I would like to draw your attention to two books on Irish crochet lace which have recently been published in Australia. You may think it is odd that books on this subject have been published on the other side of the world, but the author, Barbara Ballantyne, has long had an interest in and love of Irish crochet. She has carried out her research in Ireland and studied collections of Irish crochet in many countries. In addition she has demonstrated Irish crochet for the Irish Tourist Board need one say more.
The first book, Early History of Irish Crochet Lace (ISBN 978-0-9580235-2-8 pbk), covers the early development of this form of crochet. The story is told in the context of the great hardship Irish families experienced in the aftermath of the Famine in the middle of the nineteenth century. Irish crochet lace became an important source of income for families, indeed an industry of economic importance. Crochet lace of a very high standard, following the designs of the European bobbin and needle laces, was produced for some years, followed by a decline in standards, and then a revival in the 1880s. The second book, Mademoiselle Riego and Irish Crochet Lace (ISBN 978-0-9580235-3-5 pbk) tells the fascinating tale of this very talented and incredibly prolific English needlework designer, who claimed to have <invented> Irish crochet lace. Barbara s meticulous research shows that there is little basis for this claim, although she did make another significant contribution to its development. This book restores the credit for the creation of this very beautiful lace to the women of Ireland. The publication of these two small books, which are beautifully illustrated, is welcome news to all lovers of Irish crochet lace. I would love to have had these two books as a guide when I was living in Ireland some years ago. I saw much coarse crochet lace, but very little of the beautiful quality used in the illustrations in these books; much of it comes from Barbaras own collection (including the two outstanding pieces on the cover of Early History), as well as Irish museums and personal collections. The two books are self-published by Barbara, and are available at present from Lacis in Berkeley <www.lacis.com> and from Barbara direct: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Barbara is a friend of mine, and I have great respect for her scholarship. Otherwise, the usual disclaimers apply. Pat Milne Canberra, Australia - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
