Translation--Petite Dentelle Courante

Thank you to Spideog (her Ravelry name) for giving us this translation for the lovely trimming, Petite Dentelle Courante.  The pattern is from Album de Guipure d'Irlande (Deuxieme Volume), Mme G. Hardouin.  The original is available at the following link, (page 41 of the pdf): http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/pub/PDF/Hardouin2Guip.pdf

Photo from Hardouin, Vol.2

All picots are made on 5ch, with slip stitch into base of 1st stitch.

Start off with a base of 16 chain. Turn.

The pattern is worked over a 5 row repeat.

Row 1: 2 chain, picot, 6 chain, picot, 2 chain, slip stitch to 6th stitch before the 1st picot (that is, the 13th chain of the base row). 2 chain, picot, 2 chain, picot, 2 chain and slip stitch to the 7th chain of the base row. 2 chain, picot, 5 chain and slip stitch to the 1st chain of the base row. Turn.

Row 2: 2 chain, picot, 6 chain, picot, 2 chain, slip stitch to middle of first loop of previous row, before the picot. 2 chain, picot, 5 chain, slip stitch to middle of 2nd loop of previous row, between the 2 picots. 2 chain, picot, 5 chain, slip stitch to 3rd loop of previous row, between the 2 picots. Turn.

Row 3: 2 chain, picot, 6 chain, picot, slip stitch to middle of 1st loop of previous row, before the picot. Next make the fan as follows: 7 chain, slip stitch to middle of 2nd loop, before picot. Turn. 1 chain, 10 treble over the 7 chain. Turn. 3 chain, 1 treble into 1st stitch of previous row, 1 chain, 1 treble into 3rd stitch, 1 chain, 1 treble into 5th stitch, 1 chain, 1 treble into 7th stitch, 1 chain, 1 treble into 9th stitch, 1 chain, 1 treble into 10th stitch (the last stitch). Continue row by 2 chain, picot, 2 chain and 1 treble into middle of 3rd loop in row 2. Turn.

Row 4: 2 chain, picot, 6 chain, picot, 2 chain, slip stitch into 1st loop of the fan. 2 chain, picot, 2 chain, picot, 2 chain, slip stitch to the 5th loop of the fan. 2 chain, picot, 5 chain, slip stitch to the last loop of the previous row, between the two picots. Turn.

Row 5: 2 chain, picot, 6 chain, picot, 2 chain, slip stitch to middle of first loop of previous row, before the picot. 2 chain, picot, 5 chain, slip stitch to middle of 2nd loop of previous row, between the 2 picots. 2 chain, picot, 5 chain, slip stitch to 3rd loop of previous row, between the 2 picots. Turn.

Continue to repeat rows 1-5, until work measures desired length. 
(For 2nd and subsequent repeats of row 1, slip stich into the middle of the loops of the previous row, instead of the base row of chains.)

When the desired length of lace is made, work a footing row along one side of the lace made up of single trebles, separated by 3 chains. Turn. 2 chain. Into each arc of 3 chains of the previous row, work 4 double crochet, skipping over the treble columns.

On the second side of the lace, work a footing row, again of single trebles separated by 3 chains. (Aim to have a multiple of 3 arcs). Turn. 
* Into the first arc, work 4 double crochet. 
Into the 2nd arc, work 2 double crochet, picot, 2 double crochet. 
Into the 3rd arc, work 3 double crochet. Turn. 
8 chain and slip stitch into 3rd double crochet worked into the first arc (the furthest away). Turn. 
Over the 8 chain loop work 3 double crochet, picot, 3 double crochet, picot, 3 double crochet, picot, 3 double crochet, picot, 3 double crochet. 
Then continue the row by 1 double crochet into the space left at the end of the 3rd arc of the footing row.**

Continue from * to ** .

Lacis Diaries--Part One

Hello!  It's workshop time!  I am attending Maire Treanor's Irish Crochet Master Class at Lacis in Berkeley, CA, USA.  She is hosting a four-day class, and has come fresh from her first workshop in Seattle.  This is my third visit to Maire's Lacis workshop.  The first two visits were one-day events for me, but this year I am attending all four days!  In class we are about 12 students.  Half are new to the workshop and the other half are repeat offenders, like me.  It's nice to sit with some familiar faces!  The new students are all so nice and I am having a great time chatting with them.

Class time!

Maire and some of the other students brought antique pieces to share and learn from.  I've already found a new-to-me motif that I'd like to replicate.  I'll share that one later.  Maire was showing her collection, and I was VERY excited when she brought out the cover doily from Eithne D'Arcy's book!  She knew Eithne, and was able to learn from her before Eithne passed.  The doily was so beautiful in real life.  The pictures don't do it justice.  

The Cover Doily

Detail of Cover Doily.  It is silk ecru.

Butterfly Opera Bag

A second surprise was when Rosemary pulled out this lovely
Opera Bag.  She found it in an antique store, and lo and behold,
she also found it in the Pricilla book!  Seems like an industrious
lady from the early 20th century followed her pattern just right.

I am having such a wonderful time at the workshop!  I'll share the
progress on my projects soon.
~~Kim

Tip- Rein in That Unruly PC!

Maire Treanor recommends using no more than a couple feet of PC at a time, because longer lengths can get in the way of your work.  I agree, but sometimes I find that even 2 feet of PC can be unruly!  Sally has given us a wonderful tip to quickly contain your pesky PC.  Thank you to Sally!  You are a genius!  She uses a small hair clip to keep her PC in order.

Use a hair clip to contain your PC.

If you don't have a clip, you can tie a little skein.  I think some people call it a butterfly.  Not as easy as Sally's method but it works too.

Wind yarn around fingers.

Here is your wound PC, a baby skein.

Place working thread behind skein, leaving a loop.

Using working thread, pull up a loop over front of skein and through loop just made.

Pull this thread UP to tighten.  Not the working end.

Tah-dah!  Pull the working thread to un-do.  It's basically a slip-knot over the skein.

Do you have a tip or trick to make your IC work go more smoothly?  Let us know!!!

Antique of the Week--Gorgeous Gown

I love Pinterest!  I found this gorgeous gown there, and traced back to the original website:  antiquedress.com .  I'll definitely be back on that site for an extended visit!  The gown is dated at 1910, and, according to the site, has been sold.  I'm guessing it's made of cotton.  It is nice how they showed it with white underneath, and also with black, so we can really see the pattern.  The more I look at this gown, the more I am amazed!  There are so many great design details in this one dress.

Front and back views

This bodice is what first drew me to the dress.  I love symmetry, which is not always a feature of Irish Crochet.  I also was really intrigued by the use of the square motifs down the front of the bodice.  These are usually seen sewn together in a row and used as a long piece of lace along a hem or perhaps put together for a collar or cuffs.  I've not seen them integrated into a garment in this way.  I love it!  The long leaf stems that extend down both sides of the bodice would be quite slimming, and are a lovely detail, speaking to my need for balance.

Bodice detail

The neckline on the dress has small flowers with dangling beads hanging from the center of each flower.  Beautiful!  And no need for a necklace.

Neckline detail

The skirt of the gown is equally as beautiful as the bodice.  It features an overall lace pattern, divided by the long leaf stems that come down from the shoulders.  There are some large flowers at the center of the skirt, below where the square motifs end.

Bottom of skirt

Hem detail

More skirt detail.  There are three-dimensional motifs throughout the dress.

Detail on skirt

I keep seeing more and more elements of IC that I would like to use in future projects.  How about a modern-day sweater with the beaded flower neckline?  Or a t-shirt style top in IC with the square motifs set down the center?   Needless to say, I love this gown!
~Kim
direct link to more photos of this gown

Modern Love--Kim's Shamrock Piece

Shamrocks from Priscilla and D'Arcy books

This little piece of Irish Crochet seemed like it would never be finished!  It started out as just the shamrock motifs.  I was planning to make a top or blouse but used No. 10 thread for the shamrocks, and thought they were a little big for what I had in mind.  The border that you see there (from a Priscilla book) was going to be a waist decoration.  It just wasn't working out so when the IC Lovers group on Ravelry had a backgrounds CAL (crochet-a-long) in October 2012, I was happy to use the shamrocks for that.  I had to make more, but once I got the layout designed, the filling in went pretty quickly.  I made the center first, with the close mesh, and then did the Clones Knots working from the center out to the edges.  I can see where I changed direction but overall I'm happy with finishing this!  I think I will make it into a pillow.

~~Kim

Clones Knots as taught by Maire Treanor

Flowers in the center border are from Duplet

Tidbit

The following excerpt is from "The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting and Needlework" by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, and was published in 1854, in the US.  It's an interesting view of crochet in an historical context. ~~Kim

"Crochet Work proper is, in its present improved form, almost a modern invention.  It has only been introduced to any extent into this country within the last twenty years, but now it is very general, and our old-fashioned knitting work is completely thrown into the back ground by the Crochet needle.  The embroidered sheath and chased silver needle-case have disappeared even from the cherry-wood workstands of New England, and a thousand beautiful designs for chairs, cushions, toilets and wearing apparel, supply the place of the old-fashioned stocking basket with its well mended contents.  In England and Ireland, where the ladies are always industrious, Crochet work has arisen to the dignity of an art.  It is introduced into the national schools, and hundreds of poor are supported by the rich laces and pretty collars produced there.

It is quite wonderful to what perfection this art has reached in some districts of Ireland.  Every day develops new improvements and contributes some novel pattern to the world, which promises to render this class of lace making more popular than even the English point, has been, especially on this side of the Atlantic.  At the Crystal Palace this year, some specimens of Crochet collars, sleeves, and even entire dresses, were exhibited that had all the rich effect of old point lace.  Flowers, even raised in petals from the ground work, have been invented, and the most intricate patterns are given with a boldness of effect only to be found in the ancient lace we have mentioned.

Thus it is pleasant to see that what was late only a dainty accomplishment with which the gentlewoman idled away her time, promises to become a means of support to the working classes."

Thread Heaven at Lacis

I made a little trip up to Berkeley (California) last week and stopped in at Lacis for some shopping and inspiriation.   I browsed through many hooks, just getting one old standby--the Boye steel number 12.  I seem to use and lose this one more than most!  Of course, there were many types of white and ecru threads, including egyptian cotton and one hundred percent linen.  I just thought I'd share the colorful shelves of Lizbeth threads with you.  So many colors!  This is a view of about half the aisle, and there is another aisle on the other side with DMC and other types of thread.  I bought some Lizbeth in burnt orange, in number 10 and number 40.  I really exercised some self control here!!!
~~Kim

Colorful, wonderful thread at Lacis, in Berkely