This uses a traditional English Midland headside called nine pin, and a type of spider called a bud.
Pattern:
Bobbins: 13 pairs
Style: English Midland
Stitches:
plait (green)
lazy join
picot
join - 2 pair + 1 pair
cloth stitch and twist
half stitch
Details:
nine pin headside (green)
bud (red)
twisted footside (grey)
Description:
In English Midland lace, it is important to sort out which line on the pattern is a plait, and which is a single pair, twisted. In this pattern, the grey lines are all single pairs. They make up the single twisted footside. The green, thicker lines are plaits. Some of them make up the nine pin headside. Some of them join the headside to the bud. Some joins the different buds, and some join the bud to the footside. Where plaits cross, there is a lazy join. Where a plait joins a single pair (such as at the footside, or where the worker pair of the bud joins the headside), it is a join - 2 pair + 1 pair.
The body of the bud starts with two pairs, similar to a diamond. These come from the plait at the top. One of those is chosen to be a worker pair. The second row brings in the two pairs from one side plait, and third row brings in the plait from the other one. Then there are two rows where no new pairs enter at all. Then the worker picks up the pair from the footside and the two pairs from the plait, and immediately discards them. (Which order will depend which pair was chosen as workers at the top.) Then rest of the bud is worked, dropping off pairs to create the new side plaits. Finally the last two will make the bottom plait. Click here for a longer description.
Close up of the lace, so you can see the working in more detail
If you look carefully at this photo, you will see that I did not work it the way I describe! Instead of bringing in both pairs from each side plait in the same row, I brought in one pair from the plait at one pin, and the other at the next pin. That is certainly possible. But looking carefully at photos of traditional lace, I suspect that the plait's pairs should enter together. Never mind - there is often more than one way to work lace!
© Jo Edkins 2016 - return to lace index