Hello everyone,
Years ago, I was in my favorite weaving supply store and came across a bobbin lace book, Bobbin Lacemaking by Doris Southard. I bought it and started doing some of the lessons.
There are always two or four bobbins in use at time. The first thing to learn is cross and twist. Cross is when you take a bobbin on the left and move it over a bobbin on the right, crossing the threads. Twisting is when you take a bobbin on the right and move it over a bobbin on the left, twisting the threads. I have a strange way to remember this. I think of Jesus being on the right hand of God and he died on the cross. Then I remember my poor mother who was hit with a ruler in school for being left handed. . They told her it was evil. Ridiculous, I know. Well, if you’re evil, you’re twisted. It’s weird but it helps me remember, right – cross, left – twist.
In Doris Southward’s book the whole stitch (throw) is twist , cross, twist, cross. The half stitch is half of the whole, twist, cross. Then the cloth stitch reverses everything and starts with a cross – cross, twist, cross.
Years later, I was talking on the phone to a bobbin lace supplier and she told me in the lace community Doris Southard’s way was not how most people did bobbin lace. She recommended Techniques of Bobbin Lace by Pamela Nottingham. For Pamela the half stitch was cross, twist, like Doris’ only upside down. Then, her whole stitch was Doris’ cloth stitch and Doris’ whole stitch was a whole stitch plus a twist to Pamela.
Could all of this be more confusing!?
I had to come up with my own way to make lace. I started with the cross since that seemed to be the most common. Cross, twist is a half stitch, cross, twist, cross, twist is a whole stitch (two halves make a whole), and cloth stitch is cross, twist, cross (three quarters of a whole stitch). Much easier!
So, that’s how I make lace. It might not be considered proper, but it works for me on any pattern I’m following and when I make up my own patterns.
