I know that there are different techniques for making tallies other than the standard "woven" tally, and am interested in finding instructions and tips on using these alternative methods. Tamara, you have sent one of these techniques to the list before. I would be grateful for your and anyone else's advice and suggestions.
Many thanks,
Myrriah Lavin
Dear Myrriah,
I learned to make tallies from Christine Springett while learning Bedfordshire lace from her. Even so, I had to make a modification because I simply could not do what large, long fingered hands can.
======================================================================== To make nicely pointed leaf tallies, start and end with a cloth stitch (CTC)
A pointed leaf tally is built in 3 parts
First - a triangle that increases from the first CTC
Second - a straight section as wide as the wide end of the first triangle
Without the straight section, you will get a diamond, which is useful to know and a nice trick to pull out of your hat when you want a diamond shaped tally. The straight section is what creates the illusion of a curve the length of the tally.
Third - a triangle that decreases in width down to the last CTC
The lengths of all three sections are equal, that is, each part should be a third of the length of the tally.
========================================================================
Now, in more detail, the exact operations
THE PREPARATION
----------------------------
Step 1. CTC at the beginning of the leaf
See What IF? section a. for odd cases
Step 2. Twist the 2 right threads, the rightmost thread is your weaver
Step 3. Tension the point of your leaf nicely by tensioning the weaver
Step 4. Shorten the passives and lengthen the weaverI like my passives less than 3 inches long and my weaver is about twice that long. You will develop your own feel. Some people don't like the short passives.
You must be able to hold the passive bobbins in such a way that a. They are spread as wide apart as you can b. All 3 passives are under tension
*** You CANNOT tension the weaver unless all the passives are under tension and separated as widely as possible. ***
Christine Springett simply lays her hand flat across all the passive bobbins and holds the bobbins down both spread out and under tension.
She positions the passive bobbins apart on the pillow and then clamps them down with her hand and forearm, if necessary. I can't do this. It hurts my hand and my wrist.
My method is to hold the passive bobbins between my fingers. When making a tally, I pick up all three bobbins, with the third bobbin between my ring finger and pinkie.
*** Side Note: Picking up bobbins so that each bobbin can be tensioned separately
Curl your fingers and lay your hand on your pillow so that your hand is resting on your knuckles. This is the bobbin handling position.
Lay 2 bobbins on the pillow
Bring your curled fingers down over the pair of bobbins so that the one bobbin is between your Thumb and Index finger, and the other bobbin is between your Index finger and your Middle finger.
Pick up the bobbins
You can wiggle and tension each bobbin separately. (At last a feeling of control!)To see this more clearly, make a fist and insert pencils or straws (or even bobbins!) between your thumb and index finger, between index and middle fingers and between the ring and pinkie fingers.
Using this basic bobbin handling technique, I simply add another bobbin between my Ring finger and pinkie.
For tallies, controlling the passives means to have them under tension at all times when the weaver is to be tensioned. Picking them up and arranging them doesn't have to flow like a dance number. Control is more important than finesse.
Also, you don't have to hold them high. After clamping the passive bobbins in my "claw", I rest my hand on the pillow.
This method is awkward and peculiar to describe, but for me, it doesn't hurt and I have good control of the passives.
******************************************************************************************************
~~~ Now rest.~~~ Put the bobbins down.
Step 5. TWIST the right 2 threads, then CROSS
Step 6. With the left 2 threads, TWIST TWICE, then CROSS and TWIST the right 2 threads
What you have now is a full weave across and back again. Starting on the right, the weaver has gone over, under, over, and then from left to right - under, over, under. There has been no tension on the weaver yet, so the weaving may be a little loose. That's OK.
Step 7. Tension the passives and spread them as wide as you can, any way you can. A third alternative will be given later.
Step 8. With the passives under tension (getting obsessive, aren't I ?) Tension the weaver as follows:
Without using a lot of force, take the weaver bobbin straight back behind the start of the tally. This will compress the weaver thread back to the point of the tally. There may be what appear to be unsightly loops on either edge of the tally. That's still OK.
*** You still haven't tensioned the weaver yet. ***
Bring the weaver back towards yourself, watching the right edge of the tally. The move of bringing the weaver back toward yourself will tension the right side. When the right edge is where you want it (the very first tension should only be very slightly wider than the first CTC) - STOP tensioning.
Take the weaver straight back behind the start of the tally, keeping watch on the left edge of the tally, until the edge looks exactly how you want it to and then STOP tensioning.
So, to review, Tensioning the Weaver a. Passives under tension b. Weaver BACK to compress the woven thread c. Weaver FORWARD to tension the right edge of the tally d. Weaver BACK to tension the left edge of the tally
You may need to go back and forward a couple of times, at first.
Now you need to release the tension on all the threads so you can weave another row back and forth.
First release the tension on the Weaver. Lay it aside where it will be safe and not get pulled by accident.
Next, release the tension on the passives.
Shorthand description of weaving a pointed leaf tally ============================================== CTC Weave 2 rows Tension the Passives Tension the Weaver- BACK, FORWARD, BACK Release the tension on the Weaver Release the Tension on the Passives
Increasing Triangle Section:
Increase the width of the rows as you add them
Straight Section:
Keep the width the same as the widest end of the First Triangle section
Decreasing Triangle Section:
Decrease the width of the rows until
Weave 2 rows. . .etc. ==============================================
When you reach a point that is about one third of the length of your tally, start the straight section.
The straight section requires that you watch the edges of the tally very closely. Since the Passives are under tension, you will have to put more tension on the weaver in order to prevent the width of the straight section from increasing or decreasing. Do not relax the tension of the Passives, this will produce all kinds of undesirable outcomes ( tallies that collapse into a lumpy braid, tallies with scalloped edges like holly leaves, a KNOT!, frustration, panic and the end of civilization as we know it)
When the straight section is about as long as the first triangle, it is time to make the third triangle section. The third triangle section decreases in width. The tension on the weaver will be quite firm. ** Repeat ** Do NOT relax the tension on the Passives. When you go to tension the third triangle section, watch the edges closely to decrease the width of the triangle at the same rate that you increased the first increasing triangle.
Just before the third triangle section comes to a point, it is time to work the last CTC. What you don't do is just stop somewhere and CTC.
The method we have been describing leaves the weaver on the right hand side after weaving 2 rows. We want the weaver on the left
From the point where the weaver is on the right side after tensioning the last 2 rows,
TWIST the 2 right threads, CTC, tension the cloth stitch and pin between the pairs.
IFs, ANDs, BUTs and MAYBEs
*** How long to make the unfinished tally
Many lace instructors advise you to make your tallies up to a third longer than the space between the pinholes for the tally. What they tell you is to compress your tally to fit between the pinholes by carefully pulling on the outside passives. Then make your final CTC and pin between the pairs.
I have to admit that I make my tallies fit their space as I go. In fact, if the tally is drawn in on the pricking at the correct size for the pattern, I can shape my tally to match it almost automatically. (Just happens, I can't tell you how!)
I think that lace instructors tell students to make longer tallies and squish them so that there is enough thread in the tally. This is a very useful point. If you are not happy with your tallies, try to count how many rows you are putting in them. Then make more tallies, consciously increasing the number of rows. Your tallies should get better. The increased density of thread in the tally will help it to keep its shape.
Thread can have slight variations in thickness and your tension is pretty dynamic so that the pressure on the thread is not constant either. I think you have to adjust to the exact conditions on your pillow to decide whether to add another row or two (or more) to a section, even if the number of rows in each section is not equal. Tallies are an art, not an exact science.
*** Where to Look and What to Pull
You have to look at your tallies while you make them. Seems obvious, but unlike some lacemaking tasks, making tallies takes some focus. Watch the developing shape of each edge and the length and overall width of the tallies.
The other point is to always know where your weaver is. Is it safely released from tension? When you need to tension your weaver, are the Passives under Tension? Do YOU Know Where YOUR Weaver Is?
*** The Third Alternative
Ulrike Lohr uses a different approach. Essentially, her method is to TTC Tension. She only makes one row at a time, instead of 2 rows at a time like the above method.
TWIST TWIST the right threads CROSS Tension the weaver while tensioning the right and center passives TWIST TWIST the left threads CROSS Tension the weaver while tensioning the left and center passives
You still have to watch the developing edges of the tally while tensioning, but only 2 of the 3 passives have to be watched as closely. It is always best to have all the passives under tension, but this third alternative is a little more forgiving.
*** What IF?
a. What if the bobbin that would normally be the weaver for a tally doesn't have enough thread? (a tally in size 50 cotton can take 7-11 inches of thread)
Modify the CTC at the beginning of the tally to "work as much of the CTC as you can to get a different bobbin in position to weave the tally." This tip was gleaned from Holly Van Sciver in another Beds class. Ordinarily, the leftmost thread of the 2 pairs used for a tally will become the weaver. If the leftmost bobbin doesn't have enough thread, then identify the bobbin you want to use.
The Decision Making Process to Find a Different Weaver
Numbering the bobbins from left to right 1-2-3-4
IF Bobbin 4 is the bobbin you have identified to use as the weaver
CROSS TWIST CROSS
Bobbin 4 is now Bobbin 2
Continue weaving with Bobbin 2
With the 2 left threads, TWIST TWIST
CROSS
Continue at Step 5.
Otherwise
CROSS
IF Bobbin 3 is the bobbin you have identified to use as the weaver
STOP the CTC, you're done
IF Bobbin 3 is NOT the bobbin you want to use
TWIST
IF Bobbin 3 is the bobbin you have identified to use as the weaver
STOP the CTC, you're done
Continue at Step 5.
This modification is also useful for making tallies with a particular color. A single colored thread can be manipulated to be the tally weaver so that the tallies are a different color than the rest of the lace. Another trick is to simply add a colored thread at a tally and throw it out after the tally is done.
*** Lastly
There are no Lace Police. Tallies don't care how they are made. The lacemaker cares about how the tally looks, and any method that works, works. You won't like all your tallies. I still don't. But it's a thrill to get one just the way you want it. I had the peculiar experience of making a pretty good tally the first time out. Tallies number 2 through some large number were riddled with misadventures. But if I did it once, I could do it AGAIN. And so can you.
Take Care,
Patty Dowden
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