Sunday, April 19, 2009

A New Thread





















I do other things besides knitting. All my life, I have been fascinated by bobbin lace. Several years ago, I finally found the proper materials and began to learn. This was really only possible through the Internet. Lacemaking requires focus and patience. For me, it is a form of meditation.

I am really glad to pull my pillows out of storage. The photos show a detail shot of my "cookie" pillow, which is about 18" in diameter. The pattern, called a pricking, is pinned onto the pillow and the lace is worked directly over the pattern. In my mind, bobbin lace incorporates techniques of weaving, braiding, and perhaps knotting. Pins are used to stabilize the threads at edges and crossings. Finished lace is stretched, stiffened and released from the pins.

This particular project is an exercise in Bruges lace. "Tapes" are woven to define the shape of the lace. The center area is filled with a "ground" pattern. It is a fairly easy, quick and fun type of lace. Since I haven't done this in a couple of years, this will be a good refresher piece to finish.

The photo on the right shows my pattern book and examples of my patterns or prickings.
I hope it will be easy for me to pick this up again.

I stopped making lace several years ago, when i went back to work full time. Somehow, working 8-12 hours a day for 5-6 day weeks is not conducive to focusing on anything other than sleep at home.