Adventures in Bobbin Lace

Those of you who know me may be aware of my insatiable thirst for knowledge and my recent obsession with lace making.  While I have dabbled with several kinds of lace, the technique of bobbin lace has eluded me for about two years now.

But no more! 

I felt like the time was coming that it would finally make sense, sat down with my pillow and bobbins and it just clicked.  And I don't mean the sound the bobbins make when you work.
Behold, my first successful sampler!

Go me!  So, having gotten a palatable sampler out, I decided to forge ahead and try an actual edging.  But because I really don't care for the really skinny thread that's traditional for bobbin lace (and that I used in my sampler), I'm using a thicker silk needlepoint thread.  Here's some in progress pics:

 Here's a close up of the actual work. 

And here's what a piece looks like on the pillow, for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about.  Basically you twist and cross the bobbins around each other (this is one occasion it's okay to cross the streams), and then you pin the resulting twists in place and when you're done you pull out all the pins and it magically stays together.  I'm definitely not great at this yet, but it's nice to finally have it make sense.  This is also the closest thing to a woven lace the lace making community currently acknowledges, and, indeed many lace books will actually consider it a woven lace, in spite of the fact that the structure is more intertwined than woven.  It's also by far the most popular form of lace making today.  A look at I.O.L.I.'s membership handbook shows that almost everyone in it does bobbin lace, with tatting as a close second.  Personally, I don't intend to stop here--I do plan on continuing my studies in all lace types, because it's important that these beautiful techniques not be lost forever.  Most of the current lace makers are significantly older than myself--many of the "younger ones" are still in their upper forties and fifties.

Sorry about kind of getting up on my soap box today, but I think it's important that some things get passed on to later generations.  I'm not saying we need to all start making our own fabric and clothes, or churn our own butter, but some of us should know how to do this so we have an appreciation for the technology and foreign laborers who make it possible for us to go to the store and buy ready made clothing off the rack. 

Also, when the zombie invasion or Captain Tripps finally happens, at least then the survivors won't be totally screwed when the power plants shut down and trade routes get blocked.