Weronika wrote: I tried to make a braid (also called a plait, I think - anyway, what I mean is when you take two pairs and just CTCTCTCT... straight without pins, to get a neat thin braid). I failed miserably. Even if I pull it up after every CTCT, it comes back down when I work on the next one, and then when I try to pull the next one up the whole thing becomes a nasty irregular knot. The only way I could make it work was if I actually put a pin in the middle after every CTCT or two, and then removed each pin after I put in the next one so that I could pull on the threads and prevent the hole from the pulled out pin from showing. It seems like it should be doable without that though... How can I make it work??
======================================= Dear Weronika, You are correct that plaits are made without pinning (except at the beginning and the end). To make a plait, you start with a CTC. Now tension. Instead of making a CTCT, all you do is TC. Ending with the Cross will tend to not pull the tension out of your plait Now tension. Repeat TC - tension until you get the plait to its destination. -- Tension -- You'd think an art as serene as lacemaking wouldn't talk about tension all the time, but it's one of those inscrutable karma things. As a newbie, you may not have given much thought to how you hold the bobbins. There is a technique to individually tension each thread while holding all four bobbins in your fingers. Curve your thumb and your forefinger and your middle finger into a claw. Place your fingers over a pair of bobbins so that the bobbins are between your fingers. Now lift the bobbins with your clawed fingers. With just a little experimenting, you will be able to wiggle and adjust the tension on each thread separately. Try both hands with all four bobbins. My method of tensioning a plait is to TC, adjust the outside threads and then adjust the inside threads. When you arrive at the destination for the plait, it should neither be too long for the space nor too short. Since this is one of my weaknesses, I have developed a test. I put a pin in the pricking where the plait should end (there's usually one there in the pattern). Then I divide the pairs and let them rest on the pin. When the plait rides smoothly in the space without bunching up (my usual problem is that I make the plait too long)or without a space between the end of the plait and the pin big enough to put another CT into, then the plait is the right length. If the plait is too long, take out a stitch and re-measure. If the plait is to short, add a stitch and re-measure. When you are making plaits the same length in several places, you can develop a number of stitches to count to make them all exactly even, but since thread can vary a little in thickness (especially linen), it's not an absolute number. This is all a very wordy explanation, but lacemaking is a kinesthetic exercise and describing it without pictures or a demonstration is pretty hard. Good Luck! We are all interested in your progress. Let us know how it works out. Patty Dowden - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
