Colour Chaos in Muaiga Cluny

I use my favourite white thread for the first test making of my patterns.  This makes it easy to experiment, carry threads, cross trails, and swap workers if thread runs low.  Coloured pens were used to identify the possible trails on this pattern and I quite liked the effect so I jumped straight in with loads of coloured threads to echo the pen colours.  

Gorgeous colours of cotton thread.

Little did I suspect how complicated this makes a new pattern, more like a Rubik's cube than a piece of Muaiga Cluny!  Colours had to be carried inside tallies, thrown in and out with little thought to all the rewinding to be done, and dizzy eyes when I left the pillow.  

The threads I used were mostly Empress mercerised Egyptian cotton, an old, gorgeous green Sylco and a pale peach Tanne.  I also had to mix my bobbins from different sets as I raided my cases for left over prewound coloured threads to use. 

My Muaiga Cluny pattern being made in Colour

My usual blue pricking card (though I dont preprick as I don't know where the pins need to go until the tester is made) was not suitable for this piece because the blue threads were too similar in colour, which would make them invisible to work with.  I chose a dull cream which worked for the colours, but was harder on the eyes.

The first section is now made. There are a lot of 'leave it and come back later' points where I couldn't continue until a crossing was made at another point so all the trails have to be worked concurrently as they interlace.    The interlacing points is where the white thread is very flexible, the ability to change pairs at any crossing makes it easier to blend and minimise obvious carrying of threads over and under.  Colours don't make this as easy so I have had to make a feature of the crossings as a design detail. 

Alien Space Ships

Playing about with Triangle ground, which is also known as Pagoda stitch, I thought they looked like space ships.  The ones with wobbly legs look like jellyfish but that's a whole new pattern I have yet to explore. 

Years ago, when I was learning the basics of bobbin lace, I would watch youtube videos and must have worn a groove in some by pausing and replaying tiny sections!  One of those videos was a Jenny Brandis tutorial on triangle ground.  Having mastered the triangle, I tried to include it in every Torchon bookmark I created from then on.  

Triangles can be used in both spider blocks and as ground.  Triangle ground can be made to point in either direction or in mirrored lines to good effect.    

Increasing the number of passive bars makes a stronger triangle but also makes the legs much longer, this has to be considered when making the larger ones because the longer legs don't tend to hold themselves straight when unpinned and can be a weakened point in the lace.  Within the square block, there are some pin holes which are not needed, the center one and the ones between the 'legs', if you see dots there because the triangle was drawn onto a dotted card, don't worry, you haven't missed anything. 0.

 My Alien Spaceships bookmark is just a bit of fun, hoping to encourage newer lacemakers to experiment with this stitch.  Starting off as the small one bar triangle, they work up to a three bar triangle.  Scattered about are small 4mm sequins, another handy technique to master, but these do not need to be added.  

Around the edge I added an extra two mixed pairs which work as edge passives using 1 cotton, 2 sparkle, 1 passive. The sparkly pair are edged with the stronger cotton thread because Sparkle thread tends to stretch a little bit so don't try and tension it too much.   I added these by placing a temporary pin between the outer pin and the next row along the top, hang 1 pair of cotton, two pairs of sparkle, one pair of cotton.  

Twist the threads on one side (two pairs) around a pearl headed pin a couple of times and secure deep into the pillow, this will give the other half of the same pairs something to tension against.  This can be done at any point along the top edge but traditionally it would be done at a corner because Torchon is usually made in a diagonal direction.  These passives do not need to be added, they are purely decorative. 

Each triangles is worked in it's own square block, sometimes I change the stitch surrounding the block to a double Torchon stitch just to give a little definition, but this time I wanted the spaceships to stand out so I kept to the half stitch, pin, half stitch ground all over.

Here is the link to my YouTube video on making Triangles 

https://youtu.be/38p02Or0ZQI?si=uhMvGYnAFgjM6REL

The pattern is also in the 'Files' section of my Lesley's Lace Group facebook page. 

Triangle or Pagoda stitch.

Triangle or Pagoda stitch being worked in bright crochet thread in the video so get your sunglasses ready!

This unusual Torchon ground stitch made with one bar, to me, looks like a teeny space ship. When it is made with 2, 3 or more bars, it starts to look like a Chinese Pagoda. Using a single triangle block makes an interesting alternative to a spider.

Triangle ground can be made to point left or right. In my video, the triangle is given an extra bar, increasing the block size to 5 pin x 5 pin. More bars can be added by repeating the steps, this also means that the legs on the second half of the triangle will need more twists as they lengthen.

If adding one of these to existing Torchon ground, remember that you will not use all the pinholes.

This stitch is used as both a 4 pin and a 5 pin block in the 'Ellie the Torchon Elephant' pattern available in my blog and in my FB group.

Video

https://youtu.be/38p02Or0ZQI

Facebook facebook.com/lesleyfw Facebook Group facebook.com/groups/907516516997481

Making Leaf Tallies

There are many ways to make Leaf Tallies in bobbin lace. Different methods can be dictated by the style of pillow, the bobbins, palms up or down styles, and the ability of your own hands and mind to keep track of the tensions in these little woven almonds.

One thing I learned was to not let the tally bully you, they can be wayward, eager for the worker bobbin to snag on pins, waiting for the tiny lapse of concentration which lets one bobbin get pulled a little more than it needed. At least, they are easy to undo, no pins or knots to unwork.

To practice, it is well worth using two pairs of bobbins around a pin, make a tally, work a pin and continue with yet another, and another tally until you feel your hands get the rhythm of the tally dance.

Maybe my non traditional way of making tallies will have the old bobbin lace makers spin in their graves but, in today's lace making world, as long as it makes me happy to see the little white almonds appear in my lace, that is enough for me.

https://youtu.be/Thc-6D7Y1ZE

Making an 8 Pair crossing. Versions 1 and 2.

Two different ways to cross four leaf tallies, or plaits around a pin. This involves 8 pairs of bobbins, each pair is moved as if it were one bobbin so not as bad as having to figure out all 16 bobbins individually!

An easy way to use the formula is to place a ruler or piece of paper underneath the line you are working so you only follow one line at a time. To get one in the wrong place will alter the tensions further along and if you are using colour trails, that will be more obvious if you go wrong.

Leaf Tally flower using an eight pair crossing. Version 1

https://youtu.be/8IWHr8ywx_4?si=MiqTiMOqCDHT7H5Y

This version uses a simple weave style crossing which finishes with the pairs on the opposite side to the start.

Counting the pairs from the left, pick up no 4 pair, weave it over 5, under 6, over 7, under 8. Pick up no 3 pair, weave it under 4, over 5, under 6, over 7. Pick up no 2 pair, weave it over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6, over 7, under 8. Place pin in center. Pick up no 1 pair, weave it under 2, over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6, over 7. Pick up no 2 pair, weave it over 3, under 4, over 5, under 6. Pick up no 1 pair, weave it under 2, over 3, under 4, over 5. Tension. Leaf Tall
y eight pair crossing. Version 2

https://youtu.be/OC45Io2pARU?si=EvjODskUwBXxuBi2

This version creates a rounded center with two pairs travelling around the edge of the crossing and all pairs finish on the opposite side to the start.

Cross pair 4 over 5

Lift pair 4 over 3, pair 6 over 5.

Lift pair 2 over 3, pair 6 over 7.

Lift pair 4 over 3, pair 6 over 5.

Lift pair 4 over 5.

Lift pair 2 over 1, pair 4 over 5.

Lift pair 6 over 5, pair 8 over 7.

Lift pair 2 over 3, pair 6 over 8.

Place pin in center. Tension lightly.

Lift pair 2 over 1, pair 3 over 4.

Lift pair 5 over 6, pair 8 over 7.

Lift pair 4 over 5.

Lift pair 4 over 3, pair 6 over 5.

Lift pair 2 over 3, pair 6 over 7.

Lift pair 4 over 3, pair 6 over 5.

Lift pair 4 over 5.

Tension.

See Bridget M. Cook's book 'Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace'

Facebook facebook.com/lesleyfw Facebook Group facebook.com/groups/907516516997481