what is 'riegeln'? does it exist?

JuliusCaesar

I passed by 2 young German women the other day who were talking about how they had recently taken up knitting and 'riegeln' and were laughing about they must be getting old. I assumed 'riegeln' was some sort of embroidery till I got home, looked in the dictionary which didn't have the word at all, and said Riegel is a bolt.

Any idea what I heard/misheard? Thanks

(If it was a conversation of yours that I overheard, sorry!)

mackerski

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

I passed by 2 young German women the other day who were talking about how they had recently taken up knitting and 'riegeln' and were laughing about they must be getting old. I assumed 'riegeln' was some sort of embroidery till I got home, looked in the dictionary which didn't have the word at all, and said Riegel is a bolt.

Any idea what I heard/misheard? Thanks

(If it was a conversation of yours that I overheard, sorry!)

Hmm. Don't assume that it's related to knitting. An imaginative interpretation of what "riegeln" might mean could be a bit rude.

It reminds me a bit of the question "Spielen Sie Golf oder haben Sie noch Sex?".

F.A.

Are you quite sure they said 'riegeln'? If they spoke fast and in dialect, it might have been 'häkeln', meaning crotchet. Would make sense in the context you described...