Torchon sampler (simple pattern)

This is quite a complicated pattern, but it only uses 12 pairs (or 24 bobbins). I am not going to describe how to work it in detail, but I will tell you what the different stitches are, and direct you to the explanation in other parts of the website.

The lace is started off with some cloth stitch. I made a bit of a mess of it when I did it (top right of the photo) so I sewed it up and hoped for the best! See right for an explanation of the start. The single pairs of bobbins are hung from temporary pins outside the final piece of lace. Once you have worked the threads into the pattern, take the temporary pin out and tug the bobbins gently to get rid of the little loop. This stops you having to work a stich with a pin in when the pin is already there. The middle two pairs must be looped round each other to stop them separating. The cloth stitch is worked similar to bias ground.

This is a sampler, and so uses as many different types of middle as possible! It starts at the top (on the right in the picture above) with 16 stitches of simple Torchon ground. When you have worked them, you work the edges. These are cloth fan headsides. You work a fan headside similarly to a cloth diamond except you only pick up and drop off threads from the right-side.

Next, you work four rose ground. This needs the four threads on the right worked in a cloth stitch without a pin, and the four on the left as well, before you start the stitches which do need pins. Afterwards, you do the same again. Read the description for more details. When done, work the next two fans.

The next middle is a small spider, surrounded by double Torchon ground. First work the 7 stitches of double Torchon ground above the spider (the one at the top, and three on either side). Only the top two pairs on each side will go into the spider. Twist these four pairs several times each both before and after working the spider. Read the description for more details. After the spider is finished, work the remaining 5 stitches of double Torchon ground. Then work the next two fans.

The next middle is four triangular ground. Read the description for more details. When done, work the next two fans.

The next middle is a large spider, followed by the next two fans. This is easier than the small spider in one way as you don't have to bother with the double Torchon ground, but harder as you have to work which threads to work across which! Also tightening up a large spider can be tricky. Try tugging gently when you put the pin in, then again after finishing the spider, and finally after working the spider's 'legs' into the fans.

The rest of the pattern is the same except reversed. The second lot of triangular ground is the other way round.

If you feel that this is all too much, then you can choose the middles that you like, and just work those.