Puttering Part V

Well, I've got some finished stuff for ya today.  I finally finished the Christmas place mats for my brother and his wife.  They're 100% cotton, hand dyed and handwoven.  It's a set of six, with hand knotted fringes.

Yay!  Place mats!

Detail shot.

And they're reversible, too!  

Detail of other side.

In other news, I've been continuing my explorations in bobbin lace.  Here's some in progress shots and the finished  sample.  For those following along, this is still lesson 2 in Lessons in Bobbin Lacemaking.  It's the Crown and Triangle edging.  I used a 10/2 cotton weaving thread for this sample.

I ordered a small lace kit on ebay.  It finally came in, so I decided to test out the new pillow.  It looks better than the one I made, but it's not as sturdy.  My first pillow is filled with upholstery cushioning, while this one is almost definitely styrofoam inside.  I do like the nice flat working surface, though, and it's a bit bigger than my pillow.  I'll eventually try out the new bobbins, too. 

Here's a closer detail.  If you're wondering about all the pins, the way the lace is formed is by crossing the threads in a particular sequence.  A pin is then put in to hold it in place until everything has been secured.

 

So, here's the finished sample.  Still a little wonky, but definitely tighter and cleaner than the last one.  It was also a lot more complicated.  It was really interesting to see how the spaces were formed.  I like the pattern.

Anyway, next on the list is to finish my Mom's place mats, do the next sample in my  lace book and make some meeple jewelry to hopefully sell in my husband's shop.  And for those of you who have no idea what meeples are, allow me to leave you with this delightful picture of my earring supplies.

Yay!  Meeples!