front of one stitch. Let the discard loop off. Now lift the made stitches over and off one by one. (That is four stitches over the last one made.) Judith Rankin researched the lily of the valley stitch used by some of the Russian shawl knitters. She makes the flowers by a K1,O,K1,O,K1 into one stitch and then knits all five together in the back on the return row. I found that almost impossible to do when working with fine yarn, so I make 5 with the Knit in front, knit in back method above and then on the return row, knit them all together in the back. A cluster stitch is another way to make a bump in your knitting, this time a horizonal bump. Take 3 or so stitches onto a cable needle, bobble pin, (whatever) and wrap the yarn around 7 to 10 times. Put on right needle and continue. On the return row you need to pry them apart to work them. Sometimes I prefer the look I get when I knit them before putting them on the right needle. There are many other texture techniques that look good on lace. I'm having a lot of fun trying them out and will share them with you another time. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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March 2005
Welcome to the March issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share.
Click here to E-mail your
order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a
return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards
are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order
unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by
mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440.
Check it out! the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com
has been rebuilt. My daughter, Eb, did a fantastic job. More to
come.
Don't miss my booth at the TKGA National Convention
March 31st - April 3rd at the Valley Forge Convention Center in
King of Prussia, PA. I'm booth number 403, please stop by
and say hello. The convention features the Fiber Arts Market
and four days of knitting and crochet classes! More
information is available at www.FiberArtsMarket.com.
Visit this web address for a printable coupon for discounted
market admission: http://pdf.fiberartsmarket.com/famsprepn.pdf
I will be offering a student special Thursday night--any mug for
$5. Stop by and pick yours.
I have the new book everyone has been talking about: "The
Opinionated Knitter". Here in one book are all the
newsletters Elizabeth Zimmermann published from 1958 to 1968. All
her wonderful, classic patterns with commentary, 22 in all. But,
wait, much more--notes and journals by Elizabeth show all her
warmth and humor. And then there are the comments and
explainations by Meg. All in all, a great read. Hardcover, 126
pages, full of col
I have a new kit. It is the Seascape pattern by Evelyn Clark with
yarn from Jaggerspun,
The yarn is 70% superwash and 30% alpaca in a color called
"ocean blue". The kit is $25.
Also, this month, I am offering the Diane
Willett butterfly pattern. I mounted mine in
a hoop. It could also be a doiley.
Only $5 Limited to stock on hand.
HINT
The carried eyelet is a way to make an eyelet as high as it is
wide. When it is squared in this way you can use it as you would a
block in filet crochet or a stitch in cross stitch or needlepoint
work. The open work eyelets can be the design or the
background--the solid stitches will become the opposite.
For this exercise, mark a piece of graph paper 11 squares by 11
squares and put in a few X's, some apart and some next to each
other. This will be your pattern. For the first part, each square
of your pattern represents 2 sts and 4 rows. In other words you
will have 11 units of 2 sts across your knitting. Cast on 22 sts
and knit four rows of garter st. Now start your pattern. Knit 2
sts for each empty square of your pattern. When you come to an X,
those 2 sts will be worked O, K2tog. This is row 1. For the next
three rows there will be no new decreases and you may put your
pattern down. On row 2 knit until you come to an O. O, slip the O
of the previous row. The two O's must lie right on top of each
other. Knit all knit sts. The third row is the same. When you come
to the O's, slip them together and make a third. All three will
lie close together--(make your own joke). Row 4 is knit. The O's
are knit together as if they were one. You have now finished the
first pattern row on your graph paper. For the next pattern row,
go back to your graph paper for the placement of the eyelets.
Remember, an empty square means K2, an X means make an eyelet by
O, K2tog. Each square is a UNIT of 2 sts and 4 rows.
In stocking st, three rows is square with 2 sts, so the squares of
the graph represent 2 sts and 3 rows and the technique is slightly
different. Knit row 1 placing the eyelets as before. Purl row 2,
when you come to an O, slip it, THEN yarn over as you always do
for purl rows. The two O's should lie close together. Some
knitters make yarnovers in different ways--keep the expected
result in mind and adjust your technique to carry the O's
together. Row 3 is knit, working the O's off (there are only 2).
The next pattern row is an eyelet row, but you are purling--so
when you come to the X, P2tog, then O. Knit row 2 carrying the O
as we did when knitting. Purl row 3, working the O's by purling
them together.
I think this method has a great deal of possibilities. The eyelets
can be made in any way or any mixture of ways. The fabric, even in
stocking st is fairly reversible (completely reversible in garter
ground). You only have to look at the chart on the first row of
each unit. It can be done in the round. You can design as you go.
It can easily be combined with other sts with a compatible row
gauge.
Other ideas: If you are using the eyelets as background or in a
large design, I suggest you avoid any bias by working O, K2tog on
one pattern row and SSK, O on the next. You could use double
decreases with the O's each side or even O's without decreases if
you want the increased st count (round knitting?). You may want to
mirror image the decreases for a design that is symetrical such as
a heart with SSK, O and O,K2tog so that both the slant and
the placement of the O's is mirror imaged. Play with this a
bit--see what you come up with.
Have fun knitting!
Sandy
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| February 2005 Welcome to the February issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com Don't miss my booth at the TKGA National Convention March 31st - April 3rd at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. I'm booth number 403, please stop by and say hello. The convention features the Fiber Arts Market and four days of knitting and crochet classes! More information is available at www.FiberArtsMarket.com . Visit this web address for a printable coupon for discounted market admission: http://pdf.fiberartsmarket.com/famsprepn.pdf
EGGS TO MAKE ANY BUNNY PROUD For ages and ages, in all cultures, springtime has been a time to celebrate new life and eggs have been a part of this celebration. Moonrise offers a kit to make lace covers for eggs. There are three designs, a 50gram ball of crochet cotton, a bunch of plastic eggs and full instructions to make the covers plus a basket to put them in. The kit sells for $12.
HAVE FUN KNITTING! Sandy
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January 2005 Welcome to the January issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the
package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well
and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for
any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will
be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail
at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at Valentine's day is around the corner. You can prepare with my "Many Hearts" kit. It includes full directions for 6 different shaping techniques as you make the hearts. Enough thread to make 24 hearts. I have even included instructions for the envelopes. This is a fun kit. Many Hearts Kit. . . . .$10
My teaching schedule includes two classes you may be interested in attending if you live in the area, or will be traveling nearby. On Feb 26th (weather permitting) I will be teaching for the Big Apple Knitting Guild in NY city. The class will be "How an edging turns a corner". Check it all out at www.BAKG.org Then on the 5th of March I will be teaching "Endless Edgings" in Berwyn PA The link there is http://innerartistretreats.com This month I want to clear out books that I no longer carry and have
only one or two copies of. Most sale prices are less than 1/2 of the
retail price. Since quantities are so limited, the best way to do this is
for you to E-mail me with a list of those that interest you and I will
fill the orders on a first-come, first-served basis. Please do not send
money or go to paypal. I will send your order with an invoice in the
package--then when you get it, write me a check. This saves the hassle of
refunds if I don't have everything you want. Shipping charges will be as
usual (see above). Get your order in quickly! Stay warm and HAVE FUN KNITTING! Sandy |
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December 2004 Welcome to the December issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com I now have Sharon Miller's book in stock and ready to go. If you do not yet have this excellent lace knitting book, now is the time to fill that gap on your lace knitting shelf! My price is $55 with the usual shipping. The new DVD/CD is selling well. It is called "Russian (Inspired) Lace Shawl Design". It is meant to be a follow-up to the "Techniques" DVD/CD, but if you have done any of the Russian Shawls or taken a class, this Design lesson is very doable. The project is a large square shawl based on the diamond motif--"Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". I offer a certificate, usable at any time, for 7 ounces of Wool/Silk for only $15. This is a savings of $10. DVD/CD "Russian (Inspired) Lace Shawl Design" . . .$39.95 and only $3 shipping if ordered alone. Finally, I want to wish you a "Happy Solstice". In celebration I designed this little ornament to hang on the tree or in a window. I have written it in the old-fashioned way because doing it in my usual half-circle chart is difficult on the computer. I used size 10 crochet cotton and size 2 needles and a ring about 3" diameter. Cast on 12 sts in a way that allows you to gather them, or leave a tail that you can weave through them later. Arrange them on three needles, join and knit around. (#) = total sts, 1/3 on each needle I show you one needle's worth, which is 2 sections. KEY O = yarnover 1 = Knit st ^ centered double decrease (slip 2 as if to K them tog, K1, pass the slipped stitches, together still, over and off) R1. O, 1, O, 1, O, 1, O, 1 (24) R2 and all other even numbered rounds K all stitches R3. K all stitches R5. O, 2, O, 2, O, 2, O, 2, (36) R7. O,1,O, 1, ^ ,1 O, 1, O, 1, ^, 1 (36) R9 O, 1, O, 1, O, 1, O, ^ O, 1, O, 1, O, 1, O, ^ (48) R11. before starting this round, move one st from needle #1 to needle #3. At the end of needle #1 you will need to move one st from #2 to #1 to complete the ^. And again at the end of needle #2. O,1,O, ^, O,1,O, ^ O, 1, O, ^, O, 1, O, ^ R12 is K to complete this tiny ornament. I cut the thread leaving about 20" and threaded it through a tapastry needle. I held the ring behind the knitting and, one by one, went around the ring and through a st which I then took off the needle. I kept the tension fairly loose and when all the sts were off the needles, I put the needle down and adjusted the "wraping" so it was tight and in the center of the ring. Then I darned the end into the solid part of the knitting and cut the thread. This pattern is original but not copyrighted--please share. Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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November 2004 Welcome to the November issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com
The other good news is that my new DVD/CD is ready. In this video I
show you how to take the Russian (inspired) Lace Shawl
Here are some three dimensional ornaments made as we used to do in
school with construction paper--remember? You made two identical forms
except that one had a slit in the top half and the other was cut down the
middle of the bottom. For the tree I cast on 4 sts and worked 8 rows of
garter st. Then I cast on 12 at the beginning of the next two rows and
gradually decreased to 6 in the middle by K 2tog at the beginning of the
rows. I added pony beads by putting a crochet hook through the bead and
pulling a stitch through before knitting it. Then I cast on 10 at each end
and repeated the decreases and beading except that after 8 rows I joined
another ball of yarn and worked the rest of the way in two sections. When
there were 6 left, I added 8 and worked down until I had just 1 on each
section. The second part was made the Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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October 2004 Welcome to the October issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com I apologize for the lateness of this newsletter. October has just whizzed by with out-of-town guests and the big show in Atlantic City. I have important news for those in western NJ or southeast PA. The Spinnery, formerly between Flemington and Somerville NJ, is now in Frenchtown NJ. Betty has relocated at 33 Race Street. It is a lovely town to visit for a long afternoon of walking around--antique shops, art galleries, and great places to eat. I know the Spinnery will fit right in to the "country/artsy" ambiance. Betty has always had a wonderful variety of weaving, spinning and knitting supplies and classes. And, I know of no other yarn shop that has her flair for children's crafts or the knack of stocking the perfect gift. Do stop in. Website is www.spinnery.net I am accepting pre-orders for the next DVD/CD that is promised for next month. It is called "Russian (Inspired) Lace Shawl Design". The first section shows a number of shawls from Russia and points out the design features. Then the student works a sampler strip of the motifs in the project shawl, "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend". The project is introduced and a Lace Shorthand Map is explained. This shows the exact placement of each motif in a logical way. The last section goes over several modern day projects and discusses the decisions that formed their designs. It comes with a CD that prints out the charts, map and instructions and includes a bonus pattern. The price is $39.95 with $3 shipping if ordered alone. All you need to do to order it is let me know via E-mail and I will put you on the list. If you want to save the $3 shipping, pay for it now. As I told you last month, anyone who has ever bought the Lace Sampler Scarf can get the supplement that gives directions for the scarf with Russian Corners. Just ask and tell me if you want it E-mailed or sent thru the mail, no charge either way. This kit, which I have sold for 15 years is still a best seller and it is still only $15! There are 12 lace patterns in it. The ample directions are in Lace Shorthand and even a beginner can make a truly spectacular scarf. It is done in wool/silk (60 colors) and size 3 needles. I have started a translation of the Omas Strickgeheimnisse book. Since I don't read German and find that the dictionaries are not very helpful, it is somewhat of a trial and error job. But, here is what I have so far. Feel free to correct me. And, just one hint--if your stitch count is correct and you like what you have done, go with it even if you suspect it might not be exactly what is in the book. This is how new patterns are invented! The book is $25 and well worth it with 200 stitch patterns in it. If you already own the book, print this out and keep it handly for reference and to add to my translation. TRIAL AND ERROR TRANSLATION OF THE SYMBOLS IN “Omas Strickgeheimnisse” I went by the pictures and stitch count. Sometimes I actually worked a sample. My advice is to see that your stitch count remains accurate and work the decreases or crosses in any way you are comfortable with and that you like the look of. You are the designer! I strongly suggest that you rewrite or rechart the patterns. The use of symbols for the knit st and over is illogical and not what we are used to. When you rewrite use symbols you are comfortable with. Finding symbols that mimic those in the book was not easy—I came as close as I could. Consult the list on page 11 in the book. This list is in, pretty much, the same order. Single stitches O Rechte Masche(M) knit Decreases symbols without German Crosses The sts are K or P or twisted by working in the back. Make it look like you want it to look. Move sts Words I know this is far from complete and probably not all that accurate. Corrections and additions are welcome. If your E-mail does not support unicode you may not be able to read the special symbols. If you would like hard copy of this translation, send a stamped self addressed envelope to MOONRISE 304 Swartley Rd, Hatfield PA 19440 Recently I decided to update my Baby Bonnet Kit. In addition to putting the chart on the computer, I fixed a glitch in the edging. This project starts with a medallion back and then an edging is joined to 3/4 of the stitches to form the sides and top of the hat. The edging has a gradual increase of 5 sts which are bound off on row 8. The beginning side does not match the end. With this kind of edging the scallop leans to and beyond what should be the bottom edge of the hat. See picture below. Have you had a problem with a edging that is not joined, but has a start and stop? Here is the fix: Cast on the number asked for minus all the cast on sts but one. Work the first repeat ignoring the missing sts. When you come to the bind off, just bind off one. You will now have the proper number of sts to start the next repeat. See how much better this looks. To give you an example, this edging calls for 23 sts and there are 5 added over the first 5 rows. On row 8, the 5 are bound off. So I cast on 19 and worked the rows as given except that the last 4 sts were not worked--I knit the "extra" one. Then on row 8 I bound off one and was left with 23 to start the next "regular" repeat. Anyone who has ever bought the Baby Bonnet Kit may have a copy of the new chart with this improvement. Just send a stamped self-addressed envelope with your request. Baby Bonnet Kit available now in your choice of yarns--Special Blauband in mint or blue, Fortissima Cotton in the strong colors shown, or a lovely Acrylic by Phentex in deep rose, white or blue. The instructions, as given, make a small hat, but there are directions to make a larger one and even directions to make a matching pair of booties. I think you will like the semi-round chart for the back of the hat. Baby Bonnet Kit. . . $12 Have fun knitting! Sandy |
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September 2004 Welcome to the September issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com On Sunday, September 26th I will be teaching my basic Lace Stitches class at "A Yarn for All Seasons" shop in Martinsville, NJ. At this time there are still a few spots open. If you live near central NJ, you may want to give Doris a call at 732-560-1111 and join us. Preparations are well underway for Stitches East. This major show will
be held at the Atlantic City, NJ convention center, open to the general
public Oct 8-10. Moonrise is at booth #739. You may obtain a brochure by
calling 800-237-7099. or visit the website www.knittinguniverse.com
for all the details on the show. The student preview is on the evening of the 9th. Moonrise will have a student special of any mug for $5 good only that evening. There are a number of designs to choose from including this year's. The Little Surprise Scarf is such fun to work. It is a Sue Timmons design, done in her signature bias eyelet technique. Part of the surprise is the woven look. You will also be surprised and pleased at the way the design evolves. The yarn is the wool/silk that comes in 60 colors. The color card can be found on the website. $20 I have no new books this month, but I would like to direct your attention to a couple of classics you'll want to add to your collection if you don't have them yet.
Evelyn A. Clark is one of my favorite designers. Her lace projects are
easy enough for beginners and always look fabulous. This month, only, the
following patterns are only $4 each. Now is your chance to stock up on
designs you will treasure. From the top: The Peace shawl The Sheep Shawl
Estonian Garden Wrap & Scarf Field of Flowers The Butterfly Garden,
Scarf Shawl or Throw The Landscape Shawl & Scarf
The hint this month is for a start for round knitting. It is a little tricky, not as foolproof as the tab start I gave you in April. But, it is always perfect. So, here is .. . . . . . . . THE PERFECT START This is a start that is not the easiest to do, but I like it because it always comes out looking perfect. To learn this I suggest you work it with a smooth fairly heavy yarn. You will need 4 double pointed needles. 1. Use the Beverly Royce cast on. Make a C with your left hand and lay the yarn over your forefinger and thumb with the short end to the front. Twist the needle to hold the yarn and form a V when the needle is held in the right hand. The short end will be the leg of the V nearest you. Always pick up from outside this V. Here goes: pick up the back, the front, the back. You have 3 strands over the needle and your original twist. Lift up your thumb and take the middle, front strand off. You now have two sts and the twist. Repeat the cast on two more times–6 sts and the twist. Give just a half twist to the two yarns and turn the work. 2. Knit back. When you get to the twist just let it off. It will form a funny little loop that will just sit there. Go to the other end (don’t turn) and with a small needle undo the twist that will be under the first st. Give a gentle tug on the short end–it should pull up and close your funny little loop. 3. Still without turning, pull this short end thru the last st on the left–the one you knit last. At this time it is a good idea to tie a bow in this end or put a paperclip on it so you do not inadvertently knit with it. 4. Join with the right side still facing you. Take the rightmost 2 sts off onto a needle. Put the far end of this needle in the ball of yarn to help hold it. Your left hand should hold fast to the bottom of the knitting to prevent twisting of the needles. Take the next 2 (middle ones) off onto another needle. 5. Form your triangle and hold it horizontally right side up. Tug on the short end and see the circle close right up. Hold the center of the work. 6. Knit around with the ball end of the yarn If things loosen up, tug on the short end. Any time things go bad, rip it out and start again. Fixing it takes longer with less than good results. This is my original method. It is not copyrighted and you may use it freely. Have fun knitting! Sandy
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August 2004 Welcome to the August issue of the MOONRISE newsletter. If you do not wish to be on the E-mail list, simply reply with "remove" in the subject line. I send these newsletters by "blind copy" and will never sell or give away my list. Also, nothing in these letters is copyrighted--please share. Click here to E-mail your order and I will ship with an invoice in the package if you are a return customer. I accept Paypal or checks as well and credit cards are processed through Paypal. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order unless I have indicated that a small item, ordered alone, will be shipped for less. You may contact me by phone 215-822-7292 or by mail at 304 Swartley Road, Hatfield PA 19440. Check out the website at www.moonriselaceknitting.com Several people have told me that when I send a Lace Shorthand chart, the format gets mess up. I don't know why or if it can be fixed. Although most readers do not have the problem, I will gladly send hardcopy of any needed. Just send the request with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. I recently spent several days teaching at the Springwater Fiber Workshop. This is a nonprofit fiber art school with a fantastic store. The students were good knitters, but, more importantly, they were good students. I had a wonderful time. If you are in the area of Alexandria VA, do stop in at 808 North Fairfax St. The website is www.springwaterfiber.org . The blocking pads are now promised for mid-August. When I fill the orders in my "backorder" box, there will be a couple left. If interested E-mail me soon. These are 34" square foam with a printed cloth top. They fold for storage. I have one out most of the time for small pieces to be blocked. If you do doilies, collars or other small items you will find this useful. $40 Anne Stoddard of East Northport Long Island has an annual Knit-in. This year it is scheduled for Aug 14 which is a Saturday--coming up soon. All day, good talk, good knitting, good food. Couldn't ask for more than that! No charge--we would love to see you. You may E-mail Anne at Happyknitter@earthlink.net or call her at 631-455-6782 for all the details. "Anne's Flock" meets on Friday nights in either the East Northport Library or the Northport Library. You will receive the same kind of welcoming friendship there.
Bead knitting is very popular right now. For those who want to explore
the old techniques, I suggest the two books put out by Lacis--"Bead
Work, second edition" ($15) and "Beaded Bags & More"
($16). These are not new books, but maybe they have escaped your notice.
If you have already bought the kit, the row-by-row directions are in a supplement, available at no charge. All I need is a 2-stamp self addressed large envelope. The hint this month is a brief overview of the Russian corners and a
general plan to adapt a pattern. I love the way these corners block out to
a diagonal. And, of Russian Shawl Corner Technique A couple of years ago I took a workshop on the Russian Shawl techniques and was inspired to take many of their ways of working and adapt them to my shawl making. I have used the Russian corner technique in much of my work since then. It allows the knitter to work the edges at the same time as the body of the shawl or scarf. The corners do not stretch out to a point, but form a diagonal corner–a look I prefer. The Russian knitters worked the bottom edge and then picked up the stitches along the top, worked the corners and worked the body and side edges at the same time to the top of the project. Then they worked the one top corner, worked the top edge, joining to the body of the work, and finished by working the last corner. I use an open loop cast-on as long as needed for the body stitches and the beginning of the bottom edge. As I work that edge, I join to the cast-on. When that is done I put the waiting stitches on the needle. This is a better match to the top join. TO ADAPT A PATTERN TO USE THE RUSSIAN CORNERS Use an open loop, provisional cast on to put on the stitches needed for the body of your project plus the opening number of stitches needed for your chosen edging. I think an inc-dec type of scalloped edging is best. See that the number of body sts is such that you will run out of sts as you finish a repeat of the edging. Work your edge, joining to the cast on sts every other row. When you have worked all the sts, end at the scalloped side and drop the yarn. Pick up, but do not knit, the number of stitches needed for row 2 of your edging. (It may be one more than you started with if there are set up rows). Place marker, pick up the body sts. Place marker and put the waiting edge sts on the needle. Tie a ribbon on the front side. Now you will work short rows over these edge sts using the number of rows necessary to reach the widest point of the scallop. A good plan over 8 rows would be to work 2 rows of the edging then work until 1 before the marker, turn and wrap, then 2 before the marker, than 1. Fudge to fit your pattern. Knit across, turn and work the corner on this side–the back side is facing you. Work back and when you get to the first corner you worked, work the edge row that is an even row following the odd row you stopped on when you did the first corner–if you finished with a row 9, this would be row 10. Turn and work the next odd row edge. (Now you are working the down side of the scallop), the body of the project, and the even edge row previous to the one you started this row with. It is important that you understand the concept of the righthand edge (as you look at the front side) is always one row ahead of the lefthand edge and that when you are working towards the body of the shawl you are working an odd row of the edge–away from the body, an even row. Finish your shawl or scarf at the widest point. Work short rows for the upper righthand corner as you work the down side of the scallop. After that, remove the marker and work the top edge joining to the body sts. End at the last row of your edge with the smallest number of sts. Move the marker and knit across the maximum number of sts waiting there. Turn and work the last corner on these sts, working short rows as you work the scallop down. You should now have an equal number of sts on each side of the marker. Graph these together. Have fun knitting! Sandy
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