Saturday, July 19, 2008

Comments

MaryJoo asked about the Amedro book – yes, it’s called “Shetland Lace” and I’ll certainly keep you in touch with developments on the publishing front.

In a comment on last Saturday’s post you remark most interestingly on the similarities among Orenburg lace and Estonian and Arctic, and ask about Scandinavia, Sweden in particular. They don’t seem to go in for lace up there. Sheila McGregor says so specifically in “Traditional Scandinavian Knitting”. Vibeke Lind in the wonderful “Knitting in the Nordic Tradition” includes Faroese shawls but nothing else.

Curious. Maybe lace knitting flourished where winters were (and are) cold and damp. All that deep, deep, deep snow in Scandinavia elicited a different response. Does that work? What are winters like in Orenburg?

Kate, I’m glad you like the Kirkmichael postcard we are about to add to our collection. My husband had the idea the other day – and I think this is something we had probably better do and not just talk about – that we should show the collection to an old friend who has lived in Kirkmichael all her life. She’d be interested to see it, and might have some interesting memories to add to some of the images.

She’s 80, and lives with her husband in the Old Smiddy. The house in the right foreground of this picture is gone. Jean and Jock are down by the river, sort of behind it.

Knitting

Here’s where I am with the dinosaurs – two of the eight legs of the middle rank established on the front of the sweater. We’re getting there. Helen ChronicKnittingSyndrome found a dropped stitch when she was here on Tuesday – it is in mid-dinosaur and won’t be hard to repair. It is now safely secured.


I was too tired to contemplate dinosaurs when I got back from Kirkmichael on Thursday night, so I added to the scarf.



I am rather taken with the Liesl pattern that everybody is talking about – and knitting in a weekend.

7 comments:

  1. Good to get some information on your postcard collection while you can. Just the other night I was lying awake thinking of all the pictures I never got my father to identify, and his brother who is still around, has macular degeneration and cannot see them.

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  2. thanks for your replies to my comments.

    Winter in Orenburg -- don't know becaue I haven't been there, but do know those shawls are very warm!! LOL

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  3. I'm working on Liesl, and enjoying it a lot. It is not taking me a weekend, but it is certainly progressing more quickly than most of my projects. The only problem I'm having is trying to figure out when to divide for the body and sleeves, given that the lace is so ridiculously stretchy.

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  4. You can't imagine how my heart stopped to see the words "dropped stitch" in your dinosaur sweater update. I'm so glad it was a temporary and fixable blip!

    It might be fun to have an exhibition of all your historic post cards one day! I bet kirkmichael residents would be interested.

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  5. I'm sure she'd have memories to contribute to the postcard collection even if the older ones may only consist of stories about the places rather than the folks associated with them. I'd recommend getting permission to record her reminiscences so some keen person can transcribe them at a later date. Callie's idea is a good one, too. Maybe the Laird would be interested in organising a venue or something? His words at the opening address of last year's show certainly seems to demonstrate a keen interest in local traditions.

    A cunning idea just occurred to me. Suggest this to your husband and say that it would probably need at least a 2-week stay at TCOTU to get the project off the ground. I'm sure that there would be a need for further trips this summer/autumn as well ; )

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  6. I like the Liesl on the young things. I am rather worried how it might look on my more, uhm, mature frame. It is pretty, but I have a distrust of sweaters that are not able to be buttoned all the way down. Perhaps from growing up in deep snow country?

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  7. If you like Liesl have you seen this
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/february-lady-sweater#
    I like knitting the baby version and really like this adult one especially the neckline.

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