This could be used as a Christmas tree decoration. Click here for more Christmas decorations.
Pattern:
Bobbins: 18 pairs (4 snowflake colour pairs, 14 background colour pairs)
Style: Torchon/Bucks Point
Stitches:
cloth stitch
cloth stitch and twist
half stitch and twist
twist pair
Details:
Winkie pin twisted footside (grey)
Bucks Point net (grey)
cloth strip (red)
cloth diamond (red)
solid cloth stitch (blue)
hexagonal mat
how to finish
Description:
Follow the links above for explanation of how to work the different parts of the lace.
The start is along a diagonal, so one pair starts at each pin, and two at the edge. Above, I have marked the position of the false pins.
Click here for how to finish an edge. Remember to leave the first two rows of pins in the pattern in place, and push them up to their heads. Remove other pins to reuse at the end as usual. You will find that if you don't, the threads will catch on the pins as you turn the pillow.
Click here for how to work a hexagonal mat. Click here for how to finish a mat.
Usually there is no working between the different parts of a hexagonal mat. When you reach the dark grey line, you turn the pillow and start on the next bit. That leaves a gap in the finished lace, crossed with simple twisted pairs. Here, this area is filled in, to make the arms of the snowflake. When you reach the end of one sixth of the pattern, you will have 2 pairs at the outer edge of the lace. Take the outer of these two pairs, and work 4 rows of cloth stitch all the way to the centre, pin, and back to the outer edge (which is 2 rows, so repeat). If there is not room for 4 rows, then do 2 rows, but it must be an even number, since the worker pair must end up back at the edge. These rows of cloth stitch fill in the gap nicely.
This can be worked in two colours. The diamonds and strips touch each other, so the workers can go from one shape to the next, and by making them a different colour, you can colours the snowflake. The arms, between the different sections of the snowflake, have different workers, and these need to stay at the edge the rest of the time. This is why a Winkie pin footside is necessary. You can choose which colours you want. I choose a metallic silver thread for the snowflake, and clear transparent thread (sometimes called invisible thread) for the background. It's not really invisible, of course, but it does fade into the background well. But by all means choose a contrasting colour instead. Or you could work the whole pattern in one colour, and it would still be attractive.
© Jo Edkins 2016 - return to lace index