Goldregen Doily/Tabletopper
This is a sort of a doily/table topper from an old Burda magazine ( E 903) called “Goldregen” It’s another Niebling pattern. The thread I’m using is a Habu orgazine degummed indigo dyed Silk, 1,400 yards/2 ounces. I’m using US 0000 needles from Lacis in Berkley CA and I’m on row 48. You can’t really see the pattern yet but I will try to post a better picture once there is enough to go onto circular needles. If anyone is thinking of getting some of this thread, you might want to consider paying the extra money to have it wound onto a cone. My sister bought me this beautiful thread at a Stiches West so no cone option available at that time, but it was very difficult to wind this into a single ball and I had to break it half way because of a tangle. I’ve heard from others that they were unable to wind it at all so had to throw out the entire lot. It has been suggested that putting the swift on it’s side (like a ferris wheel) helps to unwind the skein smoothly so I may try that on my second skein. That’s right. I have two of them. In order to keep the silk from unwinding once it was in a ball, I have each encased in the leg of a cast-off pair of nylon ankle socks. That holds the ball of silk enough so I can unwind enough thread to use as I knit without getting tangled up. This silk has a slightly “crisp” feel to it but is still very slippery. Dropping a stitch using this would be bad. Very very bad.
4 responses so far
I hope you’re not offended by this…
You are one crazy lady! It looks amazing, but size 000 needles on slippery stuff, my heart rate has risen just thinking about it!
Dear hilltopkatie,
No offense taken
My family also feel I’m a bit masochistic with the lace knitting but sometimes the challenge is irrisistable. On the Habu site they suggest using US 1 needls with this thread but I’m knitting a Niebling and I want the more dense areas to show up well so I had to go smaller. I have lace needles down to US 00000000 but have only knit as low as US 000000. On my first try at the center of this doily I did drop a stitch and it ran down 4 rows before I could stop it. It was easier to frog what I had since it was so few rows than to try to repair it but that experience taught me a valuable lesson about this particular thread. Don’t drop any stitches, don’t knit this one while tired or distracted. My idea of fun might be a little different from other people.
Such delicate work! Is the silk difficult to join? That would irritate me if I had to break it in order to wind a ball. I like the idea that you must work without dropping stitches. I can see why lacework is relaxing for you–you must go slowly and deliberately on a project such as this, I would guess, no racing to the finish.
Dear sligo,
Thank you! This would only be my second attempt using silk. The first one is also still on the needles so I have not had to join any silk as yet. I imagine I will do a temporary knot and then go back with a thin needle and hide the ends. It was a shame to have to break that thread but I tried for some time to unknot the place where it stuck to no avail. I find having to focus on something other than work very relaxing and I love making something that has no “practical” application.