just ordered a copy of Herbert Niebling knitted lace designs book!!

so excited i can't wait for it to arrive ...

Knitted Lace Designs of Herbert Neibling
—Herbert Niebling

The name of Herbert Niebling has become legendary among lace-knitters.In his designs you may find familiar leaves and flowers - but frequently his extraordinary and unique motifs will make you gasp; he seems to bend the "rules" of knitting to near-impossible lengths. Over two dozen patterns are included - edited and revised by Mary Frances Wogec - along with her full English translation. What a treat.

This beautiful book, Knitted Lace Designs of Herbert Niebling is a reprint of Gestrickte Spitzendecken by Eva Maria Leszner. However, the English translator discovered errors in many of the instructions - and has corrected everything she found. Most comforting as you launch into one of these spectacular designs. $28

My Frosted Ferns is finally all done! It only took me about two months to knit this. Now all i have to do is block it n starch it.

The center reminds me of one of those 'sand dollars'.

 I am so glad that I posted my question over on yahoo Niebling groups!

My thinking 45 st. vs 30 st shift change would have been WRONG.  

Much Thanks to Heather for setting me straight on this issue!  She writes:

...Regardless of how you arrange your needles, to make the pattern line up, you
only shift 30 stitches. The pattern doesnt care if you're on 2 circulars, or
1 circular, or 90 dpns (although other people watching you knit will think
you're massaging a porcupine at that point ;)

The choice of needles doesnt affect the pattern in any way, they're just
holding onto the stitches until you get to them. You may want to rearrange
how your two circulars are sitting once you've done the shift over, but the jump of 30 stitches to change where the round starts? That doesnt change. 

See how much I have learned with just one question! This opens up so many new projects for me as I now understand much better ;)

Just a quick update.  I did end up restarting my frosted fern Niebling. Mainly because I didn't like the center start. It kept bugging me.  So I learned how to do Emily Ocker's cast-on for two circular needles. It took six times practicing before I  had an good looking center start.


   Still using my size 2 addi circulars as that is the smallest needles that I have but this time I went with size 30 cotton. This is giving me a fair looseness to the knitting which is what I want for my first Niebling until I am much more confident mainly because I am such a newbie at this.   Also I am using 2 markers per needle which is giving 3 sections on each needle. Without those markers I am hopelessly lost and confused. Not that this project is that hard, but it does require alot of concentration for me. Oddly I am finding this concentration need to be as relaxing as any of my other knitting.

 I had already started my frosted ferns earlier in month before I realized someone on the yahoo Niebling group has generously supplied a realigned and charted pattern.   I'm just now to the infamous 30st shift row.  So I'm hoping my thinking is correct that when knitting this on two circs that I will need to do 45 st shift from needle 1 to needle 2 and vice versa and than... re-position my markers back to my 69 sts per marker section which = 207 sts per needle. (equals total of 414 sts for row 75)

  Am so really hoping someone can confirm or correct my thinking on this shift row for using two circular needles!   It's truly been an inspiring pleasure to look through everyone's work over at the yahoo groups!

Just starting Frosted Ferns, a free Herbert Niebling knitted doily design !

Firstly, I'm back!  It's been almost two months since I last posted here. These past two years seems like sometimes my interest is full force and other times it'll be days without ever even turning the computer on.

 I think the honeymoon period is finally waning. lol  That's not a bad thing mind you. Least wise it doesn't feel bad. Actually just realizing that I've finally broken out from underneath the OCD addictive technology spell that madly had it's grip on me.

After a decade of being enamored with the world wide web no longer do I feel pressured to hop on here and scope it all out daily to see what all I'm missing... as if it would all disappear and not ever be available again. hahahaha!

Lacefreak's Niebling Frosted Fern.
Visit her wonderful site for fabulous
inspiration!

Now on to more important things. Herbert Niebling's knitted lace doily designs.

Breathtaking beauty that leaves me Gobsmacked.

 I'll admit I've been too intimidated by my own lack of courage in skill ability to jump on the band wagon and tackle this desire. But no more. Yup, I'm finally going to do this.  Frosted Ferns is what I'm starting with for practice using crochet cotton and size 2 circ's. Many say this is one of Niebling's simpler intricate lace designs.

Ravelry has the free pattern for Frosted Fern on the internet at
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frosted-ferns-7633
If your not a ravelry member... you should be. It is just an awesome place for fiber addicts. But if not, you can also find the pattern at  http://www.angelfire.com/folk/celtwich/KnitFrostedFern.html


UPDATED NOTE* as of Sept 2014 the angelfire url where I originally found this pattern is no longer available :(  it is apparently & sadly lost in 404 error land. boo!   BUT the good news IS that is still available for free download at Ravelry..which leads you to this URL  https://sites.google.com/site/nieblinglacelovers/frostedferns

ok, back to my journey... the first 36 rows were pleasantly easy to do. Than row 37 had me confounded. Not because it was difficult or anything like that, but suddenly I couldn't count correctly OR consistently! lol.   Of course it didn't help that I was under the influence of hydrocodone and just had a bi-lateral facet injection done on my lower back. You'd think commonsense would take over and allow me to put this pattern down for a few days and work on something mindless like a trusty sock pattern, but oh no, my hands wouldn't hear of it. They have a persistent mind all their own.  So I spent two days frogging and re-doing this row at least seven times.  Finally 99 sts just as it should be.

Than on to rows 39 thru 42. Jeepers. Apparently I don't take hints well. Instead of putting this project aside until a clearer mind was present I fumbled through the next four rows re-doing each at least twice. lol. I remember thinking Thankfully the even # rows are just plain knit. So I was merrily knitting away to the ends of each those rows only to find that my count was still off. And it was always on these even number rows where I'd mess up. But because I'm so new at this and unsure of myself I'd always frog back the previous odd number row also just to make sure there was no hidden operator error there.

Than today I discovered something while doing row 42 for the second time. I don't know why or how, but I suddenly realized that while I'm knitting my even # rows.. if I kept glancing at the pattern for the previous odd # row while I'm knitting the even # row and do that simultaneously it all came out perfectly.  How's that for clear as mud?  Basically for me, I need to do my straight even # row knits to the rhythm of the pattern 'phrases' in each previous row.  I'm so excited that I made this discovery about myself. So that's where I'm at for the moment.  Until later, toodles!

UPDATE*  here it is my frosted fern herbert neibling doily !! all finished on August 2011
and guess what ?!? it took first place blue ribbon @ our local fair.  That sure made me feel really good :)

My Knitting Wish List that will definitely be future projects !! {Updated}

I have now settled upon three four goals for new coming year of 2011.  


hahahha, the new year isn't even here yet and I've already got my list way ahead of myself... not to mention my skill ability .  Well that's what motivation is for isn't it?  To keep us going. To challenge ourselves. 

1. Though I've never done double-knitting before and I probably should begin on something like a winter hat .... but I just ADORE this scarf....and so covet the pattern. I want this to be my first double-knitting project.
Bubbles Scarf Pattern by Lucy Neatby (#492) A simple, yet visually gorgeous double-layer reversible scarf; the puffy bubbles are brilliant. A straightforward design, precisely written, to help seduce you into the delights of double-layer knitting.  Pictured in kauni Effektgarn EQ and EN.
Size: 6 inches (15 cm) wide, length adjustable.
Yarn: 75g each Kauni Effectgarn.
Techniques: Two-colour double-layer knitting, with the option to use a Tubular Cast-On and Tubular Bind-Off, and knit-quilting.
Skill Level: Intermediate / Advanced  Pattern price: $6.00

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2013 update: I have finally saved enough and got my NORO SILK GARDEN YARN for this shawl and in the exact same colorway !!!  now to just get brave enough to knit it the way Ruth did, in the round & steeked. I can knit in the round, it's actually my preference; but I have never steeked anything before. So nervous just thinking about doing that. 

2.  OH MY GOSH! you must click on this picture and so enjoy the beauty of this shawl made by Ruth !!!   

I've also never made a shawl before.... (hush, don't tell anyone!) so yup you guessed it, this too will be on my needles in 2011!  On Ruth's blog she tells that she used Nine skeins of Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn. 4 skeins  S-084 and 5 skeins S 252.  Absolutely stunning I think!  This magnificent shawl is ' Daisy ' Shawl pattern also on my coveted list! It is designed by Ruth Sørensen done in circular knitting and steeked. 
  

The price of the pattern is 40,- DK kr (Danish Krone) which is roughly abt. $10.66 American. I've never order out of the country before so I hope paypal does the currency conversion for me.  She instructs people to Order the pattern by sending a mail on: ruth@mail.tele.dk  Please write "Daisy" in the subject line.

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2013 update: yup got this book now :)

3. Herbert Niebling Lace Designs are the breathtakingly most heavenly magical lace designs that will make one gasp and are too DIE for! His name is legendary among lace-knitters. This book has over 2 dozen patterns that have been translated from German into English in the past year for the first time ever. I think only one or two websites carry this book. Schoolhousepress.com/lace.htm is the main carrier of this book I believe at a cost of $28. 


Here are three  examples of famous Herbert Niebling designs... I found these images on "lacefreak" blog ... beautiful work lacefreak!

Lyra

Roswitha

Frosted Ferns - This one is my favorite!

Goldregen by lacereak

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4.  The Juneberry Triangle - It is an exquisite shawl design that I found on brooklyntweed's blog post dated 4.23.2010.  OMGosh!! I am in love with this shawl!!  Just look at these photos. His pattern I found is available on Ravelry for $6.50 {no affliation yadda yadda, just showing ya where I'm going to buy it from in case you want to also}.  As I read thru Jared's blog I see he has a new home address.  I must remember to bookmark it. I certainly give Kudo's to Jared Flood's design skills as I am just gobsmacked!