Lace with Zig-zags and Diamonds

Zig-zag Pattern

This is a fairly orthodox Torchon pattern, contrasting the half stitch zig-zag with the cloth stitch behind.

Normally, both half stitch and cloth stitch are treated equally, each being 'Z's fitting into each other, which are meant to look as if they are twisted round each other. I tried this pattern, which places the half stitch above the cloth stitch, and lo and behold, I get hearts again!

There is an open fan, Torchon ground, some spiders to set off the zig-zags and a single twisted footside.

22 pairs of bobbins.

Checkerboard Pattern

This pattern is simpler. It has cloth diamonds and half stitch diamonds in a checkerboard pattern. You can still imagine them as two continuous strips which intertwine with a spider at the junctions. A Torchon ground sets off the whole pattern, and the usual single twisted footside.

The only tricky part in working it is where the two diamonds touch in the centre. You have to work half one diamond until you get to the touching point. Leave the worker pair of bobbins loose - don't put a pin in. Then work the other diamond right through, picking up the loose pair from the first diamond as a passive (for only one stitch each way) at the touching point. When the second diamond is finished, you go back to finish the first, using the loose pair as workers again. Click here for a description of this.

22 pairs of bobbins.

Cobweb Pattern

I wanted to make a very open pattern with half stitch bars and spiders, and a single twisted footside. There are cloth stitch and twist fans on the headside. There is one interesting stitch here. Next to the footside, there are half spiders. Two pairs of bobbins come in from the right, but only one pair from the footside itself. You work the footside pair through the other two pairs the same as a spider. The footside pair also has to come in for a dummy stitch before and after the spider.

I wanted to work this pattern in grey, for two reasons. In Geogette Heyer's book 'Powder and Patch', one of the characters has grey lace, and I wanted to see what the effect was. Also I had an email from a lacemaker in Monserrat, who explained that due to volcanic activity on the island and the ash in the air, their lace got dirty very quickly, so they worked in grey thread, so it didn't show! I think the final effect looks a little like cobwebs, so that's what I call it.

15 pairs of bobbins.