Simple Lace Grounds

Torchon Ground

The Torchon ground starts off with all pairs of bobbins being twisted. Then you find two pairs of bobbins coming into one particular point, which will have a hole. I've made these pairs different colours so you can see what's going on, but they would usually be the same colour. You work the pairs of bobbins with a half stitch, and then you put the pin in. Then work the same two pairs in another half stitch. This is called covering the pin. The diagram shows six pins' worth of net. It is easier to work simple ground diagonally rather than in rows, as in the diagram. This means that you work one pair of bobbins down the pattern.

You may not need to tighten the threads after every pin. A gentle tug of the bobbins at the edge, or before starting any more complicated part of the design, may be enough. Don't pull the pins out, though!

The pricking pattern for a Torchon ground is just the ordinary Torchon grid, with the holes in a square diamond pattern. It's the same for the double Torchon ground as well. You just have to know what your ground is for a particular pattern! In my patterns, I tend to draw in the diagonal lines of the net as it helps me see where the threads go (see right).

See the first Hearts design for an example of Torchon ground.

Double Torchon Ground

Double Torchon ground is worked with a cloth stitch and twist before the pin, and another cloth stitch and pin after. This means that there are twice as many stitches. You can see that the threads work down the lace is a zig-zag fashion, rather than moving diagonally like the simple Torchon ground.

The Simple lace uses a stitch of double Torchon ground in the centre.

Bucks Point Ground

A Bucks Point ground has one half stitch per pair of bobbins, and then pin. This leaves the pin uncovered. Each new pair of bobbins is then twisted one or more times. The diagram on the right shows each original pairs of bobbins a different colour. You can see how the pairs change for each pin! There are also additional threads which come in from each side to complete the stitches. The diagram shows two twists, which means that the threads move diagonally, which can give a tauter net.

A Bucks Point picking has lines of pins closer to the horizontal than Torchon, which makes shorter, fatter diamonds. The Bucks Point ground gives an attractive hexagonal design, rather than the Torchon diagonal squares.

These flower patterns use Bucks Point ground.