On Oct 19, 2008, at 5:43, Sue wrote:
Last week I was struggling with the magic chains (russian gimps), [...]
Not only was I doing the twists on every row which was wrong, I was
also taking the inside 2 threads out instead of the outside threads to
the centre!!!!!
OK, I'm totally confused... :) Are we talking about a two-pair (and two
colour) gimp, which gives a sort-of chain-stitch appearance, with the
colours of the "chain links" alternating?
If so, then... According to what I consider to be "the lacemaker's
Bible" -- Bridget Cook's "Technical Skills in Bobbin Lace" (Section
VIII, #6) -- one can make the colour change *either* on every pass,
*or* on every second pass; both are "correct", depending on the look
one is aiming for. What's more, the method shown (and explained) is to
take the inside threads out, over the outer ones. That is, *exactly* as
you have been doing.
But what puzzles me more is the name (Russian Gimp).
Cook calls it "interlocking V's" and, I suppose, "magic chain"
describes it equally well. But, where does the "Russian Gimp" come into
it? This kind of gimp, while it does appear in Russian Tape lace, is
not limited to it. The use of gimp which I have never seen anywhere
outside of Russian Tape (and which, therefore, could be called
"Russian" more legitimately) is the *raised* gimp (using either a
single pair or two pairs).
Raised gimp is best illustrated and explained in Sebastiana van den
Herik books on Russian Tape lace. I have two: "Dieren in kleur" and
"Motieven in kleur", both with English translations and both diagram
and verbally explain *both methods* (calling it "long"-- every second
pass, and "short" -- every pass, "chain stitch" and "long/short raised
chain stitch", respectively) .
The difference between the two gimps is that the method you describe
will look the same on both the right and the wrong side of the lace.
The raised gimp will not; on one side (right, since Russian Tape is
worked right side up) it will be very prominent; on the wrong side,
it'll be barely visible.
In both cases described by Herik, BTW, you *also* start your work with:
" take the centre gimps to the outsede" before the interaction
(different in plain and in raised) with the worker pair.
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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