Meet Lyra!...a two month project

My knitting friend from Houston, Kenny, called me up one day and said, "Let's knit Lyra!" And that's how this started.

I had no idea what Lyra was (I believe it is pronounced "Lie-rah"), so after we talked about knitting this pattern, I tried to find out about Lyra, and the designer, Herbert Niebling. I have been unable to find much about him, but from what I gather, he was German, and designed doilies and tablecloths and the like sometime during the 1920s and 1930s. I am not quite sure of the time period, so if anyone has more information, please let me know.

Click on pics for larger view.

First pic is Lyra right after blocking. Top right pic is on the dining room table. Other pics are closeups of the corner and mid points.

With the advent of the knitters online group Ravelry.com, patterns, ideas, and feedback and information about yarn, along with social and political fun, have flourished worldwide, and is shared at the fastest pace ever!

So, I got the pattern, and during January and February spent about 200 hours knitting this lace. While the original patterns are mostly done with size 00, 0 and 1 US size needles (quite small in diameter) and knit with thin cotton thread, I decided to knit Lyra with Grignascu merino/silk (75/25 blend in a pewter gray color) that Kenny bought for me on his visit to Vermont last October (thanks Kenny!). I used size 5 US needles.

The knit piece has been washed and blocked--two hours of stretching it out and pinning it with lots of pins over a blanket topped with a sheet on the living room floor. It was not the most fun I've had in old age, and my butt and calves were very sore for 3 days afterward from squatting and sitting on my heels!

This Lyra is 60x60 inches.

Enjoy! Also, click HERE for pics of Niebling's design mastery!

HONGERA BW. NA BI. KIKWETE

Maisha ya ndoa ni safari ndefu.Wengi waliomo ndani ya ndoa wanakiri kwamba ni safari ndefu,ngumu inayohitaji uvumilivu na umakini wa hali ya juu lakini pia yaweza kuwa safari yenye kila aina ya raha na mafanikio.
Ndio maana unapotimiza mwaka au miaka fulani katika ndoa,ni jambo la kheri na linalostahili kusheherekewa.Hivyo ndivyo ilivyokuwa hapo jana wakati Rais Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete na mkewe Salma waliposheherekea miaka 20 ya ndoa yao.

Sherehe hiyo fupi ilifanyikia Ikulu jijini Dar-es-salaam na kuhudhuriwa na ndugu,jamaa na marafiki wa karibu wa “First Family” ya Tanzania.Pichani(juu) ni Rais Kikwete akimlisha keki mkewe Salma kusheherekea kumbukumbu hiyo.
Tunaungana na wote wanaowatakia kheri kuwapongeza na kuwatakia kila la kheri katika maisha yao.

MADONNA CASE ADJOURNED TO FRIDAY

Madonna appeared in a Malawi court yesterday seeking to adopt a second child, a girl called Mercy James.
She arrived dressed in a black skirt, black high heels and carrying a Panama hat and entered the building through a back door.
The singer spent an hour at the Hight Court and did not speak to reporters after the case was adjourned until Friday.
One of Madonna’s lawyers said that she was asking the court to grant her an interim adoption of about 18 months of Mercy, who is four years old.
The singer flew into Malawi yesterday on her second ’shopping trip’ to adopt an African child.
The newly-divorced star took her children along to help her expand the family.
But even as her private jet landed, criticism emerged of her mission to find a sister for David Banda.
Madonna’s daughter Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight and three-year-old David are accompanying her on the trip.
If the adoption cannot be completed, she hopes a temporary custody order will allow her to take the toddler home to New York.

Little Mercy with her Granny and Uncles

At the weekend, Mercy’s uncles, her closest relatives, said they did not want her to go but had been persuaded by the orphanage where she lives.
Peter Baneti and John Ngalande claimed they had no idea who Madonna was and said they had been given no clear idea of what the future holds.
Mr Baneti, a fisherman, said: ‘We never wanted to let Mercy go. She is part of our extended family and our culture.
‘My mother, my brother and I all said no three times to the orphanage, which was pressing us on Madonna’s behalf.

Madonna with her Eldest daughter Lourdes in Malawi Yesterday

KERI HILSON IN CALI WITH WICKED SHOES

Keri Hilson is in CALI for “In A Perfect World” Album Release Party.
The singer held a total of 3 parties (NYC, ATL, and now CALI) for the release of her debut album, “In A Perfect World…”

And she came wearing this shoes a must for every woman's wardrobe

JAZMINE'S BIRTHDAY PHOTOS AT CLUBAFRIQUE