Post Traumatic Lace Disorder

Lace and I have an uneasy relationship.

This all started during the Summer of Lace. Ambitious me, who'd only made



lace swatches and couple of lace scarves, decided to take on the Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls.

It's said that knitters should just plunge into projects they feel are too hard for them. Sound advice. If knitters didn't do this, we'd have zillions of knitters who only made garter stitch scarves for their entire lives.

I started Kimono Shawl unable (and refusing) to read charts on Lantern Moon needles. Two big mistakes. I kept breaking the needles and kept getting lost in the word instructions. It was so frustrating that I finally crossed the line where knitting wasn't fun anymore. I wisely cast off and threw the large Kimono swatch into a drawer.



Since then, I've been happy knitting socks, hats and scarves with interesting stitch patterns--but, no lace. Until Victorian Lace Today came out. Each and every shawl in that book is meant to be mine!

Oh, but ----- I don't do lace.

Well, guess who's doing lace. And reading charts.

I'm not tackling Melon or Alpine -- yet. Being that I suffer from PTLD (Post Traumatic Lace Disorder), I needed something that would instruct, be somewhat easy and produce a beautiful and useful item.

Forest Canopy Shawl fits the bill. Yarn being used is Claudia Hand Painted fingering-weight in the Argyle Sock colorway. Stunning yarn! But hard to describe the colors--brown, black, purple, blue all blending into each other.



The shawl so far looks like a pile of blecccch:



Mistakes have been made and mistakes have been figured out and fixed and fudged. But, there's gonna be a lace shawl around here before too long!

And then there'll be more.

Leftovers and Updates

Looking over previous entries, I notice that I could have added more photos to some and done updates on others.

On March 14 I talk about snow coming our way. And then on February 26, I pictured the ripped out headband and never updated.

Here's my favorite furry model wearing the sewed-up headband and watching the snow:



In the Lottsa Lace entry of March 10, I mention that my Mom, grandmother and a great-aunt were all talented needlecrafters. In addition to a crocheted bedspread and tablecloth, I have bags and bags of their beautiful crocheted doilies. By framing a few of the doilies, I'm able admire their handwork everyday:





Here's a photo of patterns they used. Notice how well-used they are:



Snowy day here. Getting ready for St. Paddy's Day, I'll be cooking up corned beef today and will be working on the Wearing O'the Green socks. Updates on snow and socks tomorrow. And leftovers of corned beef for all!

Lottsa Lace

Since I began knitting again, I've become more aware of colors, textures and designs. Knitting has also become my gateway to the fiber world. I've always appreciated fine needle work--my mother, grandmother and a great-aunt were all talented needlecrafters and I must carry some of those needlecraft (albeit less-talented) genes. However, I never gave more than a passing thought to the needle arts.

The internet has changed all that. Thanks to an internet group composed of lace knitters, I have a friend who I've never met but who has broadened my fiber horizons. Internet buddy (and frequent commenter) Sonja is a lace enthusiast (and a talented lace maker) and she has been slowly introducing me to the various lace techniques outside of knitting. Tatting and Hardanger and bobbins were never words in my vocabulary! But, suddenly I'm noticing and reading and questioning about lace.

The Museum of Arts and Design here in NYC is currently running the "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting" exhibition. And they've been holding programs and workshops in conjunction with the exhibit.

Yesterday, I had the privilege to be part of a small group that viewed lace pieces at the Antonio Ratti Textile Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Ratti Center is a state-of-the-art center for the study, storage and conversation of textiles. Housed are thousands of lace pieces from different centures--we viewed 37 pieces.

I really don't have the words to express it all--but, it was incredible! The beauty of the items goes without saying. I only saw 37 pieces ranging from the 16th to 19th centuries and it was all truly overwhelming. Here's a photo of one lace collar:



It was made in the 17th century. The techniques are: cutwork and stem stitch embroidery and the border is reticello and punto in aria.

I've posted other photos at my pbase site.
Some of the pictures have comments as to century and technique. Click on the thumbnail of the photo to make larger and to read the comment.

Many thanks to Sonja for introducing me to this world. One of these days, Sonja will come to the Ratti Center and view some of the exquisite lace pieces herself!

Please note: Viewing the textiles at the Ratti Center is not done as a walk-in. If you're interested in viewing items, you first need to look thru their database and then make an appointment to view specific items. For the details of this, call the Ratti Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.