How to download a bobbin lace grid

Find the grid that you want.

You can print the whole page. Click on 'File' (top left of screen) then Print.

Or you can print or save just the grid itself as a file. If you have a Windows computer, then right-click on it (using the right button of the mouse rather than the left button). That will give you a mini-menu with various options such as print, or copy, or save.

You can also 'screen capture'. In Windows, the key on the keyboard saying PrtScn will copy whatever is on your screen into the clipboard. So do this to a screen with the required pattern, then go into a program such as a word processor, and click on Paste.

Apple computers, and other systems, have their own way of doing similar things. I gather that smart phones and tablets are not always easy to print from. Go away and find a proper computer!

How do I make the grid bigger or smaller?

Different sizes of grid are given here, but you may want to make a grid slightly bigger or smaller.

This gets a bit technical, I'm afraid! There are several ways:

When you print the pattern out, some printers allow you to change the size of the picture.
If you can saved the picture as a file, then you can open it in a program like Paint (in Windows) or you can paste it into a word processor file. Then you should be able to change the size of the picture. How to do this varies with the software. What technical people do is click on the screen at random (try the buttons at the top) and see what looks hopeful...
Some photo-copying machines allow copies to be changed in size as well. That costs money, of course...

How do I use the grid?

You can print off the grid provided, and then draw on it to make the pattern you want. That means that the pattern will only exist in the 'real world', but that is where you work the lace! However, you won't be able to copy it, unless you scan your pattern back into the computer, and that will tend to produce a 'jpeg' rather than a 'gif' - that is, something like a photo rather than a diagram. It also means that you can't change things when you change your mind, unless you use a pencil and a rubber (remember those?)

You can save the grid as a file on your computer, and then use software to change it, such as Paint. If you zoom in, you can make changes at pixel level, and of course if you make a mistake, then it's easy to rub out and change things. I do this. It means that the pattern exists as a file on your computer, so you can print it, or send it to other people, possibly as an attachment to an email. Or even put it on a website, as I have! Click here for my patterns.

There are two grids for each type, described as "dots" or "lines".

lace grid dots

Traditional lace patterns tended to be patterns of "dots" (pin holes), with a few lines drawn on to indicate the different types of motif, etc. If you intend to print the grid off, and draw on it by hand, you may find this easier, because you won't be able to rub out anything printed by the computer. However, I prefer drawing in all the lines produced by ground, as I find I can visualise the pattern easier. It also helps working it! I found that I was spending a lot of time drawing in these lines, so now I have made up "lines" versions of the grids with the lines already drawn. Since I design on computer, it is easy to rub out any superfluous lines. Even if you print the grids, you might prefer the lines version, perhaps scribbling out any you don't want.