Several people had questions about my last post…
A couple of more “PSs” — The source I buy my patterns from now (for far less than $76!!) is Doilyhead. Her patterns are crisp, sharp copies — very easy to read. Unfortunately we just missed her half price sale! Darn it!
Chloe asked me how long Gloxie took in terms of hours. I did not track the hours, but I did finish it in just over two weeks. I was on a deadline as I decided to knit Gloxie in July for the state fair in August. Lyra took months because I was completely intimidated by my first Niebling!! My other Nieblings took months because I worked on other things at the same time. My favorite to knit by far was Lotus Flower. It was a joy to knit, quite intuitive, and I think a perfect “starter Niebling.” The pattern from Doilyhead is $8.
Lotus Flower is the doily you see as a back drop for many of my pictures. I recently replaced it on my table with this one to change things up a bit:
Frosted Ferns is very popular because it is a free pattern – you have to dig for the pdf with the charted pattern. There are several variations to the outer border. I keep this one out on my living room coffee table.
Niebling’s charting is unusual but easy to follow once you understand it. It really is just knitting after all, and there is a Ravelry group dedicated to Herbert Niebling where people answer questions. I recommend browsing through the “Show your Niebling” pictures to see which ones you like – there are many small doilies to get started. However, don’t fall in love until you know what the pattern source is! Not every design is readily available, or start from Doilyhead’s blog to find one you like.
People are also converting Niebling doilies into shawls. I made a half Lyra into a shawl:
It is a way to knit less and get a lot of visual bang for the buck! Not everyone wants to adorn their entire house in doilies! 🙁
Stunning work, beautifully photographed. I will never knit anything half as lovely!
Comment by Emm — January 5, 2018 @ 4:44 pm
You do such beautiful work. I would like to subscribe to your blog. I enjoy seeing your work and hearing about you both. You have my email so I will leave it at that. Thanks for showing us your work. And sharing patterns. Linda
Comment by Linda Spooner — January 6, 2018 @ 6:40 am
Thank you, Susan! Time frame vs. hours works for me. They both give a sense of the scope of the project. There is an awful lot of detail in those patterns, even if it is “only knitting.” Your Lyra shawl is to die for. Chloe
Comment by Chloe — January 6, 2018 @ 10:03 am