Dear Friends,
It would be good if one or two of our male spiders would chip in on this one,
I'd love to know what they did before lace.
You've finally managed to push me into this thread :)
- By the age of 8' I was able to do what we called "finger crochet" -
just open chain using only your fingers, as well as "French knitting"
- on the cotton reel hooking over the stitches.
- by 10yrs I was knitting in garter stitch and still have the dolls
cardigan I knitted about that time when I made my first attempt at
Fair Isle. It was still all in garter stitch and looks a mess :)
- in the early years of high school I learned to crochet - mainly in
the back row of the school choir.
- also during those Primary School years I had learned crewel
embroidery, cross stitch, and Roman cut work.
- by the time I was 18yrs old I could churn out jumpers in Arran and
Fair Isle as well as Granny's socks, and knitted lacey layettes.
- in my early 20s in London I started designing in both knitting and
crochet - usually whilst on acid or speed - some amazing designs :) I
remember vividly one night in 73 being at a Disco in Camden Town off
my face and got this amazing inspiration for a layette for a new
niece. I just had to get out of there to make it. So I WALKED home to
Nottinghill Gate refining the design as I went. Of course the others
beat me home in a cab. Nevertheless, 3 days later I emerged from my
room holding that layette. My sister still has it, but never did hear
the story of its inspiration.
- for many years I'd longed to learn to tat and tried numerous times
from a book, but the flick of the hitch never clicked until one day
by accident when I was about 27yrs old.
- It was about this time - mid 70s that I became aware of bobbin lace
but never thought I would ever learn how to make it myself.
- In 1980, during drug rehab I learned Carrickmacross and made a few
nice pieces. After that I got into the very fine knitted lace cloths
and Shetland shawls.
- In the 80s and early 90s I refined and developed my tatting skills
with much pleasure.
- then late in 1995 I finally learned bobbin lace with the wonderful
help of my friends on Arachne - perhaps the first to do so.
Right now my large piece of Toender is 3/4 done and having a little
rest for 6 months whilst I complete a petit point portrait on 40
count silk gauze.
David in Ballarat
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