This is “Knitted Silk Reticula” by Liza Prior Lucy. Actually, these are both “Knitted Silk Reticula.” Or possibly Reticulae. The pattern was published in Piecework back in 1993 and I knit it not too many years after publication.

It’s quite rare that I knit something in exactly the yarn called for. I knit this in the Halcyon Gemstone silk the pattern recommended. It’s a laceweight and I used exactly the colors called for: amber, deep amethyst, garnet and jacinth.

You are probably wondering about the glass pieces. My son was young at the time and played “Magic”–the card game. He kept his game pieces in a silk reticule. Wow. I knit the first one for me. When he asked if he could have it for his gaming, of course I said “yes.” And then I knit another for myself. Recently, I found my son’s Magic bag in my mom stash and returned it to him.

I never found a use for mine. But I still cherish it. Here’s a closer look minus the distracting glass globs.

Sometimes we knitters just need to knit something because we want to. We’ll find a use for it later. Or not. But the knitting is still very satisfying.

This next purse was another special project. Not perfectly executed, though again I increased my odds of making it work by using the exact yarns called for. This is “Rose Reticula” by Nicki Epstein. The pattern was in Knitter Magazine, 37, the 1994 winter edition.

The body of this is knit in an elasticized ribbon: Lacet Lastic, by Tiber. Most of the rest of the yarn was Tiber’s Doreale.  Buying the yarn was a definite stretch. My intarsia work was rather clumsy, but I didn’t (and still don’t) know how to embroider. Clumsy or not, my mom loved it. At least she said she did, even though I never saw her use it. I knit it. She lined it. I gave it to her. When she died, I got it back. It was still in the fancy stationary box that I wrapped it in when I gave it to her: the white padded box, with pink roses all over the top.

We’re done with the reticula now. Odd old word. These are both little fancy pouchy purses.

Now, for a few pillows. Pillow covers, actually. And they didn’t turn out to be usable in that form. In this view, it does look a tad pillow-like:

I remember that this was a Sirdar DK yarn. But the rest of its lineage is lost to the antiquities. My gauge was off and I never could find a pillow form to fit. So it sat. Then I decided to gather it up, pick up stitches for a sort of drawstring and top cuff. In fact, that’s leftover Lacet Lastic from the Rose Reticula (oops, I was supposed to be done with that word) at the top, along with some leftover Lastic navy blue.

Voila! A purse.  An overly colorful purse. I am a dolt in terms of what colors go with what.

This pattern was supposedly an original design from someone who participated at my (now deceased) mother-in-law’s senior center. Vivian gave me a copy of a well-worn, typed out pattern, with no attribution. But I’ve since learned that it is really Harlequin Cushion, by Paton’s UK. So, if you want to have a go at this one, the Paton’s pattern may be available on Ebay. And if you too fail at your cushion, try a purse.

I actually knit two pillow cushions, both out of the Sirdar yarn that I didn’t manage to knit to gauge.

This one, I’ve not turned into a purse. Instead, I use it as a small rug under a doll rocking chair that my Ravatar sits in. It’s a good resting place for her.