Hello All! Have fun--we did! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA
Salamander Group Recap for the Arachne Archives
The salamander pricking was designed by the late Michael Jourde based on an MC
Escher tessellation & appeared in La Dentelle #67, October 1996. When made to
its specific size, each salamander fits neatly with other salamanders like
puzzle pieces. The recommended thread is DMC coton perle #8. Caron
Wildflowers is also a good option. Be generous when winding thread—perhaps 2-3
yards per passive bobbin & 3-4 yards per weaver bobbin. Weavers & passives
trade places at most corners.
The salamander outline uses five pairs as drawn, although gimp may be added at
the lacemaker’s discretion. The pricking is marked to start at the left elbow,
however there was a discussion within the group that starting at the tail tip
could be a nice option. Starting & finishing at the tail would facilitate
taking in & leaving our pairs easily, however, a “tail tip” start has not yet
been tested within the Arachne group. In the case of an elbow start, thread
positions do not return to their original places to match up with their
counterparts where the end meets the beginning. Passives are tossed as the
tail narrows, then added as it widens on the return. Within the group, there
was a consensus that it was more desirable to drop out these passive pairs &
pick them up individually on the return rather than cut the thread. Using this
method, the weaver stops at the last pin before the tip & the tip is worked
with two passive pairs. As drawn, the backbone requires !
four pairs to be sewn in & may be worked in half stitch or at the lacemaker’s
discretion. The backbone may be worked from tail to nose or vice versa.
The pricking may be worked in either direction from the starting point. It is
helpful to color the thread paths before beginning. Using five different
outline colors makes it easy to study the thread paths. Color coding the
bobbins may be helpful when using a single color for the body/outline. The
exchange between weaver & passive(s) makes a smooth & clever transition at
corners & curves. The salamander is worked wrong side up, facilitating an easy
finish.
The pricking is available free by request:
http://www.lesdiversespassionsdejosi.com/article-defi-salamandre-1-109599146.html
Scroll down on the left side & look for “Contact” under the photo of her cat.
The site is in French. Please send a completed salamander to Josianne so it
may join the growing collection of more than 400 in France. She keeps a log of
where they were made & by whom because they are displayed at lace events. Be
sure to print the pricking to the correct size as noted, otherwise your
completed salamander will not fit with others. There were some printing issues
within the group.
The link to Josianne’s blog is: http://www.lesdiversespassionsdejosi.com/
More information about MC Escher’s art may be found at:
http://www.mcescher.com/gallery/symmetry
An animated explanation of tessellation may be found
at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6L6bE_bTMo
Photos of completed salamanders made by Arachne members may be found on
Arachne’s Flickr page.
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