Just for fun, I recreated this little Christmas tree decoration in lace.
Dipping a toe into the world of tape laces, I made a tester piece before trying out a design of my own. There is a bit of 'Muaiga' lace involved, as there usually is when I make a piece of lace! (Made Up As I Go Along)
The 'wriggle' I drew freehand.
The main technique, I think, is to work the curves without pins on the inside, using turning stitches instead. This means the tensions have to be kept under control or the curves soon become uneven.
The curves are held in place with edge stitches being twisted around pins halfway between the outer and the nearest other edge pin. This is done in advance and picked up when the other side of the join is working an edge stitch to sew into the waiting one.
Because of the multiple twists, and the longer length of the loop, this is much easier to sew into than a standard edge hole. I used both crochet hook and eyes out tool, both worked as easily as each other.
The main difficulty with this wriggly style lace is to keep the pins already in the work covered while the pattern is turned around many times, keeping the tape facing downwards maintain tension.
The hands and feet are made with leaf tallies using the two edge pairs. They work out as a tally, then turn with a cloth stitch around the pin, and work a plait back to the edge. Work a cloth stitch around the same pin, then continue working.
At the edge of the hat, having worked the first two rows, I used two passives in a plait to join the second row to the first. Work through the passives and back to get the worker higher up the edge and work half stitch with extra pairs added along the edge of the brim. At the far side, add 4 pairs, this is 3 passives and an extra worker pair to make the two pair edge.
Tie a knot at the top, cut and leave a tassel. I
This is an experimental piece, being my first in this style of lace, so there will be much better solutions for some of the workarounds I have used. There is so very much to learn! I perused Idrija lace to find some of the techniques and, in time, will have a better understanding of this versatile lace.
